Elephant Grounds Manila

Love this place for a good coffee and breakfast fix. But my last visit last weekend (February 15) left with me asking myself whether I was discriminated because I was dining solo. When I entered the place, the host was busy entertaining other customers so I waited by the door. The supervisor approached me and told me, without even checking with the host, that there’s a waiting list. I was surprised, because there were some empty tables and the guests before me were already seated. I was told that I only could sit by the bleachers, where one would usually sit for a quick coffee/drink. The “tables” by the bleachers are not meant for eating a meal, as it is way too small and you would have to sit awkwardly to eat properly. Being the supervisor, I thought he knew what he was saying, so I relented. Soon after I ordered, the supervisor (again without talking to the host) entertained two new guests and quickly escorted them to an empty table. By this time I realized he was flat out lying when he told me there was a waiting list. When my food arrived, I asked a staff member if I could transfer to a proper table as it would be difficult to eat at my spot. They quickly assisted me. When I billed out, the supervisor saw me again and I visibly saw him raise his brows at me, probably because I was seated at a proper table instead of by the bleachers where he asked me to sit. Knowing that he’s the supervisor, it would be a futile effort to raise a complaint right there and then. But surely, that kind of behavior shouldn’t be tolerated at a place like this.

Went here on a Sunday, around 12nn. Since there were limited seats inside, opted for outdoor seating. The server recommended the honeycomb latte and truffle fries, and these were really good! Despite being a latte, it still had that strong coffee taste. The truffle fries were so flavorful, and kept their crispiness even after an hour it was served. Would go back again to try their other meals, which seemed pretty interesting. Will go earlier though to ensure that I get a good seat inside the establishment.

I know this brand is highly rated in Hong Kong, since I didn’t get to try it when I was there, I wanted to check it out here. The orange umbrellas outside immediately catches your attention as you walk by. It was already late lunch and we saw that there were available tables inside, so we went in, the server immediately pointed us to a table. We ordered the bestseller Nasi Goreng, Salmon eggs benny and cauliflower. The Nasi Goreng is really flavourful, no wonder it’s the bestseller here, the salmon eggs benny was okay but super happy with the runny egg yolk- perfect!; the cauliflower is underwhelming. For dessert we ordered the classic waffles, it’s nice and crispy. Prices are typical of BGC, so expect to pay more. Glad that we tried this place.

The food was OVERPRICED, and the gyudon was unbelievably OILY. The grilled cheese cost PHP480.00, (check the added picture) but the serving size was shockingly SMALL. I don’t know if the staff are underpaid, but they hand you the receipt quickly, while the change takes them 30 minutes. It seems like their TACTIC is to make customers give up on waiting for their change. I certainly WON’T RETURN and CAN’T RECOMMEND this place.

I've always liked Elephant Grounds because their coffee prices are not highway robbery considering their popularity. Place is easily booked but there's an Al Fresco area with a nice view of the park where one can people watch