10 Best Places for Bingsu in Manila

IMAGE Bill’s Bear Café Facebook page

(SPOT.ph) We fell in love with the snow-like, literally melt-in-your-mouth Korean dessert that is bingsu during the hot summer days and we’re not gonna stop loving it anytime soon—rainy season or not. It’s a great treat when you’re craving something delightfully cool that has just enough sweetness to leave you satisfied for days. The best part? There are loads of cool hangouts where you can get eat this icy snack! To make things easier for you, we’ve rounded up the 10 best places in the Metro for that crazy bingsu craving.

IMAGE Vincent Coscolluela

K Bingsu Café

Not only is this café super cute, but they also whip up some pretty delicious bingsu with generous servings to match. While they only have one branch (as of this writing), you can expect more K Bingsu Cafés to pop up in the Metro soon. We can’t wait until then because we’re pretty crazy about their best-selling Mango Cheese (P240/regular, P350/large), coated with bits of cheesecake and almonds, and a surprise mango purée center to leave your taste buds jumping. Their very pretty Very Berry (P295/regular, P395/large) is also a must-try for strawberry and blueberry lovers.

K Bingsu Café is at G/F Promenade Mall, Greenhills, San Juan City.

IMAGE Majoy Siason

Snowbing

Next time you want to go all-out on cheat day, look no further than Snowbing in Quezon City. They’ve got some pretty indulgent Korean sweet toast dishes, but we know people also love their wide selection of no-holds-barred bingsu. You won’t believe their Matcha Green Tea (P188) that’s packed with green tea KitKat, macapuno, and red beans, complete with matcha-flavored shaved ice. They even have one in Tiramisu (P198) and Salted Caramel (P168)!

Snowbing is at 4/F Garden Restaurants, Trinoma Mall, Quezon City.

A post shared by Deshiree Kate Lamtecson (@katelmtcsn) on Apr 7, 2017 at 9:24am PDT

BonChon

We know BonChon’s more popular for their crispy glazed chicken, but hey, they put together some pretty amazing bingsu for you to top off your meal, too. They currently offer the snowy dessert (P89/ala carte) served with their Milky Kreme ice cream in different flavors: The classic Matcha Vanilla, with matcha powder, red beans, and white chocolate cereal flakes; the Strawberry Cheesecake that features cheesecake cubes, strawberry purée, and glazed peanuts; and Chocolate Brownie, a chocolate lover’s dream with brownie bits and chocolate syrup. Their newest flavor, Mango Cheesecake, is similar to the strawberry cheesecake variant, only with a zesty mango purée as the star of the show.

See a list of BonChon branches.

IMAGE Jericho San Miguel

Café Seol Hwa

Café Seol Hwa makes a pretty cool place to grab some Korean-inspired dishes and desserts. Aside from serving up classic bingsu flavors like Mango Cheese (P240/single, P340/large) and Strawberry (P240/single, P360/large), they also have a couple of bingsu variants that lean towards the more indulgent side. We’re talking about their Caramel Coffee (P220/single), a heaping bowl of coffee crunch and jelly, cheesecake bits, and candied nuts, and the sinful Brownie Choco (P250/single, P360/large), chocolate shaved ice complete with all the works: Brownie bits, Koko Krunch cereal, almonds, and chocolate ice cream drizzled with—yup, you guessed it—chocolate syrup.

Café Seol Hwa is at 2/F Forum South Global, 7th Avenue corner Federacion Drive, Bonifacio Global City.

IMAGE Hobing Facebook page

Hobing

If Hobing’s snow-themed interior doesn’t have you feeling like you’re in a winter wonderland, then their colorful bingsu just might. Their menu covers all the basic flavors for when you want your shaved ice dessert simple and straightforward, but they’re also no stranger to unique combinations. They’ve got a mix called Macaron (P255/regular), a hearty treat with cake bits, vanilla ice cream, and colorful French macarons to top their soft and creamy shaved-ice center.

See a list of Hobing branches.

IMAGE Café Flafe Facebook page

Café Flafe

Café Flafe crafts some of the loveliest-looking floral rice cakes you’ll probably ever see in Manila. But when you’re not ordering a custom-made cake from them, you ought to be trying out their delightfully straightforward but delicious bingsu. Take your pick from classics like Mango (P210/single, P260/family), Strawberry (P220/single, P280/family), or treat yourself to new flavors like a refreshing Melon (P220/single, P280/family) or Black Sesame (P225/single, P285/family).

Café Flafe is at 118 Grand Emerald Tower, Garnet Road, Pasig City.

IMAGE Yasmien Rivera

Ice Flower

Ice Flower has an extensive list of bingsu flavors. It covers all the basics of the shaved-ice bowl, from Red Bean (P210/single, P360/double) all the way to Choco Brownie (P280/single, P480/double). But on days you just have to treat yo’ self, they also make some creamy Choco Cheese Oreo Bingsu (P350/single, P540/double), packed with Oreo and some tangy cheese for contrast. Coffee lovers also have something to look forward to here, especially with Ice Flower’s Coffee Bingsu (P300/single, P500/double) and Coffee Oreo Bingsu (P320/single, P520/double).

Ice Flower is at Molito Commercial Complex, Alabang, Muntinlupa City; Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City; and The Block, SM City North EDSA, Quezon City.

IMAGE Yoree Facebook page

Yoree Korean Dining

Being an all-around restaurant for classic Korean cuisine, we’re not surprised Yoree has got bingsu up on their menu. They currently offer them in three variants: Mango (P178), or mango-flavored shaved ice, complete with real mango chunks; Patbingsu (P178), featuring a heap of red bean paste and nuts, and Coconut Sugar Bingsu (P178), a simple treat topped with multigrain powder and coconut sugar.

Yoree Korean Dining has branches in G/F Forum, 7th Street corner 25th Street, Bonifacio Global City; and Molito Commercial Complex, Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

IMAGE Bill’s Bear Café Facebook page

Bill’s Bear Café

Bill’s Bear Café is worth hitting up when you find yourself in Manila. Their finely shaved ice bowls will definitely turn any meal sweeter. Sample their Black Forest Bingsu (P155/solo, P240/regular), a large heap of chocolate shaved ice, ice cream, and brownie bits, or the King Mango (P155/solo, P240/regular)—which, as its name suggests, puts the country’ national fruit the star of the show.

Bill’s Bear Café is at 4/F Midtown Wing, Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila.

IMAGE Yasmien Rivera

Snow Panda

Snow Panda's bingsu comes in huge servings, so make sure to bring friends when you visit this Korean eatery. They’ve also got a wide selection to choose from. If you want something a little more unique but just as refreshing, try their Kiwi (P150/medium, P220/large) or Watermelon (P150/medium, P220/large) variants. If sweet is what you’re after, get ready for their Coffee Choco Bingsu (P150/medium, P220/large), complete with that subtle kick of coffee goodness to give the chocolate shaved ice a little something extra.

Snow Panda is at Adriatico Street, Malate, Manila.