The Empire Bar

ciaranmcg

One of my favourite bars! 6th October 2008

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One of the most well known (and best) bars in belfast! In terms of live music, this is one of the places to be. On a weekend night there will be a acoustic guitarist downstairs playing in the background while you have a chat with one of your friends. Upstairs on a tuesday is a must for comedy night. six pounds in and you get more comedy than you can shake a fist at. It is always packed so make sure you get there early to avoid dissappointment. The food served is general food like burgers and sandwiches, and also isnt the cheapest, although they do do deals on some of the lunchtime items i think. The atmosphere whether upstairs or down is always fantastic. Highly Reccommend!

Donal

Beautiful venue 25th September 2008

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Years ago, the Empire bar was a place of worship, and this converted church is one of the most distinctive and refined looking venues in all of Belfast. With two levels, the normal bar and stage downstairs, and the gig venue upstairs, the Empire is able to host two nights at once. This frequently consists of a singer / songwriter downstairs, with a touring band upstairs. Inside, there’s lots of room, with a balcony area upstairs meaning lots of good views for the stage. Tribute acts to famous bands regularly appear, and always manage to pack the place out. Downstairs, food is served, and is of little too high a standard to suit the place; the menu just seems wrong. Drink is expensive, averaging £3 for the cheaper beers, but the atmosphere more than makes up for this. Clientele wise, it’s a broad spectrum of people, but they all share the same characteristic of being lovers of live music.