Ludus Bar

Ludus Bar is on Julio Nakpil St. in Malate, on the stretch of Nakpil lined with small bars. It's a grill bar, loud and casual, and it stays open till 6AM. That makes it one of the places you end up at when everywhere else has closed.

The room is simple. Tables, a bar onsite and groups who have clearly been there a while. Nobody's dressed up. The music is OPM and mainstream hits, loud enough to feel like a night out but not a club.

Grilled food is the reason to come. Order a few plates for the table and share them. Google lists small plates and food at the bar, and the place is known for hearty grilled dishes. Beer is the main drink, with hard liquor if your table wants a bottle. Prices sit in the middle, nothing scary.

Most of the crowd are locals and barkadas. You'll also get people hopping down Nakpil from another bar. Friday and Saturday are the big nights. Tip: if you're doing a Malate bar crawl, save Ludus for the end. You'll want the grilled food by then, and it'll still be open when the others have shut.