Yes this is indeed located on the northside, but then again so is the Dice bar, with Fun Loving Criminal’s lead man in partnership (and if he doesn‘t scream ‘cool’ well I’m not sure who does) so why not leave Citibar and The Purty Kitchen behind for one night and venture across the Ha’penny bridge, to the welcoming surroundings of Pravda.
Pravda is a Russian soviet themed pub. ‘Pravda’ in Russian means both truth and justice: an interesting name for a pub. The décor adds character to the place and there are so many comfortable places to sit down and have a chat(when the live bands aren’t playing) and on busier nights upstairs is open, so on a Saturday head upstairs. Recently there has been a new lick of paint, courtesy of the staff who each painted their own section.
As for dress code, there is none, but you would tend to feel most comfortable in jeans and the likes for both guys and girls. Pravda is for one and all, especially for vodka lovers. For example, they stock: Polstar Cucumber; Zubrowka bison grass; Wyborowa melon, pineapple, peach, apple, orange; Stolichnaya vanilla, raspberry, cranberry, strawberry; Krupnik Honey; Ketel One; Grey Goose; Finlandia; Rain Organic; Skyy; Altai; Cytronowka; Krolewska; and Vann Hoo, to name but a few of the 59 (so I have been told) varieties of vodka that they stock.
I personally recommend Stolichnaya vanilla vodka, but a word of warning from some friends avoid Krupnik honey vodka; it is a bit hard on the stomach, even for people with iron stomachs as it is terribly sweet and heavy.
When it comes to music, Pravda tends to veer on the rock side of things. But depending on the night they do have an eclectic mix of music. Battle of the bands are not an unknown concept here, and Pravda has been promising that new up and coming Irish acts will play their little hearts out (as they have been doing), and selling themselves to the highest clapper/screamer. Not a bad way to spend an evening, considering there is no admission charge on any evening, unlike many live music venues. When the live bands are not on the cards then there are some pretty good tracks being pumped out by the DJs, and you can always rely on one or two classics to be played near the end of the evening, especially on weekends. Pravda also serves food daily at varying times, and I have to admit that their chicken wings are pretty damn tasty! The staff are all really friendly, and even on very busy nights, they manage to not leave you waiting forever to get a drink, which is always a plus when it comes to going out in the city centre. The crowd tends to be of the student variety, although it is also hugely popular with foreigners, and there is a very good reason: Pravda always has a good vibe and not once in all my visits have I ever witnessed anyone having a bad night — apart from one person and she didn’t seem like she ever had fun, ever.
Also, a little note for the tango ladies, the lighting is very dim so it is rather sympathetic to each and everyone, so there is no need to worry about harsh lighting affecting your confidence levels.
Another interesting aspect to Pravda is that they show films as part of Pravda Vision and give out free popcorn(at least they did when I last went to watch a Polish film). After the film, there is a DJ if you are flush on the financial side. If you want to find out what is happening over the next few weeks, give them a call on (01) 8740090 or an email as the internet info is a little dated.
