There’s something ironic about trying to find a bar in Poblacion.
You’d think it would be one of the easiest things to look for. Walk around the neighborhood and you’re practically guaranteed to find one every few steps, usually announcing itself with a giant neon sign, a glowing logo, or some other eye-catching variation. Storage Room along Ebro St., meanwhile, seems to have not gotten the memo.
The bar only soft-opened this August, so it, understandably, requires a little more effort to find. It also doesn’t help that it sits on the second floor of a building that already houses a couple of well-known bars, one the ground floor, and another right beside it on the second floor. So even when you’re technically standing right in front of Storage Room, it’s surprisingly easy to miss.
They, however, have a strikingly big blue door. It’s there, but the entrance is otherwise pretty unassuming: no flashing lights, no giant sign, and no neon arrow pointing you upstairs.
If you aren’t specifically looking for it, you could easily walk right past—or, more likely, wonder if you’ve somehow wandered into the wrong building. For a bar called Storage Room, that feels pretty appropriate.
Behind the Big Blue Door
Once you make it upstairs and through the blue door, though, things start to make a little more sense.
Previously a storage room, this small space is now a dimly lit bar complete with moody lighting, dark corners, leather wrapped couches, and an atmosphere that feels worlds away from the busy streets of Poblacion.
That contrast is part of the fun. Outside, the neighborhood is practically glowing with signs trying to get your attention. Inside, however, the mood is quieter and a lot more intimate.
In general, it feels less like a bar that’s asking you to come in and more like a bar that you had to discover yourself. And considering how many bars there are in Poblacion, that’s a pretty refreshing way to stand out.
Trading Shelves and Boxes for Drinks
Similarly refreshing are the cocktails served inside.
Take their 5:01, a fruity, sunset-colored drink made with tequila, elderflower liqueur, red wine, grapefruit juice, and egg whites.
While it’s the tequila that builds the foundation, it’s the elderflower that adds floral fruitiness. The grapefruit then brings balance with brightness and acidity while red wine adds depth and the egg whites soften everything for a smooth, silky finish.
It’s the kind of cocktail that makes you stop and take a second sip—not because you can’t figure it out, but because there’s enough going on to keep things interesting.
Then there’s Last Seen, a bright blue-green drink reminiscent of the ocean, which takes the refreshing approach even further. By combining gin, Campari, blue curaçao, coconut rum, Disaronno, grapefruit juice, and a rim-coated in fine shreds of coconut, it feels like the cocktail equivalent of a tropical vacation—and that’s what makes it fun.
And with every sip, it became clear that Storage Room isn’t trying to make the most predictable drink menu, because every combination seems strange enough to make you curious. But if we’re being honest, curiosity is a pretty good reason to order another round.
The Fun of Finding Storage Room
There are plenty of bars in Poblacion that want you to find them. Storage Room makes you do a little work first.
Maybe that’s fitting for a place that started out as an actual storage room. Its entrance is hidden behind a big blue door, its floor is easy to overlook, and it’s surrounded by bars that are considerably louder about announcing their existence.
But once you find it, the experience feels like its own little discovery.
Storage Room is located at 2nd Floor, 5767 Ebro St., Poblacion, Makati City.
Frequently Asked Questions
Storage Room is located at 2nd Floor, 5767 Ebro St., Poblacion, Makati City.
Poblacion in Makati is a neighborhood known for its vibrant nightlife scene with bars, restaurants, cafes, and everything in between.
Storage Room has a diverse roster of cocktails, but a couple of standouts are the 5:01 and Last Seen. They also have bottle service available for those in the mood for something more classic.
Last Seen combines gin, Campari, blue curaçao, coconut rum, Disaronno, and grapefruit juice, finished with a rim coated in fine shredded coconut. Its bright blue color and tropical, citrus-forward profile make it Storage Room’s take on a vacation-in-a-glass cocktail.
Storage Room soft-opened in August without a sign, neon logo, or marker typical of Poblacion bars. It occupies the 2nd floor of a building that already houses two other known bars, and its only identifier is a large blue door leading upstairs.
