The Spaniard
The Spaniard is a small, cosy bar on Skipper Street in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter, open since 2006. It is a drinks-only place with a cocktail list, dogs are welcome, and it has a name for the kind of room where you end up talking to strangers and staying longer than planned.
Photos
Brakspear
What it's like
This is an intimate bar rather than a big night-out venue. It draws a mixed crowd and its appeal is the atmosphere: close quarters, easy conversation and a sense of being slightly tucked away in the lanes off High Street. Come for a drink or two rather than a meal. It opens from midday every day and stays open until one in the morning from Monday to Saturday, closing at midnight on Sundays, so it covers everything from a quiet afternoon pint to a late nightcap. Expect it to be busiest late on Friday and Saturday nights, when space is tight.
Drinks, not food
The Spaniard doesn't serve food. There is a cocktail menu alongside the usual bar staples. If you want to eat, its sister bar Muriel's Cafe Bar on Church Lane serves hot food and is known for gin, and the Cathedral Quarter has plenty of restaurants within a few minutes' walk.
Fitting it into a night
Skipper Street runs between High Street and the heart of the Cathedral Quarter, so The Spaniard works well as a first or last stop on a bar crawl that takes in the Duke of York and the cobbled streets around St Anne's Cathedral. It opens from midday, which also makes it a quiet afternoon refuge.
Highlights
- Established in 2006
- Cathedral Quarter location on Skipper Street
- Cocktail menu
- Dogs welcome inside and out
Good to know
- No food is served; sister bar Muriel's on Church Lane does food.
- Dogs are welcome inside and in the outdoor area.
- All major cards accepted.
Frequently asked questions
Nearby
Sources: discovernorthernireland.com