Fred's Revolucion - Quezon City

Fred's is the kind of pub you go to when you really, REALLY just want to drink. No dancing, no ear damaging music, no sleazy guys trying to pick you up, just pure unadulterated drinking. Doesn't matter if you're alone, with friends, or with a handsome Chinito you met on Twitter Fred's is the best watering hole this side of Quezon City. The place has this very welcoming ambiance. That said, I've come to think of Fred's Revolucion as a friend (basically any type of friend one may need at a given night). The staff is very pleasant (bartenders are always happy to chitchat with you) and their drinks are ridiculously cheap compared to that of bars in BGC and Makati. Try their Frozen Margarita, Bagnet, and Fish and Chips. I swear on the next Star Wars movie, you're gonna love them.

There are times when all we really want is a nice place to sit and hang with friends, have some bar chow and lots and lots of cheap booze. Sometimes nothing beats conversation and buckets of alcohol. Having friends close to the area, this is a usual haunt for me. The vibe of the place makes me think of the bars you would find in Antonio Banderas movies like Desperado or Once Upon A Time In Mexico. Some people might favor more sophisticated or classy surroundings, but if all you're looking for is a hole-in-the-wall watering hole that won't break the bank, Fred's is hard to beat! The food is also pretty good! I've had their fish and chips, Pernil which is like a Latin American lechon and their sausages are also killer. So if you're in search for a place with a tambay vibe, Fred's Revolucion may just be the place for you.

Sometimes I miss the old hipster Cubao X fiercely and Fred 's takes me back to that time post-college when my friends and I would meet there over a cheap couple of beers or congregate to support someone 's film thesis screening. At the time Fred 's (or at least the space they occupy now) was just a humble cafe-slash-gallery, but is now the monster of a watering hole it is today. What 's great about Fred 's is that the food they serve is inventive and good (something I miss from Mogwai fiercely--recreate the bacon-wrapped liver if you please, por favor), which match the vibe of their eclectic and unusual design. The split banger and mash and grilled pork strips are old favorites, but you can tell even from something as simple as their bar nuts, which are fried in bagnet oil, that Fred 's likes to keep their stuff special. It 's all pretty affordable too, though I do kind of remember them being a little more generous with their portions before. The beer is cheap, but I do have a special fondness for their daiquiris, which are always made fresh. I had a blueberry daiquiri once, which was quite the surprise--I didn 't know we had fresh blueberries here in the country! Get your friends together and have good eats and a drink at Fred 's. Come early though. Fred 's may claim a lot of space but the tables can fill up pretty quick.

It would take more than five agonizing rounds in the U shaped complex that is Cubao X before I finally find a parking slot. But I persist and most of the time, it's because I'm in this very particular mood to just sit and do next to nothing at this joint called Fred's Revolucion, or Fred's as I am more accustomed to call it. While most people in my life do not really get what draws me to the place, those who have gone with me there also find themselves... charmed. Firstly, the décor itself is already an event. Once, I went there alone, sat by the bar and pulled out my pad, expecting to finish some decent sketches. You may ask though: was I successful in the endeavor? No. I found my eyes constantly wandering around like a greedy kid inside a candy store who can't wait to devour everything he is seeing. For instance, on this part of the wall are cork coasters, next to it, different currencies from all over the world. There are also random pictures which I can only assume were left by other barflies. (In another occasion, I actually almost stuck mine, if not for the threat my mortified friend shot at me. Peppered all over are tissue paper poems, or letters hastily scribbled conveying a plethora of messages from the deep to the dipshit. At some point, I couldn't even distinguish if the rainbow flag draped in one corner is meant to signify LGBT Pride or the reggae rasta subculture. Maybe it stands for both. But more than just vibe, they actually serve great eats. Three things I always order here: Ho Chi Wings, which is the chicken version of an Amerasian, specifically a hot one who ends up becoming an international supermodel. There's the Farmer's Oysters freshly sourced, served with garlic, parsley and floating in butter. I only had the courage to taste this late last year and I swear, there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night screaming because in my dream, the waiter had just told me they were taking it off the menu. But the piece de resistance would be their Mango Daiquiri made with fresh mangoes that successfully mask the taste of whatever it is they put in it that almost always manages to give me a buzz even after just one jam jar. (Pitcher also available. But all in all, as strong as the place's character might seem, it just never fails to serve as a great backdrop for whatever it is one has set out to do. Sketching alone by the bar. Staging a massive intervention for a friend who refuses to graduate. Cursing The Red Wedding, celebrating the Purple Wedding. Or just whining about the new guy at work. Fred really knows how to support someone's feels. Fred really knows how to host shebangs, even if he calls for the last order so early at 11 p.m.

If you've been to Cubao X lately you'll find yourself a handful of interesting characters you'd love to meet. It gets really filled with artists, free spirits, photographers, surfers, wanders, entrepreneurs, everyone! In one of the corners of Cubao X is where you'll bump into all these characters at Fred's Revolucion. This dive bar of sorts is a colorfully and revolutionary decorated bar with nothing fancy, just drinks and the sound of people. Come drop by with a group of friends and you'll be surprised how fast time will fly and how many conversations you'll hear and overhear. It's got great character to it and a story-worthy ambiance. My friends and I have come by here a few times and each time we lost ourselves in the moment. I love how this place is super different from the bars you find in the Makati area, it's got that something different you don't find too often.