Maginhawa Street in Quezon City is well-known as a food-trip destination, with many family-owned cafes and hole-in-the-wall restos converted from former residences. While the area originally catered to residents who still walk, bike, or use tricycles to get around, there’s no denying that many car owners from other parts of the metro enjoy visiting this food hub, assuming they can find a place to park.
While it’s easy enough to find on-street parking along the stretch of Maginhawa from Philcoa to Magiting Street and from the corner of Malingap Street to V. Luna, where restaurants are spread apart, the central part of Maginhawa from Uncle John’s to the corner of Teacher’s Village East Barangay Hall has become a major chokepoint and cause of traffic congestion because of the high concentration of restos and lack of dedicated parking areas.
Sadly, the active mobility lane that pedestrians and cyclists got to enjoy for a couple of months under the SPARK Project has come to an end, and the street has become a parking lot once again.
In a traffic advisory, the Quezon City government announced that effective February 9, 2025, Maginhawa Street from Magiting to Masinsinan will revert to the two-way traffic scheme while the active mobility lane will now use traffic cones instead of plant-box barriers.
These cones will be deployed daily from 7pm to 9am of the following morning. During these hours, overnight parking and on-street parking will remain prohibited.
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As a resident of the area, I feel that public roads and sidewalks should primarily be used for proper traffic flow, pedestrian movement, and accessibility, and not as a convenient place for customers and residents to park their vehicles. However, most restaurants here just don’t have enough parking slots to cater to their clientele.
If you can’t find on-street parking or you need to park all day, your best bet would be the smaller commercial buildings with paid basement parking areas. For those not so familiar with the area, here are a few suggestions.
Metrobank Building
MPlace Maginhawa, the commercial building with a Metrobank branch at 96 Maginhawa Street, has a dedicated parking area and centrally located near most of the restaurants. This building contains Daily Habit Cafe, La Rosa Vino, and Rendezvous Hobbies Cafe, and is across the street from Escobar’s Steakhouse and Saints and Lattes, with many smaller restaurants nearby. It’s also just a two-minute walk to Provenciano, which draws a mainly car-centric crowd compared to the smaller, budget-friendly joints.
The parking area in front of the building is reserved for Metrobank customers, with a few slots for cars and motorcycles, but there’s a basement pay parking area that charges P40 for cars and motorcycles for three hours. The management allows patrons of other nearby restaurants to park in the basement. You can also find a secure bike parking area right outside Daily Habit. Bring your own bike locks.
99 Maginhawa Suites
99 Maginhawa Suites, the commercial building that houses Bo’s Coffee, Yoshi-Meat-su, Anytime Fitness, and Seoul Salon, is another building in the central Maginhawa area with a few parking slots in front and a basement parking area. They charge cars P40 for the first three hours of parking.
La Residencia Building
The building with Fat Cousins’ Diner and Elorde’s Gym at 114 Maginhawa Street also has a small parking area for a few vehicles. While they prioritize tenants and dine-in customers, you can sometimes find slots here. The management charges about P50 for the first three hours of parking. This tends to get filled up quickly during peak lunch and dinner hours.
On-street parking
We checked with the new police outpost beside Teacher’s Village East Barangay Hall, and found out that on-street parking is allowed next to the restaurants (effectively taking up the active mobility lane). Some restaurants have dedicated parking attendants to help direct customers. You can find a few spaces for cars near the barangay hall and a designated motorcycle parking area next to it. One nearby pocket parklet that contains a small bike rack has been retained while the rest have been removed.
Maginhawa restaurants with parking areas
Some small commercial buildings have free parking areas reserved for customers. KD Centre, the building at 86 Maginhawa Street with Hibachi Japanese Steakhouse, has a parking area in front of the building and an elevated parking area with limited slots for customers and tenants.
The building with Ramyeon Bar and Restaurant and Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea at 80 Maginhawa Street across Crazy Katsu and Friuli also has a basement parking area for customers.
The building with Happon Ramen House and Chapter Roastery and Cafe at 143 Maginhawa, the building across with Never Strangers and Round Robin Cafe at 140 Maginhawa, the building with Steak to One and Rebel Bakehouse, and Baliwag Grill and Restaurant all have small parking areas.
Stand-alone restaurants with their own parking areas include Cravings Maginhawa, Talisay The Garden Cafe, Pino Resto Bar, Homa Persian Cuisine, and Hot Off the Press. Sundays Cafe Maginhawa and Yum Dum Dim also have parking areas, but these spots can get crowded during peak dining hours and weekends.
For a full list of all the new restaurants in the Maginhawa area as of February 2025, check out this article.
Other parking tips
Still can’t find parking? Combine your food trips with other errands. In a pinch, you can leave your car in a nearby carwash, then walk and or take a trike instead. There are several carwash places along Maginhawa and Malingap Street.
Alternatively, for big events like the annual Maginhawa Food and Arts Festival and summer food fairs, when they make the entire street car-free, it’s better to use public transport or park in a nearby area like UP Diliman’s Gyud Food Hub or UP Town Center, then take a cab to get to Maginhawa.
D’ Condo Place, the large condo complex on the corner of Malingap Street across Bayantel, also has a parking area, but slots are being rented out on a monthly basis to residents and businesses.
Where not to park on Maginhawa Street
If you’re dining in the area, please make sure you’re parking in the proper zones. Here’s where you shouldn’t park:
- Areas with a ‘No Parking’ sign
- Next to ongoing construction areas
- Driveways
- Sidewalks
- Residential areas and side streets
- At or inside an intersection
- On a pedestrian lane
- Double parking or on the driver’s side of a parked vehicle
- Handicap spots and access to ramps
Got any other practical parking tips? Let us know in the comments section.
