Cebu Nightlife: Best Nightclubs and Bar [2024]

Cebu's nightlife is pretty straight-forward and you'll only need a couple of nights out to be familiar with the best venues. The major nightclubs and bars are almost all located in central Cebu City with a few more in the suburban towns of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.

In this article, I will give you a list of my current favorite party spots as well as plenty of tips to help you make your stay more fun. Don't hesitate to send me a message if you have any questions or if you feel I missed something.

Where to Party in Cebu?

Before COVID-19, the main nightlife area used to be around Fuente Osmena Circle (Mango Square) and Mango Avenue (the other name of General Maxilom Avenue).

Nowadays, it is much more quiet but you can still find a few bars and at least one nightclub. In Mango Square, you can go to Uptown club (packed with a student crowd) and Draft Punk. Outside, on Mango Avenue, there are some expat/sports/hostess bars such as Howling Dogs, 301 Ramos and Philly's Sports Bar, as well as some more basic venues whose names seem to change every couple of years (currently Jane, Sister's, Bamboozer). If you are above 35 and you just want to meet new people in a laid-back atmosphere, this is probably where you should hangout.

Outside Mango Avenue, the nightlife is more upmarket. It is spread out between the Alaya Mall and Mandaue City, with the highest concentration of quality clubs, bars and malls around IT Park. This is where more upper-class Filipinos will hang out. If you are looking for swanky clubs and you want to hang out with beautiful people, that's where you should go.

There are other less famous party areas, for instance the local red-light district of Colon. The latter does not have a very good reputation at night so I advise you to stay clear.

Best Hotels Near Cebu Nightlife

If you've never been to Cebu before, you may be wondering what are the best places to stay near the nightlife.

My first choice would be to sleep between IT Park and the Alaya Mall. By doing so, you will be within 15 minutes by car from the majority of the clubs listed below, and also from the city's best malls, activities and restaurants.

Another option is to be near Mango Square as it is a rather central area with a handful of expat bars, clubs and restaurants all within walking distance. It is also a cheaper area with many budget hotels.

The following hotels are the most recommended for party-goers:

• Budget (under 30$ per night): S Hotel and Residences, ABC Hotel, Pillows Hotel, Red Planet

• 3-star (50$): Cuarto Hotel

• 4-star (60$): Harolds Hotel

• 5-star (120$): Marriott Cebu City

Dating in Cebu

The good news is that Cebu is one of the best places in the Philippines for dating.

As it is the richest province in the country, it is home to tens of thousands of well-educated and smart Filipinas who come to study or work. Many are employed by US companies that have outsourced their business processes (call-centers for instance). For this reason, they will typically work at night when Americans are awake.

As they are far from their families, these girls enjoy a certain level of freedom and you'll meet many of them in bars and clubs every day. They are often independent, smart, and they speak perfect english.

Filipinas in clubs generally come with friends and may not always be receptive if you try to approach them. A less intrusive way to meet them is to use dating sites and apps instead.

Tinder and Bumble work well and you should get a fairly high number of match if you are young and handsome. That said, many girls may not be interested to meet with you if you are only passing by.

Instead, you could check Filipino Cupid. It is the most popular dating site in the country with thousands of girls online at any time. Among them, almost all are looking for a foreign boyfriend. Even if you are not living in the Philippines, they will still be interested to talk with you. Unlike Tinder, they generally won't mind if you are a bit older than them (10-15 years older is still ok).

If you are planning a trip to the Philippines, I recommend chatting with a few girls on Filipino Cupid before landing in the country.

The luxury dating website Seeking.com is also growing in popularity. The site attracts wealthy guys and attractive women, promising 4 female members for every men.

Best Nightclubs and Bars in Cebu City

Last Nightclub

This is a Berlin-style nightclub with techno and trance music in a very basic concrete setting. Probably the best place if you are mainly interested in hearing good DJs. The crowd is relaxed and easy to chat with. There are always a few foreigners.

It is in the same building as another bar called G-spot.

The Distillery

The Distillery is a trendy bar located in the lifestyle center Crossroads, near IT Park. It is part of a larger chain that has branches in Makati, Bonifacio Global City and Quezon City.

It is a good place to go after dinner for a few drinks. The music is generally good, the crowd is fun and there is a really large choice of imported beers. On weekends, don't go there too late as it gets packed very fast. Happy hours from 6pm to 10pm with all cocktails at PHP75.

Club Icon

Club Icon is in the center of Cebu City but a bit isolated from the rest of the nightlife. It is just a few hundred meters from Castle Peak Hotel. It used to be called Roof Hyper Club but was renamed Icon in 2016.

The majority of the customers are Filipinos and the rest Korean. It looks like a high-end venue but the prices are quite affordable actually. Beautiful crowd, Pinay and Korean, but as usual in this kind of club, hard to talk to.

It is open every day of the week until 6am, with Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays the busiest. The music changes every day depending on the DJ but most expect your usual trap or EDM songs. The entrance costs PHP100.

Apex Super Club

This club, located in City Time Square Mall in Mandaue, is one of the largest and most modern in the city. Open from Thursday to Sunday, it can welcome up to 900 pax until 6am. The music is mostly commercial EDM but it can change depending on the events.

Entrance fee is around USD 2 on regular days and USD 4 when there is an event. For now, it attracts few foreigners.

Agwa

Small club on two levels in Waterfront Hotel. Young student crowd. DJs play mostly famous songs. Entrance USD 4 on weekends.

Sentral - Hip Hop Bar and Club

I'm normally not a fan of hip-hop, trap and RnB but I had great fun in Sentral. It was opened in August 2016 as a small NY-style bar/club with a different themed hip hop night every day. Weekdays are still quiet but Friday and Saturday are fully packed. Lots of stylish girls who love to dance. The set up of the bar makes it easy to talk to them as well. Few foreigners. Free entrance.

The only problem is the location as it is about 20 minutes from Mango Avenue (in Norkis Cyberpark).

Trademark

Hip hop nightclub with affordable prices and a fun local crowd. It has some food (tacos) and monthly drag queen shows.

Proof

Located in Streetscape Mall in the northeast of the city, it is a simple bar but quite busy on weekends. Not really worth it unless you live in that area.

Envy

Small, elite club that targets an older crowd (over 30).

Club Havana Mactan

I didn't go there but it exists in Lapu-Lapu City (Mactan island).

Japanese or Korean Karaoke

I didn't visit any Japanese or Korean KTV but I know there are quite many on A.S. Fortuna Street in Mandaue City. They follow a similar concept: There are private karaoke rooms but also a main lounge with 10-20 pretty Filipinas in sexy outfits that dance or sing. To stay in the lounge, you pay a fixed price and you get to drink as much as you want for a certain period of time. In Komachi KTV, for instance, the all-you-can drink buffet costs PHP600 per hour. You may request a girl to accompany you and she will get a commission on your drinks + on the ones you buy for her (ladies drinks are generally a bit more expensive, around PHP200 per glass).