Key Coffee Kissaten’s second Philippine location introduces an in-house microroastery, a cup-to-farm sourcing program, and a menu where everything is made from scratch.
Japanese café chain Key Coffee Kissaten just opened its second Philippine location at Glorietta. Called the “Ginza Salon,” the name refers to the small, carefully run café salons that operated alongside the great department stores of Tokyo’s Ginza district during the Showa era, where European café culture was absorbed and refined through Japanese discipline.
In addition to the café, the new location includes a bakery retail area, a wine and sake bottle shop, and a Neapolitan pizza oven station.
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What’s New About The “Ginza Salon” Key Coffee Branch In Glorietta
The new location is anchored by an in-house microroastery, which sets the Glorietta branch apart from the BGC flagship and from most of what’s currently operating in Manila. The roastery runs on what the brand calls “cup-to-farm” sourcing.
Rather than starting at the farm and working with available beans, the team begins with a specific flavor and character they intend to produce, then works backward, collaborating with farmers and processors whose beans can achieve that result. Sourcing happens on a microlot basis; every batch is tasted blind, and sorting continues until the batch meets the standard defined at the outset.
Legacy And Locality
The branch offers the premium Toarco Toraja, which is sourced from Key Coffee’s own farm in the highlands of Sulawesi and anchors the heritage side of the menu. Alongside it sits a dark roast made from locally sourced Philippine beans, roasted in-house. Another offering is the Coffee Bento Flight, which presents three distinct roasts together, each paired with omakase pastries chosen to complement the specific character of each cup.
The food menu operates on the same principles as the coffee program. Bento sets are served teishoku-style, like Japanese Wagyu with three prepared sides. Every component, including sauces, breads, and condiments, is made in-house.
Photos courtesy of Key Coffee Kissaten
Frequently Asked Questions
Key Coffee Kissaten is a Japanese café brand with over a century of history, bringing the kissaten — an old-style Japanese coffee shop culture — to the Philippines.
Key Coffee Kissaten has two locations in the Philippines: its flagship at Mitsukoshi BGC, which opened in 2023, and a new branch at Glorietta.
The Ginza Salon is the name of Key Coffee Kissaten’s Glorietta branch, named after the small café salons that operated in Tokyo’s Ginza district during the Showa era.
Cup-to-farm sourcing is Key Coffee Kissaten’s approach to coffee, where the team starts with a specific intended flavor and works backward to find the farms and processors whose beans can achieve that result, rather than starting at the farm and working with whatever is available.
Key Coffee Kissaten serves teishoku-style bento sets featuring Japanese Wagyu with three prepared sides. Every component on the menu, including sauces, breads, and condiments, is made in-house.
