@ LB Square: Crib Tea and Coffee Bar
Outside the gates of University of The Philippines Los Baños is a place called Grove that winds down to Lopez Avenue all the way to Crossing where the Manila-Sta. Cruz (Laguna) crossroad is.
Ten to 15 years ago, Grove is a line of old residential establishments whose ground floors have been converted into a student’s eatery or restaurant, bookstore and boutiques.
Now, UPLB Grove is buzzing with it’s new night life. The new buzz word for gimmicks and the place to be: LB Square.
LB square is much like a landscaped sunken garden surrounded by food and bar stools. The cuisine is international, catering to the melting pot of culture that is UPLB, from good old Pinoy, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese and western cuisines to satisfy the varied palate.
While the bars…the bars never run out of anything with alcohol. 
If you are like me, I’d rather sit in a quiet place, put my feet up (or curl them under my legs), have a coffee or two while waiting for my friends to arrive, preferably in front of a computer, surfing the net or checking my emails. The last time I was in LB square, Crib Tea and Coffee Bar allowed me to do all of the above. Cool eh.
After making the rounds at LB square and you’re full and tipsy, then nothing like good coffee or tea to perk you up for more chika into the middle of the night at the Crib.
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biboy » March 27th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
You’re telling me. Being a UPLB alumnus myself (Ag. Eng’g, 1979), i remember the time that Grove used to be all turo-turo restaurants (cely’s being the more preferred) and the tiny mall right beside the gate. Life was a lot simpler then.
kiray » March 29th, 2007 at 8:39 am
LB square is a welcome addition to what was then a limited choice of place to dine out say 5 or so years ago. There is another cool place at LB called Drine’s Nook just a few meters walk from LB square going to F.O. Santos. Their bar-b-que spareribs, pork humba and chicken terriyaki really delights your taste and is affordable. They play bossa and classic jaz and comes with an exotic ambiance at nightime. Great for dating too!!!
petunia415 » April 4th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
We love bringing our kids to the Crib during their twice a month outing at LB Square while we adults socialize in one of the bars in the square. Very quite and safe to let kids use the computers of playstation, catch a nap or just lounge on one of their bean bags. The staff are also very kind and accommodating. Coffee’s good too.
shugabu » April 9th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
^^ i haven’t heard of drine’s nook yet. will try that next time.
gawds, that’s why i heart elbi (hometown baby) cheap food, plenty of liquor and laidback atmosphere
Pissed Off » May 7th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Well, first of all LB Square is an eye sore. An ugly, grotesque addition to a once peaceful, thriving residential/commercial area. As of today, it now resembles a market place. No planning, just a mish mash of tables, chairs, stalls, a squatter like maze of poorly constructed shanties. If the owners do not take heed, it will someday, maybe in the near future, turn into the original LB square, the Plaza Agapita which is just a few meters further from the UPLB gate, was once a fev hangout as well! Now a hotbed for drug abuse, prostitution, gang wars and host of other unmentionables. Aside from being noisy till the wee hours of the morning, it has caused traffic congestion in the area, for how is it that such an establishment did not provide for the possible number of customers the proper and adequate parking facilities. People park just anywhere. Clogging traffic on the main road and adjacent subdivisions. Worse, I haven’t even gone into the fact that this place, simply a place where students delve into debauchery, contributes to the delinquence of our beloved iskolar ng Bayan. Here is where free sex reigns supreme, alcohol and drug abuse run rampant. Non-UP students, people from questionable backgrounds have already started to infest the area. This a major security threat. The source of on site violent clashes, drugs and prostitutes. I feel sorry for the parents of these kids. So sad. Not to worry for our dear ever efficient mayor is trying hard to secure these kids with police presence. And he is working hard to find a way to suspend the licenses of these establishments and just simply shut them down. Good riddance. The requirement by law is for establishments serving alcoholic beverages is to be 500 meters from schools, churches. LB square is just 27 meters from the UPLB gate. Goodbye.
Funtimes » September 4th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Relax, have some fun in your life and stop being a prude.
kerby » June 18th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
“In my recent trip to Clark Freeport, I chanced upon an amazing restaurant inside Mimosa. It’s just past the Holiday Inn. It was better than the high-end restaurants in 5-star hotels in Manila! I think the name is YATS Restaurant. It is not that expensive but the food is great and they have an incredible wine cellar too.”
“I have to share this with you – the lamb rack at YATS Restaurant is out of this world. Aside from the fact the lamb is cooked to perfection, the sidings are even more exciting. This is real fine-dining stuff, best I have seen in this country, and second to none that I have seen in other cities including Singapore and Tokyo.”
kerby » June 19th, 2009 at 9:47 am
“I am really tired of drinking wines from Chile, Argentina and Australia. After a little while, they are taste the same. Frankly I am a little bored, so much so that I am tempted to backslide to beer again! Luckily I stumbled on this place in Clark, a large wine shop with big letters Clark Wine Center. I found thousands of bottles inside, vintage stuff, 20, 30, 40 year-old bottles, from France, Italy, Spain, all over! I picked up a 83 red wine from St. Emilion for p2,900. That’s a steal for a 20-year-old vintage wine. Man, it tastes smooth, nothing like the young stuff I have been drinking. This is an experience for me and I tell you I am spoiled.”
“I found this web site recently and it has this super wine list containing real vintage wines. The site is http://www.YatsWineCellars.com. Do you know where they are?”
“I attended a birthday party of a friend of my wife’s. The party bored me to death but the wines they served blew me away. One wine in particular stood out – a 1983 Ch. La Fleur Milon, Cru Bourgeois, Pauillac. First time I had this wine but I like Bordeaux wines especially Pauillac, who doesn’t? Now I know why people prefer older wines. I asked them where they got it and they told it was from YATS. What and where is YATS?”
frank » June 24th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Ayala Land Sales is holding an open house to launch an upscale condominium project deep in the heart of the city, at Serendra, the most premium address in town. A special wine tasting featuring old vintage wines from YATS Wine Cellars is held at the same time along with a fabulous art exhibit of works by famed artists Marie Laya. Wine line-up include 1979/81 Ch la Lande Mausse, 1973 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a 1980 Cabernet from S Africa’s Fairview and many other vintage wines from Italy and Burgundy. To obtain an invitation call Amy Galang of Ayala Land Sales or contact Yats Wine Cellars at 633-1566. This is an exclusive event with a guest list of only 80, so please phone in early to secure your spot on the invitation list.
Pissed Offf » February 8th, 2010 at 1:29 am
@Funtimes
Relax, don’t be a prude? Here’s news for you. Two instances in the past year where people have been hurt, even killed (1 dead) at your beloved LB Square, gunned down no less.
Funny how prophetic I sometimes can be, as the Mayor has taken over the place. By pure happenstance, the stupid owners failed to pay taxes. The local gov’t took this opportunity to step in and has taken over the whole thing. It can either change for the better or worse now.
One thing’s for sure, take a gander at your LB square today, it looks even worse. Dirtier, grimier, more disorganized. UPLB students now avoid the place 100%. Only good thing about this is there aren’t enough people going there anymore for anyone to hold those damn noisy concerts anymore.
I’ll give this shithole maybe 1 to 2 years. Bye bye. : )