A few weeks ago, my friends and I had our Christmas party at Open Mic Acoustic Lounge in Banawa, Cebu City. I've known about the place for years now since I have lived in the area for so long, but never had the chance to go there. I saw that they did receive a Cebu Daily News' (CDN) Cebu's Best Award in the past. I don't know much about CDN's award system so I was rightfully intrigued if this hangout spot is deserving to be named one of Cebu's best.
Here are my thoughts.
Quick overview / Business hours
Open Mic is a KTV lounge - as its name suggests, provides an open mic experience where audience (musicians and non-musicians alike) can sing their hearts out in front of an audience. If you're booking an exclusive room, it would be more like an elevated karaoke experience because they do have a platform for every area which would make one feel like it's a performance rather than just a group of people sitting around in a room.
They are open from Monday to Sunday from 6:00 pm to 1:00 am.
Booking Experience: Exclusive Party Room
I saw that they had per head rates, but in this section I would specifically talk about booking an exclusive party room. You may call the contact numbers found on their Facebook page or message the page directly. I did the latter.
Link to Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/openmicacousticlounge
They reply pretty quickly. They sent me the packages for the exclusive party room, menu, corkage rules, etc. Once I chose the package that we wanted (we chose the 2nd Floor) and the total reservation fee Php 8,000 with consumable of Php 6,000. There was a Php 2,000 deposit needed to reserve the room and this was deducted from our total bill. If you're booking other room types, the deposit rate may be different. After my deposit was confirmed, they sent me the calendar again but this time with our reservation reflected on the date we chose.
The use of the exclusive room is up to 12:00 am.
We were also asked to send our food order in advance. They have pre-set menus that is below the consumable amount, but we didn't go for that. We chose the dishes that we wanted.
How was the food?
Overall, even though only one dish stood out from the rest, the food was actually pretty great and was way better than the other KTV bars I've experienced. I'll go through my thoughts in general categories of Great, Good and So-So instead of talking about each one.
The Great
I would like to sincerely apologise because I forgot to take a photo of their sisig. It came last and didn't think much of it since I thought it would be just like any other sisig. I honestly was so surprised of how good it was. I believe and I sincerely hope that it was made from scratch because it tasted homemade, seasoned really well, the spice was just the right amount of kick and was really great to have on its own or with a side of rice.
The Good
The dishes that were really good, but didn't stand out as much as the sisig were bam-i, lumpiang shanghai, grilled tangigue, lechon kawali and the calamari. Don't get me wrong - these dishes weren't bad at all. They just seemed like how I had them at most restaurants but again, much better than the rest of the KTV places in the city.
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| Calamares, Php 350 |
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| Bam-i, Php 320 |
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| Grilled Tangigue, Php 370 |
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| Lechon Kawali, Php 300 |
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| Lumpiang Shanghai, Php 640 |
The So-So
These ones fell below the bar just a bit except for the kropek because there's nothing much to judge about it - it's just good ol' kropek. Lol. I just think it's a little overpriced.
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| Kropek, Php 340 |
The peanuts and chips. While the peanuts are good and spicy, the chips are just I believe are the regular Mr. Chips because they taste exactly like it.
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| Peanuts and Chips, Php 150 |
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| Scallops, Php 380 |
How was the place?
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| Open Mic Acoustic Lounge - Second Floor (2/F) |
We booked the 2nd floor for exclusive use which I think is the best way to experience it if you come in groups. I think this area would fit perhaps 12 people comfortably.
As I mentioned, this room also has its own platform, a stand mic and a wired mic for that full mini concert experience. The sound system is also really great but the volume cannot be adjusted. They also had tambourines and maracas.
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| Open Mic Acoustic Lounge - Second Floor (2/F) |
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| Open Mic Acoustic Lounge - Second Floor (2/F) |
And if you're like me who always wonders what the toilets/comfort rooms are like in places, here's a treat. The second floor exclusive room also has its own private toilet/comfort room which by the way, was also very clean and smelled really nice. This aspect sealed the deal for me. It might be trivial for others, but this honestly matters on how comfortable a place can be. Also, there's a sink as wash area right outside it.
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Sink/Wash Area
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How was the service?
There were two attendants on our floor and there is a call button inside the room for them. The ladies were very friendly and they were very welcoming. They had the same smile from the start of the night until we left at around midnight - I think this great service is really worth noting. By far, I think this KTV has the best service in the city.
In conclusion...
Other than a handful of slightly overpriced food and the fact that there was no reception area (I just went straight up to the second floor because the front of the place were just an entrance to another exclusive room and the stairs), this is by far the best KTV lounge that I have ever experienced in Cebu. The place is very comfortable and really exclusive. If you'd like to level up your KTV game with your group, I highly suggest looking into Open Mic Acoustic Lounge. It truly well-deserving to be named one of Cebu's best.
Disclaimer: As you can tell by my not so poetic description of the food that I am not a food critic/expert nor have I ever claimed to be one. This is out of personal experience. Your experience and preferences may differ from mine. This review is not written with the intention to harm any individual, group or business. This review is not sponsored nor is it in any other type of x-deals.
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