A 2026 guide · curated by Cascara
Specialty coffee in Makati.
Where the third wave started.
Legazpi · Salcedo · PoblacionIf Philippine specialty coffee has a birthplace, it's Makati. The country's earliest third-wave roasters opened here in the 2010s, and its most internationally recognized names still call it home. From the CBD villages to Poblacion's cafe-bars, this is where the quality bar was set. A curator's starting point — and the way to find a cup that suits your palate.
The scene.
Makati's specialty coffee splits into two moods. Legazpi and Salcedo Villages — the CBD core — hold the establishment: the longest-running roasters, the weekend markets, and the rooms where much of the country's specialty culture was built. Yardstick, in Legazpi Village since 2013, is the reference point. Poblacion is the other pole — denser, younger, more experimental, with small design-led cafes and roaster-bars packed into a few walkable blocks.
Between them, Makati carries more roasting history than anywhere else in the country. Many BGC and out-of-town cafes pour beans that trace back to a Makati roastery.
How to navigate the menu
Pick by palate, not by storefront.
Cascara organizes every bean against the Process Spectrum — four corners that capture how a coffee tends to taste:
Bright, floral, tea-like.
Balanced, chocolatey, familiar.
Juicy, fruit-forward, sweet.
Funky, fermented, unconventional.
Once you know your corner, a Makati menu shrinks to a shortlist. The palate quiz takes less than a minute.
Makati roasters in the cellar.
Roasters with a Makati, Legazpi, Salcedo or Poblacion footprint and an active lineup in the Cascara cellar. Not ranked — a starting point.
Makati
Third-wave specialty roastery sourcing from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia and the Philippines, with cafes in Makati, Ortigas,…
Makati
Makati cafe and roastery serving specialty single-origin coffee roasted in-house, with branches on Jimenez and San Isidro.
Makati
Makati specialty coffee roaster and equipment distributor (La Marzocco, Rocket), with branches across Metro Manila.
Makati
Poblacion, Makati cafe-bar and roaster serving 100% Philippine coffee alongside Filipino comfort food.
Makati
Third-wave Manila cafe and roastery co-founded by Bryant Dee, roasting single-origin and Filipino-African espresso blends…
Makati
Specialty coffee chain founded in 2019 by Lorenzo 'Lanz' Castillo, grown from a market pop-up to nine cafes and a Makati…
Makati
Makati
Salcedo Village specialty cafe established in 2014, AeroPress-focused and sourcing single origins from Belis Washing Station in…
Makati
Poblacion Makati-based roastery and cafe offering on-demand custom roasting and grinding tailored to each order, alongside food,…
What to drink in Makati, depending on what you like.
If you like black tea, white wine, or stone fruit — Clean. The Legazpi and Salcedo establishments almost always have a carefully-sourced washed lot; ask for the brightest pour-over on the bar.
If you like dark chocolate, red wine, or roasted nuts — Classic. Every serious Makati roaster keeps a balanced house bean; it's the safe first cup at a room you don't know.
If you like tropical fruit, honey, or florals — Fluid. The competition-minded roasters here pour some of the best honey and natural lots in the country.
If you want something strange — Experimental. Poblacion is where to look — the newer roaster-bars lean hardest into ferments and one-off lots.
Find your corner first.
Eleven questions, less than a minute. Your Cellar Identity is the shortcut to a Makati menu that suits your palate.
Start calibrating →For roasters
Roast or pour specialty coffee in Makati? Get listed.
Cascara is curator-built. If you roast specialty coffee in Makati, or operate a Makati cafe pouring specialty beans, get in touch. Listing is free — a proper public profile, member ratings, and discovery from people actively looking for the coffee you make.
gil@cascara.cafe →Common questions.
Where is the best specialty coffee in Makati?
There isn't one answer. Makati's specialty scene concentrates in Legazpi and Salcedo Villages — the CBD core where many of the country's earliest third-wave roasters opened — and in Poblacion, the denser, newer cafe-and-bar district. 'Best' depends on your palate. The Cascara directory lists the Makati roasters in the cellar with member ratings on the beans they roast.
Why is Makati important for Philippine coffee?
It's where the modern specialty scene started. Many of the country's longest-running third-wave roasters opened in Makati in the 2010s, and it's still home to the Philippines' most internationally recognized names — Yardstick, in Legazpi Village since 2013, was the country's sole entry on The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026. Makati set the quality bar the rest of the Metro built on.
What's the difference between Makati and BGC specialty coffee?
Makati hosts the longest-running roasters — the operators who opened first and roast in-house. BGC is where most of the newer, cafe-forward concepts have opened in the last five years, often as retail partnerships with those same Makati roasters. The cup quality bar is high in both; the difference is age and aesthetic.
Is Poblacion good for coffee?
Increasingly, yes. Better known for nightlife, Poblacion has become one of the denser specialty pockets in the Metro — small, design-led cafes and roaster-bars packed into a few walkable blocks. It's where a lot of the newer, more experimental Makati coffee is happening.
Does Cascara rank Makati cafes or roasters?
No. The directory is curator-verified — every Makati roaster in the cellar gets a public profile with their full bean lineup, regardless of marketing budget or cafe footprint. Members rate the individual beans; that's the only ranking signal on Cascara.
Read next.
Author · Gil Erez, Founder of Cascara · 8 July 2026