Price of a Pint

[Milltown Row2]

Called into the old Basement Bar for one before Christmas and it was a nice spot for a drink.

The old busman's pub

[Tony Baloney]

Called into the old Basement Bar for one before Christmas and it was a nice spot for a drink.

The old busman's pub

Is that what it was? I remember when it opened up as the Basement 20 odd years ago. It was a good spot back in the day. Looked it up and it's called Margot now. I remember a time when the only place you could get a cocktail was Chicago Pizza Pie Factory on Dublin Road!

[An Watcher]

CCC £3.30 a pint, shopping how it should be

[WT4E]

Was in harp. Was decent crowd there. Managed to get a seat.

Had guinness in garrick 5.60, bittles 5.20 and harp 6.00

Bittles the best by far. Harp the worst by far.

[Armagh18]

Was in harp. Was decent crowd there. Managed to get a seat.

Had guinness in garrick 5.60, bittles 5.20 and harp 6.00

Bittles the best by far. Harp the worst by far.

Anywhere charging over a fiver for a pint could go bust tomorrow and get zero sympathy from me. Crazy money but judging by how booming Belfast has been the last few nights i've been in it people dont mind

[general_lee]

CCC £3.30 a pint, shopping how it should be

There's a lot to be said for the 3Cs!
Would avoid Muriel's & Spaniard (begrudgingly). Muriel's has gone downhill by all accounts. Same crowd that have ruined the Chester on Antrim Rd. I always liked the Spaniard but I now avoid out of principle.
Also avoid all the Beannchor bars (Ulster Sports Club, Dirty Onion, The National, Merchant/Cloth Ear/Bert's) unless overpriced shite surrounded by w@nkers is your vibe. Both JK & Beannchor have been known to treat staff like shit.
Thirsty Goat is a hit or miss. Drinking in a beer garden is grand for the summer but for the other 363 days it's grim. Awful for food.
Bootleggers is a no - hipster shite. Grannie Annie's actually not bad and would appeal to the culchie clientele.
Tipsy Bird is good if you want somewhere intimate for cocktails, only good when it's dead though (unless you like waiting ages for a drink).Love & Death is a bit livelier but good cocktails, younger crowd so be warned. The Perch - shite, I imagine Rita's isn't much better.
Harp Bar is what it is, Duke of York same, two decent  spots.
Jailhouse & Henry's are good (partly owned by Devenish crowd), Northern Whig a good stopping point for food & cocktails, White's Tavern (also part owned by Devenish crowd) has had big money pumped into it and have heard good reports.
Revolucion de Cuba is a big no, it's the McDonald's equivalent of a bar, it's a shame Cafe Vaudeville was replaced with that crap.
McHugh's is so-so, never hear much about it these days.
What I will say about Belfast, there is not one establishment in the city worth queuing up for, and there's a huge selection of bars to cater for most tastes.

[Milltown Row2]

I'm not particularly fussed on who owns the pubs to be fair, we'd end up avoiding most places with that approach, if you want a cheap pint go to your local social club or GAA club. If you want a night out with some atmosphere then you'll spend more than you should in any city pub.

[Franko]

Colin has the begging bowl out again 

Short story
We had a great Christmas, back to pre covid levels of footfall
But we've had increased costs with energy etc
Totally neglected to mention the fact that they've also hiked the prices to account for these increased costs
So therefore we need a taxpayer/ratepayer handout cos we're worried about the next few months

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64161559

He must have some mates in BBC NI that get free stays in the Merchant, cos there's no other industry lobbyist that gets anywhere close to the airtime this tool gets

[From the Bunker]

Paid €9.40 for a Shot of Captain Morgan and 200ml of Coke in the west of Ireland at a Wedding!

Seemed like a lot?

[Newbridge Exile]

CCC £3.30 a pint, shopping how it should be

There's a lot to be said for the 3Cs!
Would avoid Muriel's & Spaniard (begrudgingly). Muriel's has gone downhill by all accounts. Same crowd that have ruined the Chester on Antrim Rd. I always liked the Spaniard but I now avoid out of principle.
Also avoid all the Beannchor bars (Ulster Sports Club, Dirty Onion, The National, Merchant/Cloth Ear/Bert's) unless overpriced shite surrounded by w@nkers is your vibe. Both JK & Beannchor have been known to treat staff like shit.
Thirsty Goat is a hit or miss. Drinking in a beer garden is grand for the summer but for the other 363 days it's grim. Awful for food.
Bootleggers is a no - hipster shite. Grannie Annie's actually not bad and would appeal to the culchie clientele.
Tipsy Bird is good if you want somewhere intimate for cocktails, only good when it's dead though (unless you like waiting ages for a drink).Love & Death is a bit livelier but good cocktails, younger crowd so be warned. The Perch - shite, I imagine Rita's isn't much better.
Harp Bar is what it is, Duke of York same, two decent  spots.
Jailhouse & Henry's are good (partly owned by Devenish crowd), Northern Whig a good stopping point for food & cocktails, White's Tavern (also part owned by Devenish crowd) has had big money pumped into it and have heard good reports.
Revolucion de Cuba is a big no, it's the McDonald's equivalent of a bar, it's a shame Cafe Vaudeville was replaced with that crap.
McHugh's is so-so, never hear much about it these days.
What I will say about Belfast, there is not one establishment in the city worth queuing up for, and there's a huge selection of bars to cater for most tastes.

The Deers Head was a new one for me over Christmas, enjoyed it to be honest  and will be back again

[red hander]

Colin has the begging bowl out again 

Short story
We had a great Christmas, back to pre covid levels of footfall
But we've had increased costs with energy etc
Totally neglected to mention the fact that they've also hiked the prices to account for these increased costs
So therefore we need a taxpayer/ratepayer handout cos we're worried about the next few months

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64161559

He must have some mates in BBC NI that get free stays in the Merchant, cos there's no other industry lobbyist that gets anywhere close to the airtime this tool gets

He'd sicken your shite, that whining ballix. Michael Deane is another one.

[Tony Baloney]

Colin has the begging bowl out again 

Short story
We had a great Christmas, back to pre covid levels of footfall
But we've had increased costs with energy etc
Totally neglected to mention the fact that they've also hiked the prices to account for these increased costs
So therefore we need a taxpayer/ratepayer handout cos we're worried about the next few months

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64161559

He must have some mates in BBC NI that get free stays in the Merchant, cos there's no other industry lobbyist that gets anywhere close to the airtime this tool gets

He'd sicken your shite, that whining ballix. Michael Deane is another one.

I was in Deane's before Christmas and he was being interviewed at the table next to us and it was a whole long crying match.

[imtommygunn]

The biggest problem now is staffing in restaurants. Definitely in Belfast anywhere we seem to go near is understaffed and it's a struggle getting food. Even the higher end places.

[thewobbler]

Re financial returns, all the bastard publicans of Belfast got together during Covid and agreed to minimum pricing / overcharging.

If they were to all be swallowed up by the Lagan, it would be a great day for the city.

——

Re staffing. There aren't any. Why would any teenager / student work minimum wage til 3-4am for those bastard publicans, when mammy and daddy have already paid for their car and insurance, digs and fees, and they only need a shift a week in a cushy shop for a little pin money?

[Milltown Row2]

Re financial returns, all the bastard publicans of Belfast got together during Covid and agreed to minimum pricing / overcharging.

If they were to all be swallowed up by the Lagan, it would be a great day for the city.

——

Re staffing. There aren't any. Why would any teenager / student work minimum wage til 3-4am for those bastard publicans, when mammy and daddy have already paid for their car and insurance, digs and fees, and they only need a shift a week in a cushy shop for a little pin money?

My daughter is a student living in Belfast and loving her bar job, while having her digs phone the odd shop and whatever else is going on behind my back financially paid for lol!!

The other one now knows she needs a job to pay for her extras!! Otherwise it's rice and beans