Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Fountain is a Filipino ice cream and dessert brand established in 2014 by the team behind Wildflour Hospitality Group. Inspired by the traditional American drugstore soda fountain, the brand specialises in freshly made ice cream, house-made sodas, classic sundaes, milkshakes, and retro diner aesthetics. Its original location was situated on the ground floor of the NET Lima Building at the corner of 4th Avenue and 26th Street in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, adjacent to Wildflour Café + Bakery.

The concept was deliberately designed to evoke an old-fashioned pharmacy or soda shop, featuring vintage-inspired interiors, counter seating, glassware, wooden fixtures, and pharmacy-style cabinets. Rather than positioning itself as a modern gelato shop, Farmacy references the visual language of mid-20th-century American diners and drugstores to sell nostalgia alongside dessert.

Farmacy opened in 2014 during a period when Metro Manila’s restaurant scene was experiencing renewed interest in specialised dessert shops and nostalgic food concepts. Contemporary coverage described it as a new project from the creators of Wildflour that transformed the traditional ice cream parlour into a distinctly retro experience.

The concept draws from the history of American soda fountains, which were historically associated with pharmacies and drugstores. These establishments served as social gathering places where customers ordered carbonated drinks, ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, and other sweet treats. Farmacy adopted this historical association as its central theme. The name “Farmacy” is a playful variation on pharmacy, reinforcing the idea of a place where the “prescription” consists of ice cream and indulgent treats rather than medicine.

Farmacy was developed by the same restaurant group responsible for Wildflour Café + Bakery. The brand is associated with Ana Lorenzana de Ocampo, president and CEO of Wildflour Hospitality Group, as well as the culinary team associated with Wildflour, including chef and co-owner Walter Manzke.

Wildflour began with a café and bakery in Bonifacio Global City in 2012 and subsequently expanded into a larger hospitality group with several restaurant and food brands, including Farmacy. Farmacy should be understood as part of the broader Wildflour Hospitality Group ecosystem rather than as an entirely independent startup. The physical proximity between the original Farmacy and Wildflour in BGC further reinforced the relationship between the two brands.

Farmacy’s defining characteristic is its combination of an ice cream parlour, soda fountain, and old-fashioned pharmacy. Early descriptions of the restaurant highlighted vintage pharmacy-style cabinets, wooden fixtures and stools, counter-style seating, retro ice cream dishes, glass bottles and beakers, nostalgic pastel colours, a neon “Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Fountain” sign, and classic soda-fountain presentation.

The original restaurant’s narrow footprint was incorporated into the concept, with counter and bar-style seating helping to reproduce the atmosphere of a traditional soda fountain. The interior design referenced penny-round tiles, antique-style cabinetry, and vintage artwork, drawing closely from the visual imagery of classic American pop culture, particularly the 1950s malt shop and fictional soda fountains associated with comics such as Archie. This approach positions Farmacy as an experience-driven lifestyle brand where the atmosphere is as significant as the menu.

Ice cream

Ice cream is the core of Farmacy’s offerings. A distinguishing characteristic of the brand is its emphasis on freshly made, in-house ice cream produced daily at the store rather than at a centralised commissary. The brand also emphasised the use of fresh fruit and avoided unnecessary artificial ingredients.

Early flavours included familiar choices such as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, hazelnut, pineapple, melon, blueberry, black sesame, and butter pecan. More distinctive options included Moonshine, Lemon Curd with Blueberry Topping, and Gianduja. The incorporation of local fruits such as pineapple, guava, watermelon, calamansi, and mango gave the American-inspired format a distinctly Philippine ingredient base.

Soda fountain

The second half of the brand’s identity is the soda fountain. Farmacy produces house-made sodas designed to be consumed on their own or combined with ice cream. Early offerings included melon, pineapple, vanilla, calamansi, guava, and blueberry. These sodas allow the brand to recreate the traditional soda fountain combination of carbonated soda and ice cream.

Signature desserts

Farmacy’s classic-dessert programme draws heavily from American ice cream parlour traditions. Recognisable offerings include:

• Banana Split – multiple ice cream flavours with banana, sauces, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry
• Rocky Road Sundae – chocolate ice cream with roasted almonds, homemade marshmallows, and dark chocolate
• Black Forest Sundae – chocolate-focused ice cream with brownie and cherry components
• Hot Fudge Sundae
• Classic Sundae
• Dusty Road
• Tin Roof
• Pick Me Up
• Banutter

These dishes intentionally favour familiar combinations over experimental constructions.

Milkshakes

Milkshakes are a major component of the Farmacy experience. The restaurant has offered “Very Thick Shakes,” allowing customers to combine different ice cream flavours into dense, old-fashioned milkshakes. Reviews have noted customers experimenting with combinations such as black sesame, coffee almond, and pistachio, alongside conventional options like chocolate, vanilla, and cookie dough [1]. This reflects the brand’s philosophy of giving recognisable American soda-fountain staples a more artisanal, freshly made treatment.

Ice cream floats

The ice cream float is perhaps the most recognisable expression of the Farmacy concept. The basic formula involves house-made carbonated soda topped or combined with a scoop of ice cream. Examples reported in early menus include:

• Very Berry Float – strawberry ice cream with blueberry soda
• Orange Creamsicle
• Black Cow
• Brown Cow – root beer with vanilla ice cream

These floats combine the brand’s two core products into a single drink-dessert [1].

Farmacy After Dark

Farmacy developed an adult-oriented extension of the soda-fountain concept known as Farmacy After Dark. These offerings combined ice cream and soda-fountain-style drinks with alcoholic ingredients, including rum-and-Coke and Jack-and-Coke floats, as well as tequila-based combinations [2]. This allowed the restaurant to transition from a daytime dessert destination into an evening social venue.

Pastries and other food

Although ice cream and soda are the defining products, Farmacy has also offered other sweets and baked items. Early coverage mentioned ice cream sandwiches, cookies, pastries, brioche bomboloni, and other desserts. The restaurant’s connection to Wildflour provides a broader bakery and pastry influence than a conventional ice cream shop.

Farmacy occupies a distinct position in the Philippine food-and-beverage market as a premium artisanal ice cream shop, American soda fountain, and nostalgic diner experience. Its differentiation stems from several elements working together:

1. Fresh, in-house ice cream
2. House-made sodas
3. Classic American desserts
4. Philippine and local fruit flavours
5. Retro pharmacy and soda-fountain design
6. Strong connection to the Wildflour restaurant group
7. An experience-oriented approach rather than simply selling scoops of ice cream

The brand competes not merely on flavour but on nostalgia, atmosphere, presentation, and the novelty of the soda-fountain experience.

Farmacy is notable within Manila’s restaurant culture for introducing a concept rooted in American culinary history but adapted for a contemporary Philippine audience. The soda fountain is not traditionally Filipino; instead, Farmacy translates the concept into Metro Manila by combining familiar American desserts with locally available ingredients and a highly stylised environment. The use of flavours such as calamansi, guava, mango, and melon demonstrates this localisation. In this sense, Farmacy functions less as a reproduction of an American drugstore and more as a Filipino interpretation of American nostalgia.

The brand’s original and best-documented location was in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, at the ground floor of the NET Lima Building around 4th Avenue and 26th Street, beside Wildflour. Current business listings identify a Farmacy location at Six/Neo, 4th Avenue corner 26th Street, BGC. As locations, hours, and menus can change, current listings should be verified before visiting.

Early food writers generally highlighted Farmacy’s nostalgic atmosphere, homemade ice cream, and unusual soda-fountain concept. Contemporary reviews praised the freshness and distinctive flavour combinations, while some reviewers commented on the compact size of the original restaurant and its limited seating. The concept received significant attention upon opening, appearing in Manila food guides and restaurant coverage as one of the city’s notable new dessert destinations.

1. Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Fountain: My Delicious Prescription For the Soul (Fort BGC) | Tsinoy Foodies
2. Cheat Day at Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Fountain – For Urban Women – Awarded Top 100 Urban Blog / Fashion, Lifestyle and Travel