The Hercules Bar

I walked past this pub about a million times in the last wee while as I went to college near by and never really thought about heading in to be honest. I did though, a mate of mine and me called in while we were waiting for class to start and I didn’t really think much of it.
As other have said, it is an old school boozer with plenty of locals and old men propping up the bar. It is far from being a young, hip and trendy pub but there is nothing the matter with that I guess.
Not for me, but check it out during the daylight hours if you like a bit of old school charm.

An old working class bar set on the busy castle street.
You won’t get any young folks in here, it’s definitely not an up and coming trendy bar.
You’ll find locals in here, mostly men, enjoying the booze.
I have to admit I find a place like this somewhat intimidating. I have heard that it can be a bit rowdy at night.
An old school pub that also does some fine pub grub.

I’d rarely if ever ventured down Castle Street until I started studying at the neighbouring house of education and the first place I popped my head in for a quick, frithty pint was in this old man establishment.
The Hercules is of the old school — not the oldest bar around but drawing a crowd in excess of its years. Downstairs is the atypical, slightly grubby pub while upstairs caters for a mixture of lunchtime crowds and those just popping in for a pint and a snack.
Everything is pretty cheap but to be honest the overall standard of the quick and easy cuisine is a little underwhelming. A bizarre looking cheese toastie didn’t do wonders accompanying my rich pint of well poured stout but alas, it was cheap.
A harmless little bar but in my opinion is completely over shadowed by nearby Kelly’s cellars, a legend in its own right.

A friend of mine once confided that he found this bar «terrifying». Not quite sure why as I find it pretty laidback though I’ve never hung about late into the night or anything like that. Mostly I find it perfect for that lazy afternoon eating and drinking… actually to clarify I’ve never eaten there but the food always looks and smells delicious.
Nothing really out of the ordinary pub-​wise, all the usual suspects are on draught and in the fridges plus the bar staff are usually really polite if a bit on the reserved side. If you’re getting bored of your downtown local (s) then throw away your pre-​conceptions about the Hercules and give it a try.
Pros: Nice bar, good pints.
Cons: Has a rep for being somewhat feisty at night.

I happened to find myself nursing a Coke in the Hercules bar some time ago because I needed to wait at the top of Castle Street for a lift from a friend coming out of the City Centre, and I didn’t fancy standing out in the street.
Located in what is arguably the dodgiest street in the centre of Belfast, it was not somewhere I desired to spend any longer than was absolutely necessary, but unfortunately due to my friend being delayed, I got rather well acquainted with it.
It was rather dark inside, and was full of middle aged men, so I ordered my coke at the bar (which I might add, was proper coke, not the watered down rubbish that a lot of bars do) and had a look around.
I wasn’t aware that they did food, but they have a restaurant called Oooomami (the LESS said about that choice of name, the better, I think) If you don’t get it, then that’s probably a good thing!
The menu is strangely like that of a chippy, but they also do salads and frys, so if that’s your cup of tea, then go and have a try, at least it’s reasonably priced!

The Hercules Bar is one of those old traditional pubs that attracts the drinkers and gamblers of Belfast, not that this is a bad thing. The clientele are local and regulars and the good pints probably has a lot to do with it. I prefer coming in here for food rather than a night out as the homely food is really quite nice. Offering roasts and stews galore you’re sure to get your daily quota of spuds in here! That being said, the staff are great bar staff, so waiting does take second place, but that doesn’t really put me off.
One thing I will point out is that the Bar has a rep of bieng quite rough t night, attracting the not so nice members of the public, which is why I opt for the food option, however, as Ive never ventured here at night I can neither confirm nor deny there rumours!

This is a nice little pub, but often gets overlooked because it lives in the shadow the more famous Kelly’s Cellars and Madden’s pubs. It’s more modern and more roomy than the aforementioned pubs, but because Kelly’s is so old and has such a sense of history, and Madden’s is so popular with it’s seemingly never-​ending evenings of traditional music, many people prefer to visit those pubs.
In truth, there’s no reason not to visit the three of them. There are a lot of traditional sessions in the Hercules as well and, on occasion, you can get live music in the ‘Herc’ between 6 and 8pm, then head round for a bit of music in Kelly’s or Madden’s. The three pubs are no distance from each other, an you could walk from one to the other in about 30 seconds. Check the three of them out and see which you prefer.

The Hercules Bar has been around a long time. It’s not somewhere I would usually go for a night out at all. Anytime I’ve been into the bar, it’s usually just the locals watching the racing and making their bets in the bookies right next door. But I do come here with friends for some food whenever we’re in town. It’s dead in the centre of town so it’s convenient for grub!
The food itself is really quite nice, it’s just your usual pub grub, which in Belfast means I always get my RDA of stew! The Sausage and Mash is also really, really nice. The service is a bit on the rubbish side but it is a pub, so waiting service isn’t really on the agenda of the staff, and for the price you can’t really complain.
We have stayed in a wee bit longer for a few post meal drinks, when an traditional Irish music band came on and provided a good wee bit of entertainment and kept us going to the bar.