By evening in Davao, the heat has eased and the city settles into a slower rhythm. Offices empty, families head to dinner, and the coffee shops and restaurants that line the commercial districts fill up before the bars do. If you are staying near the centre or in Lanang, you can walk to dinner and then decide whether the night ends over coffee or continues over drinks.
Davao's nightlife is modest and spread out rather than concentrated in one strip. It suits visitors who prefer a long dinner, a relaxed drink and conversation over a loud, late club circuit. The city has a strong coffee culture and a good spread of restaurants, plus a handful of bars and pubs serving both local and Western food. Note that Mindanao has a large Seventh Day Adventist population; Adventists do not drink, and stores they own typically will not sell alcohol, so not every venue will serve it.
Where to go out in Davao
1. Rizal Street (Havana Compound)
This is a bar and hangout area on Rizal Street, in the Havana Compound. It draws people looking for a casual place to sit, drink and eat rather than a formal night out.
It suits a group wanting one relaxed stop with food alongside drinks. One venue the source names here is Some Place Else, which it describes as a good place to hang out and where you can ask for their Shisha Fries.
2. Lanang
Lanang, in the Guadalupe Village area, is a quieter, more spread-out part of the city where you find poolside bars and restaurants attached to places you might already be visiting. The source notes a cafe near Casino Filipino.
It suits an easy evening built around one venue with food, drinks and a pool rather than a crawl. One venue the source names is 1 Knight's Cafe (Red Knight Gardens), which offers local and Western dishes at its poolside bar and restaurant, with WiFi and swimming free if you buy food or drinks, and which the source describes as a good place to meet people and pick up local knowledge.
3. Matina
Matina is a residential and commercial district south of the centre, with restaurants serving Filipino seafood and grilled dishes. It is a dinner-first kind of area rather than a bar strip.
It suits an evening where the meal is the main event. One venue the source names is Ellen's Tuna Queen, which serves tuna dishes including kinilaw and tuna sisig, along with grilled steaks, and which the source notes has moved to a new location a few metres from the NCCC Mall Matina Highway.
4. Victoria Plaza
The area around Victoria Plaza is a commercial one, useful if you want coffee and something sweet after dinner rather than alcohol. It is a practical stop rather than a destination in itself.
It suits a low-key end to the evening or a place to meet before going on somewhere else. One venue the source names is Basti's Coffee, a cafe in Victoria Plaza with entrances both outside and through the food court, which brews coffee you can order mild or strong and sells pastries including a durian cheesecake. The source also notes that Davao is a no-smoking-in-public-places city, and that Basti's has an enclosed, air-conditioned smoking section.
5. Pili Street, Nova Tierra Village
This is a residential village address in Lanang rather than a nightlife district, and the source describes the venue here as carrying high prices.
It suits a visitor specifically looking for a pub-style evening with British food and drink. The source names the British Bar & Deli, which it describes as the only British pub in Davao.
6. Local rum, wherever you drink
If you are drinking in Davao, the source points to Tanduay Rum as the local spirit, billed around town as "the Number One Rhum".
This is a practical note rather than a place: it tells you what you are likely to be offered, and it is worth knowing before you order.
How a night out unfolds
The source material gives only limited timing. Several of the named venues are daytime or early-evening places: Knight's Cafe runs from 6:30AM to 9:30PM, and Ellen's Tuna Queen runs Monday to Saturday from 10:30AM to 9PM. That suggests dinner in Davao tends to happen on the early side, with many restaurants closing by around 9 or 9:30PM, and that a night out may well begin with an early meal and then move to a bar or cafe that stays open later. The sources do not say how late the bars run, so plan around the venues you intend to visit rather than assuming a late finish.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- All Saints' Day — 1 November
- All Souls' Day — 2 November
- Bonifacio Day — 30 November
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception — 8 December
- Christmas Eve — 24 December
- Christmas Day — 25 December
- Rizal Day — 30 December
- New Year's Eve — 31 December
- New Year's Day — 1 January
- Lailatul Isra Wal Mi Raj (tentative) — 6 January
- Lunar New Year's Day — 6 February
- Ramadan Start (tentative) — 8 February
Frequently asked questions
Is there a local drink I should try in Davao?
Yes. The source points to Tanduay Rum, which is billed around town as "the Number One Rhum".
Will every shop and restaurant in Davao sell alcohol?
No. Mindanao has a large Seventh Day Adventist population, and Adventists do not drink, so stores they own typically will not sell alcohol.
Can I smoke in bars and restaurants in Davao?
Davao is a no-smoking-in-public-places city, so expect to smoke only where a venue provides a designated area. The source notes that Basti's Coffee in Victoria Plaza has an enclosed, air-conditioned smoking section.
What time do places close?
The sources give specific hours for only a few venues: Knight's Cafe runs 6:30AM to 9:30PM, and Ellen's Tuna Queen runs Monday to Saturday from 10:30AM to 9PM. Hours for bars and other venues are not stated, so check with the venue before you go.
Decide where you want to eat, check the hours of the places you are considering, and build your evening around that rather than around a late finish.