Somewhere within the city streets of Davao hides a new and trendy bar that only a few knows. The place is not found in Google Map and is not publicly advertised. To enter, you must know where to find it and to find it, you must know who to seek.
Good thing, I am not gatekeeping it for you.
Takipsilim is a secret cocktail bar somewhere in Davao. It provides a new spin on cocktails as it is Filipino-themed using Filipino ingredients and Filipino alcoholic drinks like Kanto and Agimat. They do not accept walk-ins and don’t have that much social media presence as to keep the allure of secrecy.
The list of cocktails were deliberately created by known mixologists – Kalel Demetrio, the genius who made the famous Agimat at Ugat Ube Cream Liqueur.
Takipsilim as the name implies in English – “Dusk”, opens their bar starting at 5PM to 1AM. You can get to the place only if you make reservation through their Instagram page at (@takipsilimbar.dvo).
How to Get There
Normally, I do post the Google Map for the place. However, to keep the secret from spilling out and to continue the secrecy and mystery of the place – you must contact their Instagram page to book a reservation. The place is small and can only cater a few group so it is best you contact them through their page.
The location will be provided at the day of your reservation. As it is a secret bar, they will provide you a set of instructions on how to locate and enter the bar. It’s like a cool but short-lived Treasure Hunt in the city of Davao.
The Place and The Ambiance
Matter of frankly, the street where it is located looks a little sketchy which is really amazing as you will not expect that a highly exquisite interior would greet you upon entering a secret door. The place is lavished with elegant shades of blue, adorned with paintings on the walls, and ambient lighting.
The place is modern, chic, and sophisticated.
You can also book their mezzanine lounge for more privacy and for big groups at P8,000 with a minimum of four people.
The place is really exquisite and you will feel a little bit sophisticated and “man of culture” after coming to the place not only because of the aesthetics but because of the choice of poison they offer. It’s quite impressive to know that Filipino fruits, flowers, herbs and typical ingredients at home would go really well into a cocktail mix.
The Spending
At the level of gastronomic experience they provide, the price can shave a chunk of your wallet. The Distillery labels they showcase is uncommon in the market but features Filipino brands like Agimat and Kanto. The ingredients they used is locally sourced and fresh, too.
The signature cocktail mixes they offer cost around P280 to P450 which is pricier than other cocktail mixes from other bars. Their cocktail mixes, however, will pique your interest. A mix I was interested in was called – Binignit. Binignit is a famous dish usually server during lent season which is a soupy dessert. Tagalog knows this dish as bilo-bilo.
Their Binignit mix is comprised of Kanto salted caramel vodka, dark rum, cacao liqueur, dragonfruit powder, langka, pandan, toasted monggo, landang cream and toasted peanut. Other drinks that are interesting that will automatically tell you it’s Filipino are langka lime, sugilanon, bakunawa and bulawan.
Their food, though, pricey seems of small portion and not fit for a complete proper meal. It’s expected as a pairing with the drinks. I know, typical Filipino make a meal out of a pulutan so if you’re going in hungry or expecting a full dish of food instead of pairing it with your drinks then expect to get disappointed. The scene does give you a high-class/rich-tita vibe so it may be best to expect some pricey meal. Expect food to cost around P325 to P400 for a snacking portion size.
Other drinks by the bottle cost around P1,500 to P10,000. They only offer signature beer from Engkanto.
There’s a P1,000 reservation fee upon booking your reservation that will be deducted to your total bill afterwards. There is only an hour of waiting time from the time of your scheduled reservation since it is private and they would need to offer the table if you flake. Don’t be a flaker and don’t be late.
Review
Takipsilim Bar Davao, only came to me in passing when scrolling through my discord friends’ Instagram stories. I found, after searching about Takipsilim, that it is a secret bar. This piqued my interest even more. After finding out that they craft concoctions out of Filipino ingredients, I ensembled a group of friends I wanted to share the gastronomic experience with.
The first time something wow’ed me on the alcoholic department was when I discovered a restaurant that offers local crafted beers on tap, Boracay’s Los Indios Bravos. I took note of the beers they offered and Engkanto was one of the brands. When I discovered Takipsilim had Engkanto to offer, I knew I had to try it. What better way to try it but with your favorite people.
The moment we entered the bar, we were in awe discovering that a modern and chic bar could even exist after you enter a tiny little door in a sketchy neighborhood in Davao. Normally, secret bars are more common in bigger metro cities. It is great to know we have our own to showcase that feature signature tastes of locally sourced ingredients.
We ordered five different drinks – namely, daylight teal, merengue ube, tatlong hari, spirit of agimat, and bakunawa sour.
Some of the drinks come in small portions but it was really delicious. You can’t imagine how the ingredients would mix together but once you take a sip of your drink – the flavor works really well.
My friend ordered merengue ube aka Lavender haze with Agimat Ube Liquer as it’s base, dark rhum and coconut milk, guava, and toasted rice syrup. It is also topped with a burnt merengue. It is a drink someone would enjoy if you like the sweeter things in life but if you are diabetic, then this might come as an ick for you.
Bakunawa sour and Daylight Teal is a choice if you like tropical flavors. Bakunawa sour comes strong with bourbon whiskey, hibiscus passion fruit, lychee, rambutan and dragon fruit garnish. Daylight teal is for all the mojito girls out there as it comes with lime, calamansi, mango, mint and takipsilim soda. These two are the most aesthetically pleasing out of the bunch in my opinion.
I ordered tatlong hari which had the most basic concoction with just Agimat Ube Liqueur, Agimat Gayuma Liqueur, and Kanto Popcorn Vodka. It tastes really refreshing and honestly if you can describe a drink as cute then it tastes like all things nice and cute.
Lastly, the one that had a very strong kick was spirit of agimat that had negroni in it, Agimat gin, Agimat gayuma liqueur, santol and guava, that was encased in smoked lavender biasong. This took the most time to make.
The drinks are really handcrafted and passionately created by their mixologists so expect that drinks may take some time before it arrives on your table. This seems to be the only downside that I’ve noticed.
The food there also comes at small portion so you would have to eat somewhere else or expect light meals paired to your drink. The food is really delicious, though, despite the price. However, it is not the place you come back to seek their food as it is only complimentary to the drinks. I’d say it is the drink and the sense of intimacy and privacy of the place that makes you want to come again despite of its price range.
I do fear of the fire exit strategy given that it is a small place and have a coded door. But that is just me and my anxiety talking. Overall, the place is something I would definitely add to my list if a friend living outside Davao wants to know what Davao’s nightlife could offer.
- Payment Method: Cash and GCash only
- Budget: P1,000 per pax
- Business Hours: 5AM to 1PM
- Type: Filipino-themed Liquor, Bar
- Instagram Page: @takipsilimbar.dvo
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Eats Me, Jax! 