For road bikers and urban cyclists, coffee rides have become a big thing for weekends. There are just so many new minimalist cafes that have popped up all over the metro that you can ride to every week just to go somewhere new or hang out on those Tambike rides with friends.
But for mountain bikers, there’s nothing quite like a mug of ice cold beer to beat the heat and help you relax and recharge during longer weekend rides, night rides, and bike camping.
The following are just some of the bike-friendly dining destinations in and near Manila that I’ve personally been to, where you can find unique locally-brewed craft beer.
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Batala Bar, Intramuros
For those biking in the Intramuros area in old Manila, Batala Bar offers a cozy spot for post-ride drinks, with a wide selection of local craft beer from different brewers. In case you don’t have your own bikes, you can just rent Bambikes right next door to tour the area before capping your ride with a drink for afternoon or night rides.
Batala Bar gets its name from the supreme god of the Tagalog people worshipped during pre-colonial times. The bar is located right next to 16th-century Catholic churches, cobblestone streets and heritage structures, making it worth hunting down.
Batala Bar exclusively serves products that are handmade in the Philippines. The homegrown bar champions local beverages, mainly craft beer, craft coffee and specialty ice cream.
Starting 2022, Batala Bar has started serving meals to complement their drinks, including a Biker’s Brunch, rice bowls, pasta, and panini. There are also dessert items and sundaes here.
Seating is a bit limited in the main bar, but bikers can bring in their rides and dine al fresco in the Plaza San Luis courtyard.
El Deposito Brewery, San Juan
The area of San Juan is pleasant for urban night rides. While the traffic and tight streets can be problematic for car owners who have to find parking, it’s easy enough to avoid the traffic if you’re on a bike. Since they opened in June 2021, our go-to beer spot here is El Deposito Brewery, a cozy bar located near the food strip in the Wilson area.
El Depósito Brewery is a friendly neighborhood watering hole that takes inspiration from El Deposito, the historic underground water reservoir that once provided enough water supply to the residents of Manila and its surrounding areas.
While most brewpubs are typically enclosed or located in malls, El Deposito offers open-air dining and a bike-friendly atmosphere. In fact, it’s become very popular with the cycling crowd especially during weekends.
El Depósito Brewery doesn’t serve food, but you can order food from Flossom Kitchen & Cafe right next door. You can also find a hair salon and a pottery studio in the same complex, with a cocktail bar soon to open.
Elias Wicked Ales & Spirits, Quezon City
Elias Wicked Ales and Spirits is a microbrewery in the Banawe area of Quezon City that offers a great range of hop-forward brews, fruity ciders, and guest brews from other local and international brewers.
Their menu ranges from old-school appetizer dishes to pub-style burgers, small plates, and rice bowls. Bestsellers include the Wicked Sisig, Goat Salpicao, and Pride Chicken. They also have a couple of thin-crust pizzas and interesting appetizers like Mushroom Tempura and Laing Lumpia.
Though the main dining and drinking space is located on the second floor of a building without an al fresco area at ground level, Elias is a micro-mobility friendly brewery. Foldable bikes, boards and powered skates can be brought inside. You can even charge e-bikes and e-scooters here. There’s also a spacious and secure garage/parking area with bike racks for those with bigger bikes with tools, pumps and locks available for your use. 🙂
Pierre’s Cellar, Quezon City
Pierre’s Craft Beer & Liquor Cellar is a neighborhood watering hole in a basement of a building on the corner of Tomas Morato and E. Rodriguez. It’s a chill place if you just want to drink on your own, go on date night rides (I recommend biking around the Balete Drive and New Manila area), or hang out and drink with biker buddies at night.
They serve a range of rotating brews on tap from different brewers and have their own line of craft beers. The original branch in Morato (there’s now a second location in Katipunan Ave) has a small outdoor area where bikers can park their rides securely just outside the bar or drink outside.
The accessible, yet somewhat still secluded location and dark atmosphere adds to the appeal of the place. There are some new restos within the same complex where you can order food. There’s also a convenience store in the gas station next to the bar in case you want to buy additional pulutan and snacks.
Gubat, Quezon City
UP Diliman has long been our preferred biking playground. I may be biased, but it’s really the best biking destination in the metro when it comes to nature and paved bikeable roads that you never tire of. If you happen to be biking in the area, you might want to dine in Gubat, a hidden garden restaurant located across the street in C.P. Garcia in the Diliman Bonsai Society.
Gubat serves zero waste kamayan-style meals of Filipino favorites including Baler longaniza, fried chicken, fried fish, liempo or tuyo, served on a banana leaf with salted egg and pako salad for less than P200 each best paired with fresh juice and local beers, that you can enjoy during lunchtime or lazy afternoon rides.
Gubat also serves a hard to find variety of local craft beer – Tagumpay Dragonfruit Ale brewed by the Antipolo-based Farmer’s Brew along with other mainstream local beers. Take note that dining and parking here is very limited here as the space is small, but there’s enough space to bring in a couple of bikes. The spot is ideal for date rides or just small group rides.
Jardin ni Lola, Marikina
The Marikina River Park is a system of parks, trails, open spaces and recreation facilities along an 11-kilometer (6.8 mi) stretch of the Marikina River. This area is another popular area for jogging, biking, fishing, and outdoor recreational activities, not just for Marikina residents but also for those from nearby cities in Metro Manila.
There are lots of places to eat along the Marikina Riverbanks, catering to cyclists, joggers, families, and more.
Jardin ni Lola, an al fresco restaurant located right across the white Marikit Statue, serves a few Marikina-inspired beers, including Marikit-na, Sapatero and Daang Bakal beer.
Crescent Moon Cafe, Antipolo
The main town proper of Antipolo is a popular cyclists route for bikers based in the North and East. Top landmarks to bike to here include Hinulugang Taktak, Antipolo Cathedral, and Cloud 9, with bikers making stops at various cafes and restaurants along the ridge like Ahon Cafe for coffee.
Crescent Moon Café is one of the popular al fresco dining destinations in Antipolo for those who want full meals and local beer. This artistic restaurant known for their Southeast Asian-inspired cuisine and pottery products. The main dining area of Crescent Moon Cafe is a colorful, open-air structure. There’s also a Glass Bar on the premises for private events. The whole space is situated within landscaped gardens and koi ponds, adding to the refreshing natural appeal of the place. The place offers secure and spacious parking for all types of vehicles including bikes.
Crescent Moon Cafe also serves a few craft beers from Santiago Brewery, the only craft brewery in the country that produces their own malts in the mountains of Antipolo.
The four unique variants (P150 per bottle) include Amihan Blonde Ale (a Belgian-style beer), Habagat Amber Ale (brewed with roasted malts and a hint of caramel), Ipu-Ipo India Pale Ale (bitter and hoppy flavors), and Buhawi Chocolate Cream Stout (which has intense chocolate and coffee notes).
Tukadon Biker’s Cafe, San Mateo
Tukadon Biker’s Café , which opened last September 2020, has become another must-visit destination for bikers for breakfast rides. The café itself is located in San Mateo, on top of a hill. But it’s really not that far from the metro, and is very near the border of Marikina Heights.
Tukadon is in the same general area as Camp Sandugo, but at a lower elevation located inside a private subdivision. The extremely steep route going up here offers a challenging ascent, which makes the ride feel worthwhile for bikers.
Tukadon Biker’s Cafe offers a variety of all-day breakfast meals you can enjoy with a great view overlooking the city. They serve iced coffee as well. The biker’s cafe serves Boondocks Beer, a local brand brewed in Marikina City.
Boondocks has several variants including Wheat Ale, Pale Ale, Session Ale, Strong Ale and Summer Ale. The beer is available on tap and in cans.
Camp Sandugo, Antipolo
Camp Sandugo is a popular biking and camping destination in Antipolo in Rizal near Metro Manila. For bikers who happen to be craft beer enthusiasts, Camp Sandugo offers a worthy weekend destination in itself just for the nearby bike trails, food, and refreshing beer that you can enjoy while overlooking the cityscape.
You can get here directly via AFP Road passing Marikina Heights for a steep and challenging ascent. Another option is to take the backroads through Cogeo, bike up to Sapinit Road, pass through Pestano trails and and then go down AFP Road for a longer and more satisfying half-day ride.
Food and drinks are available at Camp Sandugo. The restaurant is open daily from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM (last order at 9:30 PM). They serve all-day Filipino breakfast silog meals, comfort food and appetizers, and camp favorites like Pizza and Samgyupsal. But the main attraction for beer enthusiasts is the Brusko Craft Beer, a pilsner with a distinct citrus flavor, that has a floral, spicy taste with mild hints of pine, perfect for chilling after long rides.
You can also try camping or bikepacking here. Camp Sandugo is one of the nearest camping destinations near Manila, so you can combine trips here with longer bikepacking trips to other areas and stay overnight here before heading home.
One of Camp Sandugo’s newest offerings as of April 2022 is Day Glamping for those who want to make use of the facilities but don’t want to stay overnight. Day glamping costs P500.00/head for 3-5 hours, so you can bike, eat, drink, take a nap in their tent with a foam mattress for a couple of hours before biking back home.
Coco Mountain Resort, Rodriguez
If you’re planning a ride to Wawa Dam, Mt. Parawagan or other trails in Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), a fun pit spot you can head to for post-ride meals and drinks is Santa Maria Brewery (est. 2020) located inside Coco Mountain Resort, a swimming pool resort with a view of the mountains.
The resort and brewery is a quick detour from Daang Bakal Road and the main highway leading to Montalban, which shouldn’t be too challenging for bikers to hunt down.
Said to be the first craft brewery in Montalban, the beers here are named figures from local folklore and legends, including Bernardo Carpio, Makiling, Diwata, Apolaki, and more. The place itself is very Instagram-friendly with lots of fun backdrops for visitors, and a refreshing view of the mountains behind the pool.
There’s an entrance fee if you’re planning to swim (day or night), and a consumable fee of P200 for the bar for those who just want to enjoy the beers and food.
The beer here is pretty affordable compared to other craft beer spots in the city, at just P125 per glass and P125 for a beer flight of 4. The bar serves all-day breakfast meals and popular beer chow like mojos, baked tahong, etc. I recommend getting a mug of their bestseller, the Bernardo Carpio IPA.
Hopefully, more restaurants, resorts and breweries in and around Manila will have more bike-friendly spaces where guests can keep an eye on their bikes, offer al fresco seating, or secure parking areas with bike racks.
Got any other suggestions of bike-friendly craft beer destinations near Manila? Let me know in the comments section and we’ll try our best to check them out one of these days. Cheers!