This Hidden QC Gem Is Home to Great Pizzas, Lambanog Cocktails, and an Artist Community

Masukal Bistro 
45 Matimtiman Street corner Magiting Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City
Instagram: www.instagram.com/masukal_bistro

(SPOT.ph) Teachers Village has cemented itself as a food-filled neighborhood, what with all the dining spots along the animated streets of Maginhawa and Malingap. On the more low-key end of the spectrum, however, is Matimtiman street—a highly residential area where you’ll find Masukal Bistro.

The small eatery-slash-gathering place isn’t hidden, per se. But it is easy to miss as it mostly resembles a house from the outside—one with folks occasionally going in and out anyway, and foliage peeking through the Magiting street sign and right by the entrance. Fret not; easily seen by the same area is the Masukal Bistro sign to assure you’ve come to the right place.

Amid the smoke and sound of meat sizzling on the outdoor grill is a hushed but present buzz—the totality of soft chatter and laughter among the people in it. Duos and groups of friends (many seemingly students, artists, and/or activists) make up the majority of its visitors. This extends to the administrative side of things, as Masukal Bistro is first and foremost a cooperative—that is, a tight community of visual artists, musicians, photographers, and photojournalists who own the food and drink ventures in the space: Gedli Coffee for cups of joe, Alugbati for vegan eats; El Hermano Loco for street tacos; Riot Grrrl for sausages and burgers; Lōōb for cocktails; Terra Bomba Kitchen for pizzas; and Terra Bombar for beer and pulutan (plus Terra Bomba for terrariums).

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Check out Masukal Bistro in Quezon City:

“Savage,” “wild,” “dense,” “thick,” or “weedy” are some of the ways the Tagalog word masúkal can be translated in English; it’s specifically used in the context of forests or paths, and as mentioned, you do find plenty of plants around the Bistro’s space. But the story behind their name is one more jesting. Teacher’s Village is full of streets named after Filipino ma- adjectives, and they sought to find a way to “wedge” themselves into the area. So they settled on masúkal. “The plants were my suggestion as a way of reducing decoration costs,” laughs Antares Gomez Bartolome, who owns Lōōb.

Formerly a bartender for Catch 272 who describes himself as a “strange list of hyphens,” Bartolome met some of the other co-owners through other avenues and communities he’s been part of through the years—as a student of the College of Fine Arts in UP (where he met Mity of Gedli Coffee), and as a member of artist alliance RESBAK (where he met Kat of Alugbati and Mike of Terra Bomba). Gino of Terra Bomba and Marco of El Hermano Loco were also in a band with Bartolome’s younger brother; Mity, Gino, and Kat met Riot Grrrl's Cindy and Kit through the skater-punk scene. Gino and Mike also started artist-run space NO (also located at 45 Matimtiman, but occupying a different area) with other friends. “Ganun, iba't-ibang konek pero nagtatagpo rin mga tao do’n sa space,” Bartolome  tells us.

Masukal Bistro’s location today used to be a house owned by the mom of Gino, which formerly hosted Leona Art Restaurant followed by a now-closed Japanese restaurant. During the lockdown in 2021, Bartolome tells us, people started gathering in the house—and so gradually, starting with what would soon become Gedli Coffee, they started selling food and drink to cater to these guests. Bartolome entered a year later, in 2022, upon receiving an invite to serve alcoholic drinks for Gedli’s first anniversary. It was during a stay at Bartolome’s house in Laguna that they came up with the name Masukal, and the Bistro as we know it today debuted more officially in September of 2022.

Pizzas, Vegan Eats, and Cocktails Not to Miss

Bartolome gained fascination for the world of cocktails during his time at Catch 272, during which he was taught the bar’s signature recipes by then-assistant manager Tao. Today, Bartolome draws cocktail-making inspiration for Lōōb from different sources. Curiously, one of these inspirations is “food,” perhaps because he himself loves to cook; Bartolome is, however, mindful to avoid going past the P300 mark for the resulting libations. The Foot Fetish (P220) is as irreverent as it is eye-opening, combining blue cheese lambanog with Frangelico and honey-cider vinegar, while the sioktong- and cherry liqueur-spiked Champuy (P220) delivers the sweet-tangy profile of its namesake—and is topped with two strips of it for nibbling on in between sips.

Like him, the other members of the cooperative—who themselves come from different backgrounds, and wear many hats—express their love for food and drink  through their ventures at Masukal Bistro. Each has its own standouts; some of the author’s picks from a recent visit are Terra Bomba’s pizza, particularly the Talinum-Vegan (starts at P100/10 inches) with talinum (Philippine spinach); El Hermano Loco’s Tacos de Carnitas (P100/two pieces, P150/three pieces) with a tender, yet rightfully punchy, carnitas filling; and the Mushroom Sisig from Alugbati.

Serving the Community

You’d be remiss to reduce Masukal Bistro as just a dining spot as the cooperative regularly plays host to events held by peers and networks of the  members of the cooperative. Many aim educate or raise funds for social issues—recently they held a videoke night to raise funds for jeepney drivers in light of the phaseout, and a poetry reading for the Free Amanda Echanis Movement. 

Other events give other artists an avenue to showcase their work. Some are held on a regular or semi-regular basis—Sunday Merienda Jazz sessions, Acoustic Nights, bazaars featuring items by independent artists, album launches, and so on.

“[We aim to] create a safe environment that people in the communities we are part of can use for gatherings, events, and other activities,” says Bartolome. 

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