Long before Cubao became a familiar mix of shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, transport terminals, and entertainment spots, it was one of Metro Manila’s most exciting destinations for an entire generation.

Things Only 90s Kids Remember About Cubao

For 90s kids, a trip to Cubao could mean anything from watching the famous Christmas lanterns at COD to spending hours inside Fiesta Carnival. It could mean searching for bargains at Uniwide Sales Cubao, eating burgers and fries at Tropical Hut, or enjoying a frosty root beer float at A&W.

Cubao had its own rhythm. Families came for weekend shopping. Kids came for amusement rides. Teenagers met friends around the area’s busy commercial centers. Christmas made the district even more magical.

Some of these places have disappeared or changed dramatically, but the memories remain. Here are some things 90s kids will remember about old-school Cubao.

1. Christmas Lanterns at COD Were a Holiday Tradition

The Manila C.O.D. Christmas display in Cubao

Christmas in Cubao was a different experience, with the COD Christmas display among the area’s major holiday attractions.

For many families, seeing the elaborate Christmas lanterns and decorations at the COD complex became part of the season’s routine. The colorful displays added a festive atmosphere to an already busy commercial district.

Kids would look forward to the lights, decorations, and larger-than-life Christmas scenes. Parents, meanwhile, had another reason to bring the family to Cubao during the holidays.

The COD Christmas tradition became part of Metro Manila’s collective Christmas memory. Even people who have not visited Cubao in decades can still recall the excitement of seeing those bright decorations during the holiday season.

2. Fiesta Carnival Was the Place for Family Fun

Fiesta Carnival in Cubao

Before today’s entertainment centers became standard features of major shopping malls, Fiesta Carnival offered a different kind of family entertainment.

The amusement park became closely associated with Cubao’s identity. For children growing up in the 80s and 90s, a visit could mean rides, games, food, and an entire afternoon spent exploring the carnival grounds.

The atmosphere was very different from today’s air-conditioned entertainment complexes. You could hear the rides, see colorful attractions, and watch families moving from one activity to another.

For many 90s kids, Fiesta Carnival represents a time when going to an amusement park was itself the main event.

3. Bargain Hunting at Uniwide Sales Cubao

Shopping in old-school Cubao did not always involve browsing upscale boutiques or department stores.

Uniwide Sales Cubao was a familiar destination for bargain hunters seeking clothes, household items, shoes, school supplies, and other everyday items.

For families watching their budgets, finding a good deal was part of the fun. You could spend considerable time looking through racks and shelves, comparing prices, and hoping to find something worth taking home.

The experience also captures a very different era of Philippine retail. Before online shopping, price comparison apps, and same-day delivery, finding bargains meant visiting stores in person and sifting through their selections.

4. A&W Root Beer Floats Were a Serious Treat

A&W Root Beer Floats

For many 90s kids, A&W was more than a fast-food restaurant. It was a place associated with burgers, fries, hot dogs, and especially root beer.

The classic root beer float was one of those simple treats that could turn an ordinary trip to Cubao into something memorable.

There was something special about sitting down with a cold drink after walking around the busy commercial district. The combination of creamy ice cream and fizzy root beer was a familiar childhood indulgence.

A&W’s presence in the Philippines is another reminder of how international fast-food brands became part of the country’s changing food culture during the era.

5. Tropical Hut Was Part of the Cubao Food Scene

Tropical Hut Burger

Tropical Hut occupies a special place in the memories of Filipinos who grew up with classic neighborhood-style fast food.

Its burgers, fried chicken, fries, spaghetti, and other familiar dishes offered a distinctly nostalgic alternative to the growing number of international fast-food chains.

For 90s kids, eating at Tropical Hut could be part of a regular family outing. A simple meal after shopping could become a memory that lasts decades.

The restaurant’s retro atmosphere also contributes to its nostalgic appeal today. Its continued presence reminds longtime Cubao visitors of a period when fast-food dining felt more local and familiar.

6. Cubao Was a Shopping Destination Before the Mall Culture Took Over

Today’s Cubao is strongly associated with major malls, but longtime residents remember a much more varied commercial landscape.

Department stores, specialty shops, bargain stores, cinemas, restaurants, arcades, markets, and entertainment venues all competed for attention.

A family trip to Cubao could involve several stops in one day. Shopping could easily lead to lunch, followed by a movie, an arcade visit, or a trip to an amusement attraction.

The sheer variety made Cubao feel like a destination rather than simply a place to pass through.

7. Going to the Arcade Was an Event

For kids in the 90s, video games did not necessarily mean having a console at home.

Arcades offered a chance to play popular games while surrounded by other kids. You had to bring coins, wait for your turn, and decide how to spend your limited playing time.

Fighting, racing, shooting, and sports games competed for players.

For many Cubao kids, the arcade was where friendships were formed and friendly rivalries developed. Getting a high score could feel like a major achievement.

8. Movie Dates Meant Going to a Cinema in Cubao

Before streaming services made movies available at home, watching a film required a trip to the cinema.

Cubao’s concentration of shopping and entertainment establishments made it a natural destination for moviegoers.

For teenagers, a movie could become part of a full afternoon itinerary. Meet friends, grab lunch, browse the shops, watch a movie, then find something to eat before heading home.

There was also the anticipation of choosing a movie from cinema posters and schedules rather than scrolling through an endless digital catalog.

9. MRT-3 Had Not Yet Changed the Way People Moved Around Cubao

One of the biggest differences between today’s Cubao and the Cubao remembered by 90s kids is transportation.

The MRT-3 system had not yet become the familiar part of the area’s daily rhythm that commuters know today. Getting around involved buses, jeepneys, taxis, private cars, and plenty of walking.

For many young visitors, navigating Cubao meant learning its streets, landmarks, pedestrian routes, and major commercial establishments.

The arrival and development of the MRT-3 later changed how commuters accessed the district, making Cubao an even more important transportation hub.

10. Christmas Shopping Felt Like a Major Mission

December shopping in Cubao could be an adventure in itself.

Families would head to the area looking for Christmas gifts, clothes, toys, decorations, and other holiday necessities. Stores became crowded, especially as Christmas Day approached.

For children, the challenge was often resisting the temptation to ask for everything they saw.

For parents, it meant navigating crowds while trying to finish their Christmas lists.

The combination of shopping, decorations, food, and entertainment made Cubao especially memorable during the holiday season.

11. Photographs Were Part of the Experience

Taking photos in the 90s was very different from documenting a day out today.

There were no smartphones, instant social media posts, or endless camera rolls. Families carried film cameras or relied on department-store photo booths and photo studios.

A visit to Cubao could result in a small collection of photographs showing children beside Christmas displays, family members outside stores, or friends enjoying a day at the carnival.

Those photographs now serve as personal time capsules of old Cubao.

12. Cubao Felt Like a Complete Day Out

Perhaps the strongest memory of old Cubao is how much you could do in one trip.

You could start with shopping at Uniwide Sales, grab a meal at Tropical Hut or A&W, visit an arcade, watch a movie, and continue exploring the area’s entertainment spots.

During Christmas, the COD decorations added another reason to visit.

For children, Cubao offered excitement. For parents, it offered shopping and dining. For teenagers, it provided places to meet friends and spend an afternoon.

That combination helped make Cubao one of the most recognizable urban destinations in Metro Manila for generations of Filipinos.

The Cubao That 90s Kids Remember

Cubao has continued to evolve, but its older landmarks remain part of the area’s cultural memory.

The Christmas lanterns at COD, the rides at Fiesta Carnival, bargain hunting at Uniwide Sales, and meals at A&W and Tropical Hut represent more than individual places. They recall a time when a family outing required more planning, entertainment took place outside the home, and shopping meant walking through stores rather than opening an app.

For today’s visitors, Cubao can feel like a busy transportation and commercial district. For 90s kids, it can still bring back memories of Christmas lights, carnival rides, shopping bags, fast-food meals, arcade games, and long afternoons spent exploring.

That is the Cubao many 90s kids remember.

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