Barbados / Bars/Nightlife

There is no shortage of bars in Barbados. There are the beach bars, which are open all day and then others, including restaurant bars that open in the evenings and have a bar crowd as well as their diners, particularly on the West Coast. There are even a few wine bars in Barbados, which is unexpected for the Caribbean, but they attract a good crowd. It is also fun to visit the local rum shops. The Bajans are gracious hosts and will generally be very welcoming. Just don’t think you can take them on at dominoes after a few, that’s all. And then there are late bars and clubs that have dancing as well as drinking.

The South Coast is the liveliest spot, and St Lawrence Gap has a string of places to choose from, but there are also a couple of very lively nightclubs in Bridgetown. From season to season there are clubs on the West Coast too. Clubs and bars often have their particular night, which can change from year to year.

Note - Smoking in public places is now an offence in Barbados. The smoking ban came into effect on 01 October 2010 and applies to any enclosed or substantially enclosed building. A fine of Bds$500 or a 12 month term of imprisonment will apply to individuals who break the law.

Here is a selection of recommended bars in Barbados:

South Coast

Café Sol - Mexican Grill & Margarita Bar, St Lawrence Gap - lively in the early evening (often all evening in fact), Cafe Sol is a Mexican bar, with sombreros on the walls, chilli fairy-lights and raised seats looking on to the street and the crowds passing by. Excellent margaritas. Last Friday of every month they have a “Wild Fiesta Friday” party, complete with piñata. Daily Happy Hours 5pm-7pm and 10pm-midnight, plus a “2 for 1” drinks special every night from 6pm until they close. Tex-Mex menu available until 11pm.  Now in a new location on the corner of the entrance to The Gap, following extensive fire damage sustained at the original location in October 2010. Now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

McBride’s Pub & Cookhouse, St Lawrence Gap - themed Irish pub, very lively and often packed. Large indoor bar area, air-conditioned pool room and a dining room, dining terrace outside (the kitchen is open until 11pm and serves pastas, pizzas and pub grub). Live entertainment most nights of the week: reggae on Wednesdays, rock on Thursdays and a Latin band with salsa classes on Fridays. Nightly Happy Hour, 11pm-1am with a “2 for 1” drinks special. Just around the corner from “sister” nightspot, Café Sol.

Reggae Lounge, St Lawrence Gap - extremely rustic, open-air night spot for (reasonably-priced) drinking and dancing while DJs play the latest (oldies too) reggae, dancehall and other Caribbean music. Popular with younger locals. Occasional live bands.

Friday Fish Fry, Oistins Fish Market -  recently redeveloped as Oistins Bay Gardens, the Fish Fry is housed in a collection of colourful, purpose-built cabins, dining areas with picnic tables and a bandstand (it may now have less rustic appeal for some). Street party atmosphere with live entertainment. Sees a nice mix of locals and visitors and makes a fun and cheap early evening out.

Bert's, Rockley - sports bar with a lively Bajan-Canadian atmosphere, run by “Bert” Inniss since 1976 now with a new fellow Canadian partner, Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Canadian ice hockey team the Ottawa Senators (all their games are screened). Covered bar area with 24 plasma TVs and a wall-size projection screen, spacious decked courtyard seating area with parasols around a small pool and an indoor restaurant with an open, stone-fired pizza oven. Also known as the “The House of the Daiquiri” for their banana daiquiris which you can order by the jug. Open daily 11.30am-midnight (or later during seasonal events), Happy Hour 4.30pm-6pm. Wheelchair access.

Bubba’s Sports Bar & Restaurant, Rockley - animated, American-style sports bar and restaurant with a good mix of locals and tourists -  popular for early evening drinks after work, or as a start to a big night out, but also popular with families. Fully air-conditioned, with split-level dining and seating areas -  the main room, “the pit” (also the smoking area), is encircled by three 10ft screens and 12 smaller TVs. The upper area is much quieter. Very reasonable prices and generous portions. Daily Happy Hour and “2 for 1” drink specials. Open Monday-Thursday 11.30am-11pm, Friday 11.30am-1am, Saturday 11am-1am and Sunday (only day for breakfast) 8am-11pm.

Mojo Bar, Worthing - popular pre and post party chillout spot with a rock ‘n’ roll theme. Cosy, pub-like atmosphere in a traditional, two- storey Barbadian house with an enclosed gallery and wooden louvre shutters. Known for its considerable music collection and lively, mixed crowd. Occasional live music on Monday nights.

Tapas, Hastings - one of the “cool” places along Barbados’ South Coast Boardwalk and a popular meeting spot, so you can simply sit and enjoy a drink. It is set in a sleek looking, two-storey shorefront building of contemporary design. Upstairs is the spill-over dining area, so it is only open on busy nights (usually Fridays and Saturdays). Downstairs has a bar and lounge with the dining area extending out to the Boardwalk.

39 Steps Bistro & Wine Bar, Hastings - cosy setting upstairs in a traditional-looking Bajan-style building, just off the main road close to the race course at the Garrison Savannah. Balcony seating to the rear. Live jazz every other Saturday and occasional live entertainment on alternate Fridays. Open Monday-Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday dinner only. Closed Sundays.

Bridgetown

Harbour Lights, Carlisle Bay - a well-established open-air nightclub in a traditional beach house (Marine Villa). The small indoor bar leads out to the main club area with a large covered bar and a raised open-air dance  floor. Then further out to the torch-lit beach with more bars, BBQ grill, picnic tables and a stage. Fun beach party on Monday and Wednesday nights with barbecue buffet dinner, live music by house band and an impressive Bajan folkloric floorshow (moko jumbies, green monkey and shaggy bear). Monday attracts mostly visitors while Wednesdays gets more of a mixed crowd due to the free drinks from 9pm-2am. Fridays very lively with more locals and drinks free 9.30pm-3am. Occasional themed party nights. The Beach Extravaganza Dinner Show, Monday and & Wednesday, 7pm-10.30pm (all ages welcome until 10.30pm) includes drinks, which remain free until 2am, transfers, dinner and show. Cover charges apply to the free drinks nights and dinner show.

Sharkey’s Bar at The Boatyard, Carlisle Bay - central bar with covered area for mingling, open- air dance floor, all just steps from the beach. Appeals to a younger clientele on themed nights, which tend to attract a boisterous crowd of both locals and tourists. There is live music on Fat Tuesdays with a top local band and free drinks from 8pm-2am. Sunset Wednesday is a beach party night and then it’s Friday Night Lime with drinks specials from 5pm until late. Cover charges on all three nights. Note: themed nights change each season so do check locally. The Boatyard is usually busy with cruise ship visitors during the day and it can get very lively on the right night.

West Coast

Groots Bar & Restaurant, Trents - popular watering hole among the West Coast ex-pat community, visitors from nearby hotels and the occasional famous face - mostly British. Easy-going, friendly atmosphere. Simple setting in a pickle-pine chattel house with a large central bar and adjoining dining area (fish and chips, steak and kidney pudding, rotis) under canvas. A unique Groots custom ensures the interior walls will never need repainting - they are covered in graffiti, compliments of its customers. The bar keeps a supply of felt-tip markers for the job. Impromptu live music when regulars pitch up with guitars.

Nishi Restaurant, Holetown - classic townhouse set on the corner of the West Coast’s “hip strip”, with a sushi and sashimi bar in the air-conditioned upstairs section. Downstairs is the Bistro with the choice of air-conditioned dining room or garden courtyard with a bar. The courtyard setting makes for a nice retreat from the bustle out on the street and there is often live music on Friday nights in the winter season. Open to 1am Friday-Saturday.

The Mews, Holetown - well-established restaurant and bar which has been at the heart of the Holetown social scene for many years. It is a firm favourite with a more mature set and the chosen haunt of a number of Bajans and winter regulars. Cosy atmosphere which moves up a gear on weekends when it gets busy. People also gather out on the street. Live music on Friday nights.

Elbow Room - Bar and Grill, Holetown - the latest “hot-spot”, which was an instant hit with the in-crowd when it opened in December 2006. Gets extremely busy on Friday and Saturday nights with a mixed crowd of well-heeled locals. Live DJ Saturday and Sunday nights. Open-fronted, so drinkers spill out on to the street and mingle with the crowd from The Mews next door. Casual atmosphere with stone-grill dining earlier in the evening from 7pm.

Lexy Piano Bar & Restaurant, Holetown - an immensely popular addition to the Holetown scene back in early January 2007, Lexy's has a loyal following of locals and visitors. Run by former Broadway cabaret singer and pianist Alex “Lexy” Santoriello, who acts as host and also provides live music and entertainment on a nightly basis. During the season there are guest appearances by international pianists. Open 9pm until late. Closed Mondays.

Spago Restaurant & Bar, Holetown - small Italian restaurant (former Benny’s) which is one of the places to be on a Friday night, with occasional live music and liming in the street.

The Beach House, Sunset Crest - the beachfront replacement for the former Coach House (now closed), which opened early 2008 with a turnaround in style. Now it has stylish, contemporary décor, mostly in blue and white in a covered sitting area, with smart natural fibre seating that gives out to a spacious terrace with potted plants and water features. A raised dining deck under canvas overlooks the beach, while a large open-sided bar is set back to the side of the terrace. Attracts a more mature clientele, a mix of locals, ex-pats and visitors. Perfect spot for sundowners. Live jazz on Friday nights from 8pm.

Scarlet, Paynes Bay - uber trendy bar and bistro with a striking scarlet and black interior. Enclosed and air-conditioned, with contemporary lighting, black mosaic tiles and bold Andy Warhol prints of Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy that might be found on the streets of London or New York, Scarlet is deliberately styled to offer a change of scene to those suffering from ”island fever”. Innovative and extensive cocktail list using freshly-made fruit purees and herbs. Signature drink “Scarlet Rocks” with vodka, raspberry schnapps, strawberries, basil, cranberry juice and black pepper. Part of St James’ weekend social scene. Open Tuesday-Sunday from 5pm.

Sassafras at Sugar Hill, Mount Standfast - bistro-style restaurant with bar set in the resort’s elegant club house. Relaxed setting on the poolside terrace with views to the West Coast. Mostly frequented by residents and guests of Sugar Hill and nearby hotels, and some locals. Open for dinner Wednesday and Friday nights only (plus Thursdays from 15 Dec) when there is live music, also live music for brunch on Sundays. Open for lunch Tuesday-Saturday.

Whilst most hotels have their own floorshow and live entertainment, a night out to the Plantation Theatre,  for its Bajan Roots & Rhythms dinner show (every Wednesday and Friday) is worthwhile.

Contributor: Deana Bellamy