Greenhills Shopping Center, the haggle Mall

Greenhills Shopping Center, or "Greenhills" is a hotspot for bargains, whether you ask the locals or experienced tourist they will all tell you, Greenhills.

Regardless of what other countries say, the Philippines is truly the "Bargain Capital", we specialise in overruns, surplus and bargains, bargains, bargains!

After a series of renovations, and new structures, Greenhills has truly become a shopping center, restaurants, shops and a movie theatre.

Promenade, is a complex with restaurants, with a branch of Powerbooks bookstore and an Apple Center, a movie theatre and its own nightlife, with local bar-grill restaurants like Gerry’s Grill. Promenade is the latest addition to the Greenhills shopping area.

At Greenhills, you might also want to try the drive though Crispy Crème there, just for kicks.

What is good about the Greenhills Shopping Center?

To begin with, there are the rows and rows of stalls selling clothing, accessories, home furnishings and food.
Locally, these stalls are referred to as tiangges and are the poster child of bargain shopping in the Philippines.

Greenhills itself has been made a poster child for tiangge-style shopping with the comfort of cool air-conditioning. This is the place to be where you can score a pair of jeans under 500 pesos ($10), or plain shirts for 80 pesos ($1.50). Man, woman or child – there is always something to bargain for at Greenhills.

But be warned, although Greenhills is a shopping mall, it is not for those who hate shopping in crowds or haggling. Its nothing new for someone to push or shove, or lose track of time or where you parked or which entrance you came from.

The key to shopping in Greenhills is to hold your temper and always have a landmark for where to meet up with friends or family in case you all decide to wander off or you get lost.

Always remember that the Greenhills Shopping Center is a place for haggling, so remember to haggle that price down.

Once you’ve run out of your shopping oomph and you start to feel parched or get the munchies, grab a drink and a bite at the food stalls. It’s a great way to experience native delicacies at a fair enough price.

Try the local quesong puti spreads (a spread of white cheese made from water buffalo’s milk) or caramelized pili nuts.

There are plenty of food stalls to choose from within the shopping area, but if you want a more relaxed dining experience, there are more restaurants outside the building that offer various cuisines for reasonable prices. You can take your pick from Italianni’s, Dulcinea, Café Mediterranean and more.

At the movie theatre, there is one stall that sells burgers reminiscent of the In-N-Out burger joint in the United States. Slammer burgers are a local franchise by the Belgian fries group, and with the boxed compact burgers you can order a cone of fries, Belgian style of course. They are just delightful.

Where is the Greenhills Shopping Center?

Greenhills is in Manila and it is pretty east to get to Greenhills Shopping Center. Just take Edsa Avenue and exit at Ortigas Avenue.

For Metro Rail Transit commuters exit at the Santolan Station and take a 5-minute walk to the Greenhills Shopping Center, or a cab. There are also various modes of public transportation, via bus or public utility jeeps with Greenhills as a point of destination.

Once in Manila you have to decide where to stay. Have a look here for some of my reviews and recommendation on where to stay in Manila.