Makati already has no shortage of cafés, concept stores, and design-forward places to visit. But Matter by Issy is entering the scene with a format that feels different: part beauty space, part café, part creative hangout.
Featured in Tatler Asia’s September 2026 Dining Radar, Matter by Issy is the first standalone space of local cosmetics brand Issy outside a mall. The 150-square-metre location combines retail, food, and experimental menu ideas in one destination.
That mix is what makes it worth watching—not simply as a new café, but as a sign of how lifestyle brands are beginning to build places where people can shop, eat, create content, and stay longer.
A New Kind of Makati Food Stop
Matter by Issy is not designed as a traditional café with a beauty counter added as an afterthought.
Tatler describes the concept as part retail, part café, with the space built around curiosity and a more flexible, open-ended experience. The brand’s move from mall counters into its own street-level location also gives the place a more deliberate identity.
Instead of passing by a kiosk while shopping, visitors now have a destination they intentionally travel to.
That distinction matters in Makati, where café visits are often tied to meetings, creative work, weekend walks, photo sessions, and casual food trips.
The Menu Is Designed to Surprise
Matter divides its offerings into three categories:
- Classics
- Signatures
- Experiments
The “Experiments” section is where the concept becomes especially interesting.
One highlighted creation, Experiment No. 002: Strange Pairing, combines a chocolate cookie with strawberry jam, blue cheese, and prosciutto. Another, Experiment No. 004: Manila, Two Seasons, brings together the flavor of puto bumbong with the refreshing profile of Filipino summer coolers.
These are not everyday café combinations. They are designed to start conversations, invite reactions, and make people curious enough to order something outside their usual routine.
You may love them. You may not.
But that is part of the point.
Matter is treating food as a form of exploration rather than simply a safe list of familiar bestsellers.
Why Matter by Issy Is Getting Attention
The café’s appeal goes beyond the menu.
It sits at the intersection of several current trends in Philippine urban dining:
- beauty and lifestyle brands moving into food and beverage
- highly designed spaces built for social sharing
- unusual flavor combinations
- cafés that function as places to meet, work, shop, and create
- Filipino-inspired ingredients presented in a modern format
Recent coverage of Metro Manila’s new dining scene has shown that the most talked-about openings are increasingly built around a clear point of view rather than just a new name. Matter’s combination of fashion-forward branding, café culture, and experimental food places it firmly inside that conversation.
It is also well suited to the way people discover places now.
A visitor might first see the interiors on Instagram, notice a strange cookie combination in a food post, then decide to visit Legazpi Village for the full experience. The trip becomes part café stop, part lifestyle discovery.
A Place for People Who Like “Something Different”
Matter by Issy will likely appeal to visitors who enjoy:
- exploring newly opened cafés
- trying creative food combinations
- discovering local lifestyle brands
- photographing interiors and plated dishes
- spending time in walkable Makati neighborhoods
- combining shopping, coffee, and casual dining in one afternoon
It may be less appealing to diners who prefer simple menus, familiar flavors, or traditional café formats.
That contrast is worth stating clearly because the concept is built around experimentation. Not every item is meant to be universally familiar. The food is part of the conversation, not just the background.
What Makes It Travel-Worthy?
For travelers visiting Metro Manila, Matter by Issy offers a different kind of city experience.
It is not a heritage attraction, a large tourist complex, or a destination built around one famous dish. Instead, it reflects how contemporary Manila spends time—in neighborhoods where coffee, design, retail, culture, and food overlap.
A visit can easily fit into a broader Makati itinerary:
- start with breakfast or coffee in Legazpi Village
- explore nearby design shops and galleries
- visit Matter for its café menu and retail concept
- continue to Greenbelt or other Makati dining destinations later in the day
Because the space is located at 149 Legazpi Street, it is best approached as part of a neighborhood food-and-lifestyle walk rather than a quick mall stop.
Practical Visit Details
Name: Matter by Issy
Address: 149 Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City
Type: Café, retail, and experimental lifestyle concept
Featured menu format: Classics, signatures, and experiments
Notable items reported in coverage: Chocolate cookie with strawberry jam, blue cheese, and prosciutto; a puto bumbong-inspired beverage concept
As of September 29, 2026, I could verify the location and the concept through recent dining coverage, but I did not find a complete current public menu with confirmed prices or official daily operating hours in the sources reviewed. Check Matter by Issy’s official pages before visiting for the latest schedule, menu availability, and any opening updates.
Final Take
Matter by Issy is one of the more interesting new places to watch in Makati because it is not trying to be only a café.
It is a place where beauty branding, Filipino-inspired flavors, experimental desserts, and urban lifestyle meet under one roof. In a city filled with coffee shops, having a clear identity may be what helps a new concept stand out.
Whether you visit for the food, the interiors, the brand experience, or simple curiosity, Matter by Issy gives you a reason to explore a different side of Makati.
And if the strange-sounding cookie or the puto bumbong-inspired drink makes you pause before ordering, that may be exactly what the concept wants.
Sometimes the most memorable food trips begin with a question:
“What does that even taste like?”
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