Bench Cafe is the “Love Local” Filipino Cafe of the Bench fashion house in partnership with Foodee Global Concepts. It specializes in Bench-to, a Filipino Bento version, and Halo-Halo plus merienda specialties.
Their flagship store is in Bonifacio High Street, and they recently opened their version 2.0 in Greenbelt 3. Here is the best of Bench Cafe in 2019.
Bench Cafe High Street
The Bench Cafe flagship store is hidden on the 2nd floor inside Bench High Street.
BENCH CAFE
2F BENCH/ Flagship Store, BGC
Telephone: +632 821-8415
Mobile: +63 917 702-1133
Facebook: @BenchCafePH
Instagram: @benchcafeph
We love the homey feel, the spacious distance between tables and the tables with couches near the walls.
The best table in the house is the private one on the left side where you can have a mastermind meeting or intimate dining with friends.
Bench Cafe Greenbelt 3
The Bench Cafe 2.0 is relatively smaller and is located in the middle of the 2nd floor of Greenbelt 3.
BENCH CAFE
2nd floor, Greenbelt 3, Makati
Mobile: +63 917 634 2825
It has a private function area with white and wood interiors.
Bench Cafe 2.0 Menu: Bench To | Soup, Salad, Appetizers, Pamilya Style | Silog, All Day Merienda, Dessert | Beverages
They have a new optimized value-for-money menu, now with ala carte options.
Appetizers
Tinapa Cones (₱129). Homemade Crispy Lumpia Cones filled with Tinapa Mousse and Salsa.
A Filipino version of the popular tapas cone filled with Tinapa-flavored mousse inside the cone topped with tomato, onion and salted egg salsa.
Street Food Platter (₱149). Fishball, Squidball, Kikiam with Three Dipping Sauce.
A tusok-tusok style appetizer, a good Filipino pica pica while you wait for your main order.
Circa 1987 (₱150). Basil, Peach, Rosemary, Gin, Dalandan and Lime Juice.
Order this dalandan gin-based drink to stimulate your appetite.
Silog (Breakfast)
Bongalmusal (₱349 – Good for 2). Spam, U.S. Beef Tapa, Tocino, Daing and Corned Beef.
The best of Filipino almusal in one family platter. Best to mix the egg, tomato and dilis with the rice and eat them with your favorite meat.
U.S. Tapa Silog (₱229).
Our favorite is the U.S. Beef Tapa. You can order it as a separate silog so that you can enjoy it all to yourself.
Pamilya Style (Good for 2-3 Persons)
Sisig Skillet (₱249). Pork Mask and Belly cooked two ways with Calamansi Foam.
Favorite pulutan ng bayan with chopped pork face and belly served with calamansi foam to cut through the meaty flavors.
Sugpo sa Talangka (₱480). Prawns Grilled with Crab Fat mayonnaise.
One of our favs in the ala carte menu—grilled big prawns served with burnt crab fat-infused mayonnaise. So good!
Dancing Fish (₱350). Crispy Butterfly Tilapia in your choice of sauce: Plum Sauce (Serwelas), Escabeche, Bench Salsa.
This fried butterflied fish is a good option for a no-meat diet with your choice of sauce like this plum sauce.
Tortang Talong (₱190). Grilled Eggplant Omelette with Ground Pork and Potato.
It’s like a grilled stuffed tortang talong lumpia for a different way of eating your eggplant.
Bench-To
Bangus Ala Pobre (₱289). Bangus Belly in Butter, Toyo and Garlic with Vegetables, Bench Salsa, Atsara and Dilis Rice (+₱20).
It’s a Bench meal composed of a choice of meat and a choice of rice served with vegetables, salsa and atsara.
The bangus belly is fatty, deliciously topped with lots of garlic, chili and brown sauce.
The Dilis Rice is our favorite because it adds the right umami saltiness and crunch to the rice.
Salted Egg Chicken (₱239). Classic Fried Chicken in Itlog na Maalat Sauce, with Vegetables, Bench Salsa, Atsara and Garlic Rice (+₱10).
This chicken dish is the most affordable item in the Bench-to menu.
Smothered with a creamy salted egg sauce, it’s definitely not your ordinary chicken.
Lechon Kawali (₱269). Crispy Pork Belly in Lechon Sauce, with Vegetables, Bench Salsa, Atsara and Aligue Rice (+₱10).
Another good combination is crispy pork belly on a bed of lechon sauce and rice with a generous topping of aligue. Yum!
Chicken & Pork Adobo (₱249). In tons of Native Garlic, Not like your Lola’s with Vegetables, Bench Salsa, Atsara and Bagoong Rice (+₱20).
For something more Filipino, the classic chicken & pork adobo with rice topped with bagoong!
Desserts / Merienda
Flan B (₱155). Baked Caramelized Custard with Macapuno.
One of the best leche flans in town shaped like a B and topped with a sweet layer of Macapuno.
Classic Turon (₱20). Crispy Fried Banana spring roll.
Bench Cafe is now known as the best merienda place with your favorite turon, with options to add macapuno and ice cream.
Dare your group to take the Bench Cafe Halo Halo challenge and order the different types of this Filipino shaved ice favorite.
White Halo Halo (₱85 – 12oz, ₱129 – 16oz). Coconut Shaved ice with Macapuno, Garbanzos, Caramelized Banana, Leche Flan, Nata de Coco and Coconut Ice Cream.
Bench Cafe is best known for their all white halo halo with coconut in three ways—shaved ice, nata and ice cream with sweet garbanzos, banana and leche flan.
Ginumis (₱80 – 12oz, ₱119 – 16oz). Panucha Shaved ice with Sago and Jelly.
This is my personal Filipino favorite—shaved ice with muscovado sugar, sago and white jelly.
Mango Otap (₱90 – 12oz, ₱139 – 16oz). Mango shaved ice with Shamrock Otap, Mango puree, Cream and Fresh Mango.
A Filipino kiddie favorite—Mango four ways: shaved ice, puree, cream and fresh mango mixed with shamrock otap for texture.
Ube Halo Halo (₱95 – 12oz, ₱149 – 16oz). Coconut Shaved ice with Macapuno, Garbanzos, Caramelized Banana, Leche Flan, Ube Halaya, Palm Beans, Nata de Coco and Coconut Ice Cream.
For Ube Halo Halo lovers out there.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we love the new Bench 2.0 version with better, good value and ala carte selections. It’s a good place to eat a nice Filipino meal in a fast casual setting, a popular merienda place for its halo halo, turon and leche flan.
I would recommend the Tinapa Cones, Bongalmusal, Sugpo sa Talangka and Bench-To combination of Bangus Ala Pobre with Dilis Rice or Aligue Rice. For dessert, go for the White Halo Halo or Ginumis. Budget about ₱500/head.
Congratulations to the Bench Cafe and Foodee Team for a new and improved Bench Cafe 2.0 concept!
BENCH CAFE
📍 2F BENCH/Flagship Store, BGC
Telephone: +632 821-8415
Mobile: +63 917 702-1133
📍 Greenbelt 3, Makati
Mobile: +63 917 634 2825
Facebook: @BenchCafePH
Instagram: @benchcafeph
Hashtags: #BenchCafePH #LiveLifeWithFlavor
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: Our meal was courtesy of our friends from Bench Cafe. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions and insights.
P.S. Congrats to Chef Carlo Miguel for creating the delicious Filipino food at Bench Cafe!
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When you say BENCH the first thing would come to my mind is a apparel store, never thought that they have this BENCH/ Cafe. Will sure definitely try this once I visit manila. Thank you for the mouth-watering photos in your blog, it gives me the idea on what to order. 🙂