20 September 2011
BEIRUT: No doubt, Beirut has a lot to offer already in terms of nightlife, but the developers of Uruguay Street, a recently launched nightlife corridor near Downtown, believe they have filled a missing niche in Beirut’s scene.
Sitting at the open-air terraces of the international-themed pubs, anyone can indeed notice that there is definitely one thing missing – cars.
The area – located just behind Samir Kassir Garden – is fully pedestrian which makes it unique in Beirut, says Marwan Ayoub of Venture Hospitality, the developers of the area.
“They are open places where the place extends from the inside to outside and people enjoy the same ambience being indoor or outdoor,” he says.
“Terraces are few in Beirut. But we have the climate and here we have the pedestrian street,” adds Ayoub’s partner, Rabih Saba.
In addition to outdoor seating, Uruguay Street offers a range of international food and pub atmospheres. There is The Bronx, a New York inspired pub offering international cuisine; Lucca, a Mediterranean restaurant; a fresh-fruit inspired cocktail bar called Juleps; and Cassis, a bistro bar offering an international menu.
As the street bends, the corner spot is occupied by the Irish pub Patrick’s, with a Spanish Tapas bar, Tinto, and Classic Burger Joint located next door.
“You’ll find different cuisines, different scenes, different decoration, different atmosphere in each one,” Ayoub explains.
The full pedestrian area and outdoor orientation make for a “European experience,” according to the operator of Cassis, Karim Jaber.
“It’s like the European street, they have it everywhere but we don’t have it in Beirut. Outdoor bars, people standing outside, having drinks … we have bars everywhere, we have Gemmayzeh, but we don’t have this kind of street.”
Customers are encouraged to move around the terraces and into the street with their drinks, adding to the casual atmosphere which will eventually add more pubs and also become a small event venue.
The official opening this month featured a musical performance and open-air bar. Saba says that this tradition of performances and events will continue, but no specific schedule has been set at this time.
“We’ll have events of cultural and artistic aspects. So you might come any day or night and find an artist’s or fashion exhibition here. It’s not the type of thing where we want to create thousands of people but just to animate and keep the surprise factor for people coming for a drink.”
Ayoub calls the events “added value rather than anything else. So you can come for dinner and find something happening.” This means the events are generally free to enjoy for Uruguay Street’s customers – another perk in addition to the no-bouncers and no need for reservations attitude of the street.
And for those curious about the name Uruguay, Ayoub says it was the original street name before the Civil War.
Copyright The Daily Star 2011.
