Trust Us, Odd Café Ortigas Is The Coffee Spot Worth Crossing The City For

ICYMI: We recently held a Cosmo Beauty Club session at Odd Café Ortigas—and we were instantly charmed by its brutalist-meets-mid-century interiors, specialty coffee, and plant-based menu that proves vegan food doesn't need to scream ✨healthy living✨ to be delish. Naturally, we had to sit down with Odd Café's owner, Via Villafuerte, to spill all the details behind this happy accident-turned-café cult classic.

"Odd Café started out as a happy accident—that's what I always say whenever people ask about the origin of it all," Via shares. The first space in Salcedo was originally an office for Oddefy, their marketing agency, but then the pandemic hit. "So we opened in 2022, we're at the tail-end of the pandemic, and during that time kasi, we were working at home, so we didn't have any space. So it used to be an office, and I had an idea to turn it into a specialty coffee shop. The reason why I wanted that is really just because I love coffee."

Without much more than a love for coffee and a vision for a tucked-away spot, Odd Café was born. "A lot of people just resonated with the space and what we offer, and it trickled down. So the growth was really organic. Thankfully, a lot of people kind of found it and took time to talk about it also on TikTok, so that's when we saw the influx of people going into the space."

After two years of running the Makati café, it was clear that Odd needed a sibling. The Ortigas outpost, located at The Crescent Condominium, felt like the perfect fit. "Upon opening Odd Café and realizing how successful it was, siguro two years in, I was already thinking of having another one. I was very picky with the space…when I saw the space here in Ortigas, it just clicked na this is where it should be."

According to Via, its central location was also a big plus: "We chose this place and opened in Ortigas because it's nestled between North and Makati, and at the same time, the space really has this character to it, and true to our commitment of having like a tucked-away feel."

With her background in interior design, Via made sure the Ortigas branch carried its own personality. "I'm very particular about the design in a way that it affects your mood within the space. We want them to feel like this is somewhere that they can concentrate on if they have something to learn. Just a good space that will evoke a certain feeling that we want them to feel. That is the anchor that kind of ties the design together, where it's going to be vibe first. The design is very intentional. It thinks of how the space will be used by the community."

And the difference from its Makati branch was also v intentional. "With the Makati branch, it's very minimalist with soft edges. A lot of tropical inspiration. I would also say probably some Bali ideas…very playful, quirky, and bright. And then you have Ortigas, which is very much brutalist and mid-century inspired, but having that DNA of getting above all of those genres and kind of like, what makes it 'odd.'"

Odd Café Ortigas comes with a major distinction: It's the brand's first branch with a completely plant-based food menu. "One of the things that we really wanted to ensure for the second branch was that we would have a full plant-based food menu. So that was really the main intention that sets the second branch apart from the first."

The goal was to make plant-based dishes approachable and comforting, not intimidating. "We made sure that we have the same effect that we have with our drinks, where you don't essentially need to choose between yummy and healthy. Whether you have a plant-based diet or not, it has to be comforting and delicious enough for you to get it as it is, not because it's plant-based," Via explains.

The magic of Odd Café doesn't just lie in the beans—it's in the experience. "Specialty coffee really stands above the usual coffee shops because of the commitment of the café to come up with something that is of specialty coffee levels…our baristas really have to know a little bit more about coffee than the usual, so they get into rigorous training for that as well for us to really stand out and give justice to our specialty coffee claims."

But ofc, conversation is just as important as technique. "It's not gonna be a transactional kind of setup with us. Even when you order, we really make it a point that there has to be some conversations going on. And overall, at the end of the day, what sets a good coffee shop apart from a normal coffee shop is really the experience," Via shares.

P.S. It's also worth following Odd Café's Instagram account for the memes they post—their baristas are great at trend-jacking! 😆

For first-time visitors, Via has recommendations. "I would say, start with the cult favorites of Odd. We have our staple drinks, which are the French Kiss and Cereal Killer. That gives you an idea of how they approach specialty signature drinks."

Coffee enthusiasts will want to try their espressos and pour-overs, featuring rotating beans from around the world. "And of course, if you want to be more adventurous, there are exclusive(!) drinks in this branch." (Check out the full menu of the Ortigas branch here!)