It’s Saturday night. Young people are dressed up for a night-out with friends after a long week at work. Some are heading to their favorite bars and pubs to dance the night away, while some go to their favorite gig spot to catch and sing along to their favorite band performing live.
But this was before the pandemic, when young professionals really looked forward to the weekend to have a quick break from the daily hustle and grind.
Currently, most clubs and bars closed their doors, while a few were able to adapt and shift to provide a space for Cebuanos who need to unwind.
A group of friends who worked in different fields — Mitz Vikki Jao, Niko and Pinky Basubas, and Rico Adarna — opened X Marks the Spot, a café and bar where one can literally practice work-life balance — working or co-working with friends while hanging out.
The café and bar features fast internet speed, plenty of charging ports, comfortable lounge stations and lots of good vibe. It is inspired by one of their favorite hangout spots in Poblacion, Makati.
It all started as a café offering good cups of joe and all-day breakfast meals for the HQ Hostel guests where the café and bar is nestled. Just recently, when it reopened its doors to the public, the owners introduced a new set of Asian fusion menu created by its chef, who is well-known for his expertise in this cuisine.
X Pad Thai Noodles, its version of pad thai; shrimp bao; grilled karate chops; chicken biryani; and all Thai’d up quesadilla are must-tries on the menu before or in between taking sips of coffee for boozy drinks, if you want to be hyped up.
X Marks the Spot is the only bar that offers unlimited frozen sangria, margarita and gin all day long in Cebu. It even has a cart dedicated for its unlimited gin offerings. It also boasts signature cocktails, such as X lover, a mix of gin, passion fruit, honey lemon and red wine; and X highball, a Sakura-inspired drink made of white rum, lemon, watermelon and tonic water, to name a few, concocted by its head bartender.
Aside from its newly launched Asian fusion menu and luscious drinks, X Marks the Spot’s seamlessly eclectic yet relaxed interior and moody lighting — making every spot Instagrammable — would steal one’s heart.
The café and bar features a varied mixture of furnishing — neon lights, colorful skulls and art pieces on the wall, lounge tables made from recycled bottles, statement decors — created, designed and curated by the owners themselves, mostly by Rico and Nico. Throughout X Marks the Spot, a constant motif is the letter X and neon lights, from the interiors to the drinks and food.
Pets are also welcome at its al fresco dining area. Pupresso is also available for one’s furbaby.
The café and bar is also a proud advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. That is why it dedicates a day for the community and calls it Wednesday Pride. Drinks being served are also Pride-inspired.
If one misses the old cheerful and lively Cebu, come and visit on Saturday when local DJs play top hits, just like the old times, but following strict health and safety measures, of course. To limit its guests, X Marks the Spot only accepts guests who have made prior reservations for Wednesday and on Saturdays, it strictly accommodates 50 guests only, which is half of its seating capacity.
X Marks the Spot is located in Queensland Manor, Rahmann St., Cebu City and is open from Monday to Saturday between 2 and 10 p.m.