Food Trip: Epic Coffee Roastery [Food Tales of a Kapitolyo Resident]

Kapitolyo is brimming with restaurants now, but cafes only started popping up recently. There used to be just one coffee shop in the entire neighborhood, and whenever I found the place full I always wished that more cafes would open here.

When Epic Coffee Roastery opened, it was like the answer to my wish. At last, here was another neighborhood cafe I could go to for a breather and a cup of joe. I've been there a few times, and each time has been really nice. 

The Epic sign from outside

Epic is a quaint little cafe on East Capitol Drive -- Kapitolyo's main food street. The place offers coffee and cakes of course, and it recently started serving sandwiches as well. 

It was put up by the same people who own Poco Deli, which automatically gives it a plus in my book. Poco Deli is one of my favorite restaurants of all time, so it's easy to fall for their cafe extension of sorts. Epic even has a Poco Deli menu that you can order from, which is pretty cool since it kind of brings the best of both worlds together. 

Cake and coffee

THE VIBE

Epic has a really homey vibe. There are funny vintage signs, chalkboards, and bicycles all over, and there's a lot of wood, which makes the place seem so warm and inviting. 

The bar and counter

True that!

"Unattended children will be given espresso and a free kitten" - LOL

THE FOOD

First things first -- the coffee. I always end up ordering the Sea Salt Caramel because it's so good. I tell myself I have to order something else but I can't resist and the only choice I ever make is if I want it hot, cold, or in frappe form. Every cup has the perfect dose of caramel, and the coffee part of it has a lovely robust flavor. The sea salt comes like a kick in the end and it's just absolutely delightful. 

Sea Salt Caramel Frappe

Hot Sea Salt Caramel

Iced Sea Salt Caramel

Epic has a plethora of terrific sweet treats, which is no surprise because Poco Deli is known for its wonderful desserts. I absolutely love their rum cake because it's not too sweet and has a wonderful kick of alcohol to it (which always gets me, heh). The last time I was there I tried the Belgian Chocolate Cake and it is the bomb. It's a slice of pure, dark chocolate goodness -- rich and creamy but doesn't go overboard with the sweetness. 

   

THE SERVICE

When I first started going to Epic I noticed that there were times when they had waiters from Poco Deli serving. That's a good thing because Poco Deli always has amazing service. Lately though I haven't been seeing the Poco Deli waiters there, and the baristas are new faces. The service is still pretty fast, but my friends and I noticed that the baristas were pretty surly. They may have had a long day or something, but they could be a lot friendlier or at least more pleasant. Still, that little detail wasn't enough to ruin our visit and we all left pretty happy.

 Happy people

MY THOUGHTS

Epic is the place to escape to when you need a quiet place to take a break, catch up with friends, and even do some work. The coffee is good and the cakes are scrumptious, and the only thing that needs a bit of improvement is the baristas' general demeanor. It's definitely the epitome of a neighborhood cafe and I'm glad we have it in Kapitolyo.

Epic Coffee Roastery is located at 102 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig.

Have you been to Epic? What do you order there? If you haven't, what is your favorite cafe? Do you like little neighborhood coffee shops? Let's talk in the comments!