You've seen the photos even if you've never been. Stark white walls, glass everything, that unmistakable lowercase '%' logo — % Arabica built a global cult following on design before most people even tasted the coffee, and Manila's two branches are no exception to that formula. If anything, the brand leans even harder into the aesthetic here, knowing full well what draws the crowds through the door.
The brand originated in Kyoto under founder Kenneth Shoji and has since become a genuinely global name with cult status among specialty coffee and design enthusiasts across dozens of countries. Manila's relationship with % Arabica has had a bumpy timeline worth knowing about before you plan your visit: it first entered the Philippines in 2018, closed in January 2022 when its original franchise contract ended, and reopened in July 2023 under The Khoffee Group Corporation. So if you visited pre-2022 and haven't been back since, know that the current iteration is a fresh chapter under new management, not a straightforward continuation of the original run.
There are two branches, and they could not feel more different despite sharing a name and a logo. The Mitsukoshi BGC location — store #157 worldwide, for the completionists keeping count — leans into a futuristic 'spaceship' interior with bright white surfaces and chrome accents, plus an on-site roasting room visible right at the entrance as you walk in. It's compact, seating only around 20-25 people, which tells you immediately this is designed for quick visits and photo ops rather than settling in for the afternoon. The Shangri-La at The Fort branch, meanwhile, is the largest % Arabica store in the entire Philippines, with a black stone facade and a bricked, amber-toned interior deliberately evoking Intramuros — plus its own dedicated Roasting Room on the second level. If you're choosing between the two, Shangri-La is the one that actually gives you room to breathe and linger a bit longer.
Now, the coffee. The signature drink, hands down, is the Spanish Latte at ₱225 — sweet, milky, and the drink most people actually come here for, hype or not, and it's become something of a mandatory order across nearly every specialty shop in Manila at this point. If you want something a touch lighter and less sweet, the Kyoto Latte (also ₱225) is the move, and it's arguably the more interesting order if you've already had your fill of Spanish Lattes elsewhere in the city. For chocolate lovers, the Dark Latte (₱225-280) uses actual Valrhona chocolate, which is a genuine step up from the syrup-based mochas most chains lean on to cut costs. There's also a Matcha Latte and a Matcha Soft Cream (₱180-200) if you're not in a coffee mood that day, and the house-roasted % Coffee beans are sold retail if you want to bring a bit of the aesthetic home with you.
It's worth being honest about what you're actually paying for here. Part of the premium is genuinely the coffee — the beans are house-roasted and the execution is solid across both branches. But a real chunk of that ₱225 price tag is the brand and the backdrop, and there's no getting around that once you compare it directly against local specialty shops charging noticeably less for comparably good coffee, minus the international pedigree and the architecture.
What to order: The Spanish Latte is the famous one for a reason — start there if it's your first visit. If you've had enough Spanish Lattes in your life already (understandable, given how ubiquitous it's become across Manila), the Dark Latte with Valrhona chocolate is the more interesting and arguably more rewarding order.
The vibe: Minimalist, design-forward, and extremely photogenic — futuristic-white at Mitsukoshi, warm and fort-like at Shangri-La. Both branches prioritize visual impact, which is exactly what you're signing up for the moment you decide to visit this brand over a local alternative.
Price range: Premium, and it shows — ₱225+ for most signature drinks puts this firmly above the local mid-tier specialty shops, largely on brand strength rather than a dramatically different coffee experience once you're actually tasting it side by side.
Practical tips: The Mitsukoshi branch's limited ~20-25 seat capacity means it's genuinely not built for long work sessions — go for a quick coffee and a photo, not a laptop afternoon you were hoping to stretch out. Shangri-La's larger footprint gives you more breathing room if you want to actually sit and linger over your drink.
Our verdict: Is % Arabica overrated? Kind of, yes — you're paying a real premium partly for the branding and the Instagram backdrop rather than purely for what's in the cup. But is the coffee bad? No, not at all — it's competently made, and the Dark Latte in particular is legitimately good enough to justify a repeat order. Go in with the right expectations: this is a design experience with solid coffee attached, not a specialty-coffee-nerd pilgrimage. Worth one visit for the vibe alone; whether it earns repeat visits depends entirely on how much you personally value the aesthetic over the price tag.
If minimalist, deliberate design is your thing, that same appreciation for intentional craftsmanship is part of why we like following what Wovoka is doing with Inclusive Forests.
🌱 Interested in how Philippine coffee connects to climate action and community development? Learn more about sustainable developers like Wovoka and community forestry initiatives like Inclusive Forests that are working at the intersection of great coffee and environmental impact.