The Garrick, Belfast

The Garick is a small bar with an L-shaped serving counter on the right wall and banquette seating along the walls either side of the corner entrance. There’s a fireplace on the left rear wall that faces some tables and chairs. The bar is lined with bar stools, every table and chair was spoken for with people avidly watching football on the three televisions. I ended up propping myself against a dividing screen that juts out of the bar counter corner. Standard and premium keg are available from the bar and there’s a long Irish Whisky list. The service was polite and I would revisit if passing as the atmosphere during the game was ok.

Small and traditional upmarket bar. Basketweave tiled flooring an intricate ceiling painted a dark mono colour, semi-booths all the way round (bottle green leather banquettes, glass partitions) and all with under-seat heating. TV football on the go (at odds a bit with the surroundings) and also surprisingly quiet. The back room was closed and in darkness. Dull Diageo keg at the servery but a good selection of local and Irish bottled beers listed on blackboards above the bar – I had a Farmageddon IPA whilst the lady had a bottle of the West Indies Guinness. Enjoyable for one but got the itch to move on easily enough.

Old-fashioned pub with traditional furniture and decor in the small rectangular bar. Also has some patio tables out front. Lively when I visited, with a live music session in progress. No sign of real ale, so went for the Smithwick's Pale Ale (overpriced at £3.70).

Dating from 1870, this retains a traditional atmosphere, with a real fire, tiled floor and dark wood panelling. There was also an impromptu folk music session going on the night I was there. Relatively expensive at £3.60 for a pint of lager or Smithwick's Irish Ale, but most of the better city centre pubs have pricing at that level. The writing on the outer wall says "A nation that keeps one eye on the past is wise. A nation that keeps two eyes on the past is blind," which is probably quite apposite for Ireland. Unfortunately, none of the bar staff on duty knew who the quotation was from.