Entertainment in Europe
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A
Blue Note
This jazzy pub-cum-dance-bar has a great summer beer garden and usually no cover charge.
reviewed
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B
Jáma
Jáma (‘the Hollow’), southeast off Vodičkova, is a popular American expat bar with vaulted ceilings plastered with old rock gig posters ranging from Led Zep and REM to Kiss and Shania Twain. There’s a leafy little beer garden out the back shaded by lime and walnut trees, smiling staff serving up Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus and Velkopopvický Kozel on draught, and a menu that includes good burgers, steaks, ribs and chicken wings.
reviewed
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C
Cross Club
This is an industrial club in every sense of the word: the setting in an industrial zone in Holešovice, the throbbing music (with both DJs and live acts) and the interior, an absolute must-see jumble of gadgets, shafts, cranks and pipes, many of which move and pulsate with light to the music. The programme includes occasional cabaret nights, theatre performances and art happenings. There’s drinking on two levels, plus a few picnic tables outside in case it gets to be too much. It’s easy to find despite the location: after exiting Nádraží Holešovice metro station, walk 100m to the east along Plynární street. You’ve arrived once you see the enormous industrial sculpture out…
reviewed
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D
Á Capella
A tiny, 14th-century chapel transformed into a candlelit cocktail lounge, Á Capella regularly hosts the city’s most renowned fado musicians. The setting is as intimate as the music itself, with heart-rendingly good acoustics. Be forewarned that these shows cater directly to a tourist crowd, but the atmosphere and music are both superb.
reviewed
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E
Angélina
Take a break from the long trek along the Tuileries gardens and line up for a table at Angélina, along with lunching ladies, their posturing poodles and half the students from Tokyo University. This beautiful, high-ceilinged tearoom has exquisite furnishings, mirrored walls and fabulous fluffy cakes. More importantly, it serves the best and most wonderfully sickening ‘African’ hot chocolate in the history of time (€6.90), served with a pot of whipped cream. It’s a positive meal replacement (though breakfast is €16.50 to €27.50).
reviewed
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F
Tupperware
A Malasaña stalwart and prime candidate for the bar that best catches the enduring rockero spirit of Malasaña, Tupperware draws a 30-something crowd, spins indie rock with a bit of soul and classics from the ’60s and ’70s, and generally revels in its kitsch (eyeballs stuck to the ceiling, and plastic TVs with action-figure dioramas lined up behind the bar). By the way, locals pronounce it ‘Tupper-warry’.
reviewed
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G
Café en Seine
A tidy jazz band for Sunday brunch and some Big Band Swing on Monday nights fill out the musical menu at one of Dublin’s biggest and most wildly extravagant bars. The Belle Epoque décor make it easy to imagine that you’re actually at one of F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s decadent parties.
reviewed
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H
Le Piano Vache
Down the hill from the Panthéon, this bar is covered in old posters above old couches and is drenched in 1970s and ‘80s rock ambience. Effortlessly underground and a real student fave, bands and DJs play mainly rock, plus some goth, reggae and pop.
reviewed
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I
't Velootje
Push through the heavy, unmarked door and take care not to trip over old bikes, or whack your head on the kero lamps cluttering this tiny, darkened garage as you take a seat at a low wooden picnic table. Lieven De Vos has turned his bicycle workshop into an informal bar, of sorts - ask for a beer and Lieven will bring out whatever he selects; his opening hours are 'whenever I feel like opening until it closes down' (try after 21:00).
There are plans to expand the pub to accommodate Lieven's collection of antique bikes; the expansion is scheduled to be complete in 2010, Het Velootje's 25-year anniversary.
To find the pub, walk north along Oudburg until you see a pile of j…
reviewed
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J
Riegrovy Sady
There’s a good-natured rivalry between this beer garden and the one across the river at Letná as to which one is best. The answer depends on where you live, and on summer nights the folks in Vinohrady can be counted on to come out and enforce their claim. Order drinks at the bar and carry them to one of dozens of picnic tables. The big-screen TV takes away from the atmosphere, but is a welcome addition during the Euro or World Cup football matches, when the tables are lined elbow to elbow. The easiest way to get here is from Polská, turn up Chopínova, and then enter the park across from Na Švíhance. The beer garden is 30m up the path.
reviewed
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Gravediggers (aka Kavanagh’s)
The gravediggers from the adjacent Glasnevin Cemetery had a secret serving hatch so that they could drink on the job – hence the pub’s nickname. Founded in 1833 by one John Kavanagh and still in the family, this pub is one of the best in Ireland, virtually unchanged in 150 years. In summer time the green of the square is full of drinkers basking in the sun, while inside the hardened locals ensure that ne’er a hint of sunshine disturbs some of the best Guinness in town. An absolute classic.
reviewed
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L
Mariinsky Theatre
Home to the world-famous Kirov Ballet and Opera company, a visit here is a must, if only to delight in the sparkling glory of the interior. Use the website to book and pay for tickets in advance of your visit to the theatre and to the acoustically splendid new concert hall, which is nearby. The theatre-themed souvenirs are for sale in the Mariinsky gift shop. None of it is cheap, but where else can you get a ‘Property of Kirov Ballet’ T-shirt?
reviewed
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M
Di’Vino Wijnbar
Finally, a dedicated wine bar in the Jordaan. It serves only quality Italian wines (glasses €4 to €6, bottles €19 to €55), plus divine charcuterie and cheese plates (€6.50 to €17.50). The polished wood bar, flickering candles and lofty corner windows beckon you in – though the snuggle-into-me blankets strewn about the tables and chairs outside are equally inviting. Choices, choices.
reviewed
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N
DGI-Byen
Lying just south of Central Station, overlooking the tracks, you’ll find Copenhagen’s best leisure and sports complex, featuring a large indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, spa, restaurant, cafe and hotel, among other facilities. On offer at the spa are a wide range of beauty treatments, different massage therapies, algae and salt baths, mud packs and acupuncture.
reviewed
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O
Teatro Joy Eslava
The only things guaranteed at this grand old Madrid dance club (housed in a 19th-century theatre) are a crowd and the fact that it will be open. (The club claims to have opened every single day for the past 29 years.) The music and the crowd are a mixed bag, but queues are long and invariably include locals and tourists, and even the occasional famoso.
reviewed
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Colle Beretto
On the same square as the fortress-like Palazzo Strozzi, this bar/cafe opts instead for plate glass and beefy bouncers. The terrace is luxuriously fitted out with cushy sofas, while inside, pea-green neon and transparent Kartell chairs scream design. The aperitivo buffet is among the city’s most generous.
reviewed
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Café Bar Inspire
Coventry's Christchurch church was destroyed during World War II, leaving only the spire, which now, slightly sacrilegiously, shelters this bar. This is forgivable as it is very good. It serves an international selection of bottled brews, as well as baguette and salad snacks throughout the day.
reviewed
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Q
Captain Cook Pub
There’s not much to say about the CC except that it enjoys an enviable location diagonally opposite the basilica, the terrace is a delight in the warm weather, there are four beers on tap and the staff are welcoming and friendly. And for us, that’s sufficient.
reviewed
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R
Moulin Rouge
Ooh la la… Paris’ most celebrated cabaret was founded in 1889 and its dancers appeared in the flamboyant posters by Toulouse-Lautrec. It sits under its trademark red windmill (a 1925 replica of the 19th-century original) and attracts viewers/voyeurs by the coachload.
reviewed
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S
Caru cu Bere
Bucharest's oldest beer hall plays home to serious Gothic style and an irresistible atmosphere, although it was closed for renovation when we visited. Check to see its new state - it's likely they'll bring back the Roma bands, but revive the sour service.
reviewed
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16 Tons
This club is widely believed to be the hottest live music venue in the capital, attracting top local and foreign bands, who almost always play to a packed house. The brassy English pub-restaurant downstairs has an excellent house-brewed bitter.
reviewed
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Monroe’s Tavern
Often photographed for its classic, world-weary facade, Monroe’s delivers traditional music and ballads, plus it remains the only pub in the city with regular Irish dancing. A pizza joint buried within turns out good pies.
reviewed
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Tolkien's House
This most unusual bar is just up the street from Lotrščak Tower. It's decorated in the style of Tolkien's famous books and has a cosy enclosed terrace where you can drink the best hot chocolate in Zagreb.
reviewed
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Masken
You’ll find a pretty mellow, easy-going atmosphere in this mainstream gay bar, with cheap beer and good snacks. It’s mainly a hang-out for gay men, but Thursday is Ladies Night.
reviewed
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X
Moviemento
Berlin’s oldest cinema, this three-screen independent place (with a maximum capacity of just over 100) shows a good range of nonblockbuster mainstream foreign and German movies.
reviewed
