Candy Bar is a small girly beer bar on Perimeter Road — Don Juico Avenue on the signs — and one of the more durable names on a stretch that eats bars for breakfast. It was in the Perimeter Road directories back in the mid-2010s, it was on the "open" side of the ledger in the early-2021 round-up when half the road was dark, and it was still appearing in listings in 2025. That's a decade of the same sign, which on Perimeter Road is a long time and a good omen. I don't have a 2026 visitor report from two sources, so it's marked unverified — but if you had to bet on one of the small bars out here still trading, this would be a sensible one.
What it is: the classic Perimeter Road hostess bar. A narrow room, a counter, some stools, a few tables, a handful of ladies who'll sit with you for a ladies' drink, cold San Miguel at fence-road prices, and no stage — this is not a go-go bar and you shouldn't expect dancing. The format is what makes Perimeter Road what it is: cheaper than the strip, quieter, and run at the pace of men who aren't in a hurry.
Prices, my August 2026 estimate for the small bars along here: roughly ₱80–120 for a San Mig Light and ₱150–260 for a ladies' drink. Ask before you order the first ladies' drink and settle as you go — not because Candy Bar has a reputation for anything, it doesn't, but because it's the sensible habit in every small bar in town.
The crowd is Perimeter Road's own: expats who live along the road and treat it as their local, hotel guests from the Clarkton and the ABC and the smaller places, retired servicemen, and the odd group who've come out from Walking Street for a cheaper second half. Afternoons are sleepy; the room, like the road, wakes up around nine.
Harry says: I've a soft spot for the little bars that just keep going. Candy Bar has never been anyone's headline, and it has outlived plenty of headlines. Sit down, have a beer, talk to whoever's behind the counter — that's the whole plan, and on Perimeter Road it's usually enough.
| Music | Pop / whatever the staff like |
|---|---|
| Cover | None |
| Local beer from | ₱80 |
| Ladies’ drink from | ₱150 |
| Dress code | None |
Highlights
- + A decade on Perimeter Road — a survivor
- + Cheap beer, unhurried pace
- + Small enough to talk
Good for
- Perimeter Road regulars
- a cheap quiet beer
- the over-50 crowd
Drawbacks
- − No stage or dancers
- − Not confirmed from a fresh visit as of Aug 2026
- − Sleepy before 21:00
