Breezy. Unpretentious. Cool vibe. We’re there.

We have yet to drop by the swanky bar-of-the-moment The Backroom over the at Shangri-la in BGC, but we don’t mind being a few months late for Boogie, the relatively new drinking joint in Kalayaan Avenue run by the same people who brought us Finders Keepers, Black Market and 20/20.

Like the vibe of that last one, Boogie seems to attract a mix of the young and fairly older crowd—and by that we mean the 30 to 40somethings like us. Boogie, however, possesses more of a house party vibe compared to the grownup atmosphere of Pasong Tamo’s 20/20 with its glass walls and fancy cocktails. For starters, Boogie was once a real residence, and the people behind the club have wisely kept its bones, the second floor veranda included. “What sets it apart from the rest is that the music is good for everyone, but we have managed to keep it non-mainstream,” says Anna Sobrepena Ong who runs Boogie with a number of partners. “The music ranges from funk, soul, disco, hip-hop and everything in between.”

Fridays and Saturdays get pretty packed, says Ong, a veteran of the nightout scene. “Boogie attracts all ages since the music is diverse. Sunday—my favorite day to be at Boogie—has that picnic vibe since we have a barbecue grill going on and Bloody Marys being passed around.”

We dropped by on a Thursday night, an evening before the storm Ompong, and there was a crowd of college and yuppie types--no fashionista in sight--chatting and drinking and smoking under a canopy of leaves that wonderfully found its way to the establishments's open-air balcony. Over at our side, there was gin and tonic, a glass of whiskey, beer, and what is easily the best chicharon bulaklak this side of Poblacion.

Breezy. Unpretentious. And with a welcoming vibe even for us who did disco the first time it was groovy. We’re staying.

Boogie is open Wednesdays to Saturdays from 5 pm to 2 am, and on Sundays at 3 pm to 12 mn. It is located at 8483 Kalayaan Avenue corner Matilde Street, Barangay Poblacion, Makati.