Another tea house has opened its doors to the Davaoenos! Check out what our contributing writer, Ferdinand Mesias, wrote about Alley Cat!



“We called it Alley Cat because we both love cats.” That’s what they said.

On April 28, 2013 — a Sunday — around 5 PM, an eclectic new Tea and Coffee house opened its doors at The Site Compound in Jacinto Extension to its eager clientele.

Catering mostly to artists, musicians, poets, filmmakers and the local literati, Alley Cat Tea and Coffee House launched its first day of business with resounding success. Owned and managed by two best friends, online children’s book illustrator Xiao Prieto and writer/artist Jesh Juson, this new addition to the city’s hip cultural landscape offers not only superb tea and coffee to its clients, but serves as a hub and a watering hole for those who love books as well.

“We didn’t just want to sell tea and food and coffee. We wanted to promote literacy and revive the love of reading in this electronic day and age”, chimed the bubbly Jesh Juson.

If one would gaze at their surroundings, they would notice that the walls of the establishment are richly adorned by works of modern art.

“The paintings are actually for sale. Most of these are the works of artists from the Davao Graphics Club,” Xiao Prieto hastens to add.

When asked what obstacles both young women had to overcome to turn this endeavor into reality, their first answer was...Money.

“Realistically speaking, cash is always the first major obstacle to tackle when putting up your own business, especially when its your own hard-earned money you’re investing in the enterprise”

But from the looks of things on their first day of opening, it seems that this particular problem would soon be a forgotten memory. The place was packed to the rafters, and the duo, which prepared the fare themselves, could hardly keep up with the orders that were flooding in. And how were the offerings? Superb and refreshing!!! The tea, which was uniquely served in sealed mason jars, was crisp and soul-satisfying and the blended drinks were nothing short of divine. As for the food, their culinary offerings hit the spot! The servings were generous, the presentation was superb and the taste was pure excellence.

So if you’re craving a few refreshing drinks and a good meal to go with it, then you won’t regret heading over to Alley Cat Tea and Coffee House.