Typo, Papelmeroti, and Tickles are some of my favorite gift shops, all known for their beautifully crafted items. Gift Avenue falls in the same category, but what sets it apart is its charming cafe.
Directions
For people from the east, ride the LRT 2 and go down at Araneta Center Cubao Station. Walk toward Gateway’s ground floor and look for Gift Avenue Cafe. It’s along General Malvar Avenue, the one near Adidas and Nike.
Place
Upon entering the cafe, you will immediately see the shelves featuring various products that, I think, are handmade and local, including keychains, dreamcatchers, dolls, glass coasters, bookmarks, bags, and cans of pomade (hair wax).
These shelves, along with the ones with colorful, artsy ornaments, added to the ambiance of the cafe. My favorite part is their blue-green wall with a bike and a tree drawn on it. There’s also a wall with the quote “Nothing is impossible as long as you believe in what you do and what you can do.” Pretty motivating, right?
Near the shelves is a small conference room where around eight people can fit. Simple but charming.
They have sockets where you can plug your devices and a comfort room nearby. You may access their internet, but you can only use it for a limited time.
Food
How can you get wrong with anything sans rival? Gift Avenue Cafe serves various modifications of sans rival (I think I saw matcha, this one is salted caramel worth Php 179, a 9.5/10 for me). They also serve sans rival pops (not in the picture), which is convenient for people who crave sans rival but would not like to order one whole piece.
They could improve on their almond macadamia frappe (Php 159) though, a 7/10.
For more of their food, click here.
Favorite Picture
Gift Avenue Cafe
10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Ground Floor, Gateway Mall, Cubao, Quezon City