First time here and it's not bad. It is a place for studying. It has desks, booths with bean bags…read moreand pillows and low tables as well as big tables for groups. I went here with friends and we got a booth upstairs. It wasn't too loud so I was able to get some studying done. I ordered an iced hazelnut latte and it was good! Maybe kind of pricey it was 160P. Didn't try the food but the cakes are 100 plus for a slice. Come here for the studying environment. It is very cute. I was here on a Friday night and it wasn't completely packed. Hopefully I can go here earlier in the day so I can really study all day here. It is open until 3am! My issue is that there is no wifi...only good thing is that less distractions but sometimes you just need some good wifi while studying. Excited to come back here and study even more :)

Cafe I'm Here has a really big space considering that it is a cafe. I find their coffee okay, not…read morebad but nothing out of the ordinary as well. But what I love about this cafe is their booths for seating. If you are fond of sitting in the floor or lying down, then this place is for you! It's a great place to hang out with your friends, chill and it is also a great place for study. They have ample electric outlets which make them also a great place to work or charge your gadgets. One downside is that they don't have wifi, which is one of the things I consider for a perfect hangout place. But if you do want to really talk and hangout with your friends, this will be a good place for you.

This review is based on their beverages and cheesecakes; will edit if necessary once I get to try…read moretheir savory dishes. So after having unlimited samgyupsal, my friends and I wanted some coffee/tea and/or desserts. I told them about some of the new dining establishments in Bennt 3 along Lilac, and Donna's Cafe is one of them. We tried some of their coffee-based drinks and tea, as well as some cheesecakes. I tried their iced caramel macchiato, and for P120, I think it could match a well-known coffee shop's version. However, it may be a little too sweet. I enjoyed my friend's French Earl Grey tea more haha! Oh, they use TWG tea, which is quite good. As for their cheesecakes, we tried 2 variants: blueberry and oreo. They basically have the same cheesecake base, which was okay-tasting, but they're kind of expensive, IMO. I would probably understand if they were served in a nice bowl/plate/slate, but they're just in their foil-like molds, so meh for presentation. Anyway, I will still go back because I am interested to try their savory offerings, particularly the steak, salpicao, and gambas.

Donna's Cafe is a recent discovery along Lilac Street in Marikina City. Nice and clean interiors…read more Relaxing ambiance. I tried the Oreo Cheesecake and I thought it was good. I wish it was served on a proper dish, and not a disposable tin foil ramekin though. It is still in its soft opening phase, but it is a dessert place that shows promise. I am definitely going back to try some of its savory dishes.

Been here once, great place to hang out but it's in accurate to say this is a 24bour place. It…read moreactually opens at. 10am.

Cool vibe in here. It's quite a big place, with seating in the front and back, plus an area for…read moreppl to surf the internet. Bright lights, and parking is available directly across the street. Came here one morning for take-out; just coffee. I ordered an iced white chocolate mint soy latte. Really good. *thumbs up* and we saw that they also had a good variety of cheesecakes and desserts. And upon a quick scan of their menu, turns out they have plenty of food options as well. So we came back in the evening around 7pm on a Tuesday. Not crowded but definitely not empty; we easily got a seat in the back area. Ordered a pistachio milk shake (*thumbs up again*) and shared a Four Mushroom pizza with my niece. We weren't expecting it to be black and we were curious if it was a special dough or something. But we were told it was food coloring that made it that way for aesthetic purposes. Tasted really good. I liked the added bonito flakes. Service was good. Didn't wait too long for the food. Only the bill out took longer than expected. Overall a good experience and a great coffee shop and hang out in the area

I dropped in for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by this semi-hidden coffee shop with cute log…read morecabin-esque interiors. Who knew they had this in Marikina! The place was pretty bare that weekday but according to the server they would usually get a lot of patrons in the afternoons and on weekends. I then realized I've heard of this place. It's one of those "secret" Marikina cafes where people would just hang out and stay for hours to work or study. And I could actually see that happening because the place really seemed cozy and the waiter guy, who saw that I had a laptop, immediately offered the WiFi password and showed me to a table with a nearby socket. Nice. (I was later informed though that WiFi is given only if you have a minimum order of P250) As for the food, I had the house specialty- the beef salpicao- and it was good! The cut of the meat was a little weird but it was really tasty. They did a good job with the marinade, although it was very oily and I would have appreciated more quantity. Haha. It came with rice though and side veggies, all under P200. I had a raspberry iced tea on the side too. It was a pretty satisfying meal in any case and I would've loved to stay longer. I'm hoping to go back pretty soon to sample their desserts and coffee!

I first learned about DITO: Bahay ng Sining when I was helping out one of my best friends for her…read moreband's second music video. They were doing a cover of an OPM classic and we used DITO as one of our major locations. Upon seeing DITO, I was certainly impressed by its set-up. Half of it was a mini-theatre, complete with stage and built-in spotlights. They had monoblocks chairs, benches, beanbags and an audio mixer for the plays that were staged here. Apparently, the owner of DITO is an award-winning playwright from Ateneo. He wanted a place to stage his own plays so he decided to build one with the help of his parents. A lot of other plays have been staged here and SPIT has also done a show here. Right beside the theatre is the café part of DITO. They don't have an extensive menu but they have a couple of rice meals, pastas and sandwiches. The café also serves coffee and I have to say its one of the best I've had. It wasn't a latte or a frappucino - it was just straight up Kapeng Barako, and it was delicious. They also serve local beers and other cocktails, which comes in handy right after the play. At the back end of the café, you will see couches and a huge shelf full of books and a ton of board games. This gives customers a chance to just really hang out at DITO with their friends, even if they're not into theatre arts. That doesn't stop there. DITO's walls are furnished with some up-and-coming local artists' works. All those that are displayed are being sold so feel free to look around and check out what you like enough to purchase. If nothing urges you to buy, then just take a hipster photo with those pieces as background. DITO: Bahay ng Sining is a pretty cool place to hang out. If I lived near Marikina or easily had access to this place, I'd probably become a regular. I can just sit back, read and have a cup of coffee, and burn the hours away. It's definitely one hipster spot you "non-hipsters" will absolutely enjoy.

As a southerner, I was a bit uncomfortable going into the bowels of Marikina for an impromptu…read moreperformance, which a friend invited me to. But after actually visiting the place, I wouldn't mind going again! Dito is found on the second floor of a two-storey building. The stairway going up is decorated with artworks, including the chandelier and a huge mural on the wall. There were no windows at all, so I was surprised when I saw the interior: a large dining area with enough room for a tech booth, a small stage with basic lighting. There are artworks for sale on the walls and there were shelves with ample reading material. My favorite part of the restaurant: a part of the large bookshelf at the back of the restaurant with books and boardgames slides backward to reveal another room! Well, actually, it's the dressing room for the performers, but still! Secret doors are awesome! :D The dressing room - which is complete with a mirror with stage lights, chairs, and just enough space to warm up a bit - also comes with its own storage area (for costumes, props, etc.) and its own private bathroom. As a performer, I'm soooo thankful for this! Their menu isn't large, just some basic pasta, sandwiches, and appetizers, and beers. I ordered their bacon, egg and mozzarella tarts. Yum. It's got bacon, I don't need to explain anything. Dito has regular events and seems to be a good venue for young, aspiring artists and avant-garde performances. A couple of friends and I did contemporary dance improvisation here, followed by some spoken word, folk dance, and a Japanese koto accompanied by acoustic guitar. I haven't heard of any other place that does events like these, so it's definitely worth more visits!

Came here on 06/02/24 with my siblings and we loved it! There was a bit of a line but the drinks…read morewere tasty. Me and my sister both got the Kyoto latte, since I prefer my drinks more on the sweeter side. The interior itself is a blend of rustic and modern with a very clean feel. I really enjoyed coming here and we will definitely be back again!

I've heard about this Japanese coffee shop chain because of its aesthetic design and yummy coffee…read more We came across this while shopping at Gentle Monster at BGC. The workers were informative and let us know the history of Arabica's % logo. We ordered a matcha latte and an iced coffee. The coffee was delish! The matcha though... I was not a fan. The description was so promising since they're using matcha from Kyoto. Maybe it wasn't made correctly but the matcha was very grainy and dry.

Milk and cookies. Again, a winning combination. You can't really go wrong with milk and cookies…read more Then there's this place that pretty much marries the milk and the cookie. A cookie cup for your milk. Genius! For milk and cookies, I shall brave any measure of lactose intolerance. For... erm... science. Yes. Science. It's a cozy little cafe and the menu isn't anything special. Coffee, tea, smoothies... but we're here for the milk and cookies, aren't we? I suppose for what it's worth, it's worth the experience. A shotglass sized cookie and a nicely sized pot of milk. There's nothing really remarkable about the cookie or the milk either. It's a pretty typical cookie and pretty typical milk but again, it's an experience. Definitely worth a try at least once if only to say you've tried it. The ambiance is pretty good, too. It's a nice place to hang out with a small group or to kill some time by yourself.

I've been on the hunt for those cookie shot things for a while. Isn't it terribly amusing to have a…read morecookie, shaped like a little shot glass, that you can eat after a "shot" of milk? I have a super ridiculous visual of badass Rugrats-like toddlers enjoying "a round" hahahahahahahahahahaha. Thankfully, I learned about Cookie Mug and it finally satisfied my curiosity with the whole thing! The place is up on the second floor of this commercial building right past the bridge on Lilac Street. It calls itself a snack lounge so they have that whole cozy lounge interior and offer a bunch of cakes and cupcakes along with some coffee, tea, and smoothies. I went straight for the cookie shots though. They have it in 3 different sizes and you buy the milk separately- your choice of fresh milk, chocolate, caramel, or mocha. I got the small ones and had the regular fresh milk which came in this adorable little pot! Aaah!!! I was laughing to myself a bit as I poured the milk and took my first "shot." Then I ate the hell out of that cookie. Hee! I'm usually very nitpicky about stuff being value-for-money, but here, even if the cookie tasted just okay and the milk was just your regular supermarket fresh milk, I didn't mind at all. You're paying for cute here, and it really is the cutest thing! Already worth it on that level, hahaha. Go spare a few hundreds and treat yourself to a fun, kooky (ehe) afternoon!

You've got to try this new place if you're near the area. What I like here is the staff are…read moreaccommodating and friendly. The downside is the coffee is not worth its price. You can taste coffee in it but it lacks uniqueness in flavor vs Its competitors.

From the owner: The First Vietnamese Cafe in Rizal!…read more Drip Kofi's minimalist aesthetic complements its focus on quality coffee, creating a cozy and quiet environment for the customers to enjoy.

As a digital freelance writer living in a residence that's not yet reached by any fiber network,…read morerelying on my cellular data provider is both frustrating (the connection comes and goes) and painful (on my wallet). That is why finding Cofficina was such a Godsend to me. With multiple reliable internet connections, I can work without worrying about lost connections. Day passes and memberships afford coffee addicts such as myself free-flowing coffee, and the varied food choices in their menu are very affordable and delightfully scrumptious (the Salted Egg Fried Chicken, Sliders, and Amnesia Brownies are must-tries). What's neat about Cofficina is I also get to mingle with other people as enterprising as myself. I'd sometimes catch a glimpse of my neighbors' laptop screens and ask them what they're up to. Since I always ask nicely and out of genuine curiosity, they proudly share what their projects are all about. I've gotten quite a number of new friends and connections this way. People are serious about their work there, though every now and then there would be groups who'd take breaks by playing silly card games like Sushi Go or Joking Hazard. Then there's the occasional fun seminar or workshop - some of my friends have attended fun jewelry-making classes, while I myself have attended a Kickstart My Freelance Career seminar there. I was even lucky enough to have enjoyed a mini-concert there! Though I don't plan on holding my own event there yet, I've asked around and found that it's easy enough to schedule and inexpensive to boot. In short, Cofficina is a splendid space where one can take a laptop, work one's heart out, build a professional network, and learn new things. If you're an enterprising individual or a small team in Marikina who's looking to conquer the world one project at a time, then Cofficina is the perfect place for you.

From the owner: Cofficina is Marikina's first co-working community. We exist to provide creative coworking spaces…read moreto a diverse community of passionate individuals. But more than that, Cofficina is a dynamic community of influencers, creators, and thinkers. We are the workspace of choice for a variety of start-ups, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. Members enjoy workspaces and amenities such as high-speed internet, coffee, and a live social network of inspired professionals. We provide a safe space where members can explore their creativity, bounce ideas off of each other, share resources, gain feedback, and learn from the experience of others.

This is a very nice and cozy cafe! :D I immediately liked the place when I entered. They have very…read morecute cloud-looking wooden tables! The staff were very nice too. I asked what their bestseller was and they recommended the Irish Coffee Latte. I'm very happy I listened to them. It was delicious!!! I've had the opportunity to try their Latte and Choco Peppermint. Both pretty good too. The latte normal but good. The iced version can be filling. The Choco Peppermimt was not too sweet with the right hint of mint. I was also very surprised with how much my coffee was! In general, their prices are very affordable! I hope it stays that way.

Have you ever tried an Irish cream coffee? No? Me neither... at least until I discovered the Urban…read moreGrind café. I was successfully persuaded by the friendly barista to give that drink a shot. She even suggested I try it with a shot of vodka - a usual thing done to Irish cream coffees. I was feeling particularly bold that morning so I said obliged. And boy was it a real picker-upper! Needless to say, you should definitely try it out. Other than that drink, another reason I appreciated Urban Grind is because of its chill but modern ambience. There were a good number of couches - perfect for a chill hangout session with your friends. They also had work station-worthy tables, with accessible plugs to booth! It was great that I stopped by a couple of hours before lunchtime so I got to enjoy the place with just a couple of customers. I got to drink good coffee and work at the same time. I also liked this café's staff. They were all very helpful and accommodating, a specific trait I always look for in restaurants and coffee shops. At one point, I couldn't seem to get through their Internet connection; one of their waitresses walked up to me and helped me out, without me even asking her to! Really, truly appreciate such helpful service.