Odd Café
7/F Finman Centre, 131 Tordesillas corner Bautista Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
Facebook: www.facebook.com/oddcafeph
Open from Monday to Tuesday (8am to 7pm), Wednesday to Sunday (8am to 8pm)
(SPOT.ph) Even without knowing that the folks behind Odd Café also work in a creative agency, the fun, playful vibe immediately jumps out as soon as you step inside. The space of the Makati spot is clean and spacious, making it the perfect playground for all the oddities and knickknacks Via Villafuerte and her teammates at Oddefy Agency have collected over the years. Their fun wavy-framed mirror—which can change colors—and bright orange couch are already stars of several Tiktok and Instagram reels.
“That was really our intent,” shares Villafuerte. “We really wanted to have that Instagram or Tiktok moment because we were on the seventh floor. We wanted people to have a reason to come up.”
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This cozy cafe in Makati crafts up great plant-based sips and eats with plenty of visual appeal to boot:
Creating the perfect, Instagram or Tiktok-worthy space took a lot of thought and careful planning from the Odd team. “I do have a background in interior design,” Villafuerte says. “The space is very rectangular and geometric so all of our additions like the counter and all the different furniture is very rounded and medyo fluid siya to juxtapose [with the space] and make it look a little bit softer.”
All their efforts eventually paid off, as customers who matched the café’s creative vibe started to drop by. “A lot of people come here to chill,” shares Villafuerte, “and talagang they match their wardrobe with the aesthetic of the space, which we’re really happy about.”
But of course, it’s not all just looks at Odd Café. One other thing that makes the coffee shop stand out is their plant-based menu. “One of our partners is vegan, and I’m trying to transition to that down the line as well,” says Villafuerte. “And I noticed vegan options are usually just a “by the way” in coffee shops. Parang may vegan charge. Like you have to pay a fee upfront to switch to soy [milk]. So we were like, why not make this our focus?”
But while their menu is exclusively vegan, the Odd Café team does not want it to be the identity of their café. “Of course you can see that we’re plant-based,” shares Villafuerte. “But it’s not our main angle because people have this stereotype na alternative pa siya. So they have that delight whenever they realize that they’ve just had oat milk for example. Na it’s just as good as dairy milk.
Aside from being 100% vegan, Odd Café’s signature coffee drinks also feature one-of-a-kind combos unlike any you’d find at other coffee shops. “If you’re a serious, serious coffee drinker, we do have pour over, black or espresso,” says Villafuerte. “But at the same time, personally as a coffee drinker, I like 'yong sweet. So that was the direction we went for.”
Odd Café’s French Kiss (P220/hot, P230/iced) is a bestseller for a reason. Inspired by French toast, this drink tastes extra cozy thanks to vanilla and cinnamon, which is then torched for a caramel-like flavor reminiscent of the breakfast classic.
Another dessert-inspired concoction is the Black Forest (P220/hot, P230/iced), which is perfectly chocolatey but also has strong, almost liquor-like cherry notes, just like the cake it’s named after.
Villafuerte shares that she loves cereal milk, so the Cereal Killer (P220/hot, P230/iced) had to be on the menu. Surprisingly, this drink is not too sweet even with cereal milk and has a delightful nuttiness from roasted almonds.
Non-coffee drinkers still have plenty of reason to visit thanks to Odd Café’s teas, which they get from a tea-loving friend from Vietnam. You can get the classics like Black Tea, Green Tea, and Oolong Tea freshly brewed, but their (literally) cool iced concoctions are well worth checking out. You know you can never go wrong with the classic Peach Mango Tea (P180), which is summer in a glass, while the GMT (P180) or green apple and mint with a green-tea base tastes exactly like a juicy green-apple candy. The Wow, Grape (P180), meanwhile, is fun and fizzy, thanks to soda water mixed with grape juice and black tea.
Of course, coffee and tea have to be paired with pastries, and Odd Café delivers in that department. They get their pastries from Green Bar for 100% plant-based treats that don’t taste like you’re missing out on anything. The Strawberry Lemon Cupcake (P130) immediately catches the eye with its bright pink frosting, and it doesn’t disappoint as it’s incredibly rich and moist with a surprise strawberry-jam center. But we say, go for the Banana Cake (P110), which comes in a pretty hefty slice. Despite looking incredibly dense, it’s actually light and fluffy, and mild on the sweetness scale, which makes it the perfect partner to Odd Café’s dessert coffee.
Odd Café is also slowly rolling out their savory menu, and their Pita Pizza (P250) is a great start. Stuffed with chickpeas, corn and other veggies, and lots of vegan cheese, this wrap is savory and oh-so-gooey, with a flavor reminiscent of cafeteria pizza (but in a good, nostalgic way). If this is an indicator of what’s to come then sign us up for more.
If you’re on the go, Odd Café also has a fridge where you can grab bottled versions of their signature drinks, and their Kashew Milk which they make in-house in small batches. But if you have the time, chill on their orange coach with a sweet drink and an equally delectable pastry. There's a lot here to catch your eye—as well as satisfy your tastebuds.
Photos by Hans Fausto
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