Soft Luxe Travels Baguio Edition 2025: Half-Cup Café Baguio - Hits, Misses, and a Standout Refresher

 

 I love how Baguio restaurants add small doses of wisdom and quotes to brighten up your day on their packaging. 

There’s a quiet kind of indulgence in ordering comfort food and having it arrive in warm, thoughtfully packed boxes. Half-Cup Café, tucked away in Baguio, brings that experience straight to your table—or hotel room. It’s the kind of meal that feels casual yet special, the way only Baguio can deliver.

Strawberry Calamansi Refresher ($2.98)

Recycled milk carton to keep the refresher stable for the win!

Bright and refreshing, this drink strikes a perfect balance between sweet and sour strawberry and tart calamansi. They got the correct ratio. The generous ice means it grows sharper as it melts, so you need to drink it fast if you don't want it to be too sour. On the other hand it revives the palate and cuts through heavier flavors. It’s a drink that feels like a sigh of relief.

Marinara Ground Beef Pasta ($3.72)

Classic Filipino pasta—comforting, a little sweet, and topped with melty cheese. The noodles were al dente, and the sauce carried a gentle kick of spice. For me, it was a touch strong (it made me cough), but fans of bold flavors will find this a hearty favorite. For foreign readers who are curious about Filipino pasta, you may want to try this.

Still, my son and I finished this pasta. 

Cheesy Bacon Fries ($2.79)

The fries smothered in cheese and crisp bacon. The fries are too pale-looking for me, but my son seemed to love it. I tasted them and they were okay. The photo on Grab had a lot of bacon bits. As you can see here, that's not the case in real life. 😆 Had the fries been more cooked and crisp, this would be perfect for sharing on a cool Baguio night. 

Crispy Chicken Sliders with Banana Chips on Whole Wheat Bread ($3.82)

The slider shined— two chicken patties, fresh greens, cucumber, onions, and a juicy patty inside a whole-wheat bun. The chicken patties were still crunchy even after it traveled from the restaurant to our hotel.

I love the fact that they put two thin patties instead of one thick patty. It's easier to bite into this way. 

The dressing is mayonnaise with something else. It's light and works well with the other fillings. I didn't eat the cucumbers because it had seeds and skin and I tend to avoid those, so as not to trigger any allergic reactions. I also skipped the raw onions. A wholesome balance of flavor and texture. 

The banana chips, however, fell short—oily and flat compared to the rest of the meal. It tasted like it has been fried in used oil. 

I'm not a huge fan of bananas, but I can eat banana chips. This one just didn't get my vote. 

⭐ Verdict

Half-Cup Café delivers a mix of hits and misses. The Strawberry Calamansi Refresher stood out as a bright, perfectly balanced palate cleanser, but other items fell short. The pasta leaned too sweet and slightly spicy, which may not suit everyone’s taste. The slider was satisfying, but the banana chips tasted stale and oily, pulling the experience down.

If you’re craving something refreshing and light, the drinks might be worth a try and the slider, but for food, you may want to explore other Baguio spots first.