Before the pandemic, we’ve seen our fair share of run-of-the-mill hangout spots—often the usual samgyeop joints everywhere, cooking up various gimmicks when they all pretty much have the same options.
Yes, the food was good, but if you’re seeing your friends for the first time in forever, why not try something new? As we’ve mentioned, we will continue to update you with safe and easy-to-reach places, so we may as well be on the lookout for some spots just lying around the metro. Here is a list of the coolest hangout places we’ve found so far.
Float-In Cinema
?McKinley Hill, Taguig
We may have officially welcomed the drive-in cinema craze some decades after its inception, but the influx of new normal ways to watch the big screen isn’t stopping anytime soon. Enter float-in cinema, a new attraction of Venice Grand Canal Mall where you can ride a gondola along the Grand Canal while watching a film on a 2.7 m x 6.7 m giant screen. You can get in for P500, inclusive of a medium popcorn and bottled water.
R Café and Bar
?Binondo, Manila
This place is literally a breath of fresh air in the middle of densely packed Hong Kong-style restaurants, holes in the wall, and street booths of Binondo Chinatown (not that we don’t love them, we realllllly do). On your next food walk, make this rooftop café and bar—overlooking the bustling Manila skyline—as your last leg so you can sit back on its white cozy couches under lightbulbs with cocktails in hand. You can also expect something lighter for the tummy, like its gourmet pasta and Caesar salad. Stay tuned for R Cafe and Bar's reopening through its Facebook account.
Kurimi Milk Tea Bar
? Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Imagine reliving your childhood days by entering a real cartoon setting? That’s why we couldn’t help but fangirl/fanboy over Kurimi Milk Tea Bar. Its whole white interior and exterior is outlined with black paint to create a two-dimensional illusion, taking inspiration from the famous comic book-themed Cafe Yeonnam-dong 223-14 in Seoul, South Korea. Kurimi claims it’s more than an Instagrammable spot with its bestselling cheesecake milk tea series and piping hot, chewy pearls.
Y Café
?Salcedo Village, Makati
Time to unpack every episode of the last anime series you’ve all seen during the Netflix-quarantine period—at an anime haven. Y Café entices not just otakus and foodies, but also the retro-loving geeks of our generation and maybe your dad’s generation. Inside you can enjoy board games and karaoke, walls adorned with ‘90s anime characters, bookshelf filled with classic lit, a game room with PS4, HTC Vive, and an 80-inch smart TV, and good ol’ Japanese cuisine and desserts.
Photos taken from the cafes' Facebook pages