52 Degrees North
The Arcadian, Hurst Street, Birmingham
One of the many venues making up the Chinese quarter's Arcadian, 52 Degrees North is a bar with restaurant serving 'modern British fusion' (Thai salads, monkfish, salmon) right up until 2am on the weekends. This stylish bar also has a reputation for pulling famous faces; All Saints, Lennox Lewis, Jack Dee and Andy Cole are among the celebrities that have put in a visit. 52 Degrees North isn't a pumping pre-club bar though, during the week laidback lounge music seeps from the stereo system and weekends stick to much the same policy with various DJs entertaining a sophisticated audience. Cocktail waitress service is available for all you lazy bones. See and be seen.

capacity: 350
entry: (Fri): £4 after 11pm (Sat): £5 after 11pm
dance floors: 1
bars: 1
dresscode: none
www.fiftytwodegreesnorth.co.uk


Angels
127-131 Hurst Street, Birmingham
A mixed bag of heavenly bodies reside at Angels. The crowd are made up of gay, straight and not fussy punters headed for a variety of destinations. Whether your destination is Godskitchen, The Q Club or Moneypennys, Angels provides a good atmosphere accompanied by a bit of happy house to get you in the party mood. There are live DJs from Thursday to Sunday. Corey is your resident on Thursday, followed by Chad Lewis on Friday nights, James Dean on Saturday before Noel ends your weekend on Sunday evenings.

capacity: 412
entry: free
bars: 1
dresscode: relaxed
www.angels-birmingham.co.uk


Bar Coast
The Arcadian, Hurst Street, Birmingham
The newest addition to Birmingham's social scene is the Arcadian; a cobbled arcade of bars and restaurants which are developing at high speed. Next door to SoBar is Bar Coast, a visual feast of bright colours, lighting and modern furnishings. During the week music comes courtesy of the stereo system but the weekends bring live DJs and a perfect pre-club venue. Bar food is also available until 9pm weekdays and 7pm on weekends.

capacity: 350
entry: free
bars: 1
dresscode: relaxed


Circo
6-8 Holloway Circus, Birmingham
A relatively small venue, Circo attracts students during mid-week term time before the clubbing crowd takes over on the weekends. Its late opening hours mean that, while for some the bar is used as a pre-clubbing venue, others see the entire night out in Circo surroundings, particularly since the bar boasts some fantastic DJ residencies.

capacity: 180
entry: £2
dance floors: 2
bars: 2
dresscode: none
www.circobar.co.uk


Key Largo
193-194 Broad Street, Birmingham
At the top of the Broad Street strip is Key Largo; a large bar kitted out in wood and glass. The interior is airy but, on the weekends, jam-packed with Birmingham's pre-club crowd, most of whom will be popping round the corner to Bakers. Mondays is Student Night Hammered, with residents Dan Hall, Adam Walder and Rigey, whilst Tuesdays is Kinky Boots, playing all the big tunes from 70s & 80s up to the present. Joints and Jams is the Wednesday soul night with DJ Robin Holland. Thursdays bring you club classics and funky house for Spell, featuring resident DJ Bretski while Friday and Saturday features house and garage from Andy Ward, Nick Gillet and Steve Cogin.

capacity: 500
entry: £3
dance floors: 2
bars: 5
dresscode: smart, no sportswear
www.keylargoclub.co.uk


SobaR
The Arcadian, Hurst Street, Birmingham
The SoBar is a light and airy bar, sparsely decorated with stainless steel, wooden chairs and a concrete floor; like being outside but inside. It is the ultimate in trendy and plays host to a cosmopolitan crew who are usually dressed to the nines. SoBar also has a noodle bar serving appetisers, noodle-based main dishes and desserts right up until closing. The music policy centres around old skool, funky house, soul and garage and DJs spin from Tuesday to Sunday.

capacity: 160
entry: free
dance floors: 1
bars: 1
dresscode: none
www.sobar.co.uk


Stoodi Bakers
192 Broad Street, Birmingham
The pre-club bar for Bakers, Stoodi Bakers had a complete facelift and refit in January 2000, introducing a metal theme. The layout is open plan and filled with a young, hip crowd, many of whom will be on their way to Bakers which is around the corner. With its late opening hours, the only real difference between the club and the bar is the lack of live DJs at Stoodi's, who only feature occasionally.

capacity: 650
entry: £4 / £5
dance floors: 3
bars: 4
dresscode: smart clubwear
www.bakers-stoodis.co.uk


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