Cafeography
Manila · Ermita & Malate

Cafés in Ermita & Malate

Taft Avenue by De La Salle, Remedios Circle and the old cafés of Malate.

Photo: Dianne Concha, Pexels License

Ermita and Malate are the bayside districts south of Intramuros, and together they are Manila's center of commerce and tourism.1 Ermita is named after La Hermita, a 17th-century hermitage, and holds Rizal Park, the Philippine General Hospital and the University of the Philippines Manila.2 Malate's name probably comes from maalat (salty), for the brackish water where river meets bay; from the 1970s many of its houses became hotels, restaurants and cafés.1

Two streets carry most of the coffee. Taft Avenue has the longest run of cafés, most of them close to De La Salle University, founded by the Christian Brothers in 1911 at 2401 Taft and enrolling 26,747 students in 2025–26.3 The other is Adriatico Street, where Café Adriatico, opened in December 1979, is credited with helping start Manila's café culture.4

Local tip: For a long study night near De La Salle, BoardBrew on Taft runs until 02:00 and Calle Cafe by Don Gabriel at 2150 Taft is open 24 hours; bring cash for the cafés at 2311 and 2339 Taft.

At a glance

70Cafés listed
14With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
02:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: tomo coffee, from 06:00 (Daily 06:00–23:45).
  • Closes latest: BoardBrew, until 02:00 (Daily 09:00–02:00).
  • Most listed streets: Taft Avenue (15), Taft Ave (4), Fidel A. Reyes Street (3).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (10%), open late (10%), open by 6am (7%).

Cha Tien Tang

  • 2339 Taft Avenue
  • Mon–Sat 11:00–21:00 · Sun Closed
  • Wheelchair access
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Coffee chains in Ermita & Malate

Remedios Circle and Café Adriatico

Remedios Circle, where Remedios, Jorge Bocobo and Adriatico Streets meet, was Malate Cemetery under Spain. It is named after Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, patroness of nearby Malate Church, and for much of the 1980s and 1990s it was the center of Manila's nightlife.5

Larry Cruz, a former newsman for The Manila Times and the Philippine Herald, turned his antique shop on the circle into a deli-style café, serving sandwiches, cold cuts and a hot chocolate called Chocolate Eh.4 The neighborhood has changed since, and its signs now read Manila Korea Town.4 Cafe Esso Coffee & Beer is at 1776 Adriatico, and Station 85 Cafe, at 1632 M. Adriatico, never closes.

The Taft Avenue study strip

The 2300 block of Taft Avenue, just short of the De La Salle campus, is the densest stretch. Asterisko and Hana Coffee share 2339 Taft, and BoardBrew, at 2353, is open 09:00–02:00 every day. Drip Kofi serves until midnight, éllatte coffee until 23:00, and Calle Cafe by Don Gabriel, at 2150 Taft, is open 24 hours.

Wi-Fi is common along the strip, cards less so. Asterisko, Drip Kofi and Coffee Spot, at 2311 Taft, all have Wi-Fi and take cash only, as does Unnie Cafe at 1768-C Taft, open 10:00–20:00 on weekdays.

Side-street cafés in Malate

Blocleaf Cafe, at 1850 M. H. Del Pilar Street, opened in 2017, started by Reymart Cerin and classmates with help from friends at Kalsada Coffee; its drinks include the Orosa, a honeycomb latte, and the Adriatico, a Biscoff latte.6 Latitude Bean + Bar, around the corner at 1851 Pilar Hidalgo Lim, is run by five Malate neighbors and stayed open until 23:00 Tuesday to Sunday in 2022.6

In Ermita, Padre Faura Street is named after Fr. Federico Faura, who built the Manila Observatory there in the early 1890s.2 The 30 Second Coffee Shop is in the Grand Riviera Suites on Padre Faura.

Getting there

LRT-1 serves both districts: Central Terminal, United Nations and Pedro Gil stations are in Ermita, Quirino and Vito Cruz in Malate.21 For an early start, tomo coffee opens at 06:00 and stays open until 23:45, and The Ministry of Coffee on Taft opens at 07:30.

Sources

  1. Malate, Manila, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Ermita, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. De La Salle University, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. A reunion of sorts at Café Adriatico in Malate, PhilSTAR L!fe (Cecile Baltasar, December 15, 2024), accessed October 2026
  5. Remedios Circle, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Neighborhood Brew: a Manila coffee crawl, Grid Magazine (Patricia Villoria, from the 2022 Made in Manila issue), accessed October 2026
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In Ermita & Malate, also browse: Wi-Fi Open late 24 hours Open by 6am

FAQ

Ermita & Malate cafés: questions

When did Café Adriatico open in Malate, Manila?

Café Adriatico opened in December 1979 on Remedios Circle, when the former newsman Larry Cruz turned his antique shop into a deli-style café serving sandwiches, cold cuts and a hot chocolate called Chocolate Eh. The circle went on to be the center of Manila's nightlife through much of the 1980s and 1990s.

Which cafés near De La Salle on Taft Avenue in Manila stay open late?

BoardBrew, at 2353 Taft Avenue, is open 09:00–02:00 every day, Drip Kofi serves until midnight and éllatte coffee until 23:00. Calle Cafe by Don Gabriel, at 2150 Taft, is open 24 hours. Several cafés on the strip, including Asterisko, Drip Kofi and Coffee Spot, have Wi-Fi but take cash only.

Which LRT-1 stations serve Ermita and Malate in Manila?

Central Terminal, United Nations and Pedro Gil stations are in Ermita, and Quirino and Vito Cruz stations are in Malate. De La Salle University, at 2401 Taft Avenue, sits in Malate, where Taft Avenue has the longest run of cafés in the two districts.

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