Pub: Route 196

A famous pub in the north side of Manila, Philippines. Route 196 is located near Blue Ridge Katipunan, Quezon City. Though this has been known as a gig place, it is definitely more than just music and drinks. It is the alternate route to great music, food, and art.

Route 196 is always open from Mondays to Saturdays at 7:00pm to 3:00am.

This has always been a place not only for unconventional gigs and live performances but they also do exhibits. The five owners always cook up something different and specials to ensure that the customers (like me) will keep on coming back.

A brief history on the owners: Five friends who came from different walks of life, shared a common passion for badminton. They all met through one of the games and started hanging out after work in a bar called Border Grill. Soon, the owner had to sell the place and the new owner converted it to a restaurant. Then after several years, it had to be sold again. Our five owners Monica Barretto, Geth Savellano, Eric Enriquez , JP Balboa, and Allan Madrilejos grabbed this opportunity and bought the place. They initially continued using the name of the restaurant and only re-launched it in mid-2007 with the tag Route 196. It was simply taken from the address, 196 Katipunan Extension.

I was just invited by a friend to watch a band and at that time, I kind of hesitated because it will take me about 2 hours to reach the place from my house. But after experiencing a night at Route 196, I told myself that I will definitely come back. The interior of the place is really cozy. The food was worth the price. The beers were cheap. I was happy to bring my lomo cams with flash so I can perfectly take shots even with low lights.

This is truly a place in the north to drink, dine, and relax. If you came to attend an event, expect a standing room mode as people dance and sing to the music of the performers. One will definitely feel the crowd’s energy. Its contagious! There is no other joint that can give you this kind of musical experience. If you want to meet your favorite artists up-close and personal, this is the place for you to hang out and meet them.

We should all remember their tagline… “All roads lead to Route 196!”

Who’s playing? Future events? Check out their website.

Route 196
196 Katipunan Ave., Blue Ridge A Village
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines

written by bluemie5 on 2011-10-17 #places #food #pub #drinks #manila #philippines #location #live-band #route-196 #requested-post #food-and-drink #party-place #katipunan