Commune Café + Bar + Roastery — Restaurant in Makati

i’ve been meaning to check out commune in makati for a while now, especially because of their unique coffee offerings (buko pandan and ube lattes!). i finally dropped by to work from there and here’s how it went:

1️⃣ coffee & food: i tried their creme brulee coffee (₱ 215), expecting something caramelized or torched on top (like other cafes do), but it turned out more like a regular cafe latte for me. a bit underwhelming. the coffee menu is also a bit limited, even with their “secret” options.

but, i also ordered their banana cake (₱100) and omg, it was sooo good! you can really taste the banana. soft, moist and slightly chewy, just how i like it 💛

2️⃣ staff & service: honestly, one of the best parts of my visit. the staff was super friendly! i didn’t catch the name of the lady who assisted me, but she was really warm and helpful. she guided me to my seat, handed the menu quickly, and even served water without being asked. she was also attentive throughout, always checking if anyone needed anything 🥹

3️⃣ space & vibezzz:

ac temp: juuust right. not too cold, not too warm. perfect for working (unlike starbucks where i freeze lol).

sockets: yes!!! so many available.

wifi: sadly… super slow 🥲 ended up using my hotspot. (ran a speed test and attached it for reference.)

bonus: they have cafe cats 😻 and they’re so chill!!

overall: giving it a solid 8/10. love the friendly staff, local coffee beans, and comfy workspace!! but i wish they had more drink options and better wifi. still, i’d recommend it for anyone looking for a cozy space!! especially if you’re curious about trying local coffee beans and drinks infused with unique filipino flavors like buko pandan, ube...

I can see expats loves it here, this is the first coffee shop in PH that I provide 5 stars.

Coffee: Not too sweet - I finally find a coffee that I can enjoy, I lost counts on how many times I couldn't finish my coffee because it's too sweet. they also provided me the complimentary water without being asked.

Dessert: Local & Westerns choices - I didn't order any food, only dessert. they have local cakes, classic cookies and homemade cake slices.

Beer: proper selections. available all day too.

Service: Swift and informative, I ordered, went to the bathroom, back at my table and my orders already served. Prior coming in, I DMed them on instagram, they replied. Important for me as I don't have PH numbers yet.

Bathroom: They have bidet! As a woman from a country that always have water inside the bathroom, it's highly reassuring to find the bidet here. they also have another bathroom in level 2 so I don't need to go back and forth downstairs.

Smoking Area: Available for balcony table upstairs. again, for someone coming from a country with high numbers of smokers, this is the only place I've found so far who have a table outside that allows smoking. they have more than 10 tables on the balcony and access for charging. it's universal socket too. amazing.

Parking: No parking area.

Wifi: Available, but you need a PH number to get the OTP.

overall I am very happy with the place, it feels like a coffee shop next door, not too fancy but I definitely can see myself as a regular (and yes, I opened my laptop just to write...

The coffee over here was fine. Also liked the vibe.

However, I would not eat here again. The food was not good at all and I really advise them to revisit their menu. We’ve ordered a club sandwich which and a croque monsieur. The croque monsieur tasted (and looked) like two slices of supermarket white bread with cheap cheese and ham microwaved and a fried egg on top. This is not close to what this dish should be like. It’s not crunchy, like the name “croque” suggests. It’s not grilled. There was no béchamel (or it didn’t taste like that). It was bad. We didn’t finish the club sandwich either. The best about these meals were the crisps on the side.

Furthermore, I wanted to order a V60 and the menu stated “ask about the origins of our beans” but when I asked about the (fermentation) process of the different bean options, the question wasn’t understood and only the name/origin was mentioned of the bean. Without the process and some taste notes, I can’t make an informed decision about what to order. This information is normally always displayed on the bag of (specialty) coffee beans. Later, I found out they sold beans as well, and indeed, the information I asked about was prominently displayed at the label of the bag. They could’ve a least showed me the labels of the beans they had. I ordered a cappuccino instead,...