By Joel Pinaroc

Taberna Ocho is one of the newest restaurants/bars to set up shop at Maginhawa St. in Quezon City, affirming that the area is slowly but surely becoming an alternative venue for individuals or groups looking for a place to hang out, drink ice cold beer, chat, and listen to good music.

Although the place is a typical watering hole, the bar promises patrons a place that will serve various appetizers not commonly found in most hangout places, aside from the usual “pulutan” fares.

The owners have also come up with interesting promotional gimmicks to attract different crowds. From gaming nights to theme music, the bar promises to cater to the needs of all customers, from young urban professionals looking for a joint to kill time, to executives, looking for a place to unwind.

Taberna Ocho is also expected to appeal to the University of the Philippines (UP) crowd, considering its proximity to the state-owned educational institution. The place, located at 162 Maginhawa St., in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City is a stone’s throw away from UP. Incidentally, all of the owners went to school at UP.

Starting a Bar

Taberna Ocho general manager and part-owner Edil Guanzon shares that the conceptualization of the bar came after the owners, all friends and all sharing the passion for drinking, thought of the idea of having a place to spend their beer money, and listen to the music they want.

Edil says the eight owners then quickly and unanimously agreed to pool in seed capital to start a bar. Maginhawa was the natural choice because the group is a frequent visitor to one of the bars lining up Maginhawa Street.

The idea to start a simple watering hole where the group can drink and play their own music with an MP3 player or an iPod eventually gave birth to a few more ideas, all aimed at generating a steady flow of customers to Taberna Ocho.

Guanzon admits that the goal of running a bar is not all easy, because all of the 8 founders do not have actual experience in the business of food and beverage.

“What the group was good at, really, is only eating and drinking. We knew then that running a bar will not be as easy as gulping down a bottle of ice cold beer,” Edil says.

After only a month of meetings and bull sessions, the group finally opened the bar. And to spur business, the group soon agreed to do a viral marketing of the place, initially inviting business connections, college friends, and relatives to try what Taberna Ocho has to offer.

Edil, however, says the owners, him included, are still learning the ropes in running the bar.

“Our initial goal is make it self-sustaining. We have invited friends and families, and so far, the feedback is encouraging,” Edil says.

From the Simple to the Exotic

Taberna Ocho’s menu promises unique and exotic appetizers, including duck adobo, kilawing kambing, sashimi with a special sauce, special papaitan, pork sisig, and spicy wings, among others.

The Taberna Ocho menu also offers traditional pica-pica, and ‘regulars’ such as veggie sticks, French fries, cheese sticks, squid balls, etc.

The good news is that these items are priced competitively, ensuring that customers will not strain their pockets to enjoy Taberna Ocho’s unique offerings.

Customers will also be pleasantly surprised to discover that prices of beer and Taberna Ocho’s special cocktails are not that expensive.

“We are not really out to imitate the typical hang out places, in say, Timog, Ortigas, or Makati. What we try to do is cater to all customers, from students, to professionals. One way of doing this is to offer affordable prices for our drinks and menu items,” Edil adds.

For instance, a bottle of San Miguel Light and San Miguel Pale Pilsen is a mere 28 pesos per pop. Ordering an Ocho Bucket (8 bottles per bucket), a customer is actually charged about 24.75 pesos per bottle. To sweeten the deal, each Ocho Bucket comes with a complimentary pica-pica.

One interesting item found in the Taberna Ocho cocktail list is the GranMa Slammer, a shooter comprised of two shots or brandy and single shot of chaser, neatly arranged in a sashimi plate, surrounded by complimentary pica-pica. “For 50 pesos, one can down a GranMa Slammer,” Edil says.

The Music at Taberna Ocho

Edil also says Taberna Ocho aims to be unique, through “play-your-own-playlist” promo, where customers are encouraged to plug in their iPods or Mp3 players in an in-house audio system.

He says Taberna Ocho will also try to cater to music “requests” from customers, through the in-house iPod player.
Edil explains that the bar is working on a daily music theme nights. For instance, Monday will be New Wave Night, while another day could be for “oldies” music.

Edil further said Taberna Ocho guarantees a cozy watering hole, where customers can relax and unwind after a hard day at work. “Do drop by and experience our unique offerings at Taberna Ocho,” Edil says in closing.