El Nido is not a drunken tourist destination, nor are we Boracay 2.0. However, there are a few bars in and around town. Sava Beach Bar and Pukka Bar are the two most popular spots for nightlife and drinking. Day drinking can be done on a few beaches out of town, Nacpan, Lio, and Maremegmeg. We’d always suggest getting out of town during the day as most people are on island-hopping tours or exploring the surrounding areas. Many bars and restaurants are closed, and also we never recommend swimming on El Nido town’s beach.
Below is a brief overview of where to have some alcoholic beverages and is not intended to be comprehensive. Try to keep it clean and not too sloppy generally speaking, the town isn’t trying to be a party place though the inevitable increase in tourism may bring that crowd in. Stay classy visitors… And stay classy El Nido.
Bars in Corong-Corong
SIP Sunset Lounge – top bar in Corong-Corong and becoming a favorite for locals looking to chill out with a delicious cocktail. Check out their socials for events such as Mike and the Wolf sets.
La Plage- Restobar that’s come back to its original location after a stint in Caalan. Expect great food too!
Panorama Beach Club & Resort- run by a group of Spanish, this classic El Nido stop has recently undergone renovation and hosts DJs over sunset.
Lion’s Sunset Lounge- Located at the end of POPS District this resto-bar rebranded to an Asian resto over the pandemic and provides great views of Bacuit Bay.
Coco Beach Bar- Beachfront cocktails complete with sunset, beers, and games such as darts and ping-pong.
Mahogany Beach Bar- Coconut grove setting with a tropical garden on Corong-Corong beach. Great food, beautiful sunset, relaxing environment.
Coco Resort Beach Bar- Relaxing bar with a new infinity pool, darts, and ping-pong.
Pukka Bar- Reggae bar off the highway.
Town
Sava Beach Bar- El Nido’s top nightlife destination since 2016 with live DJs, dancing, and happy hours to make your evening experience unforgettable!
The Pangolin- Drink for a cause and support the endemic Philippine pangolin
The Treehouse Beach Club and Ap Kala the newest beach clubs in Town Square.
Amigos- Cheap drinks, free shots, and a place to drunk dance into the morning.
OZ El Nido- installation from Nuno, pool top bar, and tattoo spot
Tukobar- 3rd floor restobar
The District- Vietnamese resto-bar with live music
Odessa Mama Cafe + Boodmo Brewery – Craft beer
Rooftop Bar & Boutique- Bohemian rooftop bar
Marbers – Beachfront draft beer and German food
Template Bar And Restaurant
Havanna Beach Bar El Nido
Beach Drinking
Maremegmeg Beach
If you’re looking for a place to drink the best neighborhood from that is in Maremegmeg Beach. This is home to Iguana Bar, Maremegmeg Beach Bar, and The Beach Shack This also happens to be the most happening sunset spot in El Nido. We highly recommend walking to Las Cabanas Beach Resort or Sunset by Las Cabanas before settling into any of these spots. The views are gorgeous at that corner of El Nido.
Lio Beach has a bunch of restaurants and some bars. Manille Beach Bar is run by Larry Guevara who is an amazing mixologist. This spot is a great option for day drinking and has swimmable beach. The only warning in this beach area is the sand flies but in time this should go away as well. This area seems to be more casual-dining lounge types in the evening but once the entire Lio Tourism Estate is finished with their construction there should be a huge increase in nightlife, events, and general activity. In the meantime, stick to town for nightlife. They have occasional events on the beach so keep an eye on that in the events section.
Nacpan Beach
Photo by Sunmai Bar
Nacpan Beach is a daytrip from town and has a few places to drink. If you’re looking to chill with a few beers any of the local restaurants by the main parking area should suffice. If you’re wanting cocktails, some live music, and beach umbrellas turn right from the parking and set-up shop at Sunmai Bar. For beer pong and a social hostel scene turn left from the parking and head over to Mad Monkey Hostel.
Sunset Bars
The town of El Nido doesn’t have a sunset view. The sun there is blocked by the gigantic limestone rock where the sun would drop. Many folks would recommend going to Corong-Corong just a few minutes south of town or to Maremegmeg Beach (aka Las Cabanas). The swimming beach is going to be nicer over at Maremegmeg but if you’re done with getting in and out of the water and want to stay closer to town the La Plage area should suffice.
La Plage is actually a French resto-bar serving year round sunset views, wine, cocktails and French cuisine. In the area there are a few spots to eat and drink including Bella Vita (pizza joint) and Last Frontier Resort’s restaurant. Grabbing a beer and walking along this beach southwards isn’t a bad idea either.
Further down along Corong-Corong is the Luguadia area. Outpost Hostel is a very social scene with your typical hostel vibe and daily events surrounding drinking. Next to them is Panorama Beach Club and Resort which is both a boutique hotel and a bar. They usually have a DJ playing music in the late afternoon onwards.
Miscellaneous Bars
Craft Beer
Boomodo Brewery is El Nido’s only Craft Beer and is run by a Ukrainian Family who also own Odessa Mama. You can find some craft beer from Palawan Brewery around town but that beers from Puerto Princesa not El Nido.
📍Hama Street
Bamboozled Bar and Restaurant in Corong-Corong
Bob brings back his famous Bacuit Bay Brewhouse beer on tap from into the Lugadia neighborhood next to Happiness Boutique Resort.
📍Corong-Corong (next to Happiness Boutique Resort)
Shisha Bar
Pukka Bar in town has shisha located above Holy Smokes. Sava Beach Bar also has Shisha.📍Hama Street.
Rooftop Bar Boho Bar
In town is also Rooftop Bar a French owned and run open air boho bar situated above a boutique shop.
