Morrisons Bar

City centre location? Check.
Sells alcoholic beverages? Check.
You’d think that would be enough, but even for a ‘quick one before the bus’ sadly Morrisons just doesn’t cut it. Don’t get me wrong, it used to be nice, all wood and cosy corners. Then in the 90’s it got some sort of ungodly chrome refit, the designers obviously inspired by the ambience of an airport lounge.
It wasn’t my choice to go here, but as it is beside a friend’s work, this is where we went, and as I hadn’t been in for years I was hoping for an improvement, and it hadn’t. The staff chatted at the end of the bar, one eventually dragging themselves away to unenthusiastically serve us. The whole place had a soulless vibe of a blind date that didn’t live up to the online blurb. I love to see the good in everything, so I’ll stop moaning with a positive– we got a seat.

The only thing this bar has going for it is it’s central location. Apart from that it’s nothing more that a dull, pokey and grotty watering hole. The gents toilets are so disjusting I simply don’t understand how they are allowed to serve food, scores on the doors missed the boat on this place. No point in complaining to the ‘bar manager’ either — he has no manners nor an ounce of courtesy. Customer care fail.

Our waitress in Pizza Express recommended Morrisons to us as it’s where she and her colleagues end up after work and it wasn’t bad at all. My colleague wasn’t entirely impressed as it’s very much a rugby pub and he was after watching some serious footie, but I liked the décor and the girl behind the bar was friendly and helpful (I’ve got a taste for dark lager since my trip to Prague and she recommended the Guinness Black Lager — yum!).
There are a couple of tables with beer pumps on so you can serve yourself, but there was only Carlsberg and Guinness on offer so we didn’t pull any pints ourselves.

This place is really popular and always seems to be busy and have something going on. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been in here, either for a quick pint before a gig (Ulster Hall just over the way) or the cinema or lurking around late at night on a bit of a session with a larger group.
The bar just seems to have the right mix of people, the right bar staff and the right approach to things. For example the music is never too loud in the bar or when there’s sports on it never gets too rowdy.
Anyway, it’s definitely a bit of an ‘everyman’ pub, most people I know love it but it’s certainly not the first name mentioned when you think of somewhere to have a big night out.
Pros: Great staff, nice atmosphere.
Cons: Might be a tad bland for some.

Morrisons is a pub on Bedford Street just a few minutes away from the City Hall giving it a very convenient location for a drink when out doing some shopping. Personally its not one of my favourite bars at all in Belfast but it does have some cool features, particularly the little opening on the outside where you can order drinks in your sitting outside without having to go back into the bar. Yes, I’m that lazy. At night the crowd is a little older than what I would usually hang with and it shows. Ok, for a casual drink during the day but that’s it.

Loads of people love Morrisons and I used to before they did it up and before the smoking ban.
Downstairs is full of creepy men and small areas to sit and stand — I hate that I never get a seat and that you have to squeeze past people to get anywhere. The bar is also generally quite busy — it looks like a place for divorcees if you know what I mean.
I went upstairs recently for a friends birthday party and I didn’t get it at all. Loads of chrome areas but nowhere really to sit apart from some tables by the window that were taken and a kind of metal island at the top of the stairs — the second worst thing was the total lack of ambiance — where was the music? The absolute worst thing was the smell — dear God all I could smell was ass!
Bring back the smoking in pubs is all I can say — i’d rather go home smelling faintly of smoke that of nappy!

Morrisons is alright, I don’t love it and I don’t dislike it strongly.
The bar is most famous for holding the Exile night, where they play funky house and dance music. As some of my Belfast friends go here I have gone a few times and tried my best to shimmy to the music but just couldn’t get into the groove. But just because the music isn’t exactly my thing doesn’t mean I haven’t enjoyed nights here. You can’t be a music nazi all the time right?
The bar is great though. Really modern and sleek looking upstairs, with a cool dancefloor and some swish looking lights. Perfect for girls who are glammed up on a Saturday night and want to strut their stuff.
The downstiars bar is cool too, a little more laid back but always packed too.
A handy city centre bar.

Morrisons is a great pub which effortlessly mixes the old and traditional with the new and funky. The have two bars over two floors and while downstairs host the traditional bar upstairs hosts the cocktail bar… my favourite! The staff here are well trained and really know how to make a great cocktail! The atmosphere here is really great, its welcoming, warm and really laid back! I love popping in here after the cinema which is just a stones throw away on the Dublin road or even after a nice pizza in pizza express next door. Morrisons is a great place to start your night out and it never feels like a cattle mart at the weekend like a lot of other bars in Belfast.

Morrisons is my Old Faithful. It’s the place I discovered my love for Strawberry Collins (a cocktail, for the uninformed) and the place and the site of many a great memory.
In all honestly, there isn’t actually anything that spectacular about it. It’s modern enough inside, but not overly so, it’s very rarely packed to the rafters of an evening and it doesn’t have a club night that’s worth writing home about.
That said, there’s something that just works about the place. I don’t know what it is, but there’s generally a good atmosphere about the place.
The cocktail menu upstairs is good as well, and they execute them much better than some other bars.
All in all, it’s the perfect place to start your night off before heading on somewhere else, or it’s a nice place for a few drinks and a bit of craic.
Which is really all you need from a bar, right?

We popped in for a drink after a concert in the Ulster Hall, which was handy enough because all we had to do was navigate our way across the road. We got a bit of a shock because we had grown used to marginally cheaper pints in the Union and the pints here, though pleasant, were £3.00 which doesn’t seem like much but when you have alot and then buy rounds, it gets quite steep. The pub was friendly, though the vodka and red bull burnt a hole in my friend’s pocket. Overall is was good but I don’t think we will ever use this place as a first stop for a night out. Still good tho

Morrisons is one of the few city centre bars that is always good no matter what time it is or what is on. Its not necessarily what music is on, or what occasion you’re in Morrisons for that makes it good, but its the casual, friendly, easy going atmosphere that seems to live in the place that makes it most attractive to me.
Ive been here for dates, post dinner drinks, nights out with the boys, birthdays and almost every other kind of occasion and you can nearly always guarantee an enjoyable night out with good bar staff serving a great range of drinks at decent prices.
Certainly worth poping in for a pint at the very least!

This is a place, that on paper, I shouldn’t like. Its a bit trendy, the music is never very good and it’s a bit pricey but there is definitely a place in my heart for Morrison’s.
Its location is brilliant, just opposite the BBC and a big cinema and right beside Pizza Express. It is a stones thrown from city hall and is right by the bus and train stations.
The décor is simple, trendy but classical. Always clean and tidy, never any rubbish or empty glasses about. The upstairs bar is the same, with excellent staff who really know what they’re talking about and make a mean white russian.
The crowd is usually a bit older but in no way over the hill and everyone is always friendly and I’ve never seen any trouble. In fact, I can’t think of a time I didnt enjoy my time in Morrison’s.
Really fun, great crowd, even the Hen Night I ran into there one night were fun and well behaved, kind of.

Whether you are settled in for the night, or popping in for a quick drink before or after a meal out or a visit to the cinema down the street, Morrison’s is a good choice. It’s always got a brilliant atmosphere, with a good, decent crowd and a happy vibe. It’s oldy worldy downstairs, but is well-​looked after and stylish, and upstairs is more modern and funky with chart music and DJs. Last time I went here I had waaaayy too many cocktails… I blame Katherine (she knows who she is) and how reasonable they were in price. Lovely they were too, really tasty and we pretty much tried all of them… I don’t remember much of the rest of that night to be honest. But I know it must have been great… heading back soon with the hubby for a wee pre-​cinema drink and I will be much more civilised, I promise… ;)

This bar is a modern and stylish venue where you will find a warm and inviting atmosphere. Their menu offers a varied selection of classic British meals and from the bar you can enjoy a fine selection of drinks, though they tend to be overpriced.