Entertainment in North Rhine Westphalia
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Zum Uerige
This cavernous beer hall is the best place to soak it all up. The suds flow so quickly from giant copper vats that the waiters - called Köbes - simply carry huge trays of brew and plonk down a glass whenever they spy an empty.
reviewed
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Melody Bar
After 10pm you may have to shoehorn your way into this jewel of a cocktail bar that's an island of sophistication amid the boisterous Altstadt thirst parlours. The drinks are excellent, the owner couple gracious and the crowd mixed.
reviewed
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Päffgen
Busy, loud and boisterous, Päffgen has been pouring Kölsch since 1883 and hasn't lost a step since. In summer you can enjoy the refreshing brew and local specialities beneath starry skies in the beer garden.
reviewed
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Früh Am Dom
This warren of a beer hall near the Dom epitomises Cologne earthiness. Sit inside amid loads of knick-knacks or on the terrace next to a fountain. It's also known for great breakfasts.
reviewed
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Tonhalle
The imposing domed Tonhalle, in a converted 1920s planetarium, is the home base of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker (Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra).
reviewed
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Stone Im Ratinger Hof
After a stint as a techno temple in the '90s, the venerable Ratinger Hof has returned to its rock roots and is now the 'it' place for lovers of indie and alt-sounds. Depending on the night, tousled hipsters, skinny-jean emos and sneaker-wearing students thrash it out to everything from noise pop to neo-garage to indietronics.
reviewed
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Zakk
Parties, concerts, readings, theatre, discussions - the menu sure varies at this well established cultural centre in a former factory. The beer garden is a convivial place to spend a balmy summer night. It's a couple of kilometres east of the Hauptbahnhof; take tram 706 to Fichtenstrasse or the U-Bahn 75 to Kettwiger Strasse.
reviewed
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Anaconda Lounge
The living room of hormone-happy hipsters, this designer cave is great for chilling or launching a bar hop. Strong drinks, kick-ass music and complexion-friendly decor further loosen inhibitions. Insiders fuel up for the long night ahead with cheap pizza from Harlequino next door (ok to bring inside bar).
reviewed
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Alter Wartesaal
In a former train station waiting hall, this is a stylish bar-disco- restaurant combo. Themed nights range from the erotic KitKatClub to Depeche Mode parties and '80s nights. The restaurant serves modern German with international touches (mains lunch €7.50 to €12, dinner €17 to €22; open noon to 1am).
reviewed
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3001
A clubber's nirvana, this hot 'n' heavy club in Medienhafen has a giant dance floor where DJs whip shiny, happy and barely legal hotties into a frenzy with electro and sizzling light and video projections. The crowd's a bit older and admission is free during 'Milchbar' on Thursdays.
reviewed
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Brauhaus Bönnsch
The unfiltered ale is a must at this congenial brew-pub adorned with photographs of famous politicians: Willy Brandt to, yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schnitzel, spare ribs and sausage dominate the menu, but the Flammkuchen (Alsatian pizza) is still a perennial bestseller.
reviewed
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Kammermusiksaal
Bonn's entertainment scene is especially strong in the field of classical music. A calendar highlight is the Beethovenfest in late September with several dozen concerts held in venues around town including the intimate Kammermusiksaal next to the Beethoven Haus.
reviewed
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Underground
This complex combines a pub and two concert halls where indie and alternative rock bands hold forth several times a week. Otherwise it's party time with different music nightly (no cover). There's a beer garden in summer. To get here take U3 or U4 to Venloer Strasse/Gürtel.
reviewed
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Hövel's Hausbrauerei
This is a brew-pub for the 21st century - rustic yet infused with a touch of style. The menu is custom-made for hardcore meat lovers (try the suckling pig or the roast pork knuckle) washed down with the libation of choice, the tasty house-brewed Bitterbier.
reviewed
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Harpune
At this highly rated club the dance floor hums with a mixed bag of globally influenced techno, House and electronica. Fridays are dedicated to other music styles, from hip-hop to reggae. The door policy is pretty relaxed, but don't show up drunk or dishevelled.
reviewed
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Apollo Kino & Bar
This cavernous basement joint does double duty as an art-house cinema and a sweaty dance club for the student brigade. Alt-sounds rule on Mondays, salsa on Tuesdays, but on other nights it could be anything from dancehall to disco, house to power pop.
reviewed
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Hallmackenreuther
Named after a character created by German satirist Loriot, this bustling Belgian Quarter bar-restaurant went 1960s retro-style long before the look became all the rage. Most of the clientele, though, weren't born until after that particular decade.
reviewed
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Hotel Shanghai
Electronic-music fans invade for ravetastic nights in this unpretentious joint where DJs spin in a lotus-shaped console, while you dance beneath Chinese lanterns. When your legs need a break, plonk down into a red leather booth and scan the crowd.
reviewed
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Shepheard
This glamorous cocktail bar lures chatty sophisticates huddled in intense conversation and grateful for the mellow lighting and jazz. Named for a colonial hotel in Cairo, it offers 190 different cocktails, including 40 original creations.
reviewed
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Salon des Amateurs
Tucked into the Kunsthalle, this tunnel-shaped cafe-lounge pulls off an artsy vibe without a single canvas. Museum-goers arrive in the afternoon for tea and chat, while hipsters keep the bar and little dance floor hopping after dark.
reviewed
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Pretty Vacant
It may be named for a Sex Pistols song, but this Altstadt haunt ain't no punk club. It's a shape-shifter really, whose cellar walls vibrate to different sounds nightly - glam rock to Britpop, electronica to R&B. Live bands, too.
reviewed
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Pawlow
Generations of bon vivants have followed the Pavlovian bell to this northern Altstadt institution. A cafe in the daytime, it morphs into a DJ bar at night with electro, punk and '60s sounds heating up a chatty, boozy crowd.
reviewed
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Papa Joe's Klimperkasten
A piano player tickles the ivories nightly in this museum-like place where walls are strewn with yesteryear's photographs and there are lots of quirky things to discover (check out the wood-carved 'one-armed bandit' by the door).
reviewed
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FZW
Generations of Dortmunders have partied at this legendary club that recently moved to new digs near the Dortmunder U. Catch tomorrow's headliners live in the big hall or get down to a 'Happy Feet' inducing dance mix in the club.
reviewed
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Malteserkeller
Elvin Jones and Bill Ramsey used to be regulars at what was once a venerable jazz venue. Changing tastes and financial realities have translated into an expanded musical menu that includes electro-funk, house, Nu Skool and punk.
reviewed
