If you are fan of cool interiors, neon lights and artsy decors then you will surely love Polilya Bar. Located along Don Pedro Street in Poblacion, Makati, Polilya Bar is the perfect spot to have some happy hour with some friends on a weekend or even some after-office winding down during weekdays. The place is actually reminiscent of Riverdale’s Pop’s Choc’lit Shoppe, except that they don’t serve milkshakes here and is home to the famous Engkanto Brewery instead.

Polilya’s Elegant, Trendy Vibe

The interiors of Polilya Bar are designed by local interior designers Lizzie Zobel, Mia Borromeo, and Junie Rodriguez. The purple neon lights and dim yellow lighting set the chill ambiance of this hip pub. The chandelier of bottles at the façade of the bar proper, the murals on the ceiling, and other details of the bar add a more elegant yet trendy vibe.

Anyone will surely fall in love with the place, but their food and drinks especially their craft beers will surely captivate you. During the Axe Project You launch, our last stop was at Polilya, and we had the chance to try some of their offerings.

Crave-Worthy Bar Chows at Polilya Bar

We had the Classic Chips + Dip  (Php 160.00) which is Russet potato house cut crisps with French onion beer dip. It’s the typical potato crisps you’d get but what made it stand out is the dip, it’s something that goes really well with their drinks and craft beers.Another great beer companion are their Fried Pickles (Php 125.00). It is pickled Jalapeno drenched in tempura breading and then deep-fried and comes with cilantro-tahini sauce. This is perfect for spicy lovers who want to start off their night with a kick. But for those who cannot tolerate the heat, the cilantro-tahini sauce gives it a cool feeling and actually alleviates some of the spiciness. According to their menu, this dish goes perfectly with their Pale Ale.

We also had the Ultimate Nachos (Php 275.00), which according to my colleagues is the perfect pulutan. It’s jam-packed with corn tortilla chips, cheese sauce, meat sauce, sour cream, grated cheddar, pico de gallo salsa, red beans, avocado, jalapeno rings, and strips of tapa. This is a must-eat especially when you are with your friends and want to munch on something tasty yet light while catching up with each other’s lives.

We also had one of their bestsellers which is the Zen Chicken Nuggets (Php 250.00). These Haianese chicken crisps come with three sauces: chili, ginger-scallion, and kecap manis and are fried to a tasty crisp!

Korean food lovers out there will surely love the Gangnam Style Chicken Wings (Php 210.00). It’s deep fried chicken wings, coated in a zingy gochujang glaze. This one is really flavorful and tasty, and the spiciness makes it a perfect pair for a pint of beer. Truly, you wouldn’t have to go to Korea just to taste an authentic Gangnam Chicken.

Craving for some cheese with your drinks? Go with Polilya’s Pinoy Caprese (PHP 215.00).  An interesting spinoff of a classic Pinoy favorite, their Caprese is made with smoked kesong puti, tapa, some fresh basil, tomatoes, and then rizzled with bagoong-balsamic vinaigrette.

Seafood Mains

I have always loved Gambas, despite being quite pricey I always find the dish worth it. And Polilya’s Gambas Engkantadas is no different. Their Gambas Engkantadas is a salivating take on the classic Gambas al ajillo as they infused it with beer to make it a better beer companion. It’s served with a mini baguette for just Php440.00.And if you’re craving for more seafood, they also have their Bangla Mussels (Php 320.00). The mussels are steamed in beer, mustard oil, and coconut milk both + homemade roti. The combination of the creamy sauce and succulent mussels will make you lick your plate (or dip a chip or piece of baguette at least!)

Sweet-Endings at Polilya

For our dessert, we had the Deep fried Apple Pie a la mode and Grown-up Chocolate Mousse. The Deep fried Apple Pie a la mode somewhat looked like the ones served at fastfood chains but this one is definitely bigger and more succulent. This warm pocket pie of cinnamon-kissed apples is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for only Php150.00.

On the other hand, their Grown-Up Chocolate Mousse is made with Davao single-origin three-chocolate mousse, and seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and sprinkled with Himalayan salt. For only Php175.00, you’ll have a perfect pair for your Stout.

Polilya Bar’s Engkanto Beers + Beer Cocktails + Enchanted Six

For our drinks, we had the Sandrapolitan, Four O’clock Flight, and all the Enchanted Six.

The Sandrapolitan is as classy as it sounds, but you could have it for just Php280.00. This pink concoction of Citrus vodka, fresh lime, triple sec, and cranberry-pomegranate cordial looks fancy but tastes really good.

The Four O’clock Flight is a degustation of 4 Engkanto beers of your choice for Php280.00. To give you an idea, they have 5 different Engkanto Craft Beers to choose from. First is the Lager which is crisp and dry but with a hint of citrus flavor reminiscent to that of tropical fruits and lime zest.

Next is the Blonde Ale which is a very light beer, crisp and refreshing beer bursting with citrus notes. Another is the Pale Ale which has a candy-like citrus and passionfruit flavor. They also have the Ipa which is darker in color and has a smooth and robust flavor with an incredible aroma and hints of intense piney, citrus note. And lastly, the Double Ipa which has a soft mouthfeel. It is exploding with hop flavors, and a blend of intense citrus and passionfruit notes.

Polilya Bar’s Enchanted Six

We also had all of The Enchanted Six which are signature cocktail drinks with a beer twist. For those who want a light and refreshing drink to start off the night, they can try the Blame it on the Heat or Frozen shandy. It’s a combination of fresh lemon, orange, calamansi, agave, and stout for only Php145.00. But be careful, this refreshing and slushy citrusy drink may not taste like your usual hard drink, but 2 or 3 glasses of this could surely swerve your ability to walk.

Now for those who want to keep their aesthetics intact even while drinking can try the Cool Bird Spritz or Aperol Spritz for Php290.00. This bright yellow-orange drink is a blend of perol, double IPA, pineapple, prosecco, dried mango. You will never actually suspect this as having a beer in it if the menu didn’t say so.

One of the must-tries and also a crowd favorite is the Polilya Fire or the fiery Paloma. It’s made with silver tequila, grapefruit cordial, thai chili, fresh lime, serrano bitters, and Ipa foam for Php350. According to hearsays, you may want to ask for extra drops of serrano bitters to balance out the sweetness of the drink especially if you are not a fan of sweet cocktails.

The Tigrita or the lost Mexican favorite spiked drink is very light and is a fresh concoction of house-made tepache, mescal, fresh lime, double IPA, agave, orange oleo saccharum, pineapple, cilantro for Php280.00. This fresh citrusy drink is a perfect for ladies on a night out.

Not actually for health-conscious people out there but they also have the Goldfinger or Healthy mule. This turmeric infused vodka with pressed ginger syrup, fresh lime, ginger beer, double Ipa, and dalandan foam sells for Php360.00. The ingredients may sound healthy but they cannot save you from a morning of hungover if you had too much.

Their Rum and Coke #2 or Above Standard is truly above the usual rum and coke you usually have at bars. This concoction of white rum, averna, house-made cola, house ABC bitters, and bubbles for Php365.00 is actually less carbonated than the usual. This is maybe because they use house-made cola unlike other bars who use commercially sold colas.

Polilya Bar with its trendy interior and great offerings is the perfect hub for anyone who wants to experience the enchantment this place has.  Pro-tip: The place is usually packed with people on weekend nights so if you want to relax or have a good talk with friends, you might want to go for a weekday night-out.

CONTACT

Polilya Bar

Location: 5658 Jacobo Street, Corner Don Pedro, Makati, 1210 Metro Manila PH

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