Metro Manila has upped its bakery game with cafes and restaurants making their own freshly baked premium goods served in a welcoming ambiance. For the discerning bread lover who wants an experience beyond the traditional panaderia and usual bread shops that populate our cities, here is a list of 12 'modern' bakery-cafes you can try out for whenever your carb cravings may strike.
Photo from Dutch Bread Hauz Facebook Page
Offering freshly baked products using European ingredients, this bread haven combines their bakery with a dining area. Get your stash of buns, rolls, loaves, and pastries to bring home from Dutch Bread Hauz; if you're craving for something savory, you can order salads, pastas, and sandwiches to eat right there.
2. Eric Kayser
Eric Kayser's shop at Power Plant Mall has been feeding Makati with its famous croissants, baguettes, eclairs, and cookies. Now that Eric Kayser Cafe has finally open in Promenade, Greenhills, they're taking the freshly baked breads and Parisian experience to San Juan–sandwiches, quiche, fougasse, and salads are available on the menu to complete the dining experience. An outlet in Rustan's Makati will be opening soon.
Photo from Harina Artisan Bakery Café Facebook Page
Formerly known as Monsees Café, the little neighborhood bakery is now called Harina. All breads here are hand-made in small batches, and everything is kept in-store for only a short period to ensure freshness. Popular are their breadsticks that come in many flavors (garlic, parmesan, milk & butter, etc.), the classic Spanish bread, and the signature Bloomin' Bread–a crusty pull apart loaf shaped like a flower that is filled with basil and melted cheese. Come hungry to sample their all-day breakfast menu.
This Rockwell establishment opens early for breakfast, a perfect time to savor some of their bread and pastries, freshly baked each day. You can swing by to buy your favorite panaderia items at their takeout counter, or if you’d rather sit down and have bread for your breakfast right there, you can also order one of the 2 kinds of Bread Baskets, which are served with various jams and butters. Aside from breads and comfort food, they offer coffee and cocktails, if you desire either or both kinds of fuel at any time of the day.
5. L’Artizan
From The French Baker brand comes a boulangerie, restaurant and tea salon in Serendra. Their selection of European style premium breads are lovely take home items, while dining in the establishment will make you appreciate the breads as sandwiches and paired with meals. Elegant interiors (plus the irresistible scent of baked bread) make this a delicious date place option.
6. Manilabake
This bakery inside Serye in Eastwood makes sure they make bread the right way: no shortcuts, unnecessary additives, and only using the best ingredients that they can get their hands on–a mix of local and imported but they always try to put the local front and center. They also carry an assortment of local food products such as adobo paté, vegetarian bagoong, tsokolate, melba toast, muscovado cookies, and calamansi polvoron, to name a few.
7. Paris Delice
This quaint cafe in Makati Avenue, decorated with its own mini Eiffel Tower, is an alternative fast food restaurant that carries authentic French bread, pastries, sandwiches, quiches and salads, all at reasonable prices. You don't need an expensive two-way ticket to Paris to taste authentic croissants and pain au chocolats, as Paris Delice offers these and more straight from the boulangeries of France for that authentic French culinary experience.
8. Paul
It's a delight for the bread-loving folk of the metro to see more European style breads being offered to the local market. Paul started as a small family bakery in France in 1889 that later on expanded outside of the country in the 1980s. Some of the Paul bakeries incorporate a cafe/restuarant area, such as the outlet in SM Aura Premier, where customers can enjoy a selection of country-style and fancy bread, viennoiserie like croissants, pastries, cakes and desserts, snacks and sandwiches.
While mall-based bakeshops are already a dime a dozen, Tous Les Jours (French phrase for 'every day') distinguishes itself from the others by offering Korea's frozen dough technology. Korea's leading premium bakery chain presents to our local palate freshly baked breads and elegantly designed cakes.
Photo from Wheatberry Bakery and Cafe Facebook Page
10. Wheatberry Bakery and Cafe
This bakery-cafe in the 'Scout' area of Quezon City has been around for almost a decade. Wheatberry is a spacious establishment good for family gatherings and meetings, with a good variety of cakes, pastries, sweet and savory breads, chocolates and confections to whet your appetite. More tummy-filling options include all-day breakfast, sandwiches and wraps, pastas, and pizzas. They also offer party packages, cake customization, and themed dessert bars.
Photo from Wildflour Café + Bakery Facebook Page
Wildflour has been synonymous to cronut because of the store's notorious reputation of expanding waistlines with their delicious hybrid creations last year. But stay longer at a branch near you to discover their impressive arsenal of breads, pastries,as well as breakfast and comfort food. Here's some good news for Wildflour fans: a branch will soon open in Makati.
This Japanese bakery is the next door neighbor of a ramen place, Mitsuyado Sei-Men, as both are owned by the same group. If you're in the mood for bread rather than noodles, just hop on over to this bakery cafe for their selection of doughnuts, croissants, danish, choux cream, and more. They bake their breads early in the morning to ensure customers of fresh products every day.
