Belfast ??

Hi all,

My next little adventure is booked up. Going to Belfast for a weekend next month to celebrate a mates birthday. So far 17 of us confirmed so should be a monster session.

Plenty of pubs to choose from so any recommendations ??

Cheers,

Del.

Depends on your tastes but the ones in the GBG are pretty good, the John Hewitt stood out for me, music and excellent beer choice and quality. The Crown Liquor Saloon is a must visit for the internal decor, the beer is variable, see this live webcam. The JDW (Bridge House) is one of the better ones and I quite liked McHughs. The only one i didn't much like was the Kitchen Bar. There aren't that many reviews considering it's a major city and those that there are, are getting a bit old - so lots of scope for new reviews.

Funnily enough I was thinking the same thing a month or so back when planning a birthday bash. Then I saw a few clashes around Belfast during Marching Season and decided it might not be such a great idea - so I'm going to Liverpool instead, which is probably just as bad. I don't want to put you off though, Belfast is perfectly safe, it's just that with my bunch of mates I couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be a Gazza-style flute playing incident at some stage and I didn't want to be worrying about that all the time.

The issue you'll face travelling as a large group is finding pubs big enough to accommodate you all. Many of Belfast's pubs are quite small and at busy times you might struggle. One of the larger and newer venues is the Northern Whig which will probably be good for an evening out. Nearby you have the John Hewitt mentioned by OB which is a popular music venue and should be able to accommodate a large group. Between the two and tucked away down an alleyway is the Duke of Yorkwhich is well worth a visit. The oldest pub in Belfast, White's Tavern is also in that area and whilst it's not that big inside it's located in a sort of courtyard so there's plenty of room for outside drinking.

You should also visit the Crown Liquor Saloon in Great Victoria Street as OB suggests, although it can feel a bit like a tourist attraction rather than a pub. Right next door is Robinson's which is three venues in one, a large bar at the front, a traditional public bar at the back and a nightclub upstairs. On the other side of the Crown is the Beaten Docket and the Wetherspoons is within walking distance.

The Kitchen Bar is near the St Ann's shopping centre and is much as OB describes. The only other good bar I know of near to that is Bittles Bar, it's a fantastic little place but would definitely struggle to get 17 of you in.

One of the delights for me of Belfast was the sheer number of bars and going round exploring them, I think I managed about two dozen in five days. But I was on my own so it made this easier, with a large group I think you're right to go equipped with a few places where you know you'll be able to get in.

Have a great trip and come back with some more Belfast reviews.

We had this trip booked before the latest round of riots. There are a few loose cannons amongst our group so I am expecting a few "incidents" ! I shall try and visit the pubs mentioned but as you rightly say its not so easy in a large group.
It looks like Linfield are at home on the Saturday so we might go to the match for a couple of hours.
We had a stag weekend in Liverpool a couple of years back and had a great time. Loads of pubs and friendly people. It was before I started noticing the names of the pubs I went in so some are still a mystery to me !!