Bars of Barretto: Queen Victoria

The first (or last) bar in Barretto.

Also the closest bar to my house, a mere 1,338 steps away. Queen Victoria is on the National Highway near Baloy Beach Road and the border to Subic town. It’s also one of the largest bars in town with a big room in the back where the live music is performed. The front half of the bar features a pool table and two dartboards. It is fully staffed with attractive and thirsty waitresses, but I have never encountered any “buy me a drink” pressure from them.

When Queen Victoria first opened, I was a semi-regular there. The owner is a Brit (big surprise, huh?) and it was a nice place to chill and chuck some darts. In fact, I was planning to host a weekly tournament there. That didn’t wind up happening due to circumstances beyond my control. The owner returned to the UK shortly before the pandemic travel restrictions hit and the bar has not fared well since his departure. I’m honestly surprised it has managed to stay in business at all. I was the only customer on a recent Saturday night and I could hear the band in the back warming up. I’m thinking “why?” and “how much are they paying for live music no one will hear?”. I personally don’t really enjoy loud bands in a bar. It’s tolerable at Queen Vic because they play in a separate room. Just not my thing but I know others like the live shows.

Sorry the photo came out so dark. That’s the band stage in a room that would likely seat up to 100 people comfortably. We’ve been using Queen Victoria as an occasional Hash venue in this room as well.
The pool table area. Queen Vic participates in the pool league and there was some type of tournament taking place during my visit.
A nice darts setup, the only downside being the CR is in the corner on the left. People going for a pee and walking through a game in progress can be a bit distracting.

So, bottom line is that Queen Victoria is a friendly place and has the potential to be a whole lot better. Hopefully, that will happen when the absentee owner is allowed to return to the Philippines.

In the meantime, I’ll drop in on occasion for that last beer before heading home.

6 thoughts on “Bars of Barretto: Queen Victoria

  1. A nice darts setup, the only downside being the CR is in the corner on the left.

    I must’ve missed something. What’s a CR? A bathroom?

    Yeah, I’m not a fan of live bands if that means you have to shout to be heard, and that’s usually the case with live bands.

  2. Yes, CR = comfort room, what we would call a restroom.

    And that’s exactly my problem with live music in a bar, you can’t hear yourself think. Now, if the bands were of higher quality maybe they could hold my attention better…

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  4. Thanks for the comments guys. i have been back now since the pandemic, and im working on improving the looks of the bar. Hope to see you all back in the Queen Victoria soon

  5. It might have been great back in the day but it’s ran by a scamming pack of thieves now. Feel sorry for the owner inheriting this fucking shit show. Great music though.

  6. I’m not there much these days, but it does seem a more “hands on” presence would be a good thing. Lots of other bars are offering live music these days (Lux being the latest) so there are options other than QV.

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