Café a las 3am

After a long day of work, I wanted to eat somewhere new and unique not only for the blog but also for the sake of having a different kind of dining experience. Cafe Racer is the first place I thought of. I’ve seen so many Instagram photos of it, but those were just sneak peeks of how cool the place was. It’s a different feeling to see the actual cafe :D 

My friends and I rode a taxi from Ayala Center Cebu to Cafe Racer. It only cost us about 50 plus pesos since we used GrabTaxi — a convenient Taxi booking app. When we arrived, I was impressed with how it was designed. It’s a 50′s American Diner inspired cafe. I’ve always wanted to visit an actual diner (50′s Diner in Baguio City is in my bucket list!) but this is the closest I’ll ever get for now. 

The cafe is convenient for people who wants to have their cars or motorcycles washed. There is a nearby car wash station. People can chill and enjoy good food while waiting for their cars or motorcycles to be squeaky clean. Some people were dining outside in the gasoline station. Beer is even poured straight out of gasoline pumps! 

When you enter the cafe, the first thing that will greet you is this green Volkswagen Kombi which serves as their counter and bar! Some of their couches and chairs are made from oil barrels. There was even a couch made of a cut-up body of a Volkswagen Beetle! All I could ever think of was, “Coolio!” haha. Some of their tables are made out of hoods of different cars. The place is just filled with so many car parts and tools converted into different decorations. It’s definitely an Instagram-worthy cafe!

As for their food, we ordered the Barkada Chicken, some sticks of Pork BBQ, Fish and Fries, and Baked Blue Marlin Belly. The chicken was definitely my favorite. It was crispy and juciy. Plus the gravy made it more delicious. It’s a good dish to share for five or six people and worth it for 185 pesos. The barbecue was a-okay and just right for its price, which is 15 pesos per stick. 

A friend of mine ordered the Fish and Fries and she said it wasn’t an exceptional dish. It didn’t taste bad but it didn’t taste spectacular either. The same thing was said by another friend who ordered the Baked Blue Marlin Belly. Everything was just right. 

I think it’s best to dine in the place during the late afternoons (around 5 or 6PM) so you won’t have a hard time in taking photos. I don’t know about you but that was my problem haha! It was hard to take photos because of the lighting. Also, I wanted so bad to take a photo of this old car near the “Cafe Racer” sign but it was too dark and I didn’t want to use my camera’s flash. 

Anyway, in totality, Cafe Racer is one of the unique places to dine and chill in. Though their food is not really that amazing, it’s still good and reasonably priced. Their decorations will tickle your fancy. Anyone who is a big fan of cars, racing, or vintage stuff will love dining here. 

Cafe Racer is located at Ouano Avenue, North Reclamation Area, Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines. They are open daily from 11AM to 2AM.