Editorial
The 8 best live music bars in Beirut run from a Hamra jazz lounge to a vinyl listening room in Gemmayzeh, the rooms that keep the city playing through every hard year. We read each for the sound first and the drink second: who is on the stage, what the bartender pours and the night the music lands. From Bardo in Mar Mikhael to a rebuilt waterfront club, these are the Beirut music rooms our editors send you to.
Four rooms put the music at the centre, from an art deco jazz bar to a vinyl led izakaya.
Later in the night the city turns to its music hubs and dancefloors, from an underground cafe to a rebuilt waterfront club.
For live music in Beirut, Salon Beyrouth pours the best jazz room while Bardo keeps the busiest stage in Mar Mikhael. Drop Sociale wins the vinyl listening crowd, and AHM carries the late night music heads. Start with a whisky at Salon Beyrouth and let the night drift toward the waterfront.
Priya Nair is barsforKings' senior cocktail editor and a former Punch contributor. She reads a bar by its menu first: how the list is built, the house spirits, and the one drink worth ordering.