10 Brunch Spots in BGC That Won’t Disappoint | The Beat Asia
BRUNCH

10 BGC Brunch Joints to Have the Best Meal of Your Day

Bonifacio Global City (BGC) is the metro’s brunch central. Being one of the most commercialized areas in Metro Manila, it is chock full of good brunch joints. So even if you find what is seemingly the perfect brunch spot, you’ll discover something down the street that may even be better. There’s no one spot to rule them all, but in reality, you can brunch hop each day and still find something new and fresh in some corner of the district.

There’s also something so sound in slowly going through your brunch (the best meal of the day, in our humble opinion) in the middle of the busiest business district on the island. It doesn’t matter that you woke up late and now trying to hit two meals in one sitting, or you just like taking your time. It’s always nice to get your mind right at a café or a restaurant that serves good fare.

If you’re in the area, these 10 brunch locales will help keep your spirits up for the day.

Little Flour

This Wildflour offshoot isn’t hiding its ambition to be your go-to brunch spot. A full-fledged restaurant in all but the name, Little Flour menu is stacked from top to bottom. With a breakfast menu with rice meals, bread-based dishes, and vegetarian bowls, this is brunch paradise in the city. On the off chance your meal doesn’t satisfy, you can always top off with any bread from their signature pastry smörgåsbord.

Recommended:

  • Egg salad tartine
  • Shakshouka
  • Kimchi fried rice

Location: Little Flour, G/F, World Plaza, 4th Avenue Cor. 31st Street


Single Origin 

Single Origin’s brunch menu doesn’t stray much from the typical carb-heavy fare, but they do have huevos rancheros on offer, as well as breakfast tacos. You would think it’s a misjudgment, but there’s something about the richness of these Mexican favorites that will put some much-needed zest to your day.

Recommended:

  • Huevos rancheros
  • Homemade corned beef Benedict
  • Avocado toast

Location: Single Origin, C3, Bonifacio High Street, 7th Ave.

The Fat Seed Café + Roastery

Fat Seed Café is a coffee hotspot in BGC. They roast their own coffee, which should tell you everything about how they approach making your cup o’ joe. And while their brunch selections don’t experiment much beyond toast and eggs, that only allowed them to get toast and egg-based dishes right. If you’re partial to a fruity start to the day, their chia bowl hits the proverbial spot.

Recommended:

  • Chia bowl
  • Smoked salmon and cream cheese
  • French toast

Location: The Fat Seed Café + Roastery, 9th Avenue Cor. 27th Street

Caravan Black

Despite not having a dedicated brunch menu, Caravan Black is an essential post-brekkie, pre-lunch spot. They serve the stuff that will make you thank the fates that you have a mouth to taste things. Their pastries and cookies are made in-house, and their sandwiches are simple, which are the best kinds of sandwiches. But, it's their grain bowls that are their brunch gems. These unique dishes are an amalgam of what’s good for the soul, body and tummy. A true highlight in the city, no doubt.

Recommended:

  • Naked chorizo grain bowl
  • Chori garlic burger
  • Espresso cinnamon rolls

Location: Caravan Black, Seven/NEO, 4th Avenue

Elephant Grounds

It’s becoming very typical for specialty coffee shops to become brunch joints, and Elephant Grounds is no exception. They are a coffee-first establishment, as is suggested in their name, but they don’t fall short on their eats. Their brand of Asian comfort food brings nasi goreng to the brunch table, as well as other Japanese fusion rice bowls and a few breakfast favorites. Their Small Plates section may catch your eye, though, with two rich seafood-based dish to sate an exotic taste.

Recommended:

  • Baby squid aglio oglio with garlic confit
  • Nasi goreng
  • Gruyere grilled cheese sandwich

Location: Elephant Grounds, Lower Ground, One Bonifacio High Street

Luntian by Luna Café

Despite the name, Luntian by Luna Café is hardly a hole-in-the-wall establishment. If anything, their reasonably priced DIY Power Bowls, which contains one source of protein, grain, vegetables, and sauce, are a must-have for those who require the essentials but don’t have the time to dilly-dally. They also have an exceptional line-up of hot and cold-brew coffee.

Recommended:

  • DIY Power Bowl
  • Truffle mushroom penne
  • Vegetable aglio oglio

Location: Luntian by Luna Café, B6, Bonifacio High Street, 11th Avenue

UCC

UCC has long been a coffee staple in the city, but lately, they’ve been making people take a second look at their food menu. Their sandwich line-up is anything but traditional, and their dessert offerings are second to none on this list. If you are particularly famished but eyeing something that’s truly out there, the spaceship Japanese Soup Spaghetti will take you on a wild brunch ride.

Recommended:

  • Tamago sando
  • Sunrise Benedict
  • Marinated milkfish

Location: UCC, Forbestown Road (UCC Café Terrace) / 3rd Floor, Uptown Mall (UCC Clockwork)

The Bowery

The best way to describe The Bowery is that if Ron Swanson was a millennial, he would go and eat here. There’s something about American and Americanized breakfast that even if it doesn’t seem like a great idea, it takes a hold of you. How sure are you that you don’t want to eat their short rib grilled cheese, however sinful it sounds like? Or their Cubano-style medianoche? Truffle mac and cheese? These all sound like they don’t go well, but the magicians at The Bowery know their craft.

Recommended:

  • Steak and eggs
  • Short rib grilled cheese
  • Medianoche

Location: The Bowery, G/F Rizal Drive Cor. 29th Street, Rizal Drive

Café Alegria

If you looked at Café Alegria’s menu, saw horchata cacao, and decided that this place is good, you would be right. Nothing sorts out a messy morning better than a horchata, this sweet rice-based drink of the gods. As one of the very few, and very good, Latin American cafés in the city, they do justice to often copied dishes like taco, enchilada and gordita. The vibe will help get your head right, too.

Recommended:

  • Guerilla tacos
  • Huevos rancheros de papas
  • Chipotle bacon gordita

Location: Café Alegria, Forbestown Road

Sentro 1771

Filipino food is rich, heavy on the carbs, and will leave you wanting more. These, among many other reasons, are what makes Sentro 1771 in BGC the Filipino brunch joint to visit. Literally, any meal is a brunch meal: big enough to cover a missed breakfast or about-to-be-missed lunch. Pick any dish from Sentro 1771’s Filipino Breakfast Set if you have the taste for something savory, sweet or, maybe, a suman.

Recommended:

  • Pritong paksiw belly
  • Suman and native hot chocolate
  • Longganisang durog

Location: Sentro 1771, 2/F, One Bonifacio High Street, 5th Avenue Cor. 28th Street

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