July 18, 2015

Caffe Piansa: First Jail-Themed Restaurant in the Philippines

Reality is also a prison.


We are free to do anything we want. But that doesn’t give us the right to harm others. Prisons were built since ancient times not only to punish law offenders but also to reform them. I have been to Bilibid a long time ago, and the experience was an eye opener for me. It taught me never to kill my enemies, and to use my freedom as a chance to be better and not the other way around.

Of course Caffe Piansa is nothing like the real prison. But it is the first of its kind, infusing the jail concept - from its name piansa or bail, food attendants dressed as magistrate, warden or inmates, to the make-believe prison interiors. As morbid as it may seem, the restaurant was able to recreate the different sections inside a prison, court and police station (institutions where law offenders are brought), such as mugshot corner, minimum to maximum security areas, and the death row. Even some of the dishes in their menu were inspired from the “last meals” requested by infamous criminals before they were sentenced to die.






Fried cordon bleu

Gas chamber

Buko lychee and cucumber and lemon shakes







But even though reality could also be a prison, remember that having an open mind and a forgiving heart can set us free. Always.

Caffe Piansa
#57, Dragon St., Midtown Subd.
San Roque, Marikina City
Tel. No.: 631-4751, 681-1929