Uptown Mall

Introduction

Uptown Mall is a high-class shopping mall situated at Bonifacio Global City (BGC). It is owned and operated by Megaworld Corporation which is the leading real estate company in the Philippines. Uptown Mall has a size of 85,000 square meters or 8.5 hectares. It provides tourists with a remarkable close-up view of high-rise buildings in the northern parts of BGC. Uptown Mall has a total of five floors which include the lower ground level.

According to its past history, Uptown Mall has been opened to the public in the year 2015. It is served as the principal point of Uptown Bonifacio township which includes office buildings and high-rise condominiums such as Uptown Ritz, One Uptown Residence, and Uptown Parksuites. Moreover, it is arranged to reconceptualize the retail, recreation, and entertainment outlook of Bonifacio Global City through its world-class amusement facilities, and elegant and polished store retail mix from the most acknowledged luxury brand in the fashion industry to the most in-demand local and international premium brands which include prominent foreign labels that are coming to the Philippines for the very first time. Presently, Uptown Mall is one of the best malls in the Philippines and it’s visited by thousands of mall-goers every week to have a memorable shopping and dining experience.

Name: Uptown Mall
Address: 36th Street corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Metro Manila
Features: Spectacular dancing fountain, St. Gabriel the Archangel Chapel, dining outlet, high-fashion brands, elegant food hall, and cinema

My trip to Uptown Mall

During the past few days, I was planning to have a mall tour at Bonifacio Global City. So I invited my companion named Francis and he immediately accepted my request. It was Saturday evening when we arrive at Uptown Parade.

Before we enter the main entrance of the mall I notice the water pond and beautiful dancing fountain show with some fire displays in front of Uptown Mall. Also, we noticed that people on the second floor love to dine in at plenty of restaurants near the fountain at night to have an outstanding view. For this reason, we think that the pretty dancing fountain show is the best attraction of the mall because it is so colorful and many mall-goers and bikers enjoy the awesome fountain at night. So we stay at the dancing fountain for nearly twenty minutes because it’s interesting to see the fountain with fire. It’s like a Las Vegas-inspired water feature.

Then we take a selfie at the big Uptown Mall signage and after that, we decided to enter the mall. Upon entering the mall, I see various signature and luxury brands of shoes, bags, jewelry, and apparel. The entrance is very welcoming. Even so, nothing is cheap, nothing on sale, regular price, and new arrivals. Then we noticed that the mall is not too crowded unlike other malls in Metro Manila. Nevertheless, the area around the mall is fancy and littered with many well-known cafes such as Tim Hortons and Starbucks. For a moment, I think that this mall is only for rich people and has a high status in life. Just kidding.

While roaming around the mall we feel very relaxed because the place is so clean, and safe and had a very organized display of every store. Also, inside the mall, I have a great atmosphere because it’s a very entertaining place for family and friends. I even see a movie theater as we continue to roam around. Then we head over to the fourth floor of the mall and we found out that there was a fancy food court and there are many selections to choose from. I and Francis decided to order food at Pepper Lunch.

We tried their beef pepper rice sets with miso soup and a supreme plate which includes shrimp, chicken, and pork. For this reason, our cravings are satisfied as the taste of the food is great. After that, I ordered pearl milk tea in Chatime as my drink. We go outside to the fourth-floor open-air area called the deck and we found out that there was a small chapel enclosed in tempered glass walls which can accommodate less than sixty people.

We also spotted a few restaurants offering alfresco dining. In addition, the tall buildings beside the Uptown Mall are eye-catching. We can even see from distance the JPMorgan Chase & Co. Tower and Mitsukoshi Mall which is the first-ever Japanese mall in the Philippines. As a result, the view around me was so refreshing. Then I said to myself that this place really offers a refuge from the busy city life.

Afterward, we have a short conversation and Francis told me that he feel like he was going for a walk abroad because of the beauty of this mall. It reminds him somehow of The Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates. It’s my ideal mall to visit. A good place to chill and dine and to hang out and relax because it has several open spaces. Uptown Mall is now one of my favorite malls to visit. Then he told me that can you imagine if the entire Metro Manila is like BGC. Then I think there’s a possibility for that if there’s unity and cooperation from the private and government sector about planning the urban landscape of Metro Manila.

Anyway, we head out to the lower ground of the mall and we see some food restaurants such as McDonald’s and Marugame Udon. Also, we spotted their Rustan’s supermarket which is not quite spacious but it’s very decent. A few minutes later, we go to their stylish restrooms and I noticed that even the toilets are well maintained and well-stocked. Without a doubt, it’s really a high-end mall. From my perspective, they got the name of the mall right as opposed to “Downtown”. The mall reminds me of the classic pop song Uptown Girl written by an American musician named Billy Joel.

We stayed at Uptown Mall for nearly three hours and we go to the street food bazaar in Uptown Parade later to have a satisfying nightlife spot. Overall, the trip going to Uptown Mall is really worth it and I will keep on coming back here to shop or unwind with family and friends. Also, I will recommend this mall to everyone who is planning to visit Bonifacio Global City in the near future.

How to Go to Uptown Mall

By commute

Option 1:

1. From Ayala Avenue in Makati City, ride a UV Express bound for Antipolo Rizal and tell the driver to alight you at PhilPlans Corporate Center along Kalayaan Avenue.
2. At PhilPlans Corporate Center, walk for fifteen minutes passing 10th Avenue and Uptown Parade to go inside the Uptown Mall.

Option 2:

1. From SM City North EDSA in Quezon City, walk your way towards MRT-3 North Avenue Station. Then at the MRT-3 North Avenue Station, ride a southbound train going to Guadalupe MRT Station in Makati City. 
2. At Guadalupe MRT Station, walk for three minutes to go inside the Guadalupe Commercial Complex or also known as Guadalupe Mall. Afterward, exit the mall on the other side and you will see the jeepney terminal.
3. Then ride a jeep with signage of Market Market and tell the jeepney driver to alight you at Uptown and the driver already knows it. After that, walk for three to five minutes to go inside the Uptown Mall.

Option 3:

1. From Market! Market! Mall in Taguig City, ride a jeep with signage of Guadalupe, and tell the driver to drop you off at Uptown.
2. Then walk for five minutes passing the XYLO at The Palace and Uptown Parade to go inside the Uptown Mall.

Option 4:

1. From Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati City, ride a passenger jeep with the signage of Guadalupe and tell the jeepney driver to drop you off near General Jacinto Street in Kalayaan Avenue.
2. At General Jacinto Street, there’s a tricycle terminal there beside the 7-Eleven convenience store. Ride a tricycle and tell the driver to drop you off near Metrobank or Grand Hyatt and they already know it. The tricycle fare is 20 pesos.
3. From the drop off point, you will walk for eight minutes to go to the Uptown mall entrance area.
   
   

By private car

Option 1:

1. Open your Waze app on your cellphone and pin Uptown Mall.
2. From EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue), make a right turn to proceed to Kalayaan Avenue in Makati City. 
3. Then after five to ten minutes of driving, turn right to 8th Avenue or 9th Avenue and you will pass JPMorgan Chase & Co. Tower, Landers Superstore, and XYLO at The Palace before you can go to the Uptown Mall parking area.

Option 2:

1. From Kapitolyo in Pasig City, take the BGC-Ortigas Link Bridge going to Bonifacio Global City. 
2. Then pass through 8th Avenue and you will see the Uptown Mall from distance.
   
   
   
   

Reminders and Tips:

• Uptown Mall hours start at 10 am and close at 10 pm every day.

• Most stores inside the Uptown Mall accept credit cards as a payment method.

• The restaurants in Uptown Mall that are worth the splurge are Max’s Restaurant, Buffalo Wild Wings, El Corazon, Six Doors BBQ Buffet, Italian restaurant Mamma Mia, Fely J’s Kitchen, Tim Ho Wan, Japanese restaurant Menya Kokoro, Texas Roadhouse, Ippudo, Pizza Express Philippines, and Marugame Udon.

• Uptown Mall is a pet-friendly place and has wheelchair-accessible parking, an entrance, and a lift.

• After you have explored Uptown Mall, you can go to nearby Bonifacio High Street to have a nice outdoor ambiance and nostalgic moments.

• St. Gabriel the Archangel Chapel on the fourth floor of the Uptown Mall has a mass schedule from Wednesday to Saturday around 6 pm. On the other hand, on Sunday they have two mass schedules starting at 12 pm and 6 pm in the evening.

• If you’re looking for an amazing movie experience, go over to Uptown Mall Cinema located on the third floor. The cinema ticket price in Uptown Mall range from 360 pesos up to 580 pesos. In addition, Uptown Mall Cinema’s schedule starts at 11:45 am and up to 9 pm in the evening. Note: the ticket price and screening time may change without prior notice.

• Pets and animals of all kinds are not allowed inside the cinema. Also, sharp or pointed objects of any kind are prohibited.

• The best time to visit Uptown Mall is from 6 pm up to 8:30 pm in the evening to have a cool and wonderful view of the surrounding.

• Last but not least, there’s a huge parking space on the basement floors of the mall from basement one up to basement six. As of February 2023, the Uptown Mall parking rate for vehicles is 50 pesos for the first 3 hours and additional 10 pesos for the succeeding hours. On the other hand, the parking rate for a motorcycle or electric bike is 30 pesos for the first 3 hours and additional 5 pesos for the succeeding hours.
  
  
  

There you have it, lovely mall goers. The more grateful you are, the less complaining you are, and once complaining disappears, misery disappears. Predominantly, I aspire that this Uptown Mall blog has been advantageous to you and made you wish to visit this amazing mall someday. Have a great day and thank you for the time to read my blog.