Headquarters Cafe & Games: Fun, Snacks and Coffee at Katipunan
If you've been a reader for quite a while now, you'd probably know how much of a cafe junkie I am -- from chilling at coffee houses by myself, to going on regular coffee dates with the special someone or with friends, and even just hunting for the newest, coolest cafe around.
Over the past few years though, there has been a rise of cafes offering not just food and drinks, but also fun activities in the form of board games. And just recently, we got to check out one at the buzzing university neighborhood of Katipunan in Quezon City.
Headquarters Cafe and Games is a quirky game cafe which has opened its doors just a few months ago. Donned mostly in white, one of its walls really pop out especially with famous comic book heroes and villains painted on. On the other end, you have a nook filled with card games and board games. They had a limited number of tabletop games when we visited, but from what I know, there are more fun and exciting games coming in, in the next few months.
The games available at Headquarters Cafe were enough for our group of four though. Actually, we only needed one game -- Taboo, and we were all set, playing, laughing and looking like a crazy bunch for hours. 😂 But of course, no visit to HQ Cafe and Games would be complete without trying out some of their snacks and drinks. As much as we were having fun, it's important for our tummies to enjoy as well.
To start off our fun afternoon, we had a platter of mojos and crispy chicken skin -- a perfect finger-food combination served with gravy and even seasoned with some sugar for an unexpected-but-very-welcomed touch of sweetness. Yum!
We also enjoyed this generous serving of crisp nachos topped with onions, tomatoes, ground beef and creamy cheese served with a sour cream dip on the side, or in the center rather.
As for those who are in it not for casual snacking but for actual eating, there's this oil-based spicy tinapa pasta dish with capers and chili flakes -- a simple but delightful al dente pasta that oozes with salty, savory and spicy flavors. Here's a friendly tip, order a whole serving for yourself and don't share. You're welcome! ☆⌒(*＾-°)v
We also had another pasta item for the #TeamWhiteSauce -- this serving of cream-based pasta infused with truffle oil and tossed with generous portions of portobello mushrooms. Aromatic, creamy, mushroomy and not too overwhelming in flavor, this pasta dish is another hit from the cafe's food menu.
For something sweet, we got to try Headquarters' soft and chewy brownie dessert topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream -- a simple, but well-loved and well-trusted combination that's sure to always hit the right spot.
As for the beverages, Headquarters Cafe and Games have a few, and one of their bestsellers is this espresso-infused version of Milo Dinosaur. It's not too strong of a coffee drink, so even non-coffee lovers would enjoy a little shot of caffeine.
For the matcha lovers, there's also another version of Milo Dinosaur but with creamy Japanese matcha for the base. Personally though, I would've preferred if the Milo powder on top were matcha powder instead. #TeamMatcha FTW! d(｡•̀á´—-)✧
Apart from the coffee, Milo Dinosaur and hybrids, Headquarters Cafe also carries different milk tea variants on their menu. They have the original Hong Kong milk tea, the trending matcha latte, other flavor-infused milk teas, as well as the more uncommon Thai milk tea which has a more exotic sweet-floral-spicy-but-mellow flavor.
My favorite drink for the afternoon though was surprisingly this serving of hot chocolate with a kick. When we ordered this, we all thought it would either be a painfully spicy drink, or your usual hot chocolate with barely any spice. But upon trying it, I fell in love, and so did my friends. Sweet, light, with just the right kick to make it interesting. I seriously contemplated to put cayenne on all my future hot chocolate drinks because of this concoction! (≧∇≦*)
![Headquarters Cafe and Games Katipunan Menu](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1675/25567272192_99a10a21ab_o.jpg")
THE VERDICT
Themed cafes have been popping up one after another. And for the few I've tried in recent memory, a lot has won me over for novelty, but has been a let-down when it comes to food and drinks. But it's not the case with Headquarters Cafe and Games. Even as a board game cafe, HQ knows that tabletop games are even more enjoyable with good f&b. And with prices that fit a student's budget, I'd say Headquarters Cafe is a great addition to the roster of cafes and restaurants to take yourself and your barkada in Katipunan. The next time I find myself in the area, I'll surely visit and get my game on at Headquarters!
Headquarters Cafe & Games, Katipunan
G/F AAP Bldg., 72 Esteban Abada St., Katipunan,
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 211-0035
Facebook | Instagram
Over the past few years though, there has been a rise of cafes offering not just food and drinks, but also fun activities in the form of board games. And just recently, we got to check out one at the buzzing university neighborhood of Katipunan in Quezon City.
Headquarters Cafe and Games is a quirky game cafe which has opened its doors just a few months ago. Donned mostly in white, one of its walls really pop out especially with famous comic book heroes and villains painted on. On the other end, you have a nook filled with card games and board games. They had a limited number of tabletop games when we visited, but from what I know, there are more fun and exciting games coming in, in the next few months.
The games available at Headquarters Cafe were enough for our group of four though. Actually, we only needed one game -- Taboo, and we were all set, playing, laughing and looking like a crazy bunch for hours. 😂 But of course, no visit to HQ Cafe and Games would be complete without trying out some of their snacks and drinks. As much as we were having fun, it's important for our tummies to enjoy as well.
| ✓ Mojos and Chicken Skin (P140) |
To start off our fun afternoon, we had a platter of mojos and crispy chicken skin -- a perfect finger-food combination served with gravy and even seasoned with some sugar for an unexpected-but-very-welcomed touch of sweetness. Yum!
| Nachos (P160) |
We also enjoyed this generous serving of crisp nachos topped with onions, tomatoes, ground beef and creamy cheese served with a sour cream dip on the side, or in the center rather.
| ✓ Spicy Tinapa with Capers Pasta (P150) |
As for those who are in it not for casual snacking but for actual eating, there's this oil-based spicy tinapa pasta dish with capers and chili flakes -- a simple but delightful al dente pasta that oozes with salty, savory and spicy flavors. Here's a friendly tip, order a whole serving for yourself and don't share. You're welcome! ☆⌒(*＾-°)v
| ✓ Portobello Truffle Cream Pasta (P170) |
We also had another pasta item for the #TeamWhiteSauce -- this serving of cream-based pasta infused with truffle oil and tossed with generous portions of portobello mushrooms. Aromatic, creamy, mushroomy and not too overwhelming in flavor, this pasta dish is another hit from the cafe's food menu.
| Brownie A la Mode (P105) |
For something sweet, we got to try Headquarters' soft and chewy brownie dessert topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream -- a simple, but well-loved and well-trusted combination that's sure to always hit the right spot.
| Hulk Buster (P130 Large; P145 Super) |
As for the beverages, Headquarters Cafe and Games have a few, and one of their bestsellers is this espresso-infused version of Milo Dinosaur. It's not too strong of a coffee drink, so even non-coffee lovers would enjoy a little shot of caffeine.
| Matcha Hulk (P150 Large; P165 Super) |
For the matcha lovers, there's also another version of Milo Dinosaur but with creamy Japanese matcha for the base. Personally though, I would've preferred if the Milo powder on top were matcha powder instead. #TeamMatcha FTW! d(｡•̀á´—-)✧
| HQ Thai Milk Tea (P105 Large; P120 Super) |
Apart from the coffee, Milo Dinosaur and hybrids, Headquarters Cafe also carries different milk tea variants on their menu. They have the original Hong Kong milk tea, the trending matcha latte, other flavor-infused milk teas, as well as the more uncommon Thai milk tea which has a more exotic sweet-floral-spicy-but-mellow flavor.
| ✓ Spicy Hot Chocolate (P105 Large; P115 Super) |
My favorite drink for the afternoon though was surprisingly this serving of hot chocolate with a kick. When we ordered this, we all thought it would either be a painfully spicy drink, or your usual hot chocolate with barely any spice. But upon trying it, I fell in love, and so did my friends. Sweet, light, with just the right kick to make it interesting. I seriously contemplated to put cayenne on all my future hot chocolate drinks because of this concoction! (≧∇≦*)
| Click the photo to enlarge menu. |
THE VERDICT
Themed cafes have been popping up one after another. And for the few I've tried in recent memory, a lot has won me over for novelty, but has been a let-down when it comes to food and drinks. But it's not the case with Headquarters Cafe and Games. Even as a board game cafe, HQ knows that tabletop games are even more enjoyable with good f&b. And with prices that fit a student's budget, I'd say Headquarters Cafe is a great addition to the roster of cafes and restaurants to take yourself and your barkada in Katipunan. The next time I find myself in the area, I'll surely visit and get my game on at Headquarters!
Taste 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 5/5
Overall Value - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 5/5
Overall Value - 4/5
Headquarters Cafe & Games, Katipunan
G/F AAP Bldg., 72 Esteban Abada St., Katipunan,
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 211-0035
Facebook | Instagram
HQ Cafe is just walking distance from my fiance's place and I've asked him a few times if he'd like to try it out there but he doesn't want to. He is so much of a boardgame junkie that he thinks the selection of boardgames there is very limited and would only cater daw for the casual players lang... So haven't tried pa but would still love to... Just need to convince him more pa. xD
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Gelleesh.com
Hi Gellie,
DeleteThanks so much for convincing your fiance to try us out! We have more games now than a couple of weeks back and we always take into consideration all of the games our customers would want to play. rest assured we will make our game roster as much as fun as you guys would want it to! Whats nice about us as well is we dont have a minimum for playing any of our games! See you guys soon at the Headquarters :)
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