At ten in the evening, Saturday night owls can often be found clambering up the café bar’s stairs and whooping it up, on any day of the week. The brisk sea winds, the mood set by the night sky, and the view from Manila Bay make it an idyllic and perfect place to down that bottle or bottles of ice-cold beer. Weekly, live bands, provided by the BayPark complex for its tenants perform a variety of musical genres, from jazz to rock. Added to that, the cheap P25 beer tag doesn’t hurt in filling the café bar’s 80 to 100 seating capacity.

"The idea was to have an alternative place to go to, which features a good view of Manila Bay complete with cool and calming sea breezes, good music, delicious and affordable food and beverages," says MJ’s general manager Joanne Olivares.

However, MJ’s isn’t only a spot for beer drinkers. "MJ’s Café Bar caters to a diverse market – students and employees who drop by after a school day or work day; families looking for a ‘pasyalan’ place with their kids, office or org groups looking for a venue for their social activities," Olivares adds.

Come earlier in the afternoon, and the second floor can be a scenic observation deck for the Manila sunset, while sipping on a cup of cappuccino or a shot of espresso. Families can sit down and enjoy a string of ice cream desserts, while breathing in the fresh sea air. For a fun alcohol-free night, enjoy a barkada videoke session (P300 per hour plus P200 consumable for food) inside the air-conditioned container van. Moreover, it’s also just a few steps away from BayPark’s Night Market Bazaar, inside the complex’s massive parking lot. But then again one can just simply opt for a nice al fresco dinner.

MJ’s has fashioned an extensive menu, though most of the dishes can be sorted out as beer-matches and bar-chows. However, there are dishes for the serious diner. The specialty of the house is their 12-inch grilled thin-crust pizzas, crunchy Italian-style in crust but American in toppings. Customer favorites in the line include the nicely textured Veggie Splurge (topped with slices of eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes), Cheesy Garlic (topped with minced garlic and mozzarella), and the New York Special (pepperoni, mushrooms, and green bell peppers).

For appetizers, the best to try would be their Garlic Mushrooms. The dish of button mushrooms sautéed with chopped garlic makes for a perfect beer mate. While the roasted Chili Chicken, basted in a sweetish, chili sauce is served for a hefty three or four.

Good as main courses include the unique Tuyo Pasta (angel hair pasta sautéed in olive oil and topped with bits of tuyo (dried fish), and the rice meal Chicken Teriyaki (boneless chicken awash in a tangy teriyaki sauce served with rice and vegetables). Other popular choices include the Spaghetti Filipino, Pasta Carbonara, and Fried Pork Belly.

For dessert, they offer several ice cream concoctions including a rich Banana Split Island Special and Fudge brownies ala mode. To cap meal try a Café Mocha or Iced cappuccino made from the Swiss coffee brand Chiccod’oro.

The menu doesn’t end there. Think of it as a free-for-all restaurant buffet. Customers can cross order from any of the strips’ restaurants. The restaurants along the strip tender cuisines that range from tacos to kebabs. One can be munching on a juicy barbeque from Bebeq next door. Chow down on authentic Korean cuisine from Seoul Seoul Hankook Kitchen a few container vans down. On the other hand, exchange that beer for hard liquor from the cocktail bar Manila Vice, take your pick from mai tais to a snifter of your favorite brandy.

This season of March graduations, MJ’s Café Bar will be offering affordable graduation packages, ranging from P1,500 to P2,500, inclusive of food and drink. Plus, they will also have special videoke party packages.