One of the best things about cold Baguio city is the abundance of what you can call a student cafe. These are the places that are friendly to a student’s budget and taste. In all my years living here, cafés are an absolute necessity in two things according to Spoon University: a student’s all-nighter and sit-down hangouts with buddies. Why do you think student cafés never stop sprouting up here and there every year?
Student Cafés don’t judge you for how long you stay and mooch off their Wi-Fi, as long as you order at least one item, of course. They’re experts in ignoring the pajamas and unwashed hair that you came in with. Sadly, most of the time, they prefer not to pry when you’re obviously getting your heart broken. Without a doubt, these places feel like a second home.
These places are also motherboards of feelings. Remember the quote ‘What happens here stays here?’ So if you have none, head on over. Here, I give you 5 of my favorite cafés in the chilly city of Pines.
5 Student-friendly cafes in Baguio City
1. Patch Café (Bloomfield Hotel, Leonard Wood Rd.)
Most of the time, I see millennials flocking this chic and comfy combo student café. There are groups who go there to have a good time with Patch’s mouth-watering meals. Then there are the university students who camp out there, draining the café’s coffee reserves. When I sometimes join the camp, I order their hot white chocolate mocha over and over.
It’s just that good. If my friends and I are in need of some childhood comfort, we go for some steamed milk and the champorado. Patch is one of those places with a lively buzz of human energy that’s just right. It doesn’t make you feel bad for putting off that requirement to the last minute.
2. Meow Meow Café (3-2 Ecco Building, Assumption Rd.)
Let me spare you the disappointment. This is a cat-free cat student café. Filling the whole place with Cat décor is adorable but real cats are just different you know? But one perk of this place is their menu. Try saying Iced Meowcchiatto or an Iced Cappurrccino. Cat got your tongue? Another thing to make up for the lack of cats is the tea.
Everyone needs a caffeine break every once in a while. This student café has one of the most authentic fruit teas I’ve ever sipped. No fruit tea knock-off! It’s also a good place to bring some newly made friends. The cute feline cafe décor and food are very good icebreakers plus there’s no wifi to distract any of you. Trust me, anyone is bound to say ‘aaaww’ for what they see and ‘ooohhh’ for what they taste.
3. Coffee House (Caltex, Legarda Road)
For a quiet afternoon or an early morning that I’m not lazy, I go and seek out the éclairs of Coffee House. I couple that with a cup or two of any of their coffees and I’m set for a day of pondering. However, yes, it’s very out of the way. Some of us, though, go to such lengths to worry somewhere else aside from school, home, or work.
Their open space set up is a great breather. And their kind and quick service is a comfort. You and your friends can set your own mood in your own corners. With great coffee, sweet pastries, and some throwback songs, you’ll feel like you’re in a bubble in the middle of the street. Sometimes, we need places where no one we know can stumble in on us. Alone or with a trusted buddy, this is the place to go.
4. Arca’s Yard (Ambuklao Rd.)
Some students have a taste for the dainty and ever fair. Though Arca’s Yard is all that, it’s also very homey. Truth be told, everyone who goes there wishes they could live there. Sophistication, art, and home all came together to make the place a wonderland café. Imagine being a prim and proper master sipping a cup of freshly brewed authentic Benguet coffee. By the window, you’ll sit and marvel at the beautiful city and it’s guardian mountains.
Imagine listening to great modern-classical music. My word, you’ll feel like royalty. I just want to cry thinking of all that because I can’t have it. And it’s not just the look and feel of the place. The food and drinks are divine. Prim and proper ends when you and your friends start fighting over the last of the fries. Also, when you completely forget manners as you chug down their smoothies. You’ll rarely see anyone doing work here. It’s more of a sweet spot for cherishing the people you love.
5. Gossip Café (Gen. Luna Rd., Brgy. Upper Gen. Luna)
True to its name, people do tend to stay in this student café for hours on end twittering and chirping about who knows what. My friends and I somehow always get stuck here ‘till the end of the day no matter what time we come in. Gossip’s affordable platter menu is meant for those times when you want a feast but you’re kind of going broke so you and your friends pitch in.
One of the bundles we always take is the Gossip Food Trip which has clubhouse sandwiches, fries, and nachos. Sometimes, we get another bundle. So much for saving up. They also have special mix coffee drinks that are drool-worthy. Two of my favorites are the Italian Cheesecake and the Butterscotch Blondie. It’s the perfect place to satisfy your sweet tooth while listening to the entertainment side of university life.