Barkin' Blends: Coffee, Tea, and Dogs

Cafes of different concepts thrive throughout Manila. Most of the coolest ones that I heard are from the North. Cat cafes, book cafes, and even a painting cafe! Oooh... Now, if only I have time to visit them all in one go, right? Ha! But for now, I will write about a cafe that I visited with my family last long weekend. 

It was my cousin who told me about a dog cafe called Barkin' Blends. They said there are lots of dogs of different breeds there. We like dogs, we keep at least one at home. So when I heard about this 'dog cafe', I got excited! All of us did! So it was decided then what our next stop would be... (^_^)

Barkin' Blends Dog Cafe is located in Katipunan, near McDonald's and Shakeys. It is on the second floor of a commercial building. We knew we were in the right place because we saw posters of dogs there. When we finally saw the doors to the cafe, I was like, "Alright! here are the dogs?" Hehehe~ 

Unlike the usual coffee shop, Barkin' Blends has two separate zones. The human zone with where you can eat and drink and also pay for the entrance fee to the dog zone. The dog zone is, of course, where the dogs are. Food is not allowed there, but drinks are.

Barkin' Blends Dog Cafe

We first entered the Human Zone to settle our payments. The first thing I noticed were the cute cupcakes with icing shaped like dogs.

Cupcakes at Barkin' Blends

The display of photos of the dogs at the cafe officially called "Barkin' Buddies" heightened up the excitement all the more! 

The cute doggies!

The entrance fee of PhP190.00 entitled us to enter the dog zone and stay there for two hours. It also came with a drink. Truth be told, I didn't care much about the drinks, I wanted the dogs. Hehehe~ But I read the menu anyway... They offered a variety of hot and cold drinks. I chose the same drink that my sister ordered: Mocha Frappe.

Then it was time for us to enter the Dog Zone! Yay!

The Dog Zone as seen from the Human Zone

Posters at the entrance of the Dog Zone. Wheee~ They have free Wi-Fi!

We were asked to leave our things in the locker and to change footwear into their provided slippers. And when we entered the gate, the dogs greeted us. Dogs, big and small, of different sizes and fur color; so cute and playful! I could stay there all day! 

Cute! Cute! Cute!

A Golden Retriever... it is very shy.

Yuki, a Maltese, was very friendly to me.

This baby slept a lot. (^_^)

His name is Milo, he looks exactly like our home pet, Hershey! *heart*heart*

The friendly staff in orange shirts assisted us. They guided the dogs and helped us take photos of them, too. It's hard to take photos of the dogs as they continue to run around. But the staff were able to make them stay put. The dogs are well trained, I must say. They know their master and listen well. Thanks to that, a staff took a photo of me with the Husky, Skye... 

My day is now complete. A photo with Skye. @barkinblends @skywxxrds @ineeddoughnuts @heyalliebaby #barkinblends #siberianhusky #husky #dog #dogstagram #dogcafe

A photo posted by Angel Mariel (@myangelmariel) on Sep 26, 2015 at 11:16pm PDT

Moments later, our drinks arrived, delivered straight from the Human Zone! I didn't expect much from the drinks, but wow! The presentation was very impressive! 

Our drinks! They're all Frappes!

My Mocha Frappe tasted so good! It was very much comparable to popular coffee shops. Sweet with a blend of coffee... just right for my sweet tooth.

Mocha Frappe at Barkin' Blends

I liked the whipped cream. It was thick and fluffy, the kind that doesn't melt easily. Even if you mix it with the drink, it will still remain a thick cream as it is.

Swirls of syrup on the thick whipped cream

The Dog Zone had the cafe ambience, too. I just didn't notice it earlier because I was focused on the dogs. But when the drinks came, I was able too shift my attention as I sat on one of those Parisian benches. I looked around and felt the joyous vibe of the place. (^_^)

There were paintings on a wall, depicting the dogs in an artistic manner. Those were cute, too. On one side was a poster of all the dogs. And on another was a poster of dog breeds.

Paintings.. cute "The Beagles"

...more paintings

A poster of dog breeds

The more I enjoyed playing with the dogs, the faster time went. I couldn't believe my two hours was up. Back in the human zone, I went to look for the souvenir display. Photos of the dogs printed in keychains, mugs, tumblers, magnets, and puzzles were for sale. I wanted a magnet or a keychain with Skye's picture on it. But there was none. Huhuhu~

Souvenirs at Barkin' Blends

Oh well... maybe next time, there will be. I guess I'd just have to go back soon. I have taken a liking on the place, not just on the dogs, but on the coffee, too. (^_^)