96-98 High Street
Belfast
BT1 2BG
028 9023 0771
Modern Town Pub, Taproom
This is a cool bar on the High Street, full of young people who politely tolerated the two old blokes (my brother and I) who turned up to try out the ale. We stayed in the downstairs bar but there are music rooms and a saloon bar up a dark staircase.
Also upstairs is Out of Office Brewery and its taproom who also supply the beers to the rest of the pub. The taproom only opens Thursday to Saturday but there are also brewery tours that include a flight of beer. We enjoyed the Pencil Pusher session IPA which is keykeg, which means it’s a Camra approved real ale.
The bar became a music venue in 2019 and is no longer members only, but it kept the name as a reminder of the club’s fame as a non-sectarian haven for sports fans during the troubles.
The less than optimistic but tongue in cheek wall posters are the work of Belfast artist Fiona Mc Donnell. Some of her work, along with t shirts and tote bags is available in the pub merch offering.
