By: Jade Veronique V. Yap 

With the rise of K-pop acts such as BTS, NCT, Seventeen, and EXO in the Philippines, the Hallyu (Korean) wave is spreading like wildfire in the country and nothing can stop our fangirl/fanboy heart's from taking this K-pop craze to the next level.

From buying tons of K-pop merchandise and collectibles that cost an arm and a leg to attending our Oppa's concerts and streaming their songs on various streaming platforms, the K-pop fever in the Philippines is in the heat.  

With the K-pop frenzy sweeping the country, K-pop-inspired cafes are springing up to cater to the inner fan in all of us. 

Check out some of these K-pop-inspired cafes where you and your chingus can visit and fangirl/fanboy your hearts out.

CARATREATS CAFE

Calling all Carats (Seventeen's fandon name) out there! Unleash your Carat spirit with this Seventeen-inspired in Cavite. 

Caratreats cafe is a safe haven for every Carat (and even non-carat) out there who wants to mingle with their K-pop moots (mutuals). 

Founded on Aug. 5, 2020, by Carat Samantha Iris Garcia, in Dasmariñas, Cavite, the café’s name was inspired by the word “Carat,” the fandom name of Seventeen, and the word “treats.”

To make it more Carat-friendly, a variety of merchandise honoring the 13 members of Seventeen (S.Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, Vernon, Woozi, Jeonghan, Joshua, DK, Seungkwan, Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Dino) is displayed throughout the café.

Customers can treat themselves to the best-selling dishes on their menus such as Creamy Prawn Pasta, Baked Kimchi Fried Rice, Baked Red Pasta, Carat Cake, and Seventeen-inspired drinks dubbed “Carat Milktea,” “Carat Pop,” and “Babo Latte. 

They can also choose from the dish sizes named after Won or Wonwoo (3-5 pax), Coup or S.Coups (6-8 pax), and Sol or Hansol (10-12 pax). 

SINCERELY, SHAWOLS

How's our second generation, or should I say K-pop titos/titas out there? This is the cafe for us! 

If you are a fan of the 14-year-old group SHINee, then you should stop by the Sincerely, Shawols Cafe in Imus, Cavite, and reminisce SHINee's glory days while feasting over the dishes.

Sincerely, Shawols Cafe was established in 2019 by Shawol Larizza Camille Pasao to share her admiration and love for the SM Entertainment boy band with fellow Shawols.

Around the cozy café, you can find a variety of CDs, merchandise, banners, and posters of Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho, and Taemin.

A few dishes on their menu are named after the boys' nicknames, hit songs, and other things, showing how much SHINee has inspired them as well.  

FANBASE CAFE & STORE

A cafe and K-pop merchandise store? What a perfect combination! 

Fan Base Cafe & Store in Cebu City is an ideal place for both K-pop fans and food lovers. 

It's time to treat your fangirl/fanboy heart with albums, lightsticks, photocards, and other officials and unofficial k-pop merchandise of K-pop groups such as BTS, NCT, TWICE, and BIGBANG while drinking a cup of coffee or milk tea. 

K-pop stans, this is the ultimate budol cafe for us! 

PURPLE 7 CAFE 

The fanbase of the global hit group, BTS in the Philippines is undeniably huge and this BTS-themed Cafe in Quezon City is a testament to that. 

Purple 7 is a place of euphoria for ARMYs (BTS fandom name) they can indulge in everything BTS. 

Every nook and cranny of this small shop in Quezon City is filled with pictures and posters of the iconic K-pop group to the delight of ARMYs. 

ARMYs can also take photos of their momentous visit to the cafe as it also has a photo booth corner lined with official BTS merchandise that is updated regularly. 

ARMYs can treat themselves to their variety of food options which include bite-sized cookies, tin-can cakes, various types of pasta, fruit teas, and bottled drinks ranging from PhP120 to PhP790.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to visit one of these cafes and unleash that fangirl/fanboy spirit in you!