Bar entertainment in Africa
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A
Greek Club
A popular expat hang-out, especially on weekend evenings; it has free movies on Sunday afternoon, good pizza and a lively sports bar.
reviewed
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Hatfield
There are several bars and nightspots in trendy Hatfield, catering for all types. Yet again, Hatfield Square is a good place to start, but remember that 'guns, fireworks and motorbikes are strictly prohibited'. Unusually for South Africa, Burnett St offers a high density of bars, eateries and clubs, all cut through with lashings of backpacker bravado and student shenanigans.
You can wander between venues easily and safely, saving the endless taxi journeys that usually punctuate a night in a big South African city. It's the easiest pub crawl in the country.
reviewed
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B
Tanger Inn
Tangier was once a gay destination, but that scene has long since departed for Marrakesh, leaving no establishments behind. Concierges report that the Tanger Inn and some of the bars along the beach attract gay clientele, particularly late on weekends.
reviewed
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C
Nimbus
Part of the Nimbus art gallery, and cultivating the same slightly Bohemian air, this is a lovely place for a drink - mellow in the day and happening at night. At weekends there's usually live music, so there's a cover charge to get in.
reviewed
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D
Café Panini
- Lomé, Togo
- Entertainment › Bar
In the words of one French drinker we encountered here, Panini is 'the arse of the chicken' - the gloriously sleazy epicentre of Lomés nightlife. Avoid if you object to being hustled by multilingual prostitutes.
reviewed
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E
Bar Oum-Rabiá
While it’s easy to find kif in Chefchaouen, it’s hard to find a beer. One freestanding, and very masculine, option is Bar Oum-Rabiá.
reviewed
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F
Crazy House
Housed in a historic two-storey wooden building, the Crazy House serves cheap beer, and there's even a billiard table - what more do you need?
reviewed
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G
Restaurant-Café Seles
Restaurant-Café Seles is a cozy little spot with cushion benches, perfect for a drink or food.
reviewed
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H
Cap d’Or
The Cap d’Or, just off Sharia Saad Zaghloul, is a top spot to relax, and one of the only surviving typical Alexandrian bars. With beer flowing generously, stained-glass windows, a long marble-topped bar, plenty of ancient memorabilia decorating the walls and crackling tapes of old French chanson (type of traditional folk music) or Egyptian hits, it feels very much like an Andalusian tapas bar. Crowds come to drink cold Stella beer, snack on great seafood, or just hang out at the bar and chew the proverbial fat with fellow drinkers. Thursday and Friday nights are more ‘open-minded’ than most nights in Alexandria.
reviewed
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I
Topkapi
Tucked below the street opposite the Four Seasons Nile Plaza and behind a moored restaurant boat, this mellow Nileside hangout is easy to miss. Once down here, though, parked at a picnic bench and enjoying a sheesha and beer, it's easy to forget the traffic on the corniche. Inside the tentlike main room, a DJ spins hip international and Arabic tunes, and the menu (mains around £E25 to around £E42) is a quirky mix of local and Turkish flavours, with nightly specials.
It occasionally hosts special, ticket-only parties.
reviewed
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J
Horreyya
The Horreyya (there’s no real sign outside – look for a pale-pink facade and plywood over some of the windows) is one of the city’s classic ahwas. Here you stare dreamily through the sheesha smoke up at the high ceilings, down at the sawdust-strewn floor and out across a great cross-section of customers. Bonus: there are regular, ongoing chess matches here that attract some truly gifted players. Another bonus: beer is also available, but it’s only allowed to be quaffed in designated areas, far away from the boards.
reviewed
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K
Calle Álvarez Abreu
Santa Cruz is no mecca for night owls; on the island, Los Llanos de Aridane takes that title. But there are plenty of quiet terrace bars where you can nurse a drink or two. Along Avenida Marítima, which is lined with cafés and zumerías (juice bars), you'll find a family-friendly atmosphere. In town head to Calle Álvarez Abreu, the closest thing you'll find to a nightlife scene. The Plaza José Mata, off Avenida Puente, also has a few bars.
reviewed
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L
Soukara
To kill time in style while waiting for a performance at the nearby Théâtre Royal - or train or Supratour bus around the corner - enjoy mint tea on the patio or a little something stiffer on the terrace. The combination of trendy Moroccan Zen décor and better prices than most Nouvelle Ville bars lures in the young Marrakshi set, who slyly check each other out at afternoon meetings of thinly disguised 'study groups' and make their moves over happy hour.
reviewed
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Carwash
Quite literally a carwash, but don't worry we are not going mad. There is also a brilliant garden bar here with stacks of space to spread out. You may not always get a seat, but you won't be elbow to elbow either. Rwandans drop their cars off for a wash and give their tonsils a bit of a tickle with beer. It's cheaper to drink here than in New Cadillac, so drop by on the way to the nightclub (in the Kimikurure district).
reviewed
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M
Lawrence Bar
One of two bars in the sprawling 350-room Sofitel, this advertises 'exclusive drinks' - meaning, what, your cocktail may be refused entry to your gullet if it's not properly attired? In reality this place is a freeloader's paradise, with access to a decent tapas buffet with a drink, and free bubbly if you cosy up to that diplomat splashing out the Dom Perignon rosé and don't mind the Cuban cigar smoke.
reviewed
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Aïn Diab
The beachfront suburb of Aïn Diab is the place to go for late night drinking and dancing in Casa. However, hanging out with Casablanca's beautiful people for a night on the town doesn't come cheap. Expect to pay at least around DH100 to get in and as much again for drinks. Heavy-set bouncers guard the doors and practise tough crowd control - if you don't look the part you won't be getting in.
reviewed
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N
Republika Lounge
The rebirth of cool! Once Zanzibar was the place to be, now the former owner has bounced back with Republika, definitely the place to be in Kigali. In the fancy Kiyovu area, there are huge views from the large terrace here. Lush furnishings, a well-stocked bar and a small menu for the midnight munchies keep the crowds happy. The handicraft shop beneath Republika Lounge is worth checking out.
reviewed
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Bar du Soleil
Wild raves for the Mamounia's gardens are a credit to its legions of gardeners but also the bartender at Bar du Soleil, who pours drinks extra strong on the patio at sunset to set that idyllic Mamounia mood. This occasion calls for a cognac or a top-shelf Mamounia cocktail of Grand Marnier, rum, juice and champagne, which, at around DH240, gives a double meaning to the term stiff drink.
reviewed
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La Petite Roche
With stunning views across to the Hassan II Mosque, this is another favourite Casa hangout. Littered with pillows thrown across low-level seating and lit by an army of candles, this place has a laid-back but exotic atmosphere. The clientele is not quite as self-consciously cool, or as unruly, as at La Bodéga and the restaurant downstairs serves good tapas, paella and seafood.
reviewed
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O
La Med
Sinking a sundowner and munching pizza at this al-fresco bar with a killer view down the length of the Twelve Apostles is a Cape Town ritual. Inside DJs and the likes of electro jazz band Goldfish play gigs later in the evening. It also gets jammed when international rugby games are screened. Keep an eye out for the easily missed turn-off, on the way to Clifton from Camps Bay.
reviewed
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Stardust
This cheesy, but hugely popular ‘theatrical diner’ gets packed with groups who come to enjoy their tagines (R80 to R100) and other dishes while listening to their waiters – all professional singers – who periodically hop up on stage to belt out tunes. There’s a spacious bar here so you don’t need to eat if you want to watch the show.
reviewed
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Q
La Casa
Where else will you witness restaurant patrons deliver such a heart-rending, quasi-English rendition of an Usher R&B ballad, followed by double-jointed hip shaking to Jamaican dancehall and Egyptopop? Two-for-one specials on Red Bull and vodka from 19:00 to 22:00 get the dancing started before dinner ends, and give the neon Berber glyphs on the wall a hallucinatory glow.
reviewed
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L'Univers
Toamasina's nightlife tends towards the dodgier end of the scale, particularly when large groups of foreign sailors come through on shore leave. Most of the restaurants listed under Eating also function as respectable bars if you just want a few quiet drinks. If you're feeling brave you could try L'Univers, a 'gritty' all-hours locals' bar with its own pétanque pitch.
reviewed
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R
Society
Housed in a former harbourmaster’s house, this flamboyant bar is where the beautiful people meet. The decor – classy kitsch – has a wonderfully 1930s feel with black chandeliers, black-and-white tiles and funky lounge suites. A restaurant serves lunch and dinner, but drinking in these refined surrounds provides the most fun. Definitely worth packing the stilettos for.
reviewed
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S
Tings an’ Times
This bohemian bar attracts an eclectic crowd to chill out to a reggae soundtrack, punctuated by regular live performances. Late on weekend nights it pulls in a crowd of up-for-it students and dancing goes on till the small hours. If you get the munchies, the speciality is pitas (R28 to R50), which come toasted with toppings or stuffed with all kinds of tasty treats.
reviewed
