Kinabuchs
If you are looking for a place to unwind with a nice cold beer after a long day of touring, swimming, and spelunking, then you should try out Kinabuchs.
Other than carrying the finest local brews and delicacies, they have several billiard tables, television sets, and a dart board. There were even two huge screens in the parking lot just to keep you busy until the wee hours of the morning.
Table of Contents
Chill Out
One of the things we set out to do in Palawan was to try out the different popular restaurants in Puerto Princesa. After checking with the person at the front desk of Kawayanan Resort, consulting our guide, and asking several tricycle drivers, they suggested that we drop by Kinabuchs.
Pronounced “key-nah-boosh,” it is one of the more popular places to visit. And the mix of both locals and foreigners means that we weren’t the only one who knew about it.
Now before I go on, I’ll jump forward to set your expectations. Kinabuchs is more about a place to down a few ice-cold beers and hang around with your friends. In essence, it’s more of a bar than a restaurant.
So if this is what you are looking for, then you’ve come to the right place.
Is it a Restaurant or a Bar?
When we asked a few of the locals about a good restaurant, the first thing they recommended was Kinabuchs.
But after visiting the place, I’d say it’s more of a bar than restaurant. The reason I say it is more of a bar, other than the title of course, is the way the place is designed. With billiard tables, television sets, and a dart board, this is something a bar is more known for. Oh, and the never ending supply of beer also is a dead giveaway.
The two gigantic screens on the parking lot, which showed sports shows, also kind of pointed me to conclude this was more of a bar than a restaurant, contrary to what the locals told us.
But if you’re thinking that other restaurants that have the same thing and are classified as restaurants, there is another telltale sign – the food.
When we got in, we crossed quite a lot of tables. Since we were early, we had the luxury of choosing between the open air section or the covered one. Not wanting to risk catch a cold so early in our trip, we decided to sit in the covered area, which was by the billiard tables.
Being our first night in Palawan, we took our time looking the menu over. After some thought, we decided on the Grilled Squid, the Buttered Prawns, and added an order of Lechon Kawali later. For drinks, we had Mango Juice and the house Ice Tea. Now I’m not exactly an Ice Tea Drinker, but that Ice Tea has to be one of the best I have ever had.
[If you drop by Kinabuchs, you should try the Ice Tea.]
As for the rest, well, they were not exactly what I was expecting them to be. The Grilled Squid and Buttered Prawns tasted a bit different from what I’m used to. It wasn’t bad, it was just unexpected. It was for this reason that I decided to order Lechon Kawali.
And I’m glad I did because this one happened to be much better suited to my expectations. But then if you think about it, good Lechon Kawali is a staple of a bar.
So to sum up y observations, when the food is just alright for dinner but is better for drinking, it looks like a bar. A you add all the other things like a vast supply of beer, billiard tables, and television screen on sports channels, it sounds like a bar.
[And as they say, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, it must be a duck.]
It’s a Bar!
Alright, now that we have established that the place is more of a bar than restaurant, how does it rate as a bar? Well, while it is just alright as a restaurant, I’d say it’s much, much better as a bar.
[So it has to be a bar!]
Being a bit older, I’m not too big on deafening music anymore. At my age, I prefer to talk and listen to the people around me while chilling out. On the other hand, some people prefer something loud and a lot more vibrant.
The nice thing about Kinabuchs is that it can cater to both parties. If you prefer something more geared to conversations, the open air tables are perfect. The loudest thing you will hear will be the people from the other table talking.
But it you want something a little bit more exciting, then taking a table in the covered areas is a better bet. The music tends to be louder there. And if you decided to take a break between racks on the billiard table, you can catch the latest sports action on cable television. And if that isn’t enough, the bar began to fill up as the night dragged on.
And while it doesn’t carry all of the local beers, it does serve the more popular ones. Now if you happen to prefer something imported, they also have a limited selection of those to choose from.
You’ll find all sorts of pulutan, or finger food, to go with your beer. They even have Crocodile Sisig if you want the best. At PhP 360, it’s a bit more expensive than the Crocodile Farm. But then the Crocodile Farm doesn’t have the same ambiance .
The crowd was a nice mix, with the families stopping by for dinner and leaving early in the evening. And as it got later in the evening, the crowd was slowly being replaced by a younger one.
[I rest my case.]
Final Thoughts
After half a day of touring the city, we were beat. So after polishing off our dinner, we paid the bill and walked out to the waiting row of tricycles and head on back to Kawayanan Resort at about ten in the evening.
I know, I know, not even Cinderella went home that early. But then we’ll be going island hopping at Honda Bay tomorrow and I don’t want to be sleepy for that.
As we made our way out, the parking lot and tables were packed with people. Both billiard tables were in use and the bar was on its way to being full. And this was a weekday!
So if you happen to be in Puerto Princesa and are looking for a nice place to chill out with a few ice-cold brews, check out Kinabuchs, it’s one of the nicer bars to stay in while visiting the province.
[Just make sure you remember where your hotel is or you’ll end up missing the next day’s activities!]
Till the next time, keep your camera batteries fully charged and your memory free because you may need them for the next place you visit!
Must Do’s
- Bring insect repellent.
- Try the House Ice Tea.
- Chill out.