Written by Joseph Cesar
Photos by Jeff Pascual
Katipunan is a bustling avenue filled with food, drinks, and experiences to remember. Adding to the already busy avenue is The Pop Up. Easily spotted because of their high roof, The Pop Up is an architectural masterpiece as the variety of stalls found inside all have the same exact rectangular crate design! These metal crates might not look like much but leave it to the ingenuity of the people behind each stall to turn them into some of the most eye-catching ones around.
Each stall is decorated to stand out and look unique–sliding doors, custom designs, and neon lights are just some of the ways the owners got creative! Who would’ve thought that these colorful establishments were all just metal crates?
Now, despite having the same base for each stall, The Pop Up is distinguishable for its variety. At first glance, it may seem like a typical food park of some sorts but really going in and seeing it will immediately change your mind.
First off, I’m not sure it can even be called a food park. But not because of the lack of food choices! It’s the opposite, really. In fact, there are several options when it comes to food-dim sum, Peking duck, steak, burgers, ice cream, and so much more are all brought in by well-known establishments. But beyond the food, they have so much more, too!
Greeting you right at the entrance are the carnival-themed games that win you gigantic stuffed toys of all sorts. Interestingly, there’s another game that seems really simple–hang on the bar for 2 minutes and 30 seconds and you win whatever prize you want! But if you’ve worked out before or if you’ve tried to hang on a bar for as long as possible, you’d know that 30 seconds is pretty difficult and 2 minutes and 30 seconds is a Herculean task.
Worry not–after trying (and miserably failing) at the games, there will definitely be food and drinks ready to comfort you. If you’re not feeling up to eating yet, there’s always the option of going through their clothing stalls, too!
If you’re staying until night time then you’re in for a treat as they turn on the music and transform the vibe into a chill drinking place where you can buy drinks and hang out with your friends.
See? It isn’t exactly a food park–it is so much more than that! And to think that all of them came from hunks of metal crates! Amazing!
Check out these stalls for yourself and stay tuned for upcoming events by clicking here!
