IT might be too soon to say, but Binondo’s face is changing one new café at a time. Certain parts of Binondo have always been pedestrian-friendly. Manila’s historic Chinatown has been long associated with trading houses, old-school eateries, gold shops and the business of commerce. Established in 1594, Binondo is widely recognized as the world’s oldest Chinatown. The Binondo now seems to be courting a new and different kind of energy with new cafes that stay open till past the Gen X bedtime.
Cafés such as Apologue Coffee, Still Café, Escolta Coffee Company and The Den are adding new stops to the neighborhood’s familiar food trail beyond dimsum. More people are walking, meeting friends over coffee, and lingering in places where the activity of the street becomes part of the experience. Apologue Coffee and Pastry was one of the first street-level cafes I experienced in the traditional Benavidez Street right across the historic noodle shop Masuki. It opened in 2023. I was immediately charmed by its vintage tiles, small modular furniture, and the vintage photos of old Chinatown. Though the stools and tables are tiny, one is encouraged to stay and linger because of the electric plugs. It reminds me of a place an old Tsinoy uncle would stop in after a long day at the office.
Escolta Coffee Company, a coffee roaster team has set up shop in the street level of the old Burke Building in Escolta. It is a cousin of The Den Manila, a coffee and creative cultural spot tucked in the back of the first floor of the First United Building. It took years for the urban and hip culture to move to the Burke Building. And now the roaster and all its coffee merchandise are visible behind glass from Burke Street.
I chanced upon Still Café on Jaboneros Street when it opened two weeks ago. Unlike the stealth and organic growth of the previously mentioned cafés, Still busted into the social media scene backed by what seems to be a concerted marketing effort. It is a Vietnamese-style coffee shop with a gazillion props of analog life — Singer sewing machines, books, typewriters, vinyl records, telephones, the whole caboodle. I asked the staff why sewing machines and books lined the walls, they didn’t have an answer. Story is everything. Binondo’s soul runs deep in its layers, there is no need to manufacture a new world “aesthetic” for a coffee shop. Apologue, Escolta Coffee and The Den get it and pay homage to the oldest Chinatown.
What I do appreciate with Still Café and the others I mentioned, is their boldness to invest in the streetscape and building façade in an area of Binondo lined with offices, trading houses and wholesalers. Most of them stay open until 11 p.m. Jaboneros is beyond my usual Binondo walking area. But now it gives people reason to visit and walk. It is a subtle but significant shift, one that says something important about our cities. When we make streets and public spaces better for people, we make neighborhoods better for business, too.
The Binondo Riverside Esplanade adds another dimension. By opening up space along the river for people to walk and spend time outdoors, it offers an alternative to crowded streets and commercial interiors. The waterfront becomes more than a leftover space behind the city; it becomes a destination in its own right.
The Binondo-Intramuros Bridge over the Pasig River, completely funded through a grant from the Chinese government, is a very popular hangout or “tambayan.” I was there in March of this year and the bridge at night is lined by sightseers, food vendors, bikers, photographers, joggers and even mobile cafés. It was unplanned and uncontrolled, slightly dangerous but charming. The architecture of the bridge is a popular backdrop for photographers. People linger for the sunset views and Manila skyline. I gather the local police are beginning to discourage loitering to ensure safety and traffic are protected.
We often talk about revitalizing commercial districts in terms of investment, new buildings and major developments. But some of the most meaningful improvements happen at ground level. A better sidewalk, a safer crossing, good lighting, and trees and landscaping are details that determine whether people want to walk, linger, spend and return.
Our historic districts are not relics to be preserved behind the glass of nostalgia. They are living urban environments. Their future depends not only on saving old buildings but also on making the spaces between them useful, comfortable and alive. Even if I’m not a fan of certain café aesthetics, I am happy they are sprouting on street levels in what otherwise would be a dark street and closed to business by 6 p.m.
I am reminded of the great urbanist Jane Jacobs, who lived in my Toronto neighborhood, and her seminal 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Jacobs argued that safe, lively neighborhoods depend partly on what she called “eyes on the street” — the natural surveillance created by people using sidewalks and by buildings with active frontages. A café with windows facing the street, a restaurant with diners into the evening, or a shop that keeps its doors open creates a human presence that a blank wall or a deserted office lobby cannot. When people have reasons to occupy public space, streets become more visible, more sociable, and potentially safer.
The changing landscape of Binondo offers a glimpse of what that future could look like. The cafés are part of the story. The riverside esplanade is another. But the more important development is the growing possibility of experiencing the neighborhood on foot, discovering its history, supporting local businesses, spending time by the water, and seeing familiar streets in a new light.