Kitchen

Cafés Parents Can Stay in While Waiting for Their Kids in San Juan

by Kevyn Gohu
September 16, 2025

When waiting out the traffic or kids from tutor or school, here are some cafés parents can wait in San Juan

San Juan is home to many schools—OB Montessori, ICA, Xavier, and La Salle. So, it’s pretty common practice that the kids also go to a tutorial house after. So, what’s a parent to do while waiting? While some would go home, others who live quite far would rather wait in the area. So, here are some cafés that parents can wait in while in the San Juan area:

Baristart

Known for using Hokkaido milk for their lattés and other milky products, they recently opened a café at Greenhills Mall. It’s right across O Square, so there’s some parking.

While Baristart also serves hot meals, their desserts are pretty good too. A personal favorite includes the Lemonade Espresso Tonic for something refreshing. But if we’re looking for something with less caffeine, their Strawberry Bingsu and their Hokkaido Milk Pudding are a must-try!

Baking Therapy

Hidden behind the healthy curations, Healthy Options opened up a small area in their Greenhills Mall branch known as Baking Therapy. What we love is that they have some sugar-free pastries, which are perfect for parents watching out for sugar. Plus, we can do a little grocery shopping for flaxseed, shampoo, vegetables, vitamins, and the like while waiting.

Opulence Café

Small and stationed right next to Evernew, Opulence Café is more known for its pastries. Their lattés, like the Sea Salt Latté, are decent. But a must-try was their Vanilla Cake with Citrus. The mirror glaze made it so pretty to look at, and the citrus note broke the milky flavor, so it’s not so rich.

Draft Coffee by Lews

It took us a while, too, what they meant by “draft coffee” until we noticed the same device they use for beer to fill their cups with coffee. Hidden on the second floor of Greenhills Mall, Draft Coffee by Lews’ coffee curations involve cold brew, which is why it’s not as acidic as other coffee places.

We also like that they categorize their coffee based on the feeling we’re looking for. For the pick-me-up, the Sunrise or the Vietnamese does the trick. But for good vibes, we go for the Cloudy Cream.

Cupi.

Heading towards GH Mall’s basement, Cupi. is stationed right outside Unimart. Though small and recently opened, they’ve already won the hearts of many professionals who just want something bright and cozy. Their Salmon and Dill Toast is a must-try for those who want something smoky and light. Picky-eaters rarely say no to their Creamy Crab Roe Linguini.

As for the coffee, a personal favorite is their Custard Cream Americano—not too salty, and not too sweet. Just bring cash, a card, or use the mall’s internet for e-wallets. Data sometimes doesn’t reach the bottom.

Good Pastry Café

For those looking to enjoy a giant croissant, the Good Pastry Café will definitely satisfy that craving. Most kids will probably look forward to the Cookies ‘n’ Cream Croissant.

As for their coffee creations, it’s quite inspired by Korean cafés. For those still feeling out the place, we suggest trying their Cloud Cream Cheese Latté or their Butter Cream Latté, which is quite reminiscent of the old Butterscotch Latté.

While they have a branch along Connecticut Street, they also recently opened a new branch at Timog Avenue, Quezon City.

Seattle’s Coffee

It may be a tad smaller than most Seattle’s Best Coffee spots, but the one in Cardinal Santos isn’t too bad. In fact, some even prefer Seattle’s Best over the usual because of their Javakulas. They also recently revealed a new drink selection with maple as its secret ingredient. For us, the hot Maple Cloud Breve is a must for those who’d like a hot drink on a rainy day.

Bo’s Bistro

The very first bistro of Bo’s Coffee just opened in Greenhills, right next to Ling Nam. While they still serve some of their hot meals that made them so beloved, the bistro also offers exclusive coffee creations. The best part is, much of their beans are locally sourced, which makes it all the more worth supporting.

Carousel Creamery

While it’s not completely a café, they deserve a mention for their coffee-based flavors. The best part is, Carousel can convert them into milkshakes. Their wide and ever-changing selection of ice cream just makes it a delight to pay this creamery a visit.

Forget fighting the traffic, just wait it out

Traffic in Greenhills worsens starting from 2 PM all the way to 7 PM. Not only do they deal with the rush hour from the Pasig side of Ortigas, but it’s also the dismissal time for the kids from school. Depending on the schedules or the grades, the traffic weather will change. However, most classes end around 3 PM to 4 PM, which again, depends on the day.

It’ll cost more to fight through the traffic to go back and pick them up. Better to do so while relaxing somewhere in the Greenhills area. At least there’s coffee, food, and parking!