Dining, Entertainment and Recreation: Nightlife, Cultural, Health Clubs, Dining, Shopping

Nightlife

Manila glows bright at night. After office hours, crowds converge in the city’s lively joints –bars, bistros, watering holes, restaurants, music lounges, ballroom dancing clubs and cafes. The Ermita and Malate area is the center of Manila’s famous nightlife.

These areas come alive after dark to the tune of different music: folk, country, pop, rock, live jazz or Broadway classical. Filipino musicians are among the best in Asia, earning for Metro Manila the title Asia's entertainment capital.

The Ermita district is also known for its antique and art galleries, food shops, watering holes, curio and souvenir shops. Together with the adjoining Malate district, Ermita forms what is known as Manila’s Tourist Belt. Malate is fast becoming the number one hangout of Filipino students and yuppies. Along Remedios Street are cozy cafes, music lounges, watering holes, and pubs. Other well-known nightspots are Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City; Jupiter St., Makati Avenue and Glorietta Park in Makati City; the Fort in Taguig City; Quezon Avenue, West Avenue, Timog Avenue and Tomas Morato in Quezon City; Greenhills in San Juan; and Saint Francis Square in Mandaluyong City.

For more recommendations on nightlife visit: virtual pub online

Cultural

Cultural dance troups perform in larger hotels and restaurants. For those who wish to see theater and repertory acts, classical concerts and ballet performances, the places to be are the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Manila Metropolitan Theater in Pasay City; and Repertory Theater at Shangri-La Plaza and Meralco Theater both in Mandaluyong City.

You can check out the latest program at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)

Recreation

There are 11 golf courses in the metropolis. Rates differ from course to course. Most foreign tourists prefer the greens of Intramuros because of its historical ambience and proximity to major tourist spots in the city.

Country clubs are also popular in Metro Manila, because they are complete with facilities such as swimming pools, health spas, gyms, bowling lanes, billiard halls, tennis and basketball courts, restaurants and cocktail lounges.

Many hotels also have sports and health facilities while most shopping malls have gyms.

Dining

Hotels and restaurants offer a wide selection of cuisine from exotic Filipino to Oriental to European. For those in need of a cultural fix, there are American fast food chains, steak houses, cafes, bistros, diners, seafood grilles, noodle houses, and ice cream and cake shops.

First class restaurants offer gourmet specialties. International restaurants include French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Mexican, American, among others.

There is also a wide variety of fresh seafood and tropical fruits to choose from. The more popular rows of restaurants can be found in Ermita, Malate and Roxas Boulevard in Manila; Makati Avenue, Jupiter Street, Pasong Tamo and Pasay Road in Makati; and Timog, West and Quezon Avenues in Quezon City.

Many cheap and cheerful diners are conveniently located in large shopping malls like the Power Plant, Glorietta and Rustans in Makati City; and Shangri La Plaza, SM Megamall and Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. Food at these places is usually quite good but be careful of uncooked dishes such as the local “buko” (coconut) salad. Stomach upsets from eating such dishes in food halls is not uncommon. Foreign stomachs are generally not so forgiving.

This is not the place to make specific recommendations for dining but if you are in the Ermita/Malate area we suggest you head for Adriatico while if you are in the Makati area you may wish to start along Jupiter Street, at the Greenbelt. The major malls of Power Plant and Glorietta are also worth checking out.

Shopping

Metro Manila is also known as a shopping haven. Depending on the budget, shoppers can pick between luxurious department stores located in giant shopping malls or scour bargain shops. Shopping malls include the SM Department Store near the Manila City Hall, Robinson’s Place and Harrison Plaza in Manila; Power Plant, Glorietta, Land Mark and Rustans in Makati City; Shangri La Plaza, SM Megamall, Star Mall and Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas C enter, Mandaluyong City; Greenhills Commercial Center in San Juan; and Araneta Center, Marikina Shoe Fair, Ali Mall and COD in Cubao, Quezon City. There are a dozen of other large shopping centers in the metropolis. Credit cards are accepted in most shopping malls.

For bargain hunters, the places to be are the flea markets in Port Area, Recto, Binondo, Quiapo, Tutuban and Divisoria in Manila and Baclaran in Parañaque. Port Area is known for its very cheap counterfeit items from China while Recto is famous for its cheap books and “second hand” (read “hot”) cellphones. Divisoria is the wholesale capital, selling everything from delicious food items to wedding dresses. Tutuban Center, a modern shopping mall, has hundreds of stalls selling RTWs, jewelries a nd home furnishings. Binondo offers a wide selection of ceramics and Chinese items while Quiapo is a mecca for Muslim handicraft. Baclaran is another bargain center in the southern metropolis.

Interesting items are sold at Silahis Arts and Artifacts in Intramuros, Quezon Bridge in Quiapo, and souvenir shops at SM Department Store, Rustan’s and Landmark in Makati City. For handicrafts, the best places to be are Quiapo in Manila and Nayong Pilipino in Pasay City. Specialty stores include Tesoro’s, S.C. Vizcarra, and Silahis Arts in Manila.

For antique items, the interesting spots are Padre Paura, Ermita and Intramuros in Manila. The Philippines is famous for pearls, hand-woven cloths, embroidered fineries, ready-to-wear and haute couture clothes, terra-cotta, porcelain, coral accessories, fabric, pineapple fiber shirts, prehistoric jars, brassware, earthenware, native handicrafts, wood carvings, bags, shoes, fine baskets, woven items, mats, tribal designs, Philippine furniture, Philippine native dress, home furnishings, crafted jewelry, watches, shell decors, office supplies, medical herbs and fresh tropical fruits.