Nightlife destination Barangay Poblacion is one of the happening places in Makati. Along Felipe…read moreStreet, off P. Burgos in Makati's Red Light District, situated in the lesser travelled haunts of the rambunctious Poblacion area's main strip, is Tambai, Tambai Alley's hole-in-the-wall casual bar offering yakitori delights, cold drinks, and great company.
Tambai's menu, written in chalk on the walls, is a list of skewered favorites, from pork, chicken, and beef to innards, vegetables, and seafood. Hardcore pulutan (finger food typically enjoyed with alcoholic beverages) offered in an unpretentious ambiance.
At this hip "tambayan" (hangout place), restaurant sa baba, may dance floor sa taas (eatery downstairs, dance floor upstairs). My cousin, Eric, took Ron Ron, Uncle Bolo and me here on the night of November 22, 2024. We arrived shortly before 11:30 PM. Upstairs was jumping; the air was thick with heat, music, and the faint tang of spilled cocktails from shoulder-to-shoulder bodies swaying and bouncing in rhythm to the bass that thumped like a second heartbeat. Some danced with reckless abandon. We found a table with chairs downstairs which was just as lively with laughter and shouts rising above the music in bursts, often muffled by the clink of glasses and the fizz of freshly poured drinks. Some clutched their cups high to avoid the inevitable jostle, amber liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. The energy was magnetic. Clearly, Tambai attracts the hungry, noisy and fun crowd. My kind of scene.
I will definitely return to make tambay (hang out) at Tambai. Even after only a single visit, I am already a tambaiholic.
