|
|
|
Portsmouth Nightlife
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Portsmouth > Portsmouth Nightlife Here is a guide telling about some of the places popular with students in Portsmouth.
WalkaboutWith £1.50 drinks all night on a Tuesday, Walkabout has made a fine mess of my carpet quite a few times. They have stunningly fit barmaids and loads of them to boot. Longest time to queue for a pint here is about 10 minutes due to the fact there are more barmaids than pumps and a bar about ten miles long. Huge screen available for the football and cricket but beware of the beer throwers when England score, I got drenched. There are quite a few tables with benches to sit on, leather sofas, and tall tables to stand around. A medium sized dancefloor, a stage where they hold the games on student night, and two weak attempts at podiums which are in fact just two raised parts of the stage. Toilets are downstairs which can get messy during peak times with everyone trying to go up and down a corridor about 3 foot wide. Nice toilets, long urinal so no queueing for a lash. Bog troll didn't seem to give a toss last year so didn't hassle pished punters too much. Food is nice but a little pricey, yet unique (kangaroo burger etc). Loads of TV screens showing extreme channel mostly all night which gets mesmerising after a few stellas. Can't remember entrance prices but no where in Pompey charges more than £5 entrance with NUS as far as I know/remember. Open til 1am during the week and 2am at the weekend. Managed to be sick on the back of a bouncers trousers and not get thrown out, result!
YatesNot a bad place, but mainly inhabited by the older generation locals. Only ever had trouble in their once and that was when I went in accompanied by about 6 femmes. Some old bloke started calling them sluts and told them to go home so me being the Alpha male hid behind a pillar while one of the girls gave as good as she got and could have reduced the guy to tears if it wasn't for the fact he'd drunk so much whiskey he was sedated. Can't remember how much drinks are but roughly similar to Spoons' prices. No dance floor as far as I can remember, just loads of chairs, sofas and tables. I think they have no trainers rule on Fridays and Saturdays. Never eaten in there so can't comment on the food but I assume it's similar to Spoons again. Don't know what time it's open until.
Roast BarAffectionately nicknamed "the spit roast", it's fugging expensive and so have only ever been in there once and had one pint. Nice classy place to take a girl, but not suitable for the purpose of getting pissed on the cheap.
V BarThis is where the night gets really messy. £1 shots all day every day. There are 50 shots to choose from, they maybe watered down and taste rough but it's a good pitstop for a good old fashoned alcohol injection if your night is going a bit slow. Favourites are the Tom Tom and Silver Bullet. Pints are £2.50ish. A small seating area is available and small dance floor. Upstairs there is another bar, can't remember what it's called but it's a bit more classy up there and good for a bit more of a chillout after consuming loads of shots. Only open until 11pm as far as I can remember.
Bar:MeOnly been in here once due to the fact it is a Navy bar. Shady kareoke on Thursdays I think. They do these half yard shooter things which only contain 3 shots and the rest is ice and orange juice (according to one of my pals who works there).
Route 66Didn't go here until after I had finished my first year, don't know why I didn't go there before but wished to hell that I had! £1.30 pints of stella + dance floor + stage = savageness. Enough said. Can't remember how much entrance is but it's free before 2230hrs. 80's night on Tuesdays,alternative night on Thursdays Not sure what time it's open to.
White SwanA more down to earth pub that shows all the sports etc. Avergae priced drinks. Pool tables and seated area. PoonanaUnfortunately closed down, Poonana was the dodgiest bar on "The Walk". Average priced drinks but small bar. Never been in there when it was busy, even at 11pm on a Friday night. Perhaps that's why it closed down. And fark knows why I'm writing about it anyway.
Lloyds/The Front RoomQuite expensive bar but a nice place. Have DnB nights on occasions. Fit birds go here.
Weatherspoons/Isambard Kingdom BrunelEveryone loves this place for some obscure reason. No music, full of old people, closes at 11pm and the drinks aren't even that cheap! Nice food though and with 2 meals for £6.50 it's good for lunch. Steak nights on Tuesdays and curry nights on Thursdays as far as I can remember. A couple of fit bar maids but some absolutely fugly full timers. Toilets are upstairs. Loads of seating with sofas and chairs. No smoking area available. Favourite spots are right at the back behind the no smoking area in the leather highchairs by the fire place.
FleetMy favourite bar along Guildhall, cheap beer (before 2030hrs Thursdays - Saturdays), pool tables, juke box, beer garden, big tables for loads of mates, live music on Thursdays, life is good.
FlaresMy God, many a night has ended messily in here. This has to be the club that I have been sick in most in Pompey - dancefloor, carpet, toilet, toilet floor, urinal, stage, bar, you name it and I've puked on it. Student night is a Monday and drinks are cheap. £1 reef, £1.50 pint and similar for shots. This is the place to go and drink hard with strawpedoes and shots. Cheesy music, crap DJ, multi coloured light up dance floor, stage, funny games, small seated area, zebra pattern carpet, enthusiastic bog troll with a good sense of humour, funky pants. Rammed during freshers, empty after Christmas when everybody realises what a hole it really is. £1 entry and you have to have student ID to get in on a Monday. Never go here on a night other than a Monday unless you want to Grab a Granny or get aquainted with the RN boxing team, polo shirts and all. Now for the places near Guildhall Walk, all within 5 minutes walking.
TrafalgarThe Trafalgar is a Lloyds No. 1 Bar, a brand owned by JD Wetherspoon, and as such you can expect the usual cheap booze with deals on food as well. It's a classy establishment with loads of seating and shed loads of bar space. A good night can be had here, with DJs every Friday and Saturday night, and its proximity to the University and city centre makes it ideal for lunch. This building used to serve as Navy barracks before becoming a University hall of residence.
The RegistryI fecking love this place. Cheap jukebox, pool tables, unique design, cheap drinks all the time with yellow card, loads of seating and it supports local bands and DJs. Tuesdays is student night with £1 most drinks and £1.50 others. Thursdays is band or DJ night. They also show the football although loads of the fans seem to support Aresenal. Long bar too so not too much queueing for a beverage. Proudest moment being sick not once, not twice but thrice on the floor before being escorted off the premises to the raptuous applause and laughter of my pals. Shagging expensive for a pint of Snakey in here, £2.40 odd. The UnionThe largest club in Portsmouth with a capacity of 2400 odd. Having to cater to the tastes of all students, the union can not be summed up overall. There are 4 bars in all. Embassy, which is an annex to the main building, is where you go to get your vodka mudshakes, black russians etc. No pumps here so spirits and bottles only. The Waterhole is the bar that is open all day everyday and also the location of Mario the chef. I don't know if that is his real name, my flat mate told me and I was pished so took it as Gospel. Lots of seating available as well as gambling machines, pool tables and arcade games. Don't bother with the gambling machines, Mario clears them out at the end of his shift everyday. That guy must be minted. Thurday is comedy night and it used to be religously attended to by Dai, my Welsh flat mate. the comedy itself was a bit hit or miss, but the hits were absolutely fantastic, I have been so close to death here from asphyxiation many a time. Wednesday is the night that the societies come out on and drink the Waterhole dry. It gets really savage at times but the bouncers are always near by to throw out the troublemakers (who are usually in fancy dress which is hilarious). CO2 is the upstairs bar where they play RnB and that sort of stuff. They also hold DJ nights here which can be really good at times. Poster sales are held here also. Lux is the main club in the union and gets absolutely rammed on Fridays. Large dancefloor and three bars dotted around the place. A shooters bar, a VK bar and a pumps bar. Take survival rations with you when you goto get a drink, it takes a millenium to get served. Guest appearances by Dr Carl Kennedy, Pat Sharpe and bands etc are held here. The sound system was set up by an amateur who obviously had the theory "lots of amps placed at one end of the dancefloor turned up loud will do". Prices in general for the union are good, £1.60 pint of snakebite or alternatively £6.40 for a pitcher (only available in the Waterhole), £1.50 pint of carling and VKs. For some peculiar reason you aren't allowed to take drinks into the toilets so always finish your drink before going for a whizz, don't leave your pint on the table outside the bogs, it will get swiped...by me probably. There is so much attitude in the union it's unbearable at times. You will probably spill the top fifth of your pint on your shoes because of the baby shaggers who push past. Never wear a white shirt. Never eat at the "fastfood outlet" in the union, thou shall die of food poisoning as it is run by students on £4 an hour, what do they care if you're sitting on the porcelain throne for the next 2 days? Bar staff aren't bad but a couple of right kob jockeys. This place will be rammed during freshers, so turn up at 5pm.
ScandalsWent here last night and had a blast. A cellar bar situated next to the union, Scandals is a good laugh. Not suitable for people over 5 foot tall due to the low ceiling which I came into contact with a couple of times last night. There is a dancefloor which I think I went on last night. Prices are fairly average although it was £4 entrance.
Gunwarf - Tiger TigerThis is a great club (imo) but it does have its set backs. Prices & Ques. To avoid the ques, buy a ticket (OR) use their "VIP" booking service (via text messaging) to place yourself on the list. We did this many times and although on very busy nights, such as when everyone’s come back after Xmas or Easter, it can still take awhile to get in. I'm not sure if the VIP service is open to everyone, but we were lucky enough to get to know a few of the people who managed / bar tended at the club. And well, we were put on the VIP list 1 week (via text) then we used the same text number to text each week we wanted to go! it worked every time. Ask about inside. Its worth it. Inside Tiger Tiger, there are roughly 6 bars. But only one of these bars (Vodka Island) will sell drinks cheaply as the flyers state. This is the bar up the stairs from the main entrance and to the right. The amount of times I’ve been in the club area or a different bar and ordered or drinks then been shocked yet to embarrassed to comment on the total cost. Is untrue. Also See
|
