QC Wine and Sake Bar Lets You Sip Boldly and Forget the Rules

On a Thursday night in Scout Rallos, Quezon City, Matador hums with the kind of energy that makes you want to linger. Glasses clink over plates of miso pork belly paella, the scent of torched Wagyu drifts through the air, and a smooth, unhurried soundtrack sets the tone for an easy night. The room glows in warm, wine-inspired tones—rust, amber, and deep crimson—set off by dark wood that adds just enough polish. Somewhere between the Spanish tapas and Japanese izakaya plates, between New World wines and sparkling sake, you realize this isn’t your usual wine bar. There’s no intimidation here, no raised eyebrows if you mispronounce a grape varietal. At Matador, the newest space from the founders of ReCraft and Bar.Flora, it’s not about drinking right—it’s about drinking well.

The space glows in warm, grape-inspired tones, set off by dark wood accents.

“Matador came from a craving we shared: a spot that serves great food with depth and technique, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. We wanted a place where wine felt approachable, not pretentious,” explains Denise Castro, who heads brand and marketing for Matador and Bar.Flora.

“We’ve all been to wine bars where you feel like you have to know something to belong. At Matador, we want to flip that on its head. Here, it’s okay to be curious, to not know how to pronounce Chistora or what Sans Soufre means,” she tells Esquire Philippines.

For the founders, the name Matador “evokes drama, courage, and performance.”

True to its name—which the founders say “evokes drama, courage, and performance”—Matador is a space that doesn’t play it safe, but rather makes bold choices and challenges wine expectations.

“Compared to ReCraft’s experimental cocktails or Bar.Flora’s botanical-forward gin and tea-infused identity, Matador is bold, rebellious, and grounded in flavor-forward experiences with wine and sake,” describes Castro. “It’s our most food-driven concept yet, and the one that plays most with contrast: Spanish-Japanese tapas, elegant wines with approachable knowledge, structure and chaos in one room.”

Chipirones and Chorizo Temakis

Here, guests are free to choose a wine they like without fussing over its origin or prestige, and no one will blink if they pair Wagyu Pintxos with sparkling sake.

“We lead with vibe, not vocabulary. Our team is trained to read the guest and recommend without intimidation. Instead of asking, ‘Do you prefer a medium-bodied red?’ we might ask, ‘Want something smooth and chill or bright and juicy?’ We’re not shy about letting guests discover by feel,” says Castro.

From South Africa to Japan, Matador’s wine and sake take you places.

When asked why they chose to highlight New World wines and sake, Castro explains that the team views both as a mix of tradition and innovation. “With New World wines, there’s a sense of freedom. You can find boldness, unexpected terroirs, and winemakers rewriting rules. Sake, on the other hand, brings precision and subtlety. Together, they tell a story of tradition meeting courage, just like our dishes.”

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Described as “izakaya meets tapas,” Matador’s menu was designed to encourage guests to talk, share, and keep tasting. “Tapas and izakaya both champion sharing, grazing, and storytelling through food. Our chefs took techniques and ingredients from both Japanese and Spanish culinary cultures, then fused them with a Manila lens: accessible, inventive, and soul-satisfying. That’s why we have things like Sake-Infused Gambas or Queso Tempura Toast. They’re love letters to both worlds,” she offers.

Miso Paella

For first timers, Castro recommends the Wagyu Pintxos as a good starting point, “elevated, indulgent, but not stiff.” The Queso Tempura Toast is another standout, “playful, unexpected, and instantly comforting,” while “the Miso Pork Belly Paella captures the flavor-forward, east-meets-west ambition we’re proud of.”

The Pintxos and Shiitake Croquettas are crowd favorites, and that comes as no surprise. But the runaway love for the Patatas Fritas, Mochi & Candied Salami, and the booze-free Zero% Sangria proves that even the quieter items can steal the show.

Patatas Fritas

For Castro and the team, Matador is proof that wine doesn’t have to be intimidating to be good. “QC has long been hungry for more elevated, experience-driven concepts without the pretense, and we’re happy to help raise that bar. If we can make even one person fall in love with wine or try sake for the first time, then we’re doing our job,” she says.

Matador is located at 2F F7 Building, 49 Scout Rallos, Diliman, Quezon City.