Your next cafe crawl: Ube-st drinks in Makati

“It’s not ube, it’s oob.” The fact that content creator dom.skii’s video correcting the rest of the world’s pronunciation of ube went viral says it all: ube has truly gone global. What was once a humble rice substitute for the indigenous people, or a must-purchase pasalubong from Baguio, is now a flavor trend that the world seemingly can’t get enough of. While foodies across the globe are just catching up on how amazing ube is, local cafes have had it on their menu way before it was a trend. We mapped out an ube crawl through the busy streets of Makati and did the groundwork so you can go straight to the best spots! Sulok Coffee’s Balarin For those who haven’t tasted Ube as a latte and only grew up eating ube halaya as a snack, Sulok Coffee’s Iced Ube Latte or Balarin (P205) is a great introduction to how the flavor fares in a drink. Head barista Paul Sillar shared that they use a homemade, locally sourced ube powder. They whisk its nutty, vanilla notes directly with espresso. The result? A subtle, earthy sweetness that complements the strength of coffee. The espresso still dominates the drink, while the sweetness of ube lingers as an aftertaste. Sulok Coffee’s Balarin (Iced Ube Latte) Chau Morales/Rappler For Sillar, the Iced Ube Latte is best paired with their best-selling desserts like tiramisu and creme brulee cake. Sulok Coffee’s Balarin and Tiramisu. Chau Morales/Rappler 📍3/F, Salcedo One Center, 170 Salcedo, Makati City, Metro Manila Instagram Oolah’s Ube Coconut Cloud Just a seven-minute stroll from Sulok Coffee is Oolah, a small spot that is always packed with customers. Beyond their signature banana pudding dessert, the shop serves a vibrant menu of creative concoctions containing either matcha, hojicha, and of course, ube. BUSY DAY. Patrons of Oolah Manila wait in line to get a hold of the best sellers from the cafe. Chau Morales/Rappler Oolah’s Head Barista Rence Banaag served their latest creation, the Ube Coconut Cloud, a refreshing twist on ube. Ube Coconut Cloud. Chau Morales/Rappler The drink has multiple layers. It begins with ube halaya as its base, followed by fresh coconut water, then blanketed by their velvety in-house ube cream. For added texture, toasted coconut crisps were sprinkled on top. With the global ube hype, Banaag shared, more customers have been seeking their ube beverages. But they didn’t stop with what their menu offered. “We really decided on trying to offer more creative drinks on ube. So, we have Ube Halaya Matcha, Double Ube Matcha, [and] Ube Cheese Macapuno [as well].” Banaag also served Oolah’s Ube Cheese Macapuno Pudding, a purple take on their famous banana pudding. Oolah’s Ube Coconut Cloud and Ube Cheese Macapuno Pudding. Chau Morales/Rappler 📍LGF, Cityland III, 417 V.A. Rufino St, corner Ormaza, Legazpi Village, Makati City Instagram | TikTok Annex House’s Iced Ube Latte Annex House’s Ube Latte. Chau Morales/Rappler This cup of ube and coffee goodness from a cafe that moonlights as a bar in Poblacion also offers a layered experience: ube flavor mixed with espresso and coconut milk, then finished with a crunch of rice crispies or pinipig, and the richness of coconut curds or latik. Annex House serves it with either dairy or oat milk. The oat milk variant not only caters to lactose-intolerant drinkers but also enhances the smoky depth of the latik. Annex House barista Ange Delos Reyes adds that oat milk brings out more of the natural sweetness of the ube and coconut milk. According to Angeline, their ube latte has been a menu mainstay since the branch opened. It has also become one of the social bar’s top drinks since the trend, joining crowd favorites like their Leche Flan Latte and Biko Latte. 📍5638 Don Pedro, Makati City Instagram | Facebook | https://annex-house.com/ OTO’s Cool Summer To get a taste of ube mixed with booze, we visited one of Poblacion’s well-known and long-standing bars in the area: OTO. OTO is a Japanese-themed listening room that doubles as a coffee shop by day and a cocktail bar by night. OTO puts a spin on classic cocktails through their ‘Everything is a Remix’ menu–with Cool Summer as a concoction inspired by the show Miami Vice. Alex Javier, OTO’s bar manager, explained that while the original Miami Vice is a mix of Strawberry Daiquiri and Piña Colada, Cool Summer has Ube Amaro, Luisita Blanco rum, and a local rum in the purple blend, while the yellow blend has sweet corn, condensed milk, and local white rum. OTO’s Cool Summer Chau Morales/Rappler Javier shared that while there’s an ongoing trend on everything ube, there was no remarkable demand for cocktails. 📍Unit 1 GF, Villa Caridad 1, 5883 Enriquez, Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City Instagram | Facebook Polilya’s Boozey Barney Just a few streets over and across Kalayaan Avenue sits Polilya, the home of local craft brewery Engkanto. The bar’s offerings have grown to include a list of cocktails and spirits, including Boozey Barney. A staple on the menu since Polilya reopened in 2022, Boozey Barney features ube – a flavor that bar head Esse Magsino has long experimented with. It blends vodka, Agimat Ube Cream Liqueur, pandan syrup, and fresh lemon juice. The cocktail delivers creamy ube notes upfront, followed by a fragrant pandan aroma and a bright, citrus finish. Polilya’s Boozey Barney and Ube Rum-Com. Chau Morales/Rappler Then there’s Ube Rum-Com, a playful take on the word “rom-com.” Magsino shared that this special blend was originally created for their Independence Day menu. Celebrating the unlikely but charming romance between tropical rum flavors and ube, Ube Rum-Com features a jackfruit-infused white rum, pandan syrup, fresh lime, and a silky Engkanto Ube Lager foam. A sip of the drink delivers citrusy and fruity notes, rounded out by a sweet ube finish. 📍5767 Ebro, Poblacion, Makati City Instagram | Facebook Whether you like your usual drink with an ube twist, or prefer an interesting nightcap, Makati’s coffee shops and bars have reimagined ube for every palate. No matter how you like it – subtle, straightforward, or with a splash of booze – you can’t deny this flavor is taking over. Watch this RapplerEats video for more on this cafe and bar crawl: – Rappler.com