Bar entertainment in Europe
-
A
Jáma
Jáma (‘the Hollow’) is a popular American expat bar plastered with old rock gig posters ranging from Led Zep and REM to Kiss and Shania Twain. There’s a little beer garden out the back shaded by lime and walnut trees, smiling staff serving up a rotating selection of regional beers and microbrews, and a menu that includes good burgers, steaks, ribs and chicken wings.
reviewed
-
B
Leb-i Derya
On the top floor of a dishevelled building off İstiklal, Leb-i Derya has wonderful views across to the Old City and down the Bosphorus, meaning that seats on the small outdoor terrace or at the bar are highly prized. There's also food on offer.
reviewed
-
C
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, here bands and DJs play mainly rock, plus some goth, reggae and pop.
reviewed
-
D
Vittula
Great (though tiny and very smoky) underground (both senses) bar just off the Big Ring Road, with international performances, cutting-edge DJs and some cheap Slovakian lager.
reviewed
-
E
'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…
reviewed
-
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
-
F
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
-
G
Real Mccoy
This ‘bootlegger’s bar’ has walls plastered in old newspapers, two-for-one happy-hour specials (5pm to 8pm) and a dance floor crowded with expats. There is live jazz and rock music in the evenings (9pm Wednesday to Sunday) then, after 11pm, the serious drinking begins. The later it gets, the more they drink. The Real McCoy is considered to be the last of Moscow’s old-fashioned debauched and depraved dive bars, where women are invited to dance on the bar (preferably without a shirt on) and men are practically guaranteed to take home a new friend, if they are not too picky.
reviewed
-
H
French House
French House is Soho’s legendary boho boozer with a history to match: this was the meeting place of the Free French Forces during WWII, and de Gaulle is said to have drunk here often, while Dylan Thomas, Peter O’Toole and Francis Bacon all frequently ended up on the wooden floors. Come here to sip on Ricard, French wine or Kronenbourg and check out the quirky locals.
reviewed
-
I
Freni e Frizioni
All the young dudes' favourite cool Trastevere bar was a garage in a former life, hence its name ('brakes and clutches'). The arty crowd flocks here to slurp well-priced drinks (especially mojitos), feast on the good-value aperitivo and spill into the piazza out the front.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
La Dolce Vita
A perennial favourite of the city’s status-conscious youth and nearly young, Dolce Vita has stood up to competition from newer offerings such as Noir and Colle Beretto and remains the best place to show off your prowess in selecting designer labels. As weather permits, crowds spill out of the industrial-style interior onto the adjacent piazza, which would be stunning if it weren’t made to double as a car park.
reviewed
-
K
Bar del Fico
At the time of writing Bar del Fico was undergoing some works to shore up its façade. By the time you read this, fingers crossed, this long-standing favourite of the capital's bohemians will have reopened and you can return to while away days and nights at its fig-tree-shaded tables. The elderly chess players never left: they carried on their games in the cobbled street beside the building site.
reviewed
-
L
Temple Bar
The most photographed pub facade in Dublin, perhaps the world, the Temple Bar (aka Flannery's) is smack bang in the middle of the tourist precinct and is usually chock-a-block with visitors. It's good craic though, and presses all the right buttons, with traditional musicians, a buzzy atmosphere and even a beer garden. It's also one of the most expensive pubs in Dublin.
reviewed
-
M
Bar Torra
Housed inside a fortified Venetian tower at the beginning of the city walls, this was one of the first private cafes in Albania, opened by a team of local artists. After you've had a peek at the tourist information section inside, and at the view from the top, you can drink a local brew in the cosy barred nooks of the old tower. The ceiling is strangely reminiscent of Hoxha's bunkers.
reviewed
-
N
El Mojito
El Mojito is a modern temple to one of the favourite drinks of madrileños. In fact, it doesn’t really serve much else, but the price is right (€6) and the crowd is oh-so-cool and all dressed in black; the music (often live on Thursdays) is as Cuban as the mojitos. Space is always at a premium (the wall-to-ceiling mirrors make it look larger than it is).
reviewed
-
O
Strandbar Herrmann
You’d swear you’re by the sea at this hopping canalside beach bar, with beach chairs, sand and hordes of Viennese livin’ it up on hot summer evenings. Films occasionally feature, blankets are available and if you get bored of lounging, have a go at a game of boules. Cool trivia: it’s located on Herrmannpark, named after picture postcard inventor Emanuel Herrmann (1839–1902).
reviewed
-
P
Sportland
Non-stop sports on three giant screens and countless smaller plasma TVs around the bar. You will undoubtedly be able to catch your team's big game here, no matter who your team might be. Otherwise, there is no reason to frequent this casino-bar, unless you enjoy glaring lights, blaring slot machines and greasy food. The Rbl500-cover charge gets subtracted from your bill.
reviewed
-
Q
Les Affiches
Once the boho-favourite ‘Stardust’, but the name-and-management change doesn’t seem to have made much difference. The hep cats in cool hats are postcard-home handsome and hang out in the cobbled street as well as in the cramped red-and-black rooms inside, and there’s occasional live music at aperitivo o’clock (early evening).
reviewed
-
R
Le Crocodile
This green-shuttered bar has been dispensing cocktails (more than 200 on the list) since 1966. The ’70s were ‘epic’ in this bar, and the dream kicks on well into the new millennium. Arrive late for a truly eclectic crowd, including lots of students, and an atmosphere that can go from quiet tippling to raucous revelry. Hours can vary.
reviewed
-
S
Etablì
Housed in an airy 17th-century palazzo, Etablì is a fab rustic-chic lounge bar-cum-restaurant where Roman lovelies float in to have a drink, read the paper, indulge in aperitivo and use the wifi. It’s laid-back and good-looking, with an eclectic soundtrack and original French country decor – think lavender tones, wrought-iron fittings, and comfy armchairs. Restaurant meals average about €35.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
T
Market Bar
An architectural beauty, this giant redbrick and iron girder room that was once a Victorian sausage factory is now a large, breezy bar that stands as a far more preferable alternative to many of the city's superbars. Unlike virtually every other new pub in town, there's no music. It also does a roaring trade in Spanish-influenced pub grub .
reviewed
-
U
Zvonařká
Sitting at the far end of a quiet residential street where Vinohrady spills over into the Nusle valley, Zvonařká has a stylish, minimalist interior, but its biggest attraction is outdoors – a broad, tree-shaded terrace overhanging a steep hill, with expansive views across the valley to Vyšehrad, a great place for a beer on a summer evening.
reviewed
-
V
Pavilhão Chinês
Pavilhão Chinês is an old curiosity shop of a bar with oil paintings and model spitfires dangling from the ceiling, and cabinets brimming with glittering Venetian masks and Action Men. Play pool or bag a comfy armchair to nurse a port or beer. Prices are higher than elsewhere, but such classy kitsch doesn’t come cheap.
reviewed
-
W
Lunabar
Atmospherically equidistant between New York and Umbria, the city centre lounge off Corso Vannucci spins together frescoed, Venetian plaster walls with a grey and onyx bar and space-age restrooms. Smokers enjoy their own room and the hungry will appreciate the good aperitivo (happy hour snacks) selection.
reviewed
-
X
Instant
Love, love, love this new ‘rubble bar’ on Pest’s most vibrant nightlife strip and so do all our friends. It’s got four bars on two levels with bopping, relaxing and chilling. If you want a taste of things to come and can’t wait till lunchtime, head for the ground-floor coffee shop (open from 8am to 10pm).
reviewed