Manila Bar Guide
30+ bars across Manila's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
Manila is one of Asia's best-kept bar secrets. The cocktail wave hit Poblacion around 2015 and never stopped. Today the alley bars off Felipe Street and Polaris run on Asia's 50 Best lists. The drinks lean rum-and-calamansi-and-pineapple — pure Filipino tropical, technically precise.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the action. Poblacion in Makati is the cocktail and speakeasy district. BGC (Bonifacio Global City) is the polished high-rise lounge district. Makati CBD covers the corporate after-work scene. Quezon City has the local-feel bar quarter. Intramuros holds the heritage colonial bars.
Cocktails run PHP 350 to PHP 600 ($6 to $11). Cheap by global standards. Service charge of 10 percent is included; tip a small extra for great service. Most bars run to 2am, weekend bars to 4am. Reserve The Curator on weekends — 30 seats.
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Cocktail Bars in Manila
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Manila
Skyline drinks
Date Night in Manila
Romantic spots
After Work in Manila
Apéro-hour bars
Live Music in Manila
Bands and DJs
Craft Beer in Manila
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Manila
Unmarked doors
Sports Bars in Manila
Watch parties
Top Picks This Week
The Curator
Manila's most awarded cocktail bar. Asia's 50 Best regular. Speakeasy reached through a coffee shop. Thirty seats. Filipino-ingredient-forward cocktail menu. Reserve.
Run Rabbit Run
Cocktail bar inside a converted Filipino townhouse. Eighteen seats. Bartenders rotate the menu monthly. The most low-key serious cocktail room in Poblacion.
OTO
Vinyl-and-cocktails bar. Hi-fi sound system, classic cocktail menu, and the city's best bar music programming. Skews late-twenties cool. Best on a Wednesday or Thursday.
Bank Bar
Speakeasy hidden inside a 24-hour convenience store. You walk past the snacks and through the back wall. Reservations only. The opening-night door of Manila's cocktail wave.
ABV
Hidden cocktail bar reached through Hatchet Alley behind a burger restaurant. Manhattan-style room, classic-cocktail menu, leather banquettes. Old-school done very well.
Z Hostel Rooftop
Rooftop bar above a hostel. Cheap drinks, great Manila skyline view, and a young international crowd. Best for a sunset-and-onward kind of evening.
Neighbourhood Guide
Poblacion
The Makati cocktail and speakeasy district. Tiny streets, alley bars, and the densest concentration of awarded cocktail rooms in the Philippines. Walking distance between everything.
BGC (Bonifacio Global City)
The polished new business district. High-rise hotel bars, glass-walled cocktail lounges, and the most dressed-up after-work crowd in Manila.
Makati CBD
The corporate financial district. Hotel bars, after-work cocktails, and the suit-and-tie crowd. Quieter on weekends.
Quezon City
Northern Metro Manila. The local-feel bar quarter — cheaper drinks, more Filipino customers, and the city's most adventurous food.
Intramuros
The Spanish-colonial walled city. Heritage colonial bars, candlelit cobblestone evenings, and the most romantic drinking quarter in Manila.
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