Looking for a new place to study, work, or yap? This hole-in-the-wall café with fun specialty drinks and cozy vibes in Ortigas got you.
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One could never have enough cafés to hang out at, and once you find your go-to spots, it almost becomes like a home. A good café is like a good coffee itself—a nice blend of what you love. With good food and drinks, a vibe that matches yours, a comfortable space catered to what you need, and a commitment to taking care of the community it cultivates, a little café can be a safe space for so many people.
Bringing the drinks, the treats, and the vibes from Makati to Pasig is Odd Cafe, a favorite among the quirky, trendy youth of the metropolis—and for good reason. The OG Makati branch has become a go-to for students, young working adults, and people from all walks of life who appreciate a good drink and a cozy space. They’ve also popped up as stalls here and there during different events, bazaars, and weekend markets you may have been to!
Odd Cafe recently opened their new branch on the second floor of the Crescent Condominium at 29 San Miguel Ave, Ortigas Center, Pasig, with new, branch-specific plant-based goodies and a promise to serve the community as creatively and deliciously as they can.
IMMACULATE VIBES
Something that makes both Odd Cafe Makati and Odd Cafe Pasig stand out in all their quirkiness is how they’re both hole-in-the-wall places that earn popularity through social media and word-of-mouth. Their brews, the café’s aesthetic, and their plant-based offerings, are all fresh, innovative, and creative.
“There’s a discovery aspect to it,” owner Via Villafuerte muses. Through this sense of discovery and how regular customers bringing in more, the community aspect is formed as people come to appreciate the quirky, fun, and chill vibe that Odd Cafe brings.
The Odd Cafe aesthetic is very modern retro, cozy casual. There are couches you can just sink into, tables where you can focus solo or co-work with other people, and even a section that can be closed off where meetings or lunches can be held. The wide space is colorful and playful without being overstimulating. While it can be busy at times, you can still find some peace and quiet in here.
THIS AND YAP
Whether you want to treat yourself out to brunch or have merienda with your friends, the food at Odd Cafe are for sure not the usual dishes you can yap over. From all-day brunch plates to rice bowls and pastas of all shapes and sizes, their plant-based menu puts a twist on familiar classics. Think a “hashbrown” made of mushrooms, ricotta, and microgreens.
There’s the mildly hot Kimchi Fried Rice with homemade kimchi, the creamy and peppery Bucatini Cacio E Pepe, the savory Fettucine Mushroom Ragu, and more.
Their sandwiches are also flavorful and filling, like the Menchi Sando with homemade shokupan and menchi katsu and the Philly Cheesesteak with Demi Glace on a baguette and loads of sauce. Plus, the crunchy layers of the sandwiches are ASMR TikTok-worthy.
You can check out the full menu of Odd Cafe Pasig here. Don’t worry if you don’t have anyone to yap with, too. The food will keep you silent and satisfied. But also, Odd Cafe has its own mascots, Via’s cats Luna and Hugo, who wander around the café and bask in guests’ attention.
COFFEE & COMMUNITY
Odd Cafe is also known for their specialty plant-based beverages, particularly coffee. Specialty coffee is a culture in and of itself, and the community that patronizes it is growing in number. Coffee has become a hobby, a foundation in which people bond over. From specific beans, blends, and roasters, specialty coffee is concerned with quality and new ways to enjoy and consume the beverage.
Odd hires baristas who know their way around beans, roasters, and techniques. “Our baristas are trained to make and serve speciality coffee,” Via shares.
The café is known for its bestsellers, like the heavenly, vanilla and cinnamon espresso-based French Kiss, caffe mocha Mud Shot, horchata Oddchata, and more. They’re also known to use oat milk in their beverages, a good alternative to cow milk.
Odd Cafe Pasig branch introduces four new drinks bursting with color and flavor: Sassy Sapphire, Charming Topaz, Playful Emerald, and Tokyo Cloud. The Sassy Sapphire, which tastes a little bit like the cereal Honey Stars, is oat milk mixed with Curacao Blue. The Charming Topaz hits you with a pleasant surprise at first as the mango puree adds a fresh twist to an espresso with oat milk and chocolate syrup.
For all the matcha lovers (and honestly, non-matcha lovers), the Playful Emerald is Odd Cafe’s blueberry-infused twist on an iced matcha. Finally, the Tokyo Cloud plays around with texture and flavor with black sesame seeds over vanilla and oat milk. Any of their beverages, from coffee to cocktails, are perfect to have in your hand when you attend an Odd Cafe event.
The café sometimes hosts events at the space, like Drag Brunch or mini live shows. Like in anything they do, Odd Cafe puts their own twist on it. For instance, their upcoming Drag Brunch isn’t just a drag show with food—it’s partly a fundraiser to support the Blood Cancer Alliance of the Philippines on Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Coffee, brunch, a drag show, and a good cause? Sounds like a perfect blend to us.
If you’re interested in checking out this new space, head on over to the Crescent Condominium in Ortigas now and grab a drink—or grab a seat.
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