After a year of going around restos, cafes and fastfood joints south of Metro Manila, here are my top 10 personal favorites for the BREAKFAST CATEGORY and why:
No. 10: McDonalds Petron in Sta. Rosa, SLEX
This one's an easy choice for me. As I would hie away with my family to Tagaytay City, travel via the South Luzon expressway (SLEX) in the early hours of the morning, we would choose the last gas station which is the Sta. Rosa exit's Petron station. The farthermost restaurant in the station would be McDonalds. The place is so clean and not crowded -- including the restrooms, which are situated conveniently near the station's main store. A bonus is the Petron's stock-filled convenience store wherein you can buy stuff you need for the trip, most of which are junk foods.
No. 9: McDonalds Philam, Las Pinas
Okay, so it's another McDonalds outlet. C'mon, I love McDonalds' coffee and it's Big Breakfast meal. But what makes this outlet a bit special is it's crowd mix and cozy atmosphere brought about by the McCafe. A value meal upgrade of 50 pesos gives me a Capuccino. Go there on a Saturday morning and you'd see that that McDonalds is some kind of a melting pot. Well, never mind if they charge you 10 pesos extra for strawberry jam for your pancake.
No. 8 Pancake House, Starmall Las Pinas
If you have gone to McDonalds Philam one Saturday morning, try going to the nearby Pancake House in Starmall. Besides the yummy signature Tapsilog, their coffee is superb as well. The place is a bit small though as compared to other Pancake House branches I've been too but they have the same ambiance as that of McDonalds Philam. Breakfast on weekdays also delivers the same ambiance due to the mixed crowd of middle class and middle agers. :)
No. 7: Starbucks, SM Sucat
If you're in for a late breakfast and looking for a healthier alternative plus a gigantic coffee kick, this Starbucks outlet in SM Sucat is the place to be. They open at 8:30 am. Getting there is easy plus parking is definitely not a problem as the mall still opens at 10am. My sweetie and I love their Tuna Dill Sandwhich and Forest Ham Sandwhich. Partner them with hot tea or simply brewed coffee and you're off.
No. 6: Jollibee, Macapagal Avenue
This place is too cool and cozy for a Jollibee outlet for me. Yes, I indeed love their Corned Beef and Longanisa meals! The coffee is so-so but the ambiance is as if you're on a long-trip's stop-over and you're in a mini I-Hop or Denny's Diner.This Jollibee is located right in the Shell Gas Station so there's gas and a convenience store. Really cool if you're on your way to Makati or Manila from Cavite or simply waiting for SM MOA to open.
No. 5: McDonalds, Kabihasnan (Ninoy Aquino Avenue)
Either you're coming from Sucat going to Makati or coming from the NAIA going to the south, this McDonalds outlet is where you should have breakfast. Besides it's central location, you can have a double round egg in place of scrambled egg (others just give you one round egg) and strawberry jam is free with your pancakes.
No. 4: Pancake House Bluewave, Macapagal Avenue corner EDSA
This Pancake House is one of the coldest outlets. Yes, not coolest but really --- it's pretty cold in there! It has the same atmosphere as that of Jollibee in Macapagal Avenue, but the food is definitely much better. For some reason, everything there tastes better.
No. 3: McDonalds Southville (Aguilar Avenue/CAA Road, Las Pinas)
With an International School clientele, this outlet is world-class indeed. Cozy atmosphere, great mix of sophisticated people (young and old alike), plus again -- you can have a double round egg in place of scrambled egg and strawberry jam is free with your pancakes! This outlet is at the back of our village and is opposite my way to work buy hey, it's a cool McDonalds outlet! The service crew are so friendly and the restrooms are always clean and spacious.
No. 2: Pancake House, BF Paranaque
What else can I say about a Pancake House? Simply, this place is much bigger and cozier than the others. The staff are more friendly, and the parking is no problem. A bonus is the area where it's located as it's in the middle of practically everything in BF Homes. Besides, there's a barber shop beside it and 10 steps to a Starbucks for a bigger coffee rush. A plus is the deaf-and-dumb parking attendant who is so friendly.
No. 1: Tropical Hut, BF Paranaque
This one's a no-brainer for me and my sweetie. For those who are all too familiar with Tropical Hut, everything there is so good! I love the burger meal with 2 sunny-side up eggs, buttered toast and the oh-so-good brewed coffee. Gosh, it's almost 12 midnight as I write this piece, and I'm raring to there already. Well, why not? It's open 24 hours! Have breakfast from midnight till 10:30am! For only 200 pesos, you can have 2 breakfasts and a bonus of pandesal from the Fortune bakeshop in front. There, that's coffee and pandesal for you.
So the next time you're in the area, drop by these outlets and maybe we can have coffee for breakfast. :)
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