Manila - The Rough Guide to the Philippines - page 91

but these days much of middle-class Manila parties in the
bars and clubs here, with plenty of expats and travellers
thrown in - it's generally smarter, safer and more
fashionable than Malate. The area around P. Burgos St is
a bit seedier, though the girlie bar scene here is being
driven more by Korean and Japanese KTV-style joints these
days, and there are several genuine pubs in between
offering cheap beers and snacks.
The Balcony Gastropub G/F, Doña Angel Garden Bldg,
110 C. Palanca Jr. St, Legaspi Village T 02 818 1551,
W balconygastropub.com; map p.77. Fashionable
lounge bar, with big-screen TVs for sports, table football,
decent bar food (like veggie tempura and baked artichoke
dip) and extensive cocktail list. Morphs into laidback club
most nights after 9pm. Free wi-fi. Daily 11am-2am.
Beers Paradise 36 Polaris St at Durban St T 02 895
9272; map p.88. Small, informal place in which to quaff
serious Belgian beers (they also claim to have over one
hundred brands from around the world), from the
sledgehammer-in-a-glass 12 percent Bush Ambrée ale to
the comparatively tame Duvel and Chimay brands (P150-
300). Daily 2pm-4am.
The Distillery 20 Jupiter St, Bel-Air T 02 403 5293,
W thedistillery.com.ph; map p.77. Friendly bar with a
massive choice of vodka, tequila, single malt Scotch and
rare foreign beers. Happy hour runs 6-9pm and DJs get
people dancing at the weekends, with especially crazy Fri
nights. Mon-Thurs 6pm-4am, Fri & Sat 6pm-5am.
H&J Sports Bar and Restaurant Felipe St T 02 954
1130; map p.88. The old Heckle & Jeckle sports bar
moved into these new digs in 2013 - it's a bit smarter, but
otherwise boasts the same laidback vibe popular with
expats, live blues and rock bands (nightly), Indian food,
pool tables and TVs showing live English Premier League
football. Happy hour Mon-Fri 2-10pm. Mon-Thurs
4pm-6am, Fri-Sun 24hr.
Handlebar 31 Polaris St T 02 898 2189, W handlebar
.com.ph; map p.88. Hospitable biker bar owned by a
group of Harley fanatics. It's primarily for drinkers (with
lots of sport on the TVs) but the food also makes it worth
a visit. The menu is nothing exotic, just solid, satisfying
pizzas, burgers and pasta, or Big John's BBQ (P265-732).
Daily 24hr.
Howzat 8471 Kalayaan Ave at Fermina St T 02 897
3335, W howzat.ph; map p.88. Popular sports bar
showing all major global sports events on wide TV screens
via satellite (including Premier League games). Specials
include all you can drink San Miguel (daily 5-8pm) for just
P310 (local spirits for P345), curry buffets on Fri and Sat
(noon-3pm; P425 with beer) and a scrumptious Sunday
roast (noon-3pm) for P545 (including beer). Mon-Thurs
10am-2am, Fri-Sun 24hr.
M Café Ayala Museum, Greenbelt 4, Makati Ave T 02
757 3000; map p.77. Museum Café , or M Café, as it's

known, is a swish little place serving drinks and snacks all
day, with craft beers on draft and snazzy cocktails at night.
Light meals P200-400. On Thurs and Fri it's open till 3am
with DJs spinning from 10pm. Mon-Wed, Sat & Sun
8am-midnight, Thurs & Fri 8am-3am.
Society Lounge G/F Atrium Bldg, Makati Ave at Paseo
de Roxas T 02 408 1852; map p.77. Plush French-Asian
fusion restaurant that morphs into trendy lounge bar
every night, with plenty of fine wines and champagnes on
offer. DJs spin house music at the weekends when it
becomes more like a club. Daily: restaurant 11am-3pm
& 6-11pm; lounge bar Mon till 1am, Tues-Thurs till
2am, Fri & Sat till 4am.

1

QUEZON CITY
Quezon City's entertainment district is focused on Tomas
Morato and Timog avenues, which intersect at the round-
about in front of Imperial Palace Suites hotel. The area has a
growing reputation for quality live music (see below), while
for more mainstream nightlife there are plenty of chic bars
and franchised hangouts at the southern end of Tomas
Morato Ave, near the junction with Don A. Roces Ave.
Padi's Point G/F Imperial Palace Suites, Tomas Morato
Ave T 02 920 7864, W padispoint.com; map p.82.
Boisterous beer hall chain that serves very average Filipino
food, although most guests are too drunk to care. Thurs and
Sat are disco nights, with happy hour (P100 for 3 bottles)
Sun-Thurs 6-10pm. There are several branches scattered
around the city, listed on the website. Mon-Thurs & Sun
5pm-5am, Fri & Sat 5pm-6am.

LIVE MUSIC BARS AND VENUES
Quezon City in particular has a reputation for live music,
especially from up-and-coming bands formed by students
from the nearby University of the Philippines, with an
eclectic range of music, from pure Western pop to grunge,
reggae and indigenous styles. Many of the venues in the
area are dark, sweaty places that open late and don't close
until the last guest leaves. Note that the venues below are
known primarily for live music, but in Makati and Malate
you're never far from a bar or club with a live band,
especially at weekends.

ERMITA AND MALATE
★

The Bar @ 1951 (Penguin Café) 1951 M. Adriatico
St, Malate T 917 858 3009, W bar1951.weebly.com;
map p.69. Legendary 1980s bohemian bar Penguin Café
has been reborn as this two-floor artsy and congenial
space (with a cosy loft upstairs), though locals still refer to
it by the old name. As before, live indie bands play most
nights and work from local artists adorns the walls. Tues-
Sat 6pm-2am.
Bedrock 1782 M. Adriatico St, Malate T 02 522 7278,
W bedrockmalate.moonfruit.com; map p.69. A vaguely