As coffee shops become more mainstream, it seems that everyone has a common standard of what a modern coffee spot should be like. For most people, the criteria are as follows: (1) the coffee should be decent, (2) the price should be justified, and (3) the place should look aesthetic for the ‘gram. Some would add WiFi and charging sockets into the mix, while others would add seating capacity—what use is a hangout spot if you can’t even hang out, right?
While those things vary in priority from person to person, here at Top Gear Philippines, we like to add one more bit to the criteria—and that’s parking. And we’re glad to report that Coffee Syndicate in Commerce Center, Alabang, has lots of it. The parking lot is located in the basement, safe from the elements. Plus, the cafe provides parking validation, a rare commodity these days.
Let’s start with the coffee, shall we? Coffee Syndicate is a specialty coffee shop, so aside from trying their best-seller, I also wanted to try their espresso. I ordered the Spanish Latte and chose Colombian coffee for my separate double shot (I was given the choice between Colombia and Brazil for the coffee origin).
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The espresso was great. I tasted a lot of cranberry and dried orange, on track with the usual fruity and citrus notes from this origin. I can imagine the iced long black with the same beans being a go-to for calorie-counting runners and cyclists who frequent this spot in the morning. The Spanish Latte, I found just okay. It used the same Colombian coffee, but I found the milk drowned out most of it. Though I think some people might like the subtlety of the coffee paired with the sweetness from the condensed milk, I might just not be this particular drink’s target market.
However, if you want something more coffee-forward, they also have another best-seller (so “best” that they unfortunately ran out of the ingredients to make it during this visit), and that’s the Calamansi Mont Blanc. It has cold brew, sweet foam on top, and citrus from calamansi. I’ve tried it before, and I would totally recommend it to anyone who isn’t acidic—especially since you can find a Spanish Latte in most coffee places anyway. Other unique drinks include the Blueberry Cloud Latte and the Orange Americano.
What’s the price range, you ask? Coffee ranges from P150 for a hot long black to P260 for dessert-style specialty drinks. There’s also a coffee-tasting flight for P450, which includes either a “Three Ways” preparation with black, white, and filter coffee in one set, or a “Three Coffees” preparation with V60 pourovers from three different specialty coffee beans. They also have food, from pastries like cookies and brownies to bigger meals like rice bowls and pasta, capping out at P420 for the truffle pasta.
The interior is a bit of a mixed bag, but it somehow works. On one hand, you have the mobster-hangout theme with newspaper graphics and a mural of Don Corleone from The Godfather on a brick wall. Then, on the other hand, you have a cart with colorful illustrated stickers, knitted flowers, and board games. But it all still looks cohesive, maybe due to the warm lighting and the consistent color palette of brown, red, black, and white surrounding the coffee shop from the seats, tables, walls, and coffee bar area. Instagram-worthy? Yeah.
For those planning to work, wall sockets are easily accessible, while the free WiFi was fairly reliable during my stay. There’s a seating capacity for around 60 customers, including the second floor and covered outdoor area. The music when I visited was more upbeat, and while it was a tad on the louder side, I didn’t find it at all distracting while working on my laptop. As a hangout spot, the vibes are like the music, upbeat.
If you’re wondering what else you can do around the area before or after you get coffee, there’s a Ducati dealer in the same building, a Bridgestone service center, two golf stores, and a martial arts studio, as well. There are also lots of restaurants to choose from. The surrounding roads and trails are well known to runners, cyclists, and mountain bikers, and next door, a large pickleball warehouse is also set to open soon.
Coffee Syndicate is open from 7am to 10am daily, though I was told they sometimes open as early as 5:30am for run clubs. Overall, I think this is one of the more underrated shops in Alabang and is a must-visit if you’re looking to try new places in the south. It’s not too crowded, has good coffee, is open ‘til late, and is a chill spot to hang out. If you want to check out more of their services (like coffee carts, space reservations, and workshops), you can visit their Instagram page by clicking these underlined words.
