No Entry: inside Apl.de.ap’s new speakeasy

And how did Apl come to be included in the No Entry equation? 

“Since we have a lot of projects in the Philippines,” explains Apl, “one of the guys from my team, Dan Vo, decided to move out here from LA. He started immersing himself in the scene and lifestyle, and he likes to visit local spots. He met these guys at Annexe House in Poblacion, and he’s like, ‘Yo, you got to meet these guys; they got a cool bar that’s like a grandma’s house that they turned into this bar slash outdoor internet café.’ When I came home to visit, I just fell in love with the vibe, and as they were expanding with another bar, they asked me if I wanted to join, and I was like, ‘Hell yeah, I’m in!’” 

“I’ve been to different clubs around the world,” asserts Apl, “but up in here…this gives me the worldwide vibe. If you want to experience something unique, original cocktails—which can only be made here—and amazing food, this is it. It’s slick, sexy, intimate, but vibey. If you want to feel something like that, this is the spot. And the music, it’s gonna be crazy—you got different styles on certain nights that are inspired by [what’s happening] around the world.” 

While he may be biased, the man is not stretching the truth about not being able to get the cocktails elsewhere. Thanks to beverage director and bar manager David Abalayan’s premium craft positioning, NE’s cocktail preparation method (24 hours in advance) delivers the fuller flavour and texture craft cocktail aficionados seek. Hot tip: do check in with the bartenders about the “24h prepped” drinks and let them guide you through your order’s flavour profiles—from the smokey versus the sweet to the bitter versus the aromatic. Crowd favourites include The Red Button, Cold Turkey and Arson. 

“There’s a lot that goes into our drinks, so why hide that?” remarks Brian James Temporosa, a front-facing partner for NE and Annexe House co-founder, gesturing toward the mysterious mixology room just off the open kitchen. Given how catchy the bar’s moniker is, the question that begs to be asked is: “Are we allowed in there?” “Yes!” confirms Temporosa. “A lot of what we want to do in terms of our brand and storytelling is about the ‘process’, so we bring our guests in to show them how their drink is made. We’ve got some toys in there that you’d normally see in a science lab, but we use them for our cocktails,” he shares, adding, “And in my opinion, the best place to sit in any bar is always at the bar. Here, I like sitting at the bar, but in front of where the kitchen is, because I really love seeing what we’re doing with the food, which is a lot of fun.”

The indulgent fun that emerges from Head Chef Ria Villarosa’s (who trained under the venerable Miko Calo) kitchen comes in the form of small plates. Think perfect late-night bites like tobiko pasta, duck fritters, hamachi ceviche, truffle fries and burgers with roasted bone marrow.

Bathed in a warm amber light, setting the moody tone for slower, loungey evenings. Sculptural seating (that seats an intimate maximum of 50 or 70, if standing) in textured upholstery, punctuated by sleek marble tables, fuses retro glamour with a low-key modern edge. “You can see there are art deco elements in the design,” Temporosa points out. “We did want to give a nod to the ‘prohibition’ generation, so we kind of played around with this amalgamation of brutalism meets art deco in a very dark setting, which we jokingly coined ‘dark deco’.” 

The statement ceiling—a constellation of glowing globes—adds an artful, cinematic flair, emitting golden and copper tones that ricochet off the handsome marble, tiled and metallic bar, which is lined with an impressive display of spirits (particularly Apl’s choice top-shelf tequilas). 

NE soft-launched last August 26 as a prequel to the Black Eyed Peas’ concert at the SM Mall of Asia Arena the following evening. The concert, part of their 2025 tour, marked six years since they last performed in Manila and 30 years since the group made its debut in the American entertainment industry. Currently working on a 2026 BEP album release (“It’s album number 10, so it has to be special!” shares Apl), he recently mini-launched Modern Day Love Songs to a select group of friends, stakeholders and VIPs at his own bar.

Since then, and as if to tease its loyal IYKYK punters, NE has been drip-feeding special-themed genre nights, turning NE into a cosy second home for performing artists —a concept Apl loves. Explains Marco Baluyut, another member of the NE family, “Speakeasies are typically quiet and cocktail-focused; supper clubs are more about the food with entertainment. Here, we’re focusing on intimate gatherings, the food and the drinks, but with the entertainment.”

“On Fridays, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm,” Baluyut goes on, “we’ve got live performers for Friday Jazz Club—usually singers, so like Black Eyed Peas, but make it jazz. But tonight, we’re switching it up with a saxophonist. We just launched Saturday Night Live—nothing to do with SNL—where we platform artists to perform live, no matter their genre… hip-hop, R&B… whatever. Then eventually, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, we’re going to start doing more band nights and, of course, DJs.”

Not to detract from the mystery factor, Liana Navarro, the one rose amongst the NE thorns, feels she must highlight what it is to discover NE for the very first time. “The whole customer journey of walking down into a loading dock, to a location that you’re not supposed to be in...uff! This space was just it for us. Chimes in Temporosa, nodding in agreement: “If you are adventurous enough to walk through the alleyway, through a truck loading dock, and through a door with no sign. I think that already says enough about you and about what to expect here.” Indeed. It’s No Entry, but everyone wants in.

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