INT.Bar / EXT.Cafe — Restaurant in Quezon City

This was my favorite speakeasy bar; so much so that I would save up 500 pesos so I could visit almost every month during my college days back in 2018-2019. When I first walked in, it felt like I was in a whole different place. Fell in love with the ambiance and the warm service of the staff.

My most recent visit was last Feb 2024 and the experience didn't hold up to my previous ones :( We went on a Saturday night; but it didnt have that lively yet cozy vibe that I remembered. No more soft jazz, the place felt more cold & dank (maybe due to the leaking aircon at the time). They dont seem to serve complimentary popcorn anymore..

Drinks are around 400-600. Nice to see that they kept some of their old creations. I do recall the old menu having a unique layout ( flavor , power , acidty - with corresponding scales ). I dont think it had that in my last visit. Perhaps due to the addition of so many more drinks.

I would still recommend this speakeasy bar to anyone who would happen to be in Cubao Expo. But INT bar doesnt feel the same as before, so I wont be stopping by as often...

I am a fan of the bar space in the 2nd floor, but we opted for the ground floor cafe this time to have early dinner. None of us were quite able to finish our food: the “spicy” penne pasta (not spicy) was bland and lacked salt; the sticky pork rice was uneven in texture and overall lacking in depth; the pork belly was also average. Not pictured were tacos that were coated in a yogurt sauce and laid on a texture-less flat bread not entirely satisfying either (to be fair, if one wanted healthy tacos, these would be satisfying).

The service was also lacking. Nobody attends to you when you enter, they tend to get orders mixed up. Some utensils were provided while not being fully clean. A small piece of hair was found on the pork belly.

The food and service could all use some , especially at their proposed price points. It was kind of disappointing to experience the food side, as the cocktails and bar space are decent...

My friend and I visited this place while at Cubao Expo during our recent trip to Manila (late Juanuary to early Feb 2023). The first time, it was for my friend to get a beer while we waited for our table at Hananero nearby. We only stayed in the cafe bit. It was so chilled and the service so welcoming that my friend decided to get a cocktail. She said it was excellent (Farewell My Concubine it was called - I don't drink but do trust her judgement on alcohol 😉). We chose to go back there for coffee on our last morning in the Philippines, when I was recommended the Pulp Fiction (coffee with orange juice, syrup, and egg white), and it was amazingly good! The service once again was chilled, polite, and very friendly. Cubao Expo on a late Friday morning was quiet, and we had such a relaxing time sitting outside the cafe it felt...