Recently, I found myself back in QC again, this time inside World Kitchens at Gateway Mall 2, where World Cellar has added another layer to the district’s growing and reinvigorated food scene.

Wine bars and wine appreciation events are hardly new in Metro Manila, but what makes World Cellar interesting is how unpretentious the concept feels. Instead of positioning wine as something reserved only for celebrations or intimidating fine dining settings, the space encourages diners to treat it as something casual, approachable, and part of everyday eating. Unlike in my many venues in rival—friendly rivalries, to be sure—cities in the metro.

Located inside World Kitchens, the wine-centric concept houses around 4,000 bottles from different wine regions around the world, ranging from Old World classics to more approachable New World labels. The interiors are elegant without becoming stiff, with towering wine displays and chilled storage systems developed in collaboration with Singapore and Taiwan-based cellar specialists. Yet despite the polished look, the atmosphere remains relaxed, especially once diners begin pairing bottles with food from the surrounding kitchens.

Unlike traditional wine lounges where the food menu remains confined to one kitchen, guests at World Cellar can order wine and pair it with dishes from any of the surrounding concepts inside World Kitchens. During my visit, I attended one of its wine pairing events, where Alessandro Mazzocco of Winehub guided diners through a lineup of Piedmont wines matched with dishes by Asador de Manila chef Gale Tan Sun.

The dinner, titled “Mar y Fuego,” explored the contrast between seafood and fire-grilled dishes. Hokkaido scallops and seafood croquettes opened the meal before richer courses centered on smoky wagyu arrived at the table. Alessandro walked guests through each pour, explaining how the acidity, tannins, and structure of the wines interacted with the food rather than overpowering it.

But my absolute favorite of the evening arrived in the form of a Moscato d’Asti. Sweet, crisp, and dangerously easy to drink, it ended up becoming the standout pour of the entire pairing for me. You could probably finish an entire bottle on your own, honestly. My regret was I did not buy a case of bottles during the event. I was confident that I could find the bottle in different wine stores after the event, but after weeks of looking, the bottle still alludes to me. I have to contact Alessandro to get a bottle.

Outside the formal pairings, the setup in World Cellar encourages diners to wander across cuisines. After the event, I found myself doing exactly that, eventually gravitating toward the Indian station, Prana by Chef Rajan Veeranan, which ended up being one of my favorite stops inside World Kitchens—the butter chicken masala is a must try. That flexibility, moving from wine tasting to grazing through different kitchens under one roof, gives the entire place a more social and less intimidating energy.

World Cellar regularly hosts Wine 101 sessions led by in-house sommelier Benedict Tan, a WSET Level 3-certified wine specialist, every Friday evening. The classes break down wine basics, tasting techniques, and pairing principles for both newcomers and seasoned drinkers, part of the venue’s broader push to make wine culture feel less exclusive.

Places like World Cellar, alongside chef-driven restaurants opening across Maginhawa and neighboring districts, make it harder to dismiss QC as simply a secondary dining destination behind Makati or BGC. Increasingly, the city is rebuilding its own food identity in the modern foodie industry, one that ranges from compact ramen counters and neighborhood cafés to wine dinners and globally influenced dining spaces all within a few kilometers of each other.