The Monza Barcade is a new F1-themed bar and sim racing arcade located at The View Deck, Arcovia City, Pasig. The place caters to Formula Racing fans with its frequent watch parties, sim racing gamers who want to try to beat the best times with the highest-end rigs, and all the barkadas who want a place to drink and hang out. The bar soft opened on June 28, 2024, and we decided to check it out and see if this bar and arcade can take off at the starting line!
Ignition
Formula Racing, like F1, has been around since the 1950s and has a global audience of 1.55 billion people watching in 2021. Racing and video games have always had a big audience overlap, and that can best seen in the rise of sim racing. Sim racing has gotten a massive uptick in recent years with the market expected to grow to 1.1 billion USD by 2030. We can understand why. It provides a safe and cheaper environment to race, you can learn the technical aspects of racing, and, of course, drive any cool cars you want. That has always been something a lot of us have loved since we were kids.
Like many others, it was only very recently that we got into sim racing, and for the first few months, it was magical. All of a sudden, we could achieve our dreams of being the fastest. As life went on, the limits of our rigs and racing skills plateau’d, it was getting more difficult to find the motivation to race. We hadn’t touched our rigs in weeks when we saw the promos for Monza Barcade. They had been creating pop-up events for months in Eastwood, Makati, etc. hosting great watch parties. When we saw the official soft opening of their physical store, we decided “Why not?” and headed over there.
At the Staring Line
Entering the Monza Barcade, you’re greeted by the wonderful F1-themed décor with merchandise for sale. At the reception, you’ll be able to avail of a 10-minute slot. The price will depend off-peak hours (Weekdays, 11 AM-6 PM; Weekends 10 AM-12 PM) or if it is peak hours (Weekdays, 6 PM-12 AM; Weekends 12 PM – 1 AM). The prices are 280-300 PHP on weekdays and 300-320 PHP for the regular rigs. If you’re feeling the need for speed, the place also has motion rigs. They cost more at 430 PHP-450 PHP on weekdays and 450-480 PHP on weekends. It may seem much, but from our previous experience with motion rigs, we can truly attest that it adds to the experience. We had a choice of two tracks: Hungaroring, Hungary , or Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, both famous F1 tracks. You also have the choice of picking difficulty, Rookie, Intermediate, and Expert. We weren’t warmed up yet, so we chose the regular racing rigs, on the Hungaroring track at Rookie difficulty.
While waiting for our turn, we had a look around the track err- bar. Seeing places where you can celebrate being champion with your friends, a photo booth to get printouts, and, of course, a TV to watch races, really immersed us in the experience. What got us excited was the 16 sim racing rigs with 4 of them being the motion rigs. The rigs appear to be using Fanatec Podium Wheel Base DD2 with the ClubSport Steering Wheel Formula V2.5. The Direct Drive system gives a powerful force feedback experience, perfect for feeling every bump on the road. Sadly, they only have F1 racing, so no Rally, Street, or Euro Truck racing.
Into the Zone
Stepping into a rig like theirs was a little intimidating, especially since it had been a while since we last raced. With little heads-up, the race began and we were off barreling at over 230+ kph. The goal was to beat the best time of the day within 10 minutes. It took us a few laps to even start getting good times as we were rusty. As soon as muscle memory kicked in, we were starting to get faster. Going slow in, fast out. Taking the ideal racing line. Watching out for other people on the track. Though we didn’t see many people on the track as they join and leave depending on the covers. It was trying to get those millisecond’s off our time we had a realization: we were having fun again. The rush of adrenaline was a feeling we had not felt in quite a while. That rush of slowly getting better was why we even got into sim racing in the first place. With these tools, we felt like we could really cut loose! Alas, time was up and we at least got in 35th or so place at 1:27:15. Not bad for a rusty ol’ timer!
Pit Stop
Now we couldn’t just sip and go, right? We were hungry and we just had to try the food and drinks out. The menu was a fusion of Japanese and European cuisines. Karaage and Monza-rella Sticks were among their best selling appetizers. Neapolitan-style pizzas, like Margherita and Mushroom and Truffle, were among their biggest features. The price is on the higher end ranging from 300-900 PHP for the average meals. We ultimately tried the Jagerschnitzel, breaded pork cutlet with potato wedges. It was a crunchy, savory treat best taken after a long race! We really liked the firm texture of the potatoes as it gave a lot a more flavor. Of course, we had to get a drink to down it! We picked their best seller, the Monza Circuit. It was a tangy mix of Lychee and Red wine, with a cute Monza Barcade design on the top! Their signature cocktails are filled to the brim with interesting race-themed drinks and classic cocktails. What we like was the generous amount of bar space, ensuring those watch parties will always be interesting.
At the end of the day we felt refueled. We finally got the confidence to get back into the race and become champion, or something. We weren’t able to attend their latest watch party, but we’ll surely be back for their grand opening! The Monza Barcade is a interesting place that has more appeal than just racing. It’s also a place for friends to compete and relax with its sim racing rigs built to give customers lots of fun. What we can definitely say is that it reignited our love of racing, and that’s what we’ll always treasure.
