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The Spot - Barbican Beach in the City

Published:Saturday | August 7, 2010 | 12:00 AM
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Jerked pork and fried bread-fruit make the perfect finger foods while watching the game.
Barbican Beach does Jamaican specialities like jerked chicken and fried green plantains just right.
This football field by day transforms into a sandy sports bar by night.
These regulars are knee-deep in a heated round of dominoes on games night at Barbican Beach in the City.
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Kimberly Salmon, Gleaner Writer

Barbican Beach in the City is one of the best-kept secrets Kingston has to offer, a trait owners David Shirley and Donald Lyew actually like. However, with all the buzz surrounding this after-work hang-out spot, Saturday Life finds 'the beach' hard to resist.

What started out as a simple need to bring beach football within city limits has evolved into a convenient hub for live action sports alongside mouth-watering streetside cuisine.

Barbican Beach's unique white sandlot hosts a number of sporting events, including football, basketball, volleyball and netball, which all draw huge, hungry crowds - a characteristic its owners capitalised on by serving at first just soda and water for the kids and beers and mixed drinks for the adults.

Now, Barbican Beach's menu has grown into much more than soup to soothe the stomach, offering up sports bar classics like chicken wings and fries, as well as hometown favourites like jerked pork and steamed fish.

When a match is not in play, Barbican Beach keeps the party in full swing by offering up speciality nights, such as its games night every Tuesday, where its regulars can show their competitive side at classics like ludo, dominoes, kalooki and scrabble, to name a few.

Manager Christopher Hull boasts that this has become the establishment's biggest weekly event.

"Everyone knows everyone and it's a real good time," says Hull.

Three years into existence, Barbican Beach in the City, with its laid-back appeal, has become known for more than just its loud cheers that echo through the streets on match days.




  • Quick Facts

Dress Code

Stadium seat swagger to post-5 o'clock sweatpants Music

Oldies reggae and hip hop

Ratings

Parking ★

Accessibility ★★★★

Ambience

Not fancy but full of family-style fun and frolic

Highly recommended

Fried fish - seasoned and golden brown

Ideal for ...

Birthday parties for both kids (in the day) and adults (at night) as the venue holds more than 300 people comfortably and is available for hosting.

General information


  • Barbican Beach in the City is located at 13 East Kings House Road.
  • Opening hours:
  • Monday to Sunday 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.
  • Telephone number: 286-7265