Cubao X, Manila’s coolest ungentrified corner

Manila is the most densely populated city on earth, all concrete and mega-malls, and then there's Cubao Expo, better known as Cubao X: a horseshoe of a street selling vinyl, monster-foot tote bags and Hong Kong comfort food under a dim opium-den cocktail bar. It started life in the 1970s as a shoe expo. Now the old showrooms are galleries, breweries and bars, anchored by Bellini's, a gloriously camp Italian run by a Rome-born ex-paparazzo. For The Observer's In the Neighbourhood column I wrote about the one corner of the city joyfully sticking two fingers up at mall culture. My son's part Filipino. This is the Manila I want him to know.

Ellie Fazan wrote about Cubao X, a creative neighbourhood in Manila, for The Observer’s In the Neighbourhood column, published 10 May 2026.