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Country > Philippines > Bohol > Tagbilaran
Date > 2017 > Oct
Activity > Coffee

Food Odyssey

Exploring the Cafe Scene of Tagbilaran Oct 7, 2017

Exploring the Cafe Scene of Tagbilaran

Location Google Map: Tagbilaran (city), Bohol (province), Philippines

Cafe Scene
As a cafe denizen in search of the perfect brew, I'm always drawn to a coffee shop with character - themed, trendy, chique, elegant, muted, subdued, tastefully loud or even garishly kitsch. Sorry, I'm not including the cookie-cutter templates of the big chains (Starbucks, Bo's, Gloria Jeans, etc.) - just the independents. Here in Tagbilaran, there is a healthy sprinkling of fashionable cafes that sprung-up only in the last 2 or so years. Cafe denizens here would mostly rather spend time in conversation with friends than belt it out in a karaoke bar or be glued to their hand-helds.

cafes of Tagbilaran

Fred's Book Cafe TagbilaranFred's Book Cafe Fred's Book Cafe Tagbilaran
Fred's Book Cafe is themed on a library...a small one, where guests can browse into the limited selection and read up or even borrow a book. Owner and friend, Nizah, is on a literacy crusade, so the library/bookstore theme came about with full intention. An unpretentious cafe, it offers an accessible price-point entry to those who want good coffee, laid-back ambience and decent wifi (like me). Yes, I get all that for a reasonable P60 cuppa - bang for the buck! Their halo-halo has the finest ice shavings. This cafe has been my favorite since my early days in Tagbilaran - long before I met Nizah.

Mosia Cafe TagbilaranMosia Cafe Mosia Cafe Tagbilaran
Mosia is a little out of the way. It's a small intimate cafe in a garden setting. I kept hearing about this place from the Plastic Free Bohol community when I participated at the cleanup in Libaong Beach. Staff are pleasant and helpful. This cafe feels inviting for more chillout visits.

Tuko Cafe TagbilaranTuko Cafe Tuko Cafe Tagbilaran
"Gecko Cafe" would have been more comprehensible to passing foreigners, but this quaint cafe along Celestino Gallares is both charming and disarming with a budget-friendly brewed coffee at P65/cup. Quite a manageable size to feel cozy with, add eclectic appointments to feel hipster-ish for a young crowd. Compelling touch is a glass wall with wooden frame matrix acting as narrow shelves for la-artsy decor. Great value cafe for the reasonable coffee price-point with free wifi.

Caffeine Cafe TagbilaranCaffeine Cafe Caffeine Cafe Tagbilaran
Caffeine is an easy-to-miss cafe if you're not alert. Like most proper cafes in Tagbilaran, it is quaint with tasteful touches - not drab and nothing loud. Pop background music is subdued to make way for conversation. This is a conducive meeting place for friends who like conversation.

Tamper Cafe TagbilaranTamper Cafe Tamper Cafe Tagbilaran
Tamper Cafe ranks high up in the plush cafe category - high ceiling, glass wall, unified white theme, classy appointments, garden lighting for evening drama and urban-hip ambience. Its picture-friendly appointments give you bragging rights for a selfie. Cafe Americano at P75/cup - not bad for what you get. I've seen lesser cafes charge for more. This should give Starbucks a run for its money.

Country Cafe TagbilaranCountry Cafe Country Cafe Tagbilaran
Country Cafe is a tucked-in neighborhood secret that even locals of Tagbilaran are oblivious about. It hides inside Wregent Plaza Hotel. What makes it great? P40 brewed coffee price-entry point, decent wifi, a/c and outdoor seating and it's right in the heart of town!

29th M. Street Cafe Tagbilaran29th M. Street Cafe 29th M. Street Cafe Tagbilaran
29th M. Street Cafe started out as a milk tea joint after owner Junel got fascinated with the milk tea rave in Cebu. Now, it has become iconic with students doing their school work and meet-ups. As for Junel, it's simply a chillout place for friends who hang and spend the wee hours over food and drinks.

Honourable Mentions
I didn't really find time to go to all the cafes and to the ones I'd been to, didn't have ample time to write about it. But these are other noteworthy cafes:

Ending Thoughts
I wish I could check out all the cafes and write about it. But the bill can add up and I don't really want to have sleepless nights over caffeine overload.

Considering that the cafe scene in Tagbilaran emerged only in the last 2 years, the proliferation is very encouraging. I've seen this trend happening not just in the Philippines but also in Penang and major capitals of Southeast Asia like Singapore. The cafes of Tagbilaran are inviting and engaging - from unpretentious value-priced cafe to those where it's fashionable to see-and-be-seen. I didn't come across a renegade cafe or one that stood out for its uniqueness - it would be a mold-breaker to have one here. Like the Boholano culture that doesn't call attention to itself, so are the cafes - they all seem to have this muted grace. For now, they are gathering places for friends but I could imagine, a few years further down and cafes could be about radical self-expression the way it has been elevated in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). With Tagbilaran's cafe trend in pursuit of coffee perfection, it wouldn't be surprising to see a Third Wave cafe here, sooner rather than later.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit Yoga by Gigit | Learn English Learn English | Travel like a Nomad Nomad Travel Buddy | Donation Bank Donation Bank for TheLoneRider



Leave a comment?


Reader Comments:

Karla Tirol MagnoKarla Tirol Magno Philippines
(Oct 8, 2017) I'm wishing we see more soon!

Brandon BonBrandon Bon Philippines
(Oct 8, 2017) Soon to open.. CAFE MEMOIRS....

Tony AnchetaTony Philippines
Greg & Sally Tree Garden Cafe
(Oct 8, 2017) You havent visited for awhile...visit me some time soon...and I hope my cafe passes your review

TheLoneRiderTheLoneRider
"I hope my cafe passes your review" -- TONY ANCHETA
(Oct 8, 2017) flattering....but Greg & Sally Tree Garden Cafe has long passed the reviews of far more established national publications and prime time tv shows including Kris Aquino's and other household celebrities' :) But sure, I'd enjoy a coldie with you and the rest of the crew at your cafe next time I visit Manila. It'd be good to catch up.

Next story:

Breakfast Talk with Tagbilaran's Finest people

Breakfast Talk with Tagbilaran's Finest

(Oct 8, 2017) With my stay at Bohol Tropics which includes breakfast for 2 at Cafe Atanacio, I invited a breakfast guest daily. Anyone I met who looked interesting was invited. How cool is that?....more »»

Next Coffee story:

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Related Bohol Coffee/Cacao Links:

Coffee Blogs

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  2. 'Must Experience' Cafés of Chiang Mai Nov 30, 2021
  3. Exploring Nong Khai's Cafe Culture Jun 10, 2020
  4. Cafescape of Hanoi's Old Quarter, Vietnam Jan 6-24, 2019
  5. Rediscovering the Cafe Tradition of Ho Chi Minh City Aug 7-27, 2018
  6. Exploring the Cafe Scene of Tagbilaran Oct 7, 2017
  7. Discovering the Neighborhood Cafes of Singapore Aug. 8-22, 2016
  8. Discovering Saigon's Cafe Culture Nov 9 - Dec 17, 2014
  9. The Perfect Coffee Brew Feb 13, 2008
  10. Exploring the Emergent Cafe Culture of Penang Jun 18, 2016
  11. Coffee Review: Himalayan Java Coffee Dec. 18, 2013
  12. Homemade Bread Breakfast Aug 1, 2006
  13. Alamid Coffee Jul 9, 2006
  14. Communal Forest with a Newbie May 4, 2006
  15. Civet 'Coffee-Shit' on Mount Cristobal Mar 11, 2006
  16. The Afternoon Coffee Ritual Dec 12, 2002
Bohol Google Map

Google Map Bohol, Philippines

tourist attractions in Bohol tourist attractions
  • Danao Adventure Park in Bohol Danao Adventure Park - zip lining, cable car ride, caving, river rides/trekking, off-road buggy ride, root climbing, rappelling and ultra-glide rides
  • Alona Beach in Bohol Alona Beach - hub for tourists with hotels, resorts, restos, bars and dive shops
  • Chocolate Hills in Bohol Chocolate Hills - hills side-by-side shaped like giant Kisses chocolate
  • Tarsier in Bohol Tarsier - pocket-sized marsupia looking like a monkey
  • Balicasag Island in Bohol Balicasag Island - one of the best dive spots in the Philippines
  • Loboc River in Bohol Loboc River - river cruise on a boat
  • Anda Beach in Bohol Anda Beach - fine white sand beach with resorts, restos and cottages, 3 hours by bus from Tagbilaran
  • Cabagnow Cave Pool in Anda, Bohol Cabagnow Cave Pool - brackish water pool about 5ft deep inside a limestone opening on the ground, 8 feet deep, P50
  • Lamanok Island in Anda, Bohol Lamanok Island - walk on a 100m bamboo bridge on stilts to a resto area to take a boat tour to caves and nearly attractions, P300
  • Combento Cave Pool in Bohol Combento Cave Pool - cave pool with underwater cave system, P20
  • Can-umantad Falls in Candijay, Bohol Can-umantad Falls - long narrow drop until it hits a bulbous mound spreading it into a a curtain-like water canopy and down into a splash pool
  • Canawa Cold Spring in Candijay, Bohol Canawa Cold Spring - deep refreshing cold spring with developed pool area
  • Firefly Tour in Candijay, Bohol Firefly Tour - evening boat ride into the river to watch fireflies
hotels in Bohol hotel
  • Fox & The Firefly Cottages Fox & The Firefly Cottages - SUP paddle boarding, luxury riverside native cottages, mountain bike tours, SUP yoga
    Baranggay Valladolid, Loboc, Bohol
  • Bohol Tropics Resort Bohol Tropics Resort - seafront location, manicured surroundings, swimming pool, resto/bar
    0133 Graham Avenue, Brgy. Cogon, Tagbilaran, Bohol 6300
  • Oasis Resort - Alona Beach location, dive center, resto / bar
    Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol
yoga in Bohol yoga
  • Jing Yoga - health & well being through yoga
    Jing Yoga The Courtyard - Airport Road fronting the church
    Jing Yoga Bohol Meditation and Yoga Center - 2nd Floor Lim Magtajas Bldg. CPG Avenue
Bohol Travel Info/Tips

Bohol FYI / Tips

  • the tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, ticket offices, tour operators are, is located within the Alona Beach area
  • the tourist attractions in Bohol are far apart and spread-out. It would be difficult to visit them all using public mass transit. Better hire a van (P3500/day) if in a big group, or rent a motorcycle (P400/day + gas)
  • Bohol relies on its tourism for revenue. As expected, everything they can capitalize on from tourism is extensively used and developed

Tagbilaran Port to Panglao

You can charter any tricycle from the port all the way to Panglao (~P300), but if you want to do it on the cheap,
  1. don't take the tricycles lined-up inside the port. Walk past the port gate and immediately outside, you'll see many tricycles. Take one to the bus terminal in Dao (~P15)
  2. in Dao, take the jeep that plies the Panglao route (~P20)

Tagbilaran (Bohol) to Cebu City by boat

** schedules and rates keep changing, call for latest schedule
  1. Weesam Express - departs 6:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 4:00 PM
    one way: Economy (aircon) P500.00, Economy (non-aircon) P400.00, First Class P600.00
    round trip promo (at least 2 days advance booking): Economy (aircon) P600, Economy(non-aircon) P500, First Class P1200
    round trip promo (1 day or on the day booking): Economy (aircon) P800, Economy (non-aircon) P700, First Class P1200
  2. Ocean Jet - departs 6-7:05-8:20-9:20-11:40AM, 1-2-3:30-4:20-5:30-6:30PM, 2 hours, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
    Open Air / Tourist Class P800, Business Class P1000
    +63(32)255 7560 / +63 (32) 255 0115 / 0917 638 0000
  3. SuperCat (2GO) - departs 5:50-11AM, 3:45-5:25-8:15PM, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
    P 500.00
    +63 32 233 7000

Things to do, Places to go in Bohol

  1. Chocolate Hills - this is a clustering of more than 1200 hills within a 50km2 area. They range in height from 30-50 meters. What's unusual is their near-perfect conical shape resembling an individual chocolate chip. No one knows how they were formed. Entrance is P50/pax.
  2. Tarsier Conservation Area - located Upper Bonbon, Loboc. The tarsiers are no longer being played at by tourists as circus props, but instead, visitors now view them in cordoned-off areas in their natural 6ha habitat. As they are territorial and nocturnal, they are predictable on where they can be viewed. P50/pax.
  3. Alona Beach (Panglao) - Alona Beach is the tourist hub of Bohol. It has 1.5 kms of white sand beach lined-up by bars, hotels and restos. Alona is also the jump-off point for Balicasag Island, a world class dive destination.
  4. Danao Adventure Park - located in Barangay Magtangtang, 72 kms (2 hours ride) from Tagbilaran. Adventure activities include river trekking, tyrolean traverse, rappelling, bouldering, rock climbing and ziplining.
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