the Best Boracay Breakfasts at Real Coffee

It's funny how despite the fact that I hardly ever wake up before 10 in the morning, breakfast still remains my favorite meal of the day! Even if I wake up past noon sometimes when everyone else is having lunch, I still must have breakfast food.

So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I found myself frequenting this tiny little shack, hidden in a small alley off White Beach at the end of station 1 for my omelette or iced mocha or french toast fix during our past few trips to Boracay.

 

Real Coffee has become somewhat of an institution on this island already. For years and years now (since 1996 apaprently), Real Coffee has been the go-to place for good coffee and even better breakfasts in Boracay. On any given day, you get both locals, tourists, or long-staying island guests visiting this tiny little hut for coffee and their all-day breakfast!

Some say Real Coffee has become the tourist magnet it is now because of its coffee (at one point, it was the only place where you could get a good cup of coffee on the whole island!).. While others say that its the warm, friendly owner, Lee, that keeps them coming back... Most will argue though that Real Coffee owes its fame to the legendary calamansi muffin!

baking muffins...

Personally, I fell in love with the place just because of its rugged island charm! With its tiny nipa hut structure; its bamboo tables, stools & chairs; the homey open kitchen where the smiling staff busy themselves with brewing coffee, making pancakes and omelettes, baking muffins and serving their guests; their light laughing banter with each other and their guests; mismatched mugs, china and coffee cups; the small jars of Clara Ole jam that they serve with your toast with the bread knife sticking right out of it; and that fat lazy cat that's always ALWAYS napping on one of the stools every single time I'm there... makes being at Real Coffee feel just like having breakfast in your own kitchen. A nice airy kitchen in the province with a view of the blue sea from afar, that is.

Having breakfast at Real Coffee has never failed to cheer me up or just to give me a great kickstart to another day at the beach. And our Real Coffee breakfast on this last visit to Boracay wasn't going to change that.

We arrived in Boracay too early on our first day and while the staff at Discovery Shores were kind enough to give us a temporary room, technically, we really weren't checked-in yet, which meant that complimentary breakfasts didn't apply just yet. Yay! Perfect excuse to head out and bring my mom and the boys to Real Coffee for some good ol' island breakfast fare then.

And boy, did we need comfort food on that first day! After a traumatic flight to Caticlan (turbulence almost throughout the entire flight with a couple of violent dips in the air -- I swear I thought it was the end of us!) and an even rougher landing, all of us needed a good pick-me-up! And Real Coffee certainly did not fail us!

Eek! The plane ride from hell. :(

My mom ordered their Jack-A-Lean Omelette (P250) -- two eggs, onions, tomatoes, tuna and cheese with toast. Now, cheese in an omelette always does it for me but what makes this omelette even better is when you have them put in some pesto (for an add'l P20) so of course I had to be devil's advocate to Mother and convinced her to go for the pesto version.

the Jack-A-Lean Omelette with Pesto & Toast

This Jack-A-Lean Omelette is actually a lighter and as the name suggests, leaner version of one of their best-sellers, the Jack's Omelette (P280) that's made with 3 eggs instead of Jack-A-Lean's 2 eggs! And man, the Jack-A-Lean was already a pretty big breakfast! Mother couldn't even finish it and that was with me stealing forkfuls, too! So I can't even imagine how anyone can even finish the Jack's!

All their breakfast specials come with a cup of brewed coffee or a cup of tea so my mom got her caffeine fix for free! :) So for P270, that's not a pretty bad deal!

The Mister and I decided to split one of our Real Coffee favorites: the Zesto Pesto sandwich with cheese (P220). It was a very hard decision to make though: it was between this or their Egg Salad with Cheese (P170) which is just as amazing!

Zesto Pesto with Cheese

In the end, I think we made the right choice! Chunks of chicken in mayo and pesto mixed with super gooey melted cheese topped with tomatoes & lettuce sandwiched between two toasted, heavily buttered bread. YUM! We couldn't finish this either, their portions were just a bit too big for us, and trust me, that says a lot! :|

The Little Boy being a little French Toast addict at home wanted to try Real Coffee's version. While they had a regular French Toast with Syrup (P130) on the menu, we decided to try the Mango French Toast (P160) which was basically thick slices of mangoes in between two slices of French Toast. Pretty good, too. But I remain faithful to their Banana Pancake (P130) or their Peanut Butter & Mango Jam Sandwich (P100).

Mango French Toast

For drinks, the Little Boy ordered their Calamansi & Mango Shake (P130) which is the perfect drink to order on a hot summer day (though it was a great citrus pick-me-up for any other day, too!), the Mister ordered the Boracay Buzz (P140) which is basically an Iced Mocha with a banana blended in (we love this drink!! Beats Starbucks' frappucinos anytime! ;p), Mother stuck to her cup of brewed coffee that came with her breakfast set while I finally had the perfect excuse to finally order a hot cup of Cafe Mocha (P100).

I had to have dessert, even for breakfast so of course, the mandatory Real Coffee calamansi muffin (P45) was a must. They have other baked goodies like Oatmeal Raisin cookies (P20 or 3 for P55), Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies (P80) that I am absolutely dying to try! ..and a really good Banana Muffin with Walnuts (P45) but it's the calamansi muffin's unique tartness that makes me a loyal fan!

my Calamansi Muffin

Mother, who isn't exactly the adventurous type (I was worried about what she'd think of having breakfast in a tiny little kubo hidden in an alley), absolutely loved Real Coffee! She says that it took her back to her 'probinsya days' when breakfasts were quiet, relaxed, slow, simple affairs. :)

lazy cat seems to think so, too...

And finally, as a testament to my love for this little island breakfast spot... On our last day in Boracay, despite the lavish breakfast buffet we were entitled to at Discovery Shores, I found myself wide awake at 6 in the morning craving for a calamansi muffin. So what's a girl to do? While Mother went to Church and while the boys were still fast asleep, off I went and walked the long stretch of beach from Discovery Shores (from one end of Station 1 to the other) and in some parts, actually waded in thigh-deep waters (it was still high tide at that time) all the way to Real Coffee. Oh, the things I do for a Real Coffee breakfast!

When I got there, I had the whole place to myself so I was able to enjoy a quiet, peaceful breakfast of calamansi muffin and a cold glass of Iced Cafe Mocha (P120), book in hand, while most of the island was still fast asleep... Bliss!