Pioneer Street blossoms into a lifestyle hub

Pioneer Street might look like the shabby sister to nearby hotspots like glittery Bonifacio Global City, fast-paced Makati Business District, and the blossoming Capitol Commons.

The area is a mish-mash of BPOs, warehouses, discreet offices identified by street numbers, and furniture showrooms and their endless sales, all lumped together in one loose, rather random community.  Add to that some well-known companies and real estate developments that are setting up shop and you have neighbors who look like they don’t have anything to do with each other.

When talking about Pioneer, it is not unusual to hear exclamations of “Saan doon?” or “Doon pala yun!” Located in the middle of South and North, Pioneer Street in Mandaluyong is the very definition of “meeting halfway,” without calling attention to itself.

But as an adopted daughter of Mandaluyong, months of walking around in the area has made me love-struck. I’m not going to hide it: I am in love with the neighborhood—with all its warts and speedy tricycles, creeks and windy afternoons. Let me tell you why.

Just some of the author's favorite places on Pioneer Street in Mandaluyong.

Furniture and home accessories Shop

There’s plenty of beautiful things to see. Ethan Allen and SieMatic have showrooms of elegant, modern and quite expensive furniture here. There’s the occasional sale, but everyday discounts can be found in Home Factory Outlets on Williams St. (across UNILAB) and the laughter-inducing “Crayzeh Sale!” along Pioneer St.

For pretty trinkets and chic gifts, Regalong Pambahay has its factory outlet along Pioneer. Its papier-mache lamps, pastel pillows, colorful picture frames and other accessories are for the young and hip. All items come with a 15-20 percent discount. Select items are sold for much less; just ask the sales lady. I love all their stuff, even their post-its and erasers that are sold for P30- P50 per piece!

The author's happy finds at Regalong Pambahay

Fitness centers

In the same compound where Regalong Pambahay is (126 Pioneer St., RFM Compound) are two new fitness centers. Sparta is an indoor soccer field for rent owned by GamePlan host Amanda, while 360 Pro is a circuit training gym, divided by color zones for different stages of exercising. Walk further to Pioneer Center (which is actually part of Pasig) and Anytime Fitness, the 24/7 gym, is open for membership.

For the budget-strapped who can't afford a gym membership, it’s safe to jog in nearby Kapitolyo, Ultra Track Oval or the Capitol Commons Park. You can even jog the rest of the way from Pioneer St., which is just a mere kilometer.

Kissako Uji Matcha Café

In the early days of our move-in in the area, Kissako Uji Matcha Café saved me! Saved me from work problems, that is. You see, our post-paid Wi-Fi was so slow that it took 20 minutes to upload a low-res Powerpoint attachment. Kissako Café has a fast Internet connection and affordable quality coffee. What makes it unique is being the first (or second, the first one’s in Tomas Morato area) green tea or matcha café in Metro Manila. Plus ,the owner is Japanese. It doesn’t get more genuine than that.

Kissako Uji Matcha Cafe's Matcha Ramen

Dunkin Donuts

Several concept cafes out there are more reviewed and Instagrammed, but the original and factory branch Dunkin Donuts still deserves a spot in this list. Not only does it fill your caffeine and sugar fix for a much more affordable price, Dunkin Donuts makes the whole Reliance Street smell good, with the aroma of donuts wafting in the air. The plus side: since it’s the main or factory branch, the donuts are relatively bigger and evenly-shaped.

HMR and Pioneer St. Market

The Australian-owned surplus outlet shop HMR has been a favorite bargain go-to place for years (they sell the cheapest sports gear, Japanese bikes, and even furniture!), but it recently opened its own foodie hub—Pioneer St. Market.

 
Formerly an almost bare market with a small veggies shop, an olive oil stall and a succulents and plants shop, Pioneer St. Market is now an indoor gourmet food market. Stalls here include Indonesian cuisine seller Rita’s Kitchen, coffee stall and breakfast place Current Swell, fresh and detox juices purveyor Green House, and panizza sandwiches place Tramezzino. But the real winner is the red and white wine stall, where you can order by the bottle for sharing with a group.

The stalls could stand to be better curated, but for the effort of putting together budding food entrepreneurs, the organizers deserve a kudos and a regular visit. Besides, the food market is sometimes turned into a Zumba place in the mornings and for free! That can't be said for other food markets.

 
It’s far from perfect, but Pioneer Street has a charm that radiates from its sign-less streets, rusty factory gates, sale announcements, and the brisk-walk of a hodge-podge of people: employees, construction workers, barkers and restaurant crew. It hasn’t reached its peak yet, and I pray it never will, because its charm comes from the fact that it isn’t a full-blown commercial center yet. It’s a lifestyle hub tucked in between bigger, louder districts and, hopefully, it doesn’t care to be one the greats.  — BM, GMA News