Can't believe I am dropping a star for the Black Box, but I went last night and myself and a few…read morefriends decided we would like a slice of their amazing pizza. Unfortunately we were advised that there was a new chef and pizza is no longer served by the slice and must be bought as a whole 10" pizza, not good when you have vegetarians in the group and the meat eaters miss out on their carnivorous ways as one pizza is too much for a person on their own (well sometimes it is!) To top that off the pizza was nowhere near as nice as it used to be, this is a real shame as this what made the black box stand out from the crowd. Love love love this place! It has a relaxed atmosphere and always has something unusual to keep you entertained. I would frequent here quite regularly and have always had a great time whether it is because of the show on offer or simply due to the patrons. It's honestly like going into someone's living room if you enter into the small bar, pizza is served by the slice for £1-2 and is scrumptious. A Drink is not overly priced either. In the main room at the back they have a variety of shows on offer such as comedy and music nights and even a burlesque night I recently attended. All and all the cultural heart and soul of the cathedral quarter.

Love, love, love the Black box. Did I happen to mention I love this place…read more I've had some great nights there. The burlesque nights are always brilliant. Shouldn't be missed. A night you won't forget. Also some brilliant events as part of the QCAF

bit cheeky night out good food butnot everyone got dessert, but was delicious!!! just the way itw…read moreas advertised!!! out of all places also cleanest and in its raw form!! lads would visit again ! ps djsetwas bosh

Total Trash Bags. I have always had strong Irish Pride and was under the impression, we were all in…read moreunison, especially in Ireland. I couldn't have been more wrong! Our tour group (20 adults) felt the immediate diversity in this town, the moment we entered. We were turned away from this bar as well as several others in the area from having an Irish southerner as our guide. We couldn't wait to get away from the bad vibes and go towards a more positive part of town. (AKA not protistan territory). Shame on Filthy McNasty, who clearly lives up to their name.

Went for paddy's day. Waited in the queue for ages with bouncers looking at all of us in our…read morejerseys and never said anything, whn doors opened I had a woman and a man turn to me and said my jersey was questionable and I wasn't to be let in. I was wearing a jersey that had a Palestine flag and an Irish flag across the chest. Prior to all this I had messages the limelight instagram account and was told that anything with a political message or something that could offend someone more than likely was gonna be turned away. So we had went and bought New Jersey's for this reason. I had paid for my ticket and was refused entry over a top that had 2 flags on it, nothing offensive or political at all. I even turned it inside out and got laughed at and felt belittled when they said I still wasn't going to be let In. It was st Patrick's day, everyone was going to be in jerseys, i know I wasn't the only one with a jersey on that had nothing bad to it, and still got refused. The bouncers are and always have been too concerned about small things and rather than actually doing their job they belittle others. very disappointing, very annoyed. Please be aware of the bouncers egos and how rude they can be, absolutely disgusting.

The Limelight, eh...? It's where it all started for me. Sneaking in, trying to look over 18,…read morefailing miserably and having to wait until I was actually 18 to fully enjoy the place! It's a bit of everything: it's a great live venue, in which I've seen more bands than I'd care to remember, but it's worth mentioning that you'll get touring acts from all over the place as well as lots of performances from local bands, which I'm a big fan of. It's slightly grimy, yes, but that fits with the charavter of the place. It's not meant to be shiny and spotless. It's meant to be a little bit dirty! Lots of drinks offers make it a great place to go for a cheap night out as well. Although, I should warn you that the crowd is young. I remember even feeling old in my last year in uni! For that reason, i still go for gigs every now and then, but as a club, I'm more likely to be found next door in Katy's enjoying a quiet pint. Good God, I may as well just invest in a pipe and slippers and be done with it...

This place was a blast. We had no clue what we were walking into but there was live music and the…read morecrowd wasn't too crazy so it was easy to enjoy the band and get drinks. Huge space. And loved the bouncers/security; lovely people.

I absolutely adore the vibe of this bar. There are moody red lights everywhere, and all the seating…read moreis a beautiful burgundy velvet. There is a stage with live music and dancing to one side of the bar and the other side of the bar is more calm and for conversation. There is a place to order drinks on both sides which is great. The drinks are good and reasonably priced. The staff is friendly and provide fast service. We ordered multiple drinks and shots and it was done very quickly and correct. I would come here weekly if I lived in Belfast. The vibe perfectly fits my aesthetic. There is enough seating for a ton of people it's just perfect. 10/10 experience.

Slide is a newly opened gay friendly bar/club bang in the centre of Belfast. It is situated on the…read moretop floor of an old Victorian building and in order to get up there you enter by a little door next to the pizza parlour and you have to climb a lot of steep narrow stairs - I'm not grumbling but it was kind of hard in heels. The bar itself is situated on two levels. In the lower bar there is a massive bed which patrons can feel free to lounge on while they drink - the first night I saw it there were about 8 people on it - cosy! The music was so good - from Florence and the Machine to Stevie Wonder, our group danced the night away without being squashed as the dance floor was only comfortably crowded and the bar was easy to get too, which for me makes the night. I do remember dancing on top of a speaker and theoretically playing a full sized piano placed near the dance floor - thankfully it doesn't make any sound. As far as I'm concerned there were only two drawbacks to slide: the smoking area is tiny and not sheltered and the toilets are one floor down - narrow, steep stairs and booze isn't a great combination. All in all a fun-filled night - I'll be sliding again soon.

In my quest to seek out new venues i've come across a nice new gay/lesbian bar which seems to be…read moretucked away out of site, the bar? Well its called 'Slide' and is based on Ann's Street, Belfast. Its a persian styled venue with table service on one floor and on another a small but comfortably sized dance floor, considering this is like a well kept secret size here really isnt important. The staff were extremly friendly and welcoming which is a plus point considering some of the other LGB venues in belfast tend to employ staff who dont exactly know how to smile. For those who cant find it, its above Little Wings Pizzeria, on Anns Street Belfast.

We went to enjoy an Eagles tribute band. They were very good, and despite being one band member…read moredown through injury, they performed just over 2 hours but we thought Talon (another Eagles tribute) were better. There's very little car parking nearby and the area around the hall has become overrun with hotels. The hall was quaint, airy, with good acoustics, but I found the seating cheap and terribly uncomfortable - if I were 7 stone and ultra thin it might have been ok but alas no. Worst of all, my view, from my ground floor seat, was spoiled as I was sat right beside an ugly 6 inch steel pillar (no centimetres here so I'm ready for Brexit - which is more than the government can say). I felt quite cheated on being charged full ticket price for an obstructed view. The hall sells alcohol, but we didn't bother as it's just not comfortable enough to relax enough to enjoy a drink. Now this will sound a bit daft but I'd struggle to name more than two members of the original Eagles band. I like their music but I've no real interest in knowing anything about them. Spookily enough it's been 25 years to the day since we were in this beautiful hall. Sadly we can't change the past as on that magical night we saw John Denver live for the last time. As I sat there last night, I recalled John telling the story of how he came to write Shanghai Breezes out of a phone conversation to his former wife when he was in Shanghai. He linked his tale to suggest something we already know and often ignore here, that in this throwback place we should be able to live together harmoniously. Plainly we still choose not to put ourselves out too much.

Ahhhhh...Ulster Hall...the memories! During my misspent youth I saw quite a few great (and…read morequestionable) bands here including Aerosmith, Poison, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Def Leppard - well it was the early 1990s hahahahaha! In more recent years I've seen The Cult in concert (it always annoyed me that I didn't get to see them play years ago), numerous art exhibitions and the Belfast Beer and Cider Festival. Conveniently and centrally located on Bedford Street, Ulster Hall's easy to reach by foot or bus. I love the small, intimate environment of this understated, beautiful, Victorian building which is great for smaller events. The interior is refined elegance with the world-famous Mulholland Grand Organ prominently displayed and an art gallery space too. However, it can feel a bit overpopulated at times, as was the case with the 2015 Belfast Beer and Cider Festival and I find the temperature is often uncomfortably warm, especially when packed for a concert or event. Much to my embarrassment I've never actually seen the Ulster Orchestra live, whose home is in the Ulster Hall, but I'm planning on seeing them soon and am keeping an eye on Belfast City Councils website for more Ulster Hall events.

We saw a local band, Now the 90s in September 2023. The venue opened at 8:30pm, and the band went…read moreon at 10:30pm. The venue is not too small but intimate, no bad vantage points for seeing a show. A little too crowded for my preference though. While waiting for the band, they played some 90s hits, you know - Britney Spears, NSYNC, blink-182, etc. There were a few songs that us Americans didn't recognize (clearly very British) but we had a great time and danced along. It got really crowded before the band went on (sold out show)! And once the band did go on, we didn't know any of the first 3 songs... But eventually recognized some global pop songs.

Solid spot for some pints and music. Nothing crazy either way but the aesthetic pushes it to four…read morestars. Service was quick before it got busy and the pint came from a can so I can't speak to the quality. Haven't had the food.

This must have been my good luck bar because we happened upon it by accident and as we were waiting…read morefor a drink a stool happened to become available right in front of a group of trad musicians! The bartenders were friendly and the vibes were great. We really enjoyed the hour or so we spent here.

Cool pub with outsider seating. If the sun is out grab a table outside to people watch. If you want…read moreto get away from the noise, head upstairs to the restaurant for a more relaxed atmosphere

The (Warzone) Centre has a subterranean feel despite being located up a flight of stairs in Little…read moreVictoria Street. It's not well signposted, so could easily be missed. I would describe this place as being like marmite, you'll either love it or hate it. To really appreciate The Centre you need to fully understand it's history, ethics and reason for existence. It was created in 1986 and has opened and closed over the years, changing location a few times. Born out of a need to serve 'alternative culture' in Belfast, it's home to music gigs, art workshops, Giros Vegetarian Cafe, talks, lectures, meetings, gatherings and art exhibitions. It fills a space and need in Belfast which just isn't being met anywhere else and is run by volunteers. Atmosphere is grungy and dark with mural painted walls and twinkly fairy lights strung across the ceiling. To visualise the appearance and vibe of this place think - punk, gothic, rock, band posters, creative, different, alternative and absolutely not mainstream - and you'll be someway there. I've attended a couple of Vegan Event talks here which were excellent and sampled some delicious spicy vegetarian stew from Giros - thanks to the generous Colin W for sharing it with me! There's a stage, Giros Cafe kitchen and counter, tables, chairs and plenty of floor space. Anyone can book this Centre for an event, to do so you just email: warzonegigcollective@riseup.net For information on upcoming events visit the Warzone website or Facebook page at: http://www.warzonecollective.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Warzone-gig-collective/156649134364054 I would also recommend keeping an eye on the Plant Based Living Facebook page for event information: https://www.facebook.com/Plant-Based-Living-1561868980720956/

The Warzone Centre is a pretty cool venue. It has a bit of a feel of a community hall or really…read moregrungy trendy art venue. The whole place is decorated with some awesome artwork in a very street art/graffiti type vibe. As a venue itself its of moderate size and seems capable of handling a variety of types of event. I attended a vegan talk there last night and it was my first time in the centre. (I hadn't even realised it was there!) Definitely a trendy, heart of the city kind of place. I'd recommend it for any number of events.

Moored in the Lagan is The Belfast Barge, quiet and unassuming it doesn't blow its own trumpet but…read moreit really should. There are 3 elements to the Belfast Barge which was news to me when I visited last week. Much more than just a boat The Belfast Barge is a successful restaurant, a museum and an events venue. Next week they are hosting a comedy night in their events venue, which will be very cosy. The museum is full of maritime facts and history depicting Northern Irekand's ship building and boating heritage. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions. The restaurant is fully licensed and acts as a café bar during the day and at night live music and cabaret dominate the barge, the boat will literally be rocking!

A unique performance space. I have seen comedy performances and gigs here. It's holds a lot of…read morepeople and worth going to if you get a chance #Comedy #Music