The bright purple ube and oreo milkshake and halo-halo bread pudding at Cafe 86. (Photo courtesy Cafe 86 via Facebook)
By Kate Bradshaw
Cafe 86, an ube-focused restaurant chain, is continuing its expansion northward from Southern California and Las Vegas. Its second Bay Area location (after Union City) recently opened in Mountain View, and its third, slated for Daly City, is on the way.
The purple yam native to the Philippines experienced a resurgence in popularity during the pandemic, according to a Forbes article calling ube the "uber ingredient of 2023."
Ube crinkle cookies are among the ube-flavored offerings at Cafe 86's new Mountain View location. (Photo courtesy Cafe 86 via Facebook)
Established in 2014, the cafe's tagline of "ube nerds" rings true in its menu, highlighting the vegetable in a wide array of desserts and drinks, including ube truffles, ube butter bars, ube leche flan cupcakes, Halo Halo bread pudding with ube ice cream, ube crinkle cookies, ube milkshakes and ube lattes. Haho Halo is a Filipino dessert made with crushed ice, evaporated or coconut milk and a mix of ingredients including ube jam, sweetened beans, coconut, flan and ube ice cream.
The menu also includes an assortment of sandwiches, teas, blended drinks and churrochies, mochi dough caramelized in butter and coated with cinnamon sugar and caramel drizzle.
Ube tres leches cake from Cafe 86. (Photo courtesy Cafe 86 via Facebook)
Cafe 86, 738 Villa St., Mountain View; 909-465-0886, Instagram: @cafe_86.
