Metro al Madina

Before there was Metro, there was Barometre.  Before there was Barometre, there was the war, so we guess dancing to vintage Arabic hits happened mostly in fortified corridors or basements, and before that, Arabic music wasn’t hip, so hipsters danced to American rock and its Lebanese cover bands at raging house parties or at pubs that have been closed so long our parents don’t remember their names.  Now, luckily for Beirut’s hip, there is the multipurpose Metro Station, a Cabaret/Club hosting weekly shows, jam sessions, experimental music, and star-studded fusion concerts, and most importantly, a bar and dance club.  

If you are looking for a place to dance to a blasting mix of 80s and 90s Arabic pop hits (with some new ones mixed in), the occasional salsa track, or American power pop, Metro is it.  The bar is open Monday-Sunday [insert hours], but Metro really comes into its own on weekends, when performers just finishing a show mix with Metro’s regular (young, artsy, intellectual) crowd to dance into the wee hours of the morning, drinking Metro’s club-priced cocktails and drinks (for comparison, a Jameson here is XX).  Note, Metro has on tap 961, Lebanon’s microbrewery, a tall beer is 9,000LL.

On off hours, the bar, themed as a London Metro Station, is a chill comfortable place to have a drink.  Mirrors line the walls, making the pub well-lit and beautiful (this is also key for checking your eyeliner hasn’t smudged while dancing on above-mentioned weekends), and counters and tables have a diner feel.  

Metro Al Madina is an independent theatre company based in Beirut, Lebanon. Found by Hisham Jaber and a group of Theatre enthusiasts, Metro has produced a various amount of shows ranging from theatre performances, concerts and music shows to musicals, orchestras and cabarets.