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Dining in Europe > Southampton 'Revolution' is not a word readily associated with Southampton - a city more famous for its maritime tradition and the mercurial talents of its football hero, Matthew Le Tissier. But over the past decade, a quiet revolution has taken place in Southamptons leisure industry, with the emergence of giant complexes such as WestQuay, Ocean Village, Leisure World, the Marlands Centre and the Bargate Shopping Centre. In their wake they have caused an explosion of new bars, pubs and restaurants, as major chains have moved in to feed and water the hundreds of thousands of visitors flocking to the new centres. Dining in Diversity At the heart of Southamptons leisure complexes are restaurants that offer an astonishing variety of choice. In Ocean Village alone, along with a prime waterfront view, you have the choice of Spanish tapas at Los Marinos, seafood at Deep Water Quay, French cuisine at Café Sur la Mer and tex-mex at Mustang Sallys, not forgetting traditional English fish and chips at Henry Ramsdens. This type of diversification can be found across the city. You can take Italian at Piccolo Mondo in Windsor Terrace, sample Mediterranean flavours at the Olive Tree in Oxford Street or grab a pizza at the nearby Pizza Express. Alternatively, you can choose Chinese at Ocean Dragon on Above Bar Street, or experience Indian food at restaurants throughout the city, such as Spice of India on Commercial Street. Pick a Theme Themed restaurants have taken off in recent years. The Chicago Rock Café on Vincents Walk offers classic hits to enjoy with your steak or burger. Or there is the American themed TGI Fridays on Harbour Parade, the Power FM Radio Café next to WestQuay, or the yachting themed Around The World on the waters edge. If you are just after a coffee and a sandwich, try Café Soleil on the High Street or Del Marco on Above Bar Street. Or if its a chip butty and a tin of mushy peas you crave, take a walk up Bedford Place, which is crammed with fast food outlets. Pre-club Pint The biggest development in the citys bar and pub scene in recent years has been the rise of the pre-club bar. As Southamptons club scene has grown, with clubs such as Ikon & Diva at Leisure World and The Rhino Club in Waterloo Terrace attracting top name DJs, stylish pre-club bars have emerged, offering smart, modern surroundings and a soundtrack of house, garage and funk, These include The Lizard Lounge in Bedford Place and Bar Risa (with comedy club Jongleurs upstairs) and Bar Med on the High Street. Most of these bars have strict dress codes; smart casual dress is compulsory, jeans and trainers are forbidden. The Chain Gang Many major chains have opened up pubs in the city in the past few years. Yates' now have a Wine Lodge on Above Bar Street and the Firkin brewery have a Ferryman and Firkin on the High Street, next door to one of the Walkabout chains' Australian themed pubs. In addition, the Just So brewery has opened a Tavern in the Town on Above Bar Street and from the JD Wetherspoons chain there is the Giddy Bridge on London Road. Southamptons gay scene has also expanded in recent years. Popular gay pubs include Smugglers on Bernard Street, The Victoria Inn in St Marys and Voltz on Above Bar Street. Arguably the best of all is The Edge on Compton Walk. Student Spots Despite this explosion of new bars, as a university and college town Southampton still has plenty of long established drinking institutions, many equipped with attractions to keep the student population amused, namely cheap beer, Playstations and pot noodles. These include Bedfords and The Ostrich in Bedford Place, The Mitre in Portswood and The Hobbit in Bevois Valley. If you enjoy watching a band as you drink, several pubs in the city offer live entertainment. The best of these are The Brook and Talking Heads on Portswood Road, which have named acts and acoustic/Irish music respectively, and The Joiners Arms in St Marys Street, which features up and coming bands. Finally, it is worth remembering that many of Southamptons best pubs can be found in the countryside villages a few miles out of the city centre. For some pleasant scenery with your beer, try the Bishopstoke River Inn just outside Eastleigh, the Old George in Fairoak or the famous Jolly Sailor on the River Hamble. Luke Foster Entertainment in SouthamptonThere is more to Southampton than ships, sailing and shopping. The city offers a host of entertainment options, ranging from conventional mainstream cinema to West End style shows, and from huge pop acts to a bona fide clubbing scene, both in the city itself and in nearby Bournemouth. Cinema A feast of entertainment can be found at Leisure World, which includes two night-clubs, a restaurant and a 13-screen multiplex Odeon Cinema that shows all the latest Hollywood blockbusters, in modern and comfortable surroundings. Virgin Cinemas offers five screens of film entertainment in Ocean Village, while the nearby Harbour Lights Picture House offers more alternative and art-house films to an enthusiastic audience. Elsewhere in the region, large-screen 3D films are the order of the day at the Sheridan Imax Cinema, located right next to the pier in neighbouring Bournemouth. Theatre The main theatre in Southampton is The Mayflower on Commercial Road. It features a huge number of productions every year, some of which come direct from Londons West End. Opera, comedy, concerts (classical and pop), ballet and serious drama make up the play list at the theatre, as well as a popular big-name Christmas pantomime. Behind the Mayflower you will find the Gantry Arts Centre, which is a popular venue for more contemporary theatre productions, as well as music and comedy performances. Theatre lovers can also see a wide selection of plays at the Nuffield Theatre on University Road, while a little further afield the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth is another fine venue for theatre productions, catering for all niches and needs. Music A few minutes walk away from the Mayflower is the Guildhall, which is part of the Civic Centre complex. This is the venue for larger pop and rock concerts, as well as light entertainment, and attracts chart-topping live acts. Live music can also be enjoyed at the Turner Sims Concert Hall, which specialises in smaller classical shows and jazz ensembles. The town offers many smaller venues that provide live musical entertainment. Amongst these are The Joiners Arms in St Marys Street, which specialises in small independent bands, the Bier Keller on London Road, featuring local up and coming bands in midweek and more established bands at the weekends, and Jumpin Jaks at Leisure World, which has live bands and tribute acts every week. Elsewhere, the Bournemouth International Centre is just a half-hours drive away and features large concert experiences, ranging from Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones to Oasis and Blur. Comedy Southampton was one of the first cities outside London to be chosen as a site for a Jongleurs Comedy Club, which regularly attracts top acts from the countrywide comedy circuit. It is situated at the Bargate Centre in the heart of Southampton and offers live comedy from Thursday to Saturday. The Gantry Arts Centre also often hosts comedy evenings, while the large theatre venues also have occasional big-name comedy shows from the likes of Lee Hurst and Steve Coogan. A little further out of town, near the University, is a venue called Talking Heads, which regularly has alternative comedians, as does The Brook, which is located next door. Night Clubs Southampton has a lively club scene that suits many tastes. Ikon & Diva are based next door to each other at Leisure World, but cater for different markets. Ikon hosts a mix of garage, dance anthems and club classics, while Diva provides a more retro experience with music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Elsewhere in the city, The Beach at Ocean Village is an over 20s venue geared towards fun evenings and socialising, while other clubs include The Rhino Club in Waterloo Terrace, Kaos in St Marys Road and The Dungeon in Bevois Valley. However, it is neighbouring Bournemouth which arguably boasts the best club scene in the region. The Opera House in Boscombe, Zoo and Cage in Central Bournemouth and various other top venues attract thousands of clubbers to Bournemouth each and every weekend. For yet another way of experiencing the nightlife of Southampton, there are a number of late opening theme bars, including the Chicago Rock Café in Vincents Walk, the Power FM Radio Café by WestQuay and Schooners at Ocean Village. These venues open until 1am at weekends and occasionally on week-nights, particularly in the summer months. Dining in Europe > Southampton
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