I don't want to hear it. I can hear all the negative squeals…read morealready about this place and I have to admit, from the outside she looks a bit careworn to say the least. Dodgy even. But you know what? You will get the best drink in Newry here, and the guys behind the bar love a bit of craic. Now you wont get designer cocktails or fancy French Champagne in the Armagh Down, but you will be made to feel very welcome indeed.

In the USA where I now live we would call this place a dive bar, I love dive bars, no poncy frills…read morejust craic and character soaked into the walls. I also played darts here and and one particular night I went first and hit 0 with my first three darts, i hit 140 next, won the game and my Da still didn't talk to me for a month.

I first walked in here in winter 1972 with my then best friend leaving the heavy snow and ice…read moreoutside for a while. It was owned by Mr and Mrs Toner back then. They looked so old to us back then and likely only in their mid 50's at the time. They are both long gone now. She looked fearsome but behind the sternness and the scowl she was a sweetheart and he was a quiet, seen it all before, stoic. He walked with a limp maybe from polio which was rife here in the 1930's and 40's maybe a war wound. We never asked. It was a really quiet pub back then in dark days, when security was high and bombing and shootings common. The pub was mostly frequented by teachers and civil servant types where a quiet pint at 14 pence - now over £5 - and a roaring log fire were guaranteed. It was a man's pub not that women were not welcome rather it was just rare to see women in pubs. The alcohol selection was limited, cocktails were unheard of but they could stretch to a hot Powers, and the most popular drinks were Guinness stout (not pasteurised then) Demerara dark rum (usually with a dash of blackcurrant) and Irish whiskies, with only minimum droplets of water added. Serving food then was unheard of too other than Big D roasted peanuts and crisps and smoking: pipe, cigarette and snuff were all common with 20 cigarettes at 22 pence - now £15. The nicotine smoke filled the dank air and over years had stained the ceilings, light shades and wall paper. One of the teachers Brendan from St Joes was a cigar smoker producing the only pleasant smell there. The times were changing then, Newry already had its first Chinese restaurant less than five minutes walk from the bar but it would be at least another 25 years before an Indian restaurant opened. I only went to the Bridge bar for a few years and even then only periodically and after another 25 years passed I went in once again, by then the first Chinese had closed down. The Bridge was nothing like I had remembered it and I just left not even a pasteurised Guinness would have persuaded me to stay.

From the owner: The newly refurbished Bridge Bar is one of the oldest traditional pubs in the heart of Newry City…read moreoffering a genuinely warm welcome and first rate friendly service.The ideal spot to enjoy a sociable drink in front of an open fire or in the beer garden.

This is an excellent private sector comedy store venue that should be used for this purpose much…read moremore often. We arrived early to get a good seat for this surreal comedian. The room was large and comfortably warm with lots of tables and chairs. The sound system was great and we got unplanned company - two folks we know came up and asked to join us. They were delightful company. A great crowd turned out for this very very funny man - typical Newry as most folks appeared just 10 minutes before the show start. The bar had a few staff to cope with a happy, thirsty crowd. During interval time I got a bar order for three and then popped down to the ground floor bar for a very tasty cappuccino just for me. All served with a smile. The event itself was organised by the wonderful A Iur Cinn Fleadh. They also organise the boat trips down Newry canal. The last time we saw his show here it was also organised by them in a city that you wouldn't think has a public arts centre and a public town hall. They aren't just under used they aren't used. They are truly wonderful volunteers and great ambassadors for our area. They are almost the last volunteer group we have standing here as our local NMDDC has/is systematically destroying such groups. They are a different type of comedy club who want to spend £18 million on their own new premises with a free car park for themselves but don't ask about a public park. The High Street community group are deliberately starved of funding and the local LGBTQI Pride In Newry were so successful at running events they had to be cast aside despite running much better events for a fraction of the prices incompetent NMDDC shell out. Wake The Giant is a giant annual waste of rates money well into six figures.

Bellini's made my wedding. Okay, well my husband gets most of the credit, but the staff at…read moreBellini's did an incredible job. My husband and I were living in London so we only were able to visit a few times before our April 2013 wedding to confirm arrangements. Even though our wedding was very atypical for Ireland -only 60 guests, we brought our own music on a laptop, we made a toastie bar at the back for the late buffet (bringing our own toastie maker), and limited decor- they took care of everything. On the night of, the whole staff did an incredible job of taking care of our guests, some of whom were picky about food and got some alternate options. Eamon (sp?) was there to attend to our every need. He kept refilling our beverages at the head table so we never had to head to the bar. Our specifications for the meal were handled expertly. I am lactose-intolerant and they made sure to accommodate with a milk-free soup as a starter. We ordered 2 bottles of wine per table that were laid out for us. For a great price we had a turkey option (no ham because I don't eat pork), beef, and vegetarian option available for all of the guests. We didn't have to specify exact numbers, either; servers went around with plates and sorted it all very easily for us. We were able to pick our own flavours for cheesecake dessert, too! My husband loves Galaxy Caramel and their chefs were able to whip together a Galaxy Caramel cheesecake that everyone loved. There was a bride's room beside the reception so I could sneak away for a break and leave my purse there. The bartender was great, as well. Overall, everything was handled so wonderfully from the planning, to the tea before the reception while we had our photos taken, to the meal and dancing. Everyone did their best to make our night perfect. They even had a deal on at the time where we got a free brunch the next day with our guests! We had about 20 people for a delicious chicken curry breakfast with, again, great service. They cleaned up after the event and had all of our things organized for us (laptop, vases we had rented from elsewhere for each of the tables, etc). I can't recommend Bellini's any more highly as a wedding reception venue. They made my wedding day relaxing and enjoyable. I had the best day of my life and Bellini's was a big part of that.

I started going to The Railway Bar 33 years ago when I was 4 and it was Doyles and it is a home…read moreaway from home. The bar staff are excellent, no fu fuing, plenty of characters and a must go when I get back to Newry.

First time ever in here. Nice and roomy place and comfy seating. Two large televisions to view…read moresports or news. Very friendly staff as well. We sat overlooking a view of the local canal. We had heard about a Friday & Saturday night £22 deal for two: two sirloins, lightly battered French fried onions (3 big and tasty) mushrooms, pepper sauce, salad and choice of various potatoes or chips. So we decided at a moments notice to try it out. We were immediately attended to by a very friendly waitress, menus presented and drinks order taken and served up darn quickly. The food didn't seem to take very long to serve. I was really impressed with the quality of the meat and there was a lot of it, properly hung beef, juicy and mine was medium cooked and spot on. The pepper sauce was fairly alright but not great as I prefer a more intense flavour and a lot of pepper with a tad of cream. I ordered potatoes which were not properly seasoned and did not contain butter which would have improved the taste. Next time I'll try the champ. All in all great value, great staff, promptly served and piping hot. We left contented - Eurovision was about to begin made all the more palatable with some 44 proof Irish whiskey and Graham Norton at his catty best. Saucer of milk for Norton please. It wasn't the whiskey; I mean Australia did perform didn't they? Turkey, Israel wonder who draws their maps.

This is a great wee bar I have found myself enjoying a few times on the way to omeath…read more Good pub grub which is always a plus and pretty nice atmosphere. They have a good selection of beer on tap and bottles. Worth a visit if you are nearby

I was sitting outside this pub place and pondering lunch, as I often do. I can ponder lunch just…read moreafter breakfast too. Even sitting outside I didn't think of it as a dine - in venue. Then I noticed a poster in the window saying toastie, or wrap or sandwich with soup or tea and coffee. All for the princely sum of £5.95. Still I hesitated. It was 2pm so I rang Sugar Supper to check if they were still serving only to get a voicemail contraption. Oh no so I persuaded myself that this place couldn't be that bad. Caution abandoned we were met by a super friendly waitress. In fact all the staff were charming and polite. The waitress announced pick any filling you like we have most things. She was right as in a long list the only item she didn't have was avocado and I got a good reason why not. My vegetable soup was ace as was my prawn and sun dried tomato sandwich. The sandwich filling wasn't as generous as I'd do for myself but I was well fed but one star down from me. I do like a full sandwich. My wife too had soup with chicken & bacon on brown. She got coleslaw on the side so one star back up for that. She washed hers down with a soft drink and I had a sparking water. It was a delightful cosy way to spend a late lunch too. And all my initial doubts are vanquished.