Bittles Bar

Victoria Square - How, one might reasonably ask, could a bar possibly be leveraged into
the tight confines of this curious triangular building? Yet step inside and all is revealed.
This compact and comfortable pub, formerly known as The Shakespeare, retains a
literary theme with portraits of Ireland’s most celebrated poets and authors, from Beckett
to Joyce, Wilde and Yeates. The dark green of its walls and drapes create a cosy,
intimate atmosphere, making it a popular venue for imbibers of all ages, from old hands
studying the current racing form, to young go-getters popping in for a swift pre-prandial
libation. Bittles also serves classic Belfast pub grub, including champ, a regional
favourite of creamed potatoes and scallions.

The Deer's Head

Lower Garfield Street - The Deers Head was built around 1885 and stands on the corner of Garfield Street (named after the American
President who was assassinated in 1881) and North Street. The exterior of the building displays the monogram JD for John Donnelly, the
wine and spirit merchant who founded the pub here. Inside the pub there are cosy snugs, so popular in Belfast alehouses. The first five are
original and the rest were re-instated by the owner, Croft Inns.

The Deers Head attracts a rich and varied mix of imbibers, from city centre business types popping in for a lunchtime libation, to weary
shoppers looking to recharge their batteries before another onslaught at the shops.

Kitchen Bar
Victoria Square - It is said that a good bar is much more than the sum of its parts;
that it is the unique blend of staff and customers that give it its character. If proof of
this were needed, one needs look no further than the Kitchen Bar. The original pub,
dating back to 1859, was the favourite watering hole for the star performers of
Belfast’s famous music hall, The Empire. The bar has now relocated to a
characterful old converted warehouse close to the Waterfront Hall but it retains all
the charm and charisma that visitors experienced at its former site. Great banter is
guaranteed and excellent food is on hand…try the aptly named ‘Paddy Pizza’.
 The Garrick Bar
Chichester Street - Thought to have been named after the infamous Garrick Club in
London, there have been premises dispensing wine and spirits at this location from at least
1870 and the ‘Garrick’ name was certainly in use by 1892. The bar has been sensitively
restored in recent years, so that its gas-lit traditional exterior forms a welcoming beacon in
the city, while the interior, with its high ceilings, features a smart combination of delicate
woodwork and exquisite tiling. Garrick is a popular haunt with the city’s legal fraternity, as
the civil courts are only a few hundred metres away, but its easy-going ambience and city
centre location make it popular with all imbibers.

The Hercules Bar

Castle Street - The bar takes its name from Hercules Street, the former name for Royal Avenue. This part of town had a reputation as being
one of the most violent and disreputable parts of the city, a fact that cannot have pleased Sir Hercules Langford, after whom it was named.
The bar was founded in 1875 by Patrick McGlade, who, with his brother Francis, went on to establish many other licensed premises in the
city. The Hercules name dates back to 1901, when it was known as the Hercules Wine and Spirit Stores. This busy city centre bar serves fine
pub food and is home to a lively traditional Irish music session on Saturday nights.

White’s Tavern
Winecellar Entry - Evidence shows that Whites Tavern has links with the drinks trade
stretching back over four centuries. It was founded in 1630 as a wine and spirit shop and
over the years it passed through the hands of many colourful characters, even including a
brief spell as a Temperance Hotel in the 1870s. Today it displays an easy and relaxed
atmosphere and is the natural haunt for those seeking a quiet drink far from the bustle of
the busy streets outside. Its walls display a fascinating collection of framed newspaper
clippings dating back two centuries. Both first time visitors and regulars feel immediately at
home in Whites’ easy going and friendly atmosphere, one enhanced by the ready
availability of good food, good music and great craic.
 The Duke of York
Commercial Court - Nestled in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter, on one of the city’s
oldest cobbled streets, The Duke of York was once at the centre of Belfast’s thriving
newspaper district. Little wonder then that it was frequented by the literati and the glitterati
of that time, from newspaper hacks to poets, politicians and raconteurs. Ironically, it has
outlived the publications that once employed its most devoted customers and today it is
filled with paraphernalia of the printer’s trade, with great screw presses and wall murals
made up of hot metal type. Small wooden snugs add to the sense of intimacy that the bar
exudes and its mixed crowd of patrons enjoy an excellent selection of beers and lagers, as
well as hearty traditional Irish foods.

McHugh’s Bar
Queen’s Square - McHugh’s Bar is a perfect example of the old blending in harmony with
the new. Built nearly 300 years ago, it is one of the oldest buildings in Belfast and has
recently been revitalised through a £1 million restoration programme. The result is
splendid. The exterior façade has been largely retained and inside, areas of the original
handmade bricks have been exposed, leading the eye up to the massive 18th century
oak trusses. The building has now absorbed DuBarry’s Bar, which was just around the
corner and which for long carried the name of being a house of ill repute. Today
McHugh’s enjoys a reputation for great atmosphere, fine food and, of course, grand
pints. It’s location on the fringe of the new open public space, Custom House Square,
places it at the heart of the city’s regeneration.

The Harbour Bar

Ann Street - The Harbour Bar was built around 1880 and until recently was known as Paddy’s Bar. It has an unprepossessing entrance
but opens up inside to reveal the well-worn, lived in atmosphere of a much loved pub. The front part of the bar is devoted to football
memorabilia, with photos and signed jerseys of local clubs. The room at the rear of the bar has a wall painting and World War I artefacts
remembering William McFadzean, a Belfast man who won the Victoria Cross in 1916.
 Madden’s Bar
Berry Street - Small and busy, Maddens is one of the oldest pubs in Belfast, with a history
dating back to 1751. It is home to a rich and varied cultural scene and frequently hums with
the rhythms of Celtic life and music, sometimes organised, frequently spontaneous. So it’s
the ideal place to be if you’re looking for a ‘good aul session’ of traditional Irish music.

Musical instruments line the walls, pints of stout rest on every available surface and
suddenly, caught up in the lively embrace of its rooms, the hustle and bustle of the modern
city seems very far away.

Kelly’s Bar
Bank Street - Kelly’s was once a country pub on the edge of town and although there is
some argument over its exact age, there is no doubt that Kelly’s Cellars is the oldest
surviving, continually run pub in Belfast. And what is most memorable, perhaps, is that in
its 280 year history, it has managed to retain its focus as an everyday drinking man’s pub.
No trendy themes here. This is a serious pub for serious drinkers, where a rich and
eclectic mix of Belfast characters, including artists, writers and actors, gather to sup fine
frothy pints of Guinness and discuss the ways of the world. There’s never a dull moment in
Kelly’s.

Crown Liquor Saloon

Great Victoria Street - What a gem the Crown Liquor Saloon is! This priceless time capsule,
now owned by the National Trust, perfectly captures the opulence and optimism of Victorian
times with possibly the most perfectly preserved pub interior from that era in Northern Ireland.
Moreover, it is a living, breathing, sentient pub, enjoyed by locals and visitors alike, where the
full drama of city life is played out every day. Dating from 1885, The Crown displays ample
evidence of the Italian craftsmen who were employed to create this sumptuous ‘gin palace’.
The opulent marble, finely detailed tilework and rich glass engravings are magnificently set off
by its scalloped lights and gleaming brasswork. Together with the fine long bar inlaid with
coloured glass, these features often leave first time visitors open-mouthed and ready for a
steadying pint.
 The Morning Star
Pottingers Entry - One of Belfast’s oldest pubs and originally a coaching house for the
Belfast – Dublin mail coach, the Morning Star now occupies a site on a narrow
thoroughfare linking two busy streets. The present building dates back to at least 1810
and is without doubt one of the city’s architectural gems. The ground floor is dominated
by a horseshoe bar, installed in 1925 for the express purpose of delivering “quick service,
good viands and fine liquors”. This resolve holds good today and the Morning Star has
an excellent reputation for presenting superb traditional food, as well as more eclectic
offerings, including crocodile steaks, ostrich and bison.

The Front Page

Donegall Street - With the Belfast Telegraph, the Irish News and, until the 1980s, the Belfast News Letter all within its sphere of influence, it’s
not hard to guess how this bar got its name.

Built around 1910, it remains a popular bar with journalists and newspaper workers and it has a lively buzz of activity about it. A lounge was
added in the 1960s and the room upstairs is now used as a dynamic live music venue.

Members of staff claim that there is a ghost in the room and report feeling a sudden chill, as well as strange noises and electrical equipment
switching itself on.