Poblacion (Makati, Manila) Nightlife in 2024 – Times Have Changed

Poblacion Night Life in 2024

After a long time of no action on yellowfeverhots.com, it was about time (or not) I updated the heavily antiquated Manila nightlife listing (yes, the epic Café Havana, TIME and Spicy Fingers days, they’re long gone – and also Palladium was a good place). Although the title implies that this story is a little late this year (it’s already September as I write this), that’s not the point at all.

Whilst bouncing around Poblacion (Makati district), I want to share with you not only my opinion on some of the bars and clubs, but also how I think the area has changed (I will also have to look at other areas again, for example Malate – haven’t been there in ages).

A quick note up front – don’t expect too much ‘substance’ here, this is a post (or whatever it should be called) for Asian yellow fever addicts, not some hip socially-correct anti-body-shaming dipstick.

In Memory Of…

Please let us all pause for a moment and remember the hallowed halls of Café Havana and TIME Club. Rest in peace, you are sorely missed. 😏

Manila Café Havana, back in the day at Greenbelt Mall
TIME Club, back in the day in Makati Avenue

Quick Recap

When the scamdemic was launched (better known as the ‘pandemic’ for the system sheep) many venues naturally shut down cause they couldn’t deal with the upkeep or were simply fucked over by lockdown enforcers, or let’s rather call them system-compliant slave fucks.

However, at least since mid-2022 especially the district of Makati has seen an increase in bars and clubs, some of which I address here. A few of them already existed before, others are new.

Some Examples:

In fact, I started this nonsense ‘post’ with the intention of updating the ultra obsolete Manila spots for nightlife list (and so I did).

However, what was going to be a fairly objective summary of short reviews turned into a bit of a rant, albeit light-hearted. Well, seeing the soup from the chemtrails in the Manila sky on a hangover Sunday doesn’t really help to lift the mood. Heck, I’ve already mentioned some words that fall into the ‘needs to be fucking censored’ category for most search engines.

Therefore, if you’re reading this, count me lucky.

Chems in the Manila sky

Noooooo, these are not normal clouds. If you want to believe that they are, it’s fine, you can do that too…

It’s Subjective, but the Times Have Changed

In pre-lockdown times, every day of the week – at least in Poblacion – was reasonably busy and offered fantastic opportunities for a pull. No kidding, I gave it a success rate of at least 70% to 80% on any given night. Today it really only boils down to it during the weekend (yes, there always are exceptions).

Perhaps it’s a combination of the inflation burning a hole in people’s wallets and new brainfucked habits ‘acquired’ during the lockdown(s).

Generation Z (Whatever That Means)

What we (or I) are seeing is probably also due to the generational shift. The occasionally very delusional Generation Z peeps – brainwashed with LGBTQ (plus-minus-72-genders-etc)’esque and a new woke understanding of the modern world – are increasingly roaming the streets of Poblacion (okay, that was a mouthful). Hold your horses, am not saying that everyone acts up like this, in fact it’s only a minority…

Regardless, this still has some impact on the vibes in town. Hell, I’ll even say that it’s not even their fault (lifelong brainwashing is not supposed to be detected after all), but while before Makati was a party zone for the grown-ups (even in spirit), now it sometimes feels like a kindergarten (also in spirit). And some of the prices many places nowadays command I find hard to justify.

Hot Outfits Are Hard(er) to Spot

Once again, the following lines will enrage some peeps in today’s highly sensitive society. But if you are reading this, it also means that it has not yet been censored, which in itself is a positive thing.

In case you’ve been living under a rock: ‘they’ are tightening all the thumbscrews to delete or twist any information from the mainstream media and social media, search results and so forth that doesn’t fit their agenda and criminalise (often terrorise) anyone who opposes it.

But at least remember: thinking is still legal! 🤪

All right, I got sidetracked. Back to the chicks in Poblacion! So my question is: where have all the hotties in their chic dresses and high heels gone? Probably they still exist in the BGC area (although it’s a touch more upmarket/snooty there), but unless I’m completely off the mark, I remember them in Poblacion too. I’m not talking about P. Burgos (the red light district) – they certainly exist there. Then again, you also see some perky dressed chicks in bars like H & J and similar venues.

Granted, Poblacion has always been more of a hipster neighbourhood in recent years, but now it does seem somewhat overwhelming. I also see more plump girls, which is rather atypical for Filipinas (yeeees, still an absolute minority). I don’t even mean that in a reproachful sense, but I do notice it.

The Girls in Their Late 20s to Late 30s Are the Best

The amount of bubbly – or shall I say spirited – girls you met in the pre-lockdown era (I’m even going back to 2009, when Gen Z probably wasn’t even a thing) was mesmerizing! They still exist, but no longer in abundance! And that would make sense, because I’m talking about the girls in their late 20s to late 30s who may now have been snatched off the streets by some lucky dudes, have families or similar (although a few already had kids anyway, which of course isn’t unusual either).

Can anyone tell me what else it could be, unless these girls are now socialising in other – possibly more grown-up – areas/venues? There was that word again.

In Essence, This Means

Repeat offenders will probably understand where I am coming from. The woke agenda and what it brings to the table can also be felt ever so slightly in the city (not so much in the province). This is not to say that fun cannot be had, but as mentioned, things are different. Maybe I’m just being too analytical and have forgotten how to have a blast. Anything is possible. 🤪

On the other hand, it must also be said that most real hardcore venues no longer exist. I mean, come on, the long gone Café Havana (Greenbelt) is now a fucking Wild Flour – yet another franchise piece of shit. Yes, they have some okay food too, but a sausage and egg pastry with custard, seriously now?!

Again, I’m getting off track…

…but speaking of Greenbelt (where Havana and Spicy Fingers used to be): to turn this partially open-air mall into one of the most boring joints (same as Boracay, although it may have improved compared to 2018) was surly just another clean-up job to make it 100% family friendly – or to offer up the last few bits of real estate for the high street franchises/corporations to take over.

Again, speaking of Greenbelt, one place that’s still decent, if not for partying, is Dillingers 1903 Steak & Brew, which has also been around for many years.

Corporations snapping up everything have always existed, also in the Philippines. Today, the self-proclaimed ‘elite’ are once again rubbing their hands and leaving the blinded majority in the dark – in every goddamn way. I’m telling you: GISING NA which means WAKE UP! But that’s not part of this story…

In any case, for anyone new to the city or doing a pub crawl, there are certainly still some good places to have an electric time – even if you might not know what Havana Bar was. So yeah, it’s not all doom and gloom, but it’s good to recognise reality too, rather than seeing everything through rose-tinted glasses.

On A Final Note

In case you’re even wondering – no, I’m not some bloke with a walking frame moaning about not being able to get his end away or put his hands on some 19-year-old woke princess. 😎 Even if it may read somewhat desperate, these lines are about the current vibes I get in the neighbourhood of Poblacion.

Just in case this aforementioned hip socially-correct anti-body-shaming dipstick really did make it to the end of this post: at the end of the day, it’s only half-heartedly meant. Of course, this is still the Philippines, this is Manila, and I still adore the place and its people just as much as I used to (except for the system-compliant slave suckers)! But time and events make you wiser down the line and let you see things with different eyes. Damn, have I grown out of going out and getting smashed every second day? 🤪

So even if I’m not exactly thrilled by some of the bars and clubs mentioned here, it’s a paradox in itself to complain about details like piss-poor label beer you get served in some places for top dollar (am I making any sense?). Nevertheless, I must repeat that there is no reason to accept everything! Unless of course, one is a constant yea-sayer and system slave sheep…

So long… Best, Frank W.