The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf — Restaurant in Makati

From the start of the pandemic, the food and beverage industry bore the impact of the prolonged and unneeded quarantines (had the gov't had a better plan). There was no week in the past that I would not find myself in the comfort of a CBTL branch with either work or a book.

That sense of community and small-but-meaningful interactions with baristas and people in the shops died down when the pandemic hit. Everytime cases are lower than usual, I and my friends make sure to support the local food and beverage seen.

I deeply emphatize with how hard has this been for staff (lessened work days, longer work hours, harder days with masks on). Richelle today showed me that sense of community once again. A little small-but-meaningful conversation can help people like me - who work from home, stuck in the four corners for months and months, realize that there is hope at the end of this pandemic.

So thank you again to the team of CBTL ANE and the culture that you have cultivated. May we all safely see a...

This is one of my favorite CBTL branches here in the Philippines. Though CBTL is now majority owned by Jollibee Corp (JFC), it does not own the local franchise of the coffee shop. CBTL in Manila was established in 2003, way before the JFC purchase. Jollibee Group has a say in their global operations specifically in the US (Main Office), Malaysia and Singapore.

We had several of their excellent pastries ( which are supplied by Nono's) namely: Turtle Pie, Ube Cheesecake, Lime Pie and Walnut Crunch. We paired these with their Latte, Double Chocolate, Cappuccino and Caramel Macchiato.

The thing I really like with this branch is that, the mall Ayala North Exchange is not full on weekends and parking is plentiful. The design is functional and modern. The premises are clean. The staff is super friendly, attentive and would go an extra mile for great service. Highly...

First, we walk into the restaurant and there are two big dogs in the dining room. I know this is normal in the Philippines, but these dogs would go nuts barking every time a dog walked by outside. The management should have asked them to move their party outside.

But that was minor compared to the food. I ordered the chorizo and eggs skillet, which looked amazing on the menu. It arrived swimming in several millimeters of cooking oil, rendering it almost inedible. I got through the eggs and about half of the chorizo before feeling ill and breaking out in a horrible sweat.

I let my flipping stomach rest for a few minutes and switched to the garlic rice in hopes that would fill me up. Two bites of this rice, and it was clear the rice was very old and the garlic was way too powerful. I retired my fork and simply sipped on my so-so...