The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf — Restaurant in Makati

The CBTL branch at the 5th floor (cinema level) had staff the day we visited that was either not attentive, too focused on his "script" and zero customer service. It was 9:13 PM when I ordered Earl Grey Tea to go. I waited patiently in line, but it felt like it was taking ages for him to finish up the customer ahead of me, there were too many suggestions and offers and "by-the-ways" while taking orders. I made my order, and I was precise and direct and listened to the upcoming Monday promo he told me about. After sitting and waiting for more than 15 minutes for a cup of tea, I had to approach the counter--I mean, it shouldn't take that long to boil a cup of water and plop a teabag into it right?

I followed up on my order and I was immediately told that Earl Grey was out-of-stock. I must have stood there for 30 seconds pointing at my receipt before the girl admitted that there was a mistake and that the cashier shouldn't have punched the order in. When asked why we weren't informed, she unconvincingly told me that they were trying to find us. We have been watching them at the counter and neither staff member left to even attempt to look for us. She did offer us a different tea variant but we asked for a refund instead.

It was a very disappointing experience for what is a very nice, clean, and new...

I've visited this cafe twice, and both times left me a bit underwhelmed with the drinks, especially considering their claim to be passionate about coffee. Here are a few reasons why:

Firstly, their menu seems to lean heavily towards non-coffee drinks, featuring matcha and syrup-based beverages. While variety is great, it's a bit disappointing for a place that prides itself on coffee.

Secondly, the cold brew experience was less than stellar. It seems to be brewed from overly roasted coffee beans, resulting in a brew that tastes excessively bitter.

Moving on to their coffee with milk options, they fall short of delivering a satisfying coffee experience. The milk is often burned and stirred rather than frothed, leaving behind large bubbles in the cup, and the coffee flavor is somewhat lost in the process.

Lastly, there's been an issue with the accuracy of orders – mistakes happen, but it's a notable factor in the overall experience.

Despite these shortcomings, I appreciate the quiet atmosphere and hope the cafe can enhance its coffee offerings to match the enthusiasm they express for the brew. Otherwise, it's going to be just another overpriced without quality...

I gave it only 2 stars… and I wanted to give a higher rating, but CBTL “Could Be Twice Lamenting” too! 😂😞

The day I went to CBTL Ayala Mall Circuit, I wanted to have coffee and work on an assignment. So, I was happy to see CBTL being quieter and less crowded (unlike the other coffee shop) 😆and looked forward to my coffee and work time. One star for that!

I ordered a small hot Cafe Latte and a sandwich. Service was fast! So far, so good, two stars! 😁

I took a sip of my coffee, had a bite of my sandwich, and was ready to bring out my laptop and work. I then requested the wifi password but was told that they only grant wifi access to frequent customers. And that day, I also failed to bring my CBTL card. 😞

Oh well, I just used my personal data.

While eating, I noticed the nice-looking tote bag they had on promotion. So I requested for the card to be stamped to avail of it. But I was told I am not eligible because I only ordered a small-sized drink. Uh-oh, twice sad for my CBTL...