When in Manila, Filipinos are quicker to hop on bandwagons than the ever-temperamental weather forecast. Needless to say, any novel food/drink/activity is openly welcomed by our fun-loving locals, and cronuts are no exception to this.

This quirky hybrid between a croissant and a donut has been undeniably taking the metro by storm, and some of the country’s largest local patisseries are rapidly catching up with the ever-growing trend by creating their very own versions of the flaky pastry whose origins hail from the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York.

 

Whether you are a cronut aficionado, skeptic, or just as curious as we are, indulge yourself in our carefully curated list of the top places to get your cronuts when in Manila. Guaranteed to be worth the 1,000+ calories you supposedly consume with every cronut, ’cause if you’ll take such a massive amount of calories in one sitting, it better taste good! We present to you our When in Manila Cronut List, in no particular order:

 

 

 

 

 

The Bellevue Manila Pastry Corner – throughout our hunt for cronuts, we’ve concluded that the best cronuts are rendered by seasoned artisanal pastry chefs. Thus it can be said that The Pastry Corner’s Head Pastry Chef must know his cronuts through and through. We love that The Pastry Corner’s cronuts have the perfect balance of flaky croissant and chewy donut, with a light custard filling that isn’t too overwhelmingly sweet. Our favorite would be their Pistachio flavor that is the perfect balance of nutty and sugary sweet, and we love how their cronuts are just FILLED with custardy goodness. Take your pick from their assortment of classic flavors and see for yourself.

Price: Php 110.00

Availability: The Bellevue Manila Pastry Corner accepts pre-orders and reservations for cronuts, you may reach them at 771-8181 loc. 8016.

 

 

 

 

Hotel InterContinental Manila Jeepney Café – The most important detail you should know about The Jeepney Café’s cronuts is that they’re the only pastry shop that offers Red Velvet flavored cronuts. This classic flavored confection has turned out to be our all-time favorite for its sweet, cream-cheesy taste and sour cream filling which perfectly offsets its sugary frosting. The Jeepney Cafe’s Head Pastry Chef Darmo Guevarra shares how they’ve perfected their baking technique through trial and error, and now have specialized equipment to achieve their cronuts’ flaky-chewy texture. Intercon’s cronuts lean more towards the croissant end of the pole, so expect a lighter and flakier bite! Best to have them fresh out the oven, while they’re still warm though, lest you end up with slightly greasy cronuts.

Price: Php 130.00

Availability: They make a fresh batch every day but these sell real quick! You can call them a day before for reservations at 793-7000.

 

More budget-friendly cronut places to discover after the jump!