Filipinos love their music loud. Volumes are pushed to the highest decibels because, quite frankly, Filipinos themselves are culturally loud people.
At GotSoul MNL, their philosophy flips that idea on its head, as listening comes first.
In music culture, a “needle drop” is the moment when the stylus hits the record, and the song begins, perfectly syncing with a moment in time. GotSoul MNL echoes this, with unexpected shifts in sound, food, and drink.
Mounted on the wall is a decibel meter, facing the DJ booth for them to mindfully monitor. During dinner, the room hums between 75 and 80 db. When the energy builds later on, it climbs (but rarely) past 95 to 100, depending on the crowd, the file quality, and whether the music is spinning on vinyl or playing digitally.
“You’re not going to last in a place if it’s too loud and painful to the ears,” says co-founder and famed DJ, Manolet “Mano” Dario, now in his 45th year of spinning. “We have to make sure everyone gets a clear sound.”
With this clarity, there’s no ear fatigue or shouting on the dance floor. Energies are focused on rhythm, conversation, and a dance floor that really, truly listens.
From Montreal record label to Manila’s F&B scene
GotSoul began as a record label in 2000, focused on underground deep and soulful house, founded by Filipino Canadian DJ Jojo Flores. Inspired by London, New York, and Tokyo’s listening bar culture, he and his brother Toddy opened Café GotSoul in Montreal in 2001.
“He put his love of design, his love of coffee, and his love of hi-fi equipment into it,” shares Benjamin “Benjo” Marquez, who helms the architecture, music, whiskey, and coffee programs. “In Montreal, there were Eames chairs, high-end La Marzocco machines, rotary mixers, vintage speakers—this is where GotSoul started.”
In 2025, the brand expanded to Café GotSoul in Boracay, and now, it has founded a space in Manila. “We wanted to elevate the concept of GotSoul,” Marquez says. “Not make it stuffy or rundown… But elevate the food, the sound system, the service, the fit and finish. It’s solidity.”
“We wanted to elevate the concept of GotSoul… the food, the sound system, the service, the fit and finish. It’s solidity,” says Marquez.
From marble surfaces to Italian tiles to award-winning locally manufactured chairs by Exploratory Projects, GotSoul MNL shows the brand fully, soulfully realized.
Where tapas meet vinyl
It’s a lesser-known fact that before becoming one of Asia’s most respected chefs—behind fine dining projects Gallery by Chele and Asador Alfonso—Michelin-star chef Chele Gonzalez was a professional DJ in San Francisco’s ’90s rave scene. By the 2000s, he had opened his own club. Immersed in the electronic revolution of the time, Gonzalez has long seen music and food as reflections of one another.
Together with chef Carlos Villaflor, Gonzalez crafted a menu that merges Spanish heritage, now seasoned with Filipino flavors—and the curatorial direction is clear throughout the whole menu.
A standout tapa is the Jamón Explosion with Manchego mousse and puffed bread. One bite and it floats, then explodes in your mouth with the taste of soft cheese and ham. There are classic tapas, such as gambas al ajillo, too, with interesting ceviche de mackerel with gazpacho, strawberry, and kamote crisp.
Among the mains, the Iberico Steak Bicol Express perfectly combines Filipino and Spanish flavors, with the robust flavor of pinakbet purée and the spice of pickled green chili. There’s also Pulpo a la Plancha, layered with potato espuma, and tart lemon aioli, a subtle touch of Eastern flavors through togarashi. The Sisig Pasta is another standout, as the crunch of chicharon is layered over creamy alfredo, brightened with a sharp touch of calamansi.
And true to his roots, Gonzalez ensures the Basque-style mackerel is also done flawlessly.
Steaks for sharing range from Chuleta Ribeye with mashed potato, garlic, and mushroom al ajillo to Wagyu Bistek with garlic rice and charred onions, or classic Angus USDA with fries. For paellas, choose from Marisco, Cebu Lechon, or Chicken Inasal Paella, blending Filipinos’ love for rice and local flavors with the classic Spanish dish.
Desserts round out the menu. Finish off with a rich chocolate tart topped with a giant dollop of sweetened, vanilla-flavored whipped cream (crème Chantilly), or go lighter with mango and black sesame on coconut panna cotta, drizzled with miso caramel and topped with a delicate honey tuile.
Through such an expressive menu, the meal comes through like a DJ set—layered, expressive, and set up in a manner meant to be shared.
Eat, drink, dance, repeat
The drinks are just as carefully composed. Court of Master Sommeliers, Cyril and Pierre Addison, shape a wine program of over 25 labels that’s thoughtful without being intimidating. Meanwhile, CEO JP Enriquez doesn’t just manage the business, but leads the tequila program. An expansive cocktail and non-alcoholic menu was also crafted by Marina Wilkis.
The cocktails draw on the precision of Japanese hi-fi bar culture while incorporating Filipino ingredients. There is a range of highballs, from the Funky Highball with Japanese whisky and Filipino ginger ale to the Lo-Fi Highball with barley shochu and herbal barley cola. There are also gin and tonics that surprise the palate with unexpected, exotic, and Filipino ingredients, like the Soul with yuzu and bignay, or the OPM with calamansi cordial.
Other short drinks include the Barrio Soul, a dark, citrusy mix of Intramuros Vermouth and gin, the Acid Jazz, blending mezcal, dayap, wasabi, and nori, or the Sangria Manila Sound—perfect to get into that Spanish-style groove. On the other hand, the house-made Intramuros Vermouth is especially unique, as GotSoul infuses Spanish wine with local citrus and wormwood.
For those preferring non-alcoholic options, there are 0 percent ABV highballs like the Gazpacho Soda or Pineapple Tepache, alongside seasonal kombucha flavors ranging from pandan to green tea.
But GotSoul isn’t just for dinner and drinks. Guests can start their day savoring specialty coffee, especially with their newly launched brunch menu. Then, move through an all-day tapas menu, and as evening descends, fall deeply into a high-fidelity dining and intimate dancefloor experience.
With years in nightlife—from Time, Republiq, and Valkyrie to VIP services and F&B management in a top luxury hotel—co-founder and famed DJ Manolet “Mano” Dario’s wife Dee manages overall operations as general manager. She also orchestrates the transition from dinner to the dance floor.
“We do dinner service from 5 to 9 p.m., and once the DJ starts, even the mood, the light, the ambiance transition,” she explains. “By 11 p.m., we make the place dark, with red lights and the mirror wall.” The dinner crowd then gradually transforms into the drinking crowd, as she ensures the space flows properly, from programming and reservations to service and general energy.
“Once the DJ starts, even the mood, the light, the ambiance transition,” explains Dee.
A seriously serious sound system
Another co-founder, Jason Soong, leads the sound system and music program along with Manolet and Marquez. Speaking to the founders, they geek out over the specs, and it’s clear that the sound system is of utmost importance and the beating heart of the space.
There are two systems, a contemporary quadraphonic system and a vintage Altec Lansing A5 with original Altec Lansing 1003B multi-cell horns, powered by a Gold Note PA-10 amplifier, along with Modern TPI speakers and amplifiers and JBL bullet tweeters. While gear includes the gold standard—Technics 1200 limited edition turntables, rotary mixers from Japan, CDJ 3000s, and Class A amplification.
While all of these specs fly over my head, it’s evident that GotSoul MNL has high standards for their hi-fi experience, with clear sound so you can stay the whole night laughing and conversing, while still feeling that good bass in your chest.
Needle drop after needle drop
“With affordable prices, the young feel equally engaged and comfortable,” Mano shares. “We make sure the price points are accessible… It’s not ostentatious. Even the service is very personable. It’s casual, it’s fun.”
“We make sure the price points are accessible… It’s not ostentatious… It’s casual, it’s fun,” shares Mano.
From the expertly orchestrated music setup to the inventive food and drinks, GotSoul MNL is full of little “needle drop” moments, or surprises that catch you off guard through their creative choices.
“We want to be a cultural space. A hub for music and community. A place where creative people leave more inspired than when they came in,” Marquez continues. “We want DJs to play vinyl here. Our sound system sounds even better on vinyl. We’re not dictating genres—funk, soul, jazz, Latin, deep house, disco—but it has to be done tastefully.”
DJs are given the freedom to dig deep into their crates, sharing tracks that may have never seen the light of day, now listened to by an appreciative audience.
In a local culture often overwhelmed by volume, GotSoul MNL offers a rare third space, in a listening bar where you can truly dance, without pretension. At this new dig, come for dinner at 75 decibels, stay for the red lights at midnight, have a drink, do a little dance. And come back to do it all over again
GotSoul MNL is located at Forbestown Rd, Taguig, 1630 Metro Manila. Contact 0956 196 6020 for reservations
Photos by JT Fernandez. Special thanks to Nicole Thorp
