Blog Contest Grand Champion

Cafe Antonio - Los Banos

by Candy Villar

People search for that one place that one can escape to. In movies, it seems very easy to find. Just look for a coffee shop and you have that one place. In Los Baños, coffee shops sprang in the past year. One label can have up to three shops. Business must really be good. With the existing competition, businesses come up with different strategies ranging from 24-hour operations, shop expansion, to providing Internet connection.

Among all the Los Baños coffee shops, there’s this particular shop that changed the reason I go to these types of shops.

I usually visited coffee shops for the obvious reason – caffeine. Coffee was a necessity especially whenever I was in between exams struggling to stay awake and cram concepts into my almost (if not already) numb brain. I was not a frequent visitor in these types of shops then. Coffee was quite pricey for a student (for me, at least). They were reserved for special days – exams, presentations, field trips, and the likes.

This past year, I found myself going to this shop for quality coffee – among others. Cafe Antonio Los Baños offers great coffee – and even better company. This is one place where you’ll never feel out-of-place even if you come alone (Yeah, we all have an idea of that feeling – having coffee alone?). The baristas will draw you out of your lone state.

What endears me to this place is that I do not feel like a customer – more like a pal, friend, buddy, tropa, or whatever you may want to call it warmly welcomed for a visit. Its customers may have had different reasons for their initial visit – group meetings, business meetings, a place to pass time, et cetera. They, however, became regulars because of the sense of belongingness, informal coffee 101 lessons, and of course, – quality coffee that Cafe Antonio offers. Where else can you experience Barako Nights, a round of Kapeng Barako on the house?

Plus, one gets to meet people with whom they have something in common with – the appreciation for comfort, coffee, and good company.

Cafe Antonio Los Baños is the place to go to for great coffee – and even better company.

(Just in case you were wondering, I was not paid to write this  There’s no need to.)