Not only the best bar in Damascus, but also one that very much made my iwi “Top Ten Bars To Drink in Before You Die” list, it is safe to say that I hold the Barber Shop Damascus in high regard.
Why though do I lie it ever so much, and what is it that makes it Damascus’s and therefore Syria’s best bar? Lets go find out…
The Syrian Drinking Scene
Much like neighbors Lebanon, Syria has always been one of the more chilled out of Middle-Eastern nations. And by chilled out we mean secular….
This had meant that Arabs have long come over to Beirut, as well as Damascus for some R&R, drinks and freedom. They do this concurrently whilst trying to have their own governments overthrow these governments…
Therefore the nightlife of Syria and the drinking scene in Syria has always been robust. With this being said though people are different (part of the reason for the civil war) and there is more of a drinking scene in Christian areas, as well as Damascus than say Aleppo.
Bar Crawl in Damascus
The Damascus scene is that it is the epitome of the Syrian scene, with the most bars, clubs karaokes and even girly type bars than anywhere else in the country. And this makes doing a bar crawl in Damascus an amazing thing.
In fact there are even cocktail kiosks, more reminiscent of Trinidad in Cuba, than what you might expect in Damascus.
Yet Damascus haas it all, and you can easily drink and eat at a great Syrian restaurant, grab a drink a kiosk in Damascus, before heading for a bar crawl in Damascus Old Town.
And if you end up at the best bars of Damascus, you will end up at the Barber Shop.
Why is the best bar in Damascus called the Barber Shop?
The exterior of the Barber Shop leads you to believe that it is very much just that, a Barber Shop. In fact I even (stupidly) argued with my Syrian tour guide about this when he suggested we go into the Barber Shop Damascus.
I looked in horror declared it but a mere barber shop, before it opened like a classic speakeasy to reveal the patrons inside. Bravo thought I, perhaps this could be the best bar in Damascus! Little was I to know, there was still much much more to offer.
The bar is not huge, but has the perfect DJ box, dance floor, bar vibe. The service at Barber Shop and indeed the drinks though are to notch. I paid maybe $5-6 for a Long Island Iced Tea, but as things stand it was the best cocktail I had in Damascus.
We sang, we danced, we drank and I remember thinking this must be one of the best bars in Damascus! It was then that I was to have my mind blown.
The Toilet At Barber Shop Damascus
You really can’t beat a great toilet and I have often felt that if I were to again have a bar, or build my own house then a good toilet will be paramount. Heck I like toilets that much I even brought a website yo review them.
Nothing was to prepare me foe the Barber Shop Damascus toilet though. So, when my gay friend Rib ran over and said you must come to the toilet with me, I must admin my first thought was “has he discovered a glory hole in Damascus”.
Thankfully He had not, but instead I was pushed into the bathroom and told to look around. I sat down to see there was a big red button next to the shitter. What do you do when you see a big red button? Why you push it don’t you.
It is then that Disco music starts playing and disco lights start shining. OK, so its a gimmick, but it really is one of the cleverer ones that I have seen and one I will employ when I next have a bar.
So, the best bar In Damascus just for a toilet? Of course not, but I will not lie, the toilet was the straw that broke the camels back..
Come join me, or a buddy on a Syria Tour.