Midnight Haven (L.A. Cafe) — Restaurant in Manila

Review Title: Great Vibes, Good Food – But Watch Out for the Scam

Went here with my Filipino nephew and had a great time at first. The food was tasty, atmosphere was solid, and overall, we were enjoying ourselves. Service was okay, nothing special, but not bad either.

Because her shift had ended she asked to settled our ₱1,200 bill,(left a ₱200 tip, by the way), the waitresses — who had just gone off shift — came back to our table and asked my nephew if I could buy her a drink. We already had a few girls hanging out with us, just enjoying the vibe, so didn’t really need any more company. But hey, she seemed nice, so I said sure.

She orders a tiny drink that looked like juice, downs it in 10 seconds flat — my nephew and I chuckled. Then a few minutes later, she comes back asking for another. I said no. That’s when things turned shady.

Out of nowhere, she hits me with a charge of ₱470 for that one little drink — no menu, no bill, just a number. I laughed it off and told her I wasn’t paying for that scam. She gets the manager involved, who also tries to pressure me into paying. I stood my ground, told them it’s a scam and I’d write a review warning others. The manager just shrugged and said, “I don’t care.”

She tried to work my nephew after that, but eventually gave up when she saw we weren’t falling for it.

That drink probably cost ₱70 tops, if that. I tipped well, we paid our proper bill, and we left — not paying that nonsense extra.

Bottom line: Food’s good, atmosphere’s great, but fellas — watch out for this scam. Some staff are clearly looking for an easy hustle once they’re off the clock. Don’t...

Billiards at the lower level is not as organized and managed by trained spotters.

Management has terminated persons who kept 20-30 persons moving on the board with good communications.

Table used to attract 12- 15 different foreign nationals playing. Aug -Sep 25 have seen a drastic disruption drop in regular customers and Management disregard in order.

Had bad experience at table 18, normally 3-4 persons while tight can be fun and workable. Last night 9/12 9-10 people made playing great Billiards at table 18 unworkable. Instead of being cooperative and considersate certain customers were rude, argumentative and aggressive.

Management, security was non existant and not there to correct the matter.

Serious changes need to be made to bring back past...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I visited LA Café on three different occasions while in the Philippines, and I had a fantastic time each visit! The pool tables are top-notch, and I encountered some really skilled players—be careful, though, or you might end up losing some money!

The atmosphere is lively, and there are plenty of beautiful girls around. Just a heads up, they don’t allow ladyboys in the bar, so keep that in mind. It’s refreshing to not have to worry about someone trying to trick you. The drinks are reasonably priced, and there’s a unique twist to the pool game: if you’re losing, you pay more, but if you’re winning, you pay less.

Overall, I definitely recommend LA Café for a fun night out. The vibe is great, and you might just meet some amazing people while...