Whoever said fun times with cocktails had to be limited to late hours? Day drinking—i.e., sipping away on wine, cocktails, and other boozy beverages—is every bit as welcome a prospect in our book. It’s also more conducive to certain occasions—like, say, when you’re spending time with mom and catching up on each other’s lives. And—for the Titas of Manila out there (be it virtual or actual)—drinking earlier in the day means you get to head home earlier and get your scheduled 9 p.m. shut-eye. Not sure where to go? These dining spots in the city have your noshing and sipping needs covered.
Consider these restaurants around the Metro for day drinking:
Le Jardin du Dr. Wine
It’s in the name. Dr. Wine—which recently opened a lush, laidback indoor garden area at their Poblacion outpost—has a fairly extensive wine list that primarily covers the different regions of France (South of France, Rhone Valley, Loire, Alsace, Bordeaux, and Burgundy) as well as Argentina, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, and more. Dining with a small group? Take your pick from the eight wines they’ve got available by the glass. Go ahead and pair your bottles with their range of French bistro eats—we’re talking the likes of the Fish Quenelle (P620) perfect with rosé, or the Traditional Beef Steak Tartare (P980) with a bold red.
Dr. Wine is at G/F 5921 Algier Street, Barangay Poblacion, Makati City and 8-112 Forbestown Road, Bonifacio Global City.
Lunes
All-day dining spot Lunes is especially fun to visit during the day as you get to witness the sunlight peek through their windows and naturally illuminate their vibrant, flavorful modern Filipino eats. Dining with Mom? Compliment your Grilled Hamachi Collar (P690) or veg-forward Kare-Kare (P720) with one of their house cocktails—our vote goes to the tequila-based Hulog-Hulog (P320) infused with pandan and calamansi, and/or the peachy, Sta. Ana gin-based Lunes White Wine Sangria (P390/glass, P1,300/carafe), for revitalizing (but fun) sips.
Lunes Everyday Dining is at G/F 6060 R Palma, Poblacion, Makati City.
H&T Wine Gallery
From its online store beginnings, H&T recently opened their own physical store in Quezon City—and oh, is it quite the place. Being owned by food and beverage maven Tanguy Gras and fashion designer Happy Andrada-Gras, the wine gallery brings the worlds of food and fashion come together. Small space aside, it’s hard not to be in awe at their wild and whimsical interiors designed by Andrada-Gas; be sure to check out the wine gallery area and housing Old and New World bottles from all around the world (Spain, especially). You and Mom can settle at one of their tables and share a bottle (or two) over pica-pica, like the Cheese Trio (P710) with three artisanal cheeses, half a baguette, and truffle honey; or the Fabada Stew with Chorizo (P640/good for two to three). They also have wines by the glass available that they change up from time to time.
H&T Wine Gallery is at 24 K-D Cor K-1st street, Kamuning, Quezon City.
Salvatore Cuomo & Bar
You likely already known and love Salvatore Cuomo for their Italian fare—which range from pasta, handmade pizzas, and meaty mains, all exuberant in flavor—but their boozy sips aren’t to be missed, either. From Italian, American, Australian, and South African wines to draft beer, whisky, brandy, gin, vodka, martinis, and even sake, they’ve got you covered. Their cocktails—which include classics like the Gin & Tonic (P380) and Aperol Spritz (P420) and tropical tipples like the Golden Piña Colada (P320)—also make for the perfect pre-meal sips as you and Mom exchange updates updates (or lack thereof) in your lovelife department.
Salvatore Cuomo & Bar is at G/F Uptown Parade, 38th Street corner 9th Avenue, Taguig.
Bon Appetit at 1120 House
This semi-hidden spot near Rockwell boasts chic interiors with a playful side, their neutral-dominant space also housing rich patterns (some deliberately mismatched as a playful touch) and pops of color. Head to 1120 House’s dine-in leg Bon Appetit for brunch and you can get bubbly sips featuring, or made with, Chandon sparkling wine—we’re talking the likes of the 1120 Bellini with strawberries (P425/glass, P1,500/free-flowing), Mimosa (P385/glass, P1,500/free-flowing), and Chandon Rosé (P385/glass, P1,500/free-flowing).
They’ve also got a short but sweet wine list available the rest of the day—from Cava Brut Reserva (P1,990/bottle) to Beaumont 2020 Chenin Blanc (P344/glass, P1,720/bottle) to Bodega Valderiz Roble 2020 (P360/glass, P1,800/bottle) and more. Come 4 p.m. they open the doors to their in-house tipple spot Bar 11; some of their signature cocktails are the fruity yet mischievous Eleven Mule (P400) with Benvedere vodka and the flavors of cherry blossom and calamansi; and the smokier Old Hag (P380) with Ardbeg Scotch Whisky, cherry liqueur, and aromatic bitters.
Bon Appetit is at 1120 House, Metropolitan Compound, Estrella corner Amapola Street, Makati City.
Ricksha Streetside Tandoor
Indian might not be the first cuisine you’d think to pair with wine; allow Ricksha to demonstrate how they do, in fact, make for a beautiful tandem. The Indian eatery previously located in Kapitolyo recently relocated to San Juan, with a slightly bigger space that maintains the intimate feel of the original. Their signature home-style Indian eats (from recipes of owner Cyril Vivek’s mom!) are still present, but the new space now also houses Love, Pierre Wines, the wine bar area (named after Cyril’s partner Pierre, and dedicated to wines designed for pairing with their food’s feisty yet soulful flavors.
Their extensive selection covers great value-for-money bottles (e.g. the Camille de Labrie Bordeaux Rosé, P1,500), out-of-the-box must-tries (e.g. the Silver Heights Pinot Noir from Ningxia, China, P3,200), and more premium options (e.g. the Sequoia Grove Chardonnay from Napa Valley, P4,200); they’ve also got seven wines available by the glass. Don’t miss their cocktails, either, some of which are cleverly infused with Indian ingredients elements—think Chai Tea Negroni (P290), Mirchi Margarita (P290) with Kashmiri chili-infused Triple Sec, and more.
Ricksha is at 6 Missouri Street, Greenhills, San Juan City.
Sunae Asian Cantina
At Sunae, it’s all about Asian flavors with South American vivacity—a nod to Chef Christina Sunae’s multicultural background—and oh, you bet they’ve got the drinks to match the vibrant, zestful flavors of their food. You and Mom can bond over sips of craft cocktails like the Green Apple Pie (P395) with Jameson Irish Whisky and cointreau; and Tikling (P295) with Luisita Oro rum, pineapple juice and campari. Don’t miss their wines, either; from whites to sparkling wines to rosés and reds, they’ve pretty much got you covered.
Sunae Asian Cantina is at 2/F One Bonifacio High Street, 5th Avenue corner 28th Street, Bonifacio Global City.
Bar Pintxos
Swapping stories over tapas and pintxos is a thrilling way to spend an afternoon with Mom—especially when there’s alcohol involved. Over at Bar Pintxos (which has branches in Alabang, BGC, Greenbelt, Rockwell, and Salcedo Village!), you can do exactly that in an inviting, industrial yet cozy setting; choose from their range of wines (Cava as well as whites, rosés, and reds from Spain, Argentina, and New Zealand) and cocktails (the Lavender Gimlet, P460, and fruit tea-infused Tipsy Cobbler, P360, are some of the author’s personal favorites); their G&Ts (of the likes of the signature Pintxos GT, P500, and olive- and basil-imbued Mediterraneo, P380) are not to be missed, either.
See a list of Bar Pintxos branches.
Sourdough Café + Deli
Sourdough brings a distinct elegant (yet non-intimidating) flair to Tomas Morato; their classic meets laid-back ambience make them especially conducive to spending a chill afternoon with Mom. Their signature dishes—which includes plates featuring small and big plates, handmade pasta, and sourdough pizzas—are best enjoyed with wine, and you’ll be happy to know they’ve got a fairly diverse wine list with whites, reds, sparkling wines, rosés, and even orange (natural) wines, from different parts of France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Chile, and the U.S.
Sourdough Café + Deli is at JSB Building, 104 Tomas Morato Avenue corner Scout Delgado Street, Quezon City.
Fino Deli
The Titas of Marikina are onto something—and that something is Fino Deli, which calls themselves the first wine bar and deli in Marikina. Their pizzas and other Spanish-Italian fare is best had with their Sangria (P220); for the open-minded, they also make wine milkshakes in Strawberry Merlot (P195) and Banana Riesling (P195) variations.
Fino Deli is at 151 Dao Street, Marikina City.
* This story originally appeared on Spot.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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