Quezon City/Cubao

Cubao is the commercial heart of Quezon City, at the intersection of EDSA and Aurora Boulevard.

Understand

Araneta Center, viewed from Santa Mesa, Manila

While the Triangle and Scout Area is the government, entertainment and nightlife hub, Cubao is the grand old commercial heart of Quezon City, with Araneta Center at its core. This district only developed in the late 1950s, when the Araneta family bought a piece of rural land once owned by RCA and built its first buildings. Cubao started to blossom with the construction of the Araneta Coliseum, which further become famous for the "Thrilla in Manila" boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975. The first shopping mall to open is Ali Mall, named after Muhammad Ali; other buildings followed, like SM Cubao, New Frontier Theatre (Kia Theatre from 2015 until 2018), Fiesta Carnaval (now a Shopwise supermarket), and Farmer's Plaza. The popularity of Cubao slowly declined as larger shopping malls and commercial developments begin to appear outside the area, but, the area's status as the traditional shopping center of Quezon City refuses to die; the Araneta family, who owned Araneta Center, has begun a redevelopment project for the area to return it to its former glory.

Cubao is not limited to Araneta Center, administered as part of barangay Socorro; the district extends into barangays Immaculate Conception, Kaunlaran, San Martin de Porres (Arayat), San Roque, and Silangan, all part of the former barangay until it was divided into smaller barangays. Local addresses continue to utilize Cubao as the barangay.

Get in

By public transit

Cubao lies at the intersection of Lines 2 and 3, and is reachable from both of them; the stations of both lines are named Araneta Center-Cubao, so, it can be a matter of confusion on what line to take. Line 2 runs above Aurora Avenue west from Manila into Santolan in Pasig. Line 3 is built at the middle of EDSA and runs from Taft Avenue in Pasay to North Avenue within Quezon City.

By bus

By city bus

Cubao is well served by city buses around Metro Manila, and the EDSA–Aurora intersection is heavily packed and very noisy all day; all city buses must pass through EDSA's service roads and stop either at the Cubao-Farmers (for city buses A/C) or near the Baliwag Transport bus terminal (for city buses B). The Cubao-Farmers bus stop is far near Araneta Center and the Baliwag bus stop is far across Aurora Boulevard, at the end of the EDSA-Aurora underpass.

By provincial bus

Cubao is a major provincial bus hub, and many bus companies have their terminals clustered around EDSA, Aurora Boulevard or Araneta Center. Most buses terminating in Cubao are bound for destinations in northern Luzon, while some buses for southern Luzon and the rest of the southern Philippines.

Bus terminals

By airport bus

From Ninoy Aquino International Airport, you can take the Cubao route of UBE Express to Araneta Center, ₱100 per head. Travel time can over 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on traffic on EDSA.

By jeepney

Get around

See

• 🌍 Art in Island, 175 15th Street (Beside the Union Square condominium). 9:30-21:30. Interactive art museum where visitors can pose for a picture with 3D paintings in exhibit. (updated Dec 2018)
• Gateway Museum (Fifth floor of Gateway Mall (see #Buy)). Museum dedicated to Filipino arts and supporting new artists. (updated Dec 2018)

Skyscrapers

Seasonal

• "Christmas is Home" (At the Times Square Food Park). Live Christmas display in Araneta Center, featuring both Filipino and Western Christmas traditions and Araneta Center itself. It was revived in November 28, 2018, after it was formerly presented from 1966 to 2002. (updated Dec 2018)

Do

• 🌍 Smart Araneta Coliseum, General Roxas Avenue, ☎ [phone]. Officially nicknamed the "Big Dome", this is a multi-purpose indoor arena built in the 1960s, and the centerpiece of Araneta Center. The "Thrilla in Manila" match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975 was held here; it is also the main venue of Binibining Pilipinas pageants since the 1970s. The arena gets its present name from 2010 when telecommunications giant Smart Communications bought naming rights to the arena. (updated Dec 2018)
• 🌍 New Frontier Theatre (Kia Theatre), 7 General Malvar Avenue. Multi-purpose venue opened in 1967, with fast food chains, upscale restaurants and cafés outside (updated Dec 2018)

Buy

While it lost its status as the major shopping center in Quezon City over other larger malls built elsewhere, Cubao still retains its malls, supermarkets, and public market, while already dated, still gives the impression of the district's former glory.

• 🌍 Ali Mall. Mon-Fri 10:00-21:00; Sat-Sun 11:00-22:00. The oldest standing major shopping mall in the Philippines, built in 1976. It is named in honor of Muhammad Ali, who won the famed "Thrilla in Manila" on 1975. (updated Dec 2018)
• Farmers Plaza. (updated Dec 2018)
• Gateway Mall. Mon-Thu 10:00-21:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-22:00; Sun 11:00-21:00. Award-winning mall owned by the Araneta group. Opened 2006 (updated Dec 2018)
• 🌍 SM Cubao, General Aguinaldo Street. 10:00-23:00. One of the oldest malls owned by retail giant SM, but it looks more like its older sister in Makati's Ayala Center, SM Makati. This instead houses a department store and supermarket inside; all other shops and restaurants are outside. (updated Dec 2018)

Eat

Drink

Bars

Coffee

The area has Starbucks branches at Ali Mall and Araneta Coliseum, a Seattle's Best outside Shopwise, and a Tim Hortons at the New Frontier Theatre.

• Bengal Brew
• The Northern Coffee Experience

Work

Sleep

Budget

• ACL Suites, #72 13th Avenue, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Apartelle units and suites with furnished rooms and basic frills like A/C, cable TV, and free WiFi. From ₱1,070. 
• 🌍 Eurotel, 628 EDSA (At Vivaldi Residences). European-style rooms with basic amenities. . Amenities include bar and restaurant, free or valet parking, massage, and safe. 3 hours: ₱395 ;Overnight: ₱995. (updated Dec 2018)
• Gran Prix Econotel Cubao, 678 EDSA, ☎ [phone], [phone]. From ₱1,070. 
• 🌍 Hotel Dreamworld, Roxas Avenue (Across from Smart Araneta Coliseum), ☎ [phone]. A/C rooms with free WiFi, cable TV and in-room bathrooms From ₱1,030. (updated Dec 2018)
• 🌍 Hotel Sogo Grand Hotel EDSA Cubao, 629 EDSA, San Martin de Porres, ☎ [phone]. The flagship branch of the nationwide motel chain housed in red and white buildings, with four room classes. Weekdays: ₱825-1,175 (12 hours), ₱1,425-1,825 (24 hours); Weekends: ₱1,306-1,755 (12 hours), ₱1,505-2,075 (24 hours). (updated Dec 2018)
• 🌍 Hotel 99, 8 Pinatubo Street, San Martin de Porres, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Accented A/C rooms with free WiFi and computers. No free breakfast. From ₱1,080 (₱1,280 with breakfast). (updated Dec 2018)
• 🌍 Mariposa Budget Hotel, 30 Stanford Street, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Single rooms with cable TV and free breakfast. Free parking and WiFi available. From ₱1,270. (updated Dec 2018)

Mid-range

• The Fernandina 88 Suites Hotel, 222 P. Tuazon Boulevard, Cubao, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Transportation available to and from international and domestic airports. All suites have living, dining, and kitchen areas, internet connection, cable television, air conditioning, hot & cold shower Standard rooms from ₱1,690. 
• Fersal Hotel Annapolis, 49 Annapolis Street, Cubao, ☎ [phone]. 62 double or twin rooms with air conditioning, cable television, a mini-bar and telephone. 24-hour convenience store, laundry service and an Inn Cafe also on premises. From US$29. 

Splurge

• 🌍 Novotel, ☎ [phone]. Has 401 suites, two classy restaurants and bars, and an executive sky lounge providing 360-degree views of Metro Manila. Each room has A/C, cable TV, desk, minibar, and coffee and tea makers. From ₱4,245-4,875. (updated Dec 2018)

As of 2018, only Novotel is the splurge hotel around Cubao; the second splurge hotel to open is the 24-storey Ibis Styles Hotel, the first hotel in the Philippines under the Ibis brand; construction begun in 2016.

Cope

• Embassy of Colombia, Isetann Building, General Aguinaldo Avenue, ☎ [phone]. (updated Dec 2018)

Connect

Go next

Routes through Cubao (by car)

Caloocan ← North EDSA ←	N  S	→ Ugong Norte → Makati
Becomes ←	W  E	→ Katipunan → Marikina

Routes through Cubao (by rapid transit)

Quiapo ← San Juan ←	W  E	→ Katipunan → Marikina
Makati ← Ugong Norte ←	S  N	→ North EDSA