A display cabinet filled with boxing, football, racing, and basketball mementos—some even signed by their respective sport heroes—stands right at the heart of a sports bar at one of the unlikeliest places in Parañaque City.

I was invited to cover this bar’s opening, which was graced by not a few PBA basketball stars, but I was on the northern part of the country, busy revisiting Vigan City. A few weeks after, en route to Terminal One of the Manila International Airport for a flight outside the country, I decided to visit the bar rather than wait at the airport and see what the fuss was about.

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Welcome to J.J. Sports Bar.

Located along the busy Airport Road in Parañaque City, an area where dubious disco bars and pubs abound, one would not think to find such a high-end type of bar this side of the metro. From the outside, its exterior is unassuming; dark floor to ceiling glass fronted by al fresco high chairs and tables.

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But once you pass through the swinging double-door stamped with the bar’s logo, the transition is quickly apparent. I was immediately transported to a posh bar that looks more at home with the streets of Makati or BGC.

I was definitely impressed.

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From the bar’s floor, up to its ceiling, everything looked snazzy; funky checkered tiles, leathered seats, shiny wooden tables, multiple television monitors, and tons and tons of sports memorabilia. The upper niche of the ceiling has photos from famous boxing matches, basketball stars, football legends, and even UFC fights. It is a sports fan’s wet dream come true.

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And one can immediately tell that the owner of J.J. Sports Bar is a Pacman aficionado. The place has a huge poster of the boxer, a sculpted figurine of Manny beating the daylights out of Juan Manuel Marquez, and a signed boxing glove of the sports icon himself.

For non-sports fan, the bar is also a good place to harness one’s vocal potential. With five flat-panel televisions lining its walls—the largest of which, a 75-inch monster TV—one can sing his hearts out to favorite karaoke tunes. The mic is passed from table to table and for a minimum fee, one can either sing or simply play one’s favorite drinking soundtrack.

But still, this is a sports bar, so expect that big-ass television to be broadcasting sports game for quite a while.

I was a bit hungry when I arrived at the bar, good thing their resident chefs, Vinch and Arnel, was ready to whip out some of their magic from the kitchen. I was just flabbergasted by the amount of dishes they produced in the least amount of time.

Please scroll down and drool with me.

Chicharon Bulaklak (₱225.00)


Whole Fried Chicken (₱395.00)


Seafood Canton Guisado (₱225.00)


Buffalo Wings (₱195.00)


Crispy Pata (₱395.00)


Buttered Chicken (₱285.00)


Kilawing Tanigue (₱345.00)


Shrimp Tempura (₱425.00)


Kimchi Chigae (₱195.00)

From the usual appetizers, to soups, meat dishes, noodles, pastas, sandwiches, salads, to even Korean and Japanese cuisines. J.J. Sports Bar’s menu indeed runs deep.

The price is definitely reasonable once you see how generous the servings are. I’d say a typical serving can be good enough for three to four persons, depending on the dish. But if you’re scrimping a bit, they also have silog meals that are pegged at ₱75.00 only. Not bad eh?

I was joined by a few friends to try out all the dishes served as I can’t possible finish everything. While each one was superb, the most notable dishes that really made an impression on me were their kimchi chigae, crispy pata (superrrr crunchy!), and fried chicken (crunchy outside, soft inside).

But if I were to choose just one, I’d have to say it’s their Kimchi Chigae.

It was absolutely the bomb with its authentic Korean kimchi flavor and very spicy sauce. I was even told that a Korean guy once ordered this and proclaimed it to be better than those found at his home country. It goes really well with rice. Well, actually I don’t recommend it without rice as it would probably send your tongue aflame.

It’s also worth mentioning that their kilawin was also good, it is without any fishy aftertaste. And their chicharon bulaklak goes really well with beer (which they have a lot, by the way).

And speaking of beer, the bar included in the name of J.J. Sports Bar is not for naught.

The place is overflowing with different kinds of spirits, it would make your head spin before you can even spell Red Horse. Aside from the local ones, they have Stella Artois—which is their most popular beer—Corona, Sapporo, Tsing Tao, Chimay, and of course, Heineken to name just a few.

They also serve cocktails and hard drinks, which although looks really beautiful and probably are very deadly, are really not my cup of tea (or alcohol for that matter). Their barista was kind enough to let me take a few shots though, both photographically and err, physically.

Deciding to show off a bit before we went home, he started stacking shot and wine glasses to a great height before setting everything aflame. It was mesmerizing to watch, to say the least.

All in all, I did have a great time whiling away my time at J.J. Sports Bar while waiting for my flight to commence. The bar has superb ambience, good food, and excellent drinks—and all just a few minute’s walk away from the airport.

It’s definitely a better alternative than sitting at the airport’s floor with nothing to do but look at my watch and try to connect to a weak Wi-Fi signal.

J.J. Sports Bar
Address: 1725 Airport Road cor. G.G. Cruz, Baclaran, Paranaque City
Contact Number: (0917) 200-9490 | (0949) 777-2070
Opening Hours: 5:00PM Onwards
GPS Coordinates Map: 14.527040, 120.996306