Guilt

Second floor on Kalayaan Avenue, Guilt is one of those Poblacion cocktail bars you climb up to and then stay longer than planned. It's dim and relaxed inside, more sitting and talking than shouting over speakers.

Cocktails are the main thing here, and they take them seriously without making a show of it. Prices sit in the middle, so it won't wreck your night. There's food if you get hungry. Music stays low enough that you can keep a conversation going.

The crowd is a mix of Poblacion regulars, young professionals, and people who wandered up from the street below. It's a late-night hangout more than a party spot.