Love Tim Hortons? Here's what it's like visiting the chain in the Philippines

Whether you get your coffee regularly at one or not, a Tim Hortons is a shining red beacon of familiarity for Canadians abroad.

I’ve been to Tim Hortons outside Canada — one in Dubai and the other in Manila. Timmy’s abroad almost always feels just a tad more upscale. Perhaps it is the novelty of having a foreign chain.

My last visit to Timmy’s in Manila was in 2019. It was located at Ayala Malls Circuit in Makati and had two floors. The place just glowed with newness. That location has now closed, possibly relocated.

Fast forward four years, in December 2023, I found myself at another Timmy’s in Manila, this time located along the busy strip of United Nations Avenue in Ermita, surrounded by universities, hospitals, and government offices.

I wasn’t there to review the place; I was in the area and needed a quick bite.

When you enter, a uniformed security guard holds the door open for you — not something you’ll find at your local Timmy’s in Canada.

I was excited to order the corned beef turnover so I could tell my Canadian buddies about it, but I was disappointed to find out that they no longer had it on the menu, at least not at this location.

No, seriously, it exists! Here’s a photo below for proof:

 

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There were some exciting menu items on display, though. They had the standard Boston cream donut, old-fashioned glaze and the usual Timbits, but they also had chocolate-filled Timbits and Venetian cream snow Timbits.

With only one person at the register, ordering was a tad chaotic, and the line was pretty long by the time we were done.

Most afternoons, Manila’s temperatures hover around 27°C to above 30°C, so I wanted something cold and refreshing. Unfortunately, this location did not have fruity drinks, so my dad and I settled for an iced tea while my husband ordered an iced capp.

My dad wanted a tuna wrap, and I chose a cheesy bacon wrap. My husband opted for a steak and cheese panini, which tasted a little better than it looked.

The bacon wrap was saltier than what I was used to back in Toronto, and the hashbrown that I’d ordered with it was on the dry side and tasted like it was cooked a while ago.

The restaurant was clean, and the corner store unit was big and bright. People were seated at highboy tables, working away on their laptops or catching up with friends.

Finding seating wasn’t an issue, but there was a massive counter-height table in the centre of the space that was empty. I learned why as I walked closer: the air conditioner above it was dripping water onto the surface, creating a bit of a waterfall on the seat and the floor below.

Eventually, a staff member came with two small buckets—one to place under the air conditioner and the other to sweep away another pool of water that threatened to spill onto the floor.

Unfazed, one man sat beside the bucket and started working away on his laptop.

As for the price, the steak and cheese panini was 195 pesos (C$4.68), the medium iced capp was 180 pesos (C$4.32), the iced tea cost 105 pesos each (C$2.52), the bacon wrap was 165 pesos (C$3.96), the hashbrowns cost 55 pesos (C$1.32), and the tuna wrap was 175 pesos (C$4.20).

Was I disappointed I didn’t get the slightly bougie Tim Hortons experience abroad? Kind of.

Its website boasts several exclusive regional menu items like the churro donut, triple coffee jelly, Spanish latte, blackberry spice iced tea, and Jaffa orange mocha. And I’m now I’m even more determined to find that corned beef turnover.

 

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It wasn’t the experience I was expecting. Still, oddly enough, the combination of the mild chaos at the register and the dripping air conditioner made this place feel like home for a moment.

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