A lot of people would say mist businesses would fail within the first year of establishment. It’s a do or die situation as each month passes by. Owners begin to be more nitpicky and weary about sales and such especially when it could already see the year’s finish line. That is how Archie Galang, proprietor of Datu’s Bar and Lounge, feels as they celebrate their first anniversary.
Datu’s Bar and Lounge is hoisted on the third floor of Gabor Building (Wow Pharmacy) along the corner intersection of Capistrano and Cruz Taal Street. I first discovered this place last March of 2014. A friend posted a picture on social media of a mural she did for his friend’s bar that looked like a harmonious conglomerate of the abstraction of Urduja, Sarimanok, Filipino tribal instruments and many other tribal elements. It really made me curious about the place and went on a search for it. I looked up and heard plenty of cheers and more with lights dancing. Good thing there’s a signage now, it is way easier to find where to enter.
Going up the stairs last March 7, 2015 was both exciting and nostalgic for me. I was a newbie here before. I literally saw Datu’s grew right before my very eyes. I remember talking to Archie for the first time and asked him why Datu’s? Why such a theme? He simply answered, “I love everything about the Philippines! The food, people culture, everything!” I was astounded to find such patriotism from a Filipino-American who grew up in the USA. But more than that, I was inspired. I gazed upon the magnificence of the mural I was searching for. It was really a collection of everything great about us Filipinos – colorful yet collected, vibrant while being dark, the best of both world in layman’s terms.
The place was packed! People were enjoying the celebration! Datus has gone far and exceeded any expectation. Datu’s Bar and Lounge as nowhere to go but up. Congratulations to Archie Galang for making it the whole year! Congratulations to the whole Datus family! Cheers to a more vibrant, colorful, fun and exciting year.
This is truly a place where there are no strangers.
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