ROAST: Coffee Cures for the Stressed IB Student // Issue 5

Dean & DeLuca
By Alessandra Sy and Bea Nazareno, Year 12 

Dean & DeLuca is a popular restaurant that originated from the streets of New York. Since we’ve experienced the coffee from their New York branches in Soho and Broadway, we had pretty high expectations. After visiting the restaurant, we immediately noticed that it strayed far from its market-type ambiance. It would have been preferred if they had retained some of their NYC roots, as they seemed to completely rebrand their image, causing it not to feel like the authentic Dean & DeLuca. However, if you are judging the restaurant without experiencing the original branch in New York, and purely on the Manila base, it’s a great place to grab a bite and have a sip of coffee.

Coffee

The Manila heat made us gravitate towards ordering their iced Hazelnut Chocolate Latte and their iced Macadamia Nut Latte, both orders at 180php. Although both beverages are pretty sweet, you can still distinctly taste the coffee, giving it a good balance. Over-all, their coffee is good if you prefer sweet beverages, but if you genuinely have a taste for coffee, it’s definitely not the place for you.

Price

Dean & Deluca is a pretty pricey restaurant. The most expensive caffeinated beverage is the iced Matcha Green Tea Latte, which costs 220php, and the most affordable cup is a hot Americano at 125php. Although costly, the portion size is much larger than any other cafe, which counteracts the price. Although the coffee is delicious, the portions only come in one size, which is a downside for those who want less but have to pay the same price.

Atmosphere

Dean & DeLuca’s atmosphere can be summarised in one word: loud. The restaurant’s constantly buzzing with customers, so noise is always in the air, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Although they have great service, due to it’s busy environment, the intimacy of the servers with the customers is lost. It’s much more difficult to gain their attention as they always have someone else to serve. Location plays a big role in this, since it’s right by Rockwell and an apartment building, so peak times are definitely lunch breaks. The interior is predominantly white with black accents, and photos of New York plasted all over their walls. This makes the place seem very open and bright, despite being packed with customers. Dean & DeLuca is definitely a place to go with family, or with friends to hang out, but not a place to be productive unless you are comfortable with revising in a loud environment.

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Find Dean & DeLuca at Ground Floor, Edades Tower And Garden Villas, Amorsolo Corner Waterfront Drive, Rockwell, Makati City

Open Mondays to Sundays at 8AM to 12 Midnight

Follow their social media account:

Instagram: @deandelucaph

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