The Village

I went here for a working lunch - it has free wi-fi which get's a huge thumbs up. The interior is heavy on wood and modern design which lends to an open space.

Menu was average as in nothing too unique. The healthiest option I could find bar Caesar salad was mushrooms on toast. I have never had that before. Portobello mushrooms on garlic buttered bread with a poached egg on top and of course the Irish staple of coleslaw and a bit of impotent salad on the side. Seriously? I just find that side that you get in the majority of places such a lazy cop out.

It was tasty, far too rich for me. I ordered their homemade lemonade which was as bitter as a spurned lover. Towards the end I noticed the mound of sugar resting at the base that had not been absorbed into the juice - mmmm tasty.

Service was very friendly and that was a big plus. Lunch wise? Call me spoilt but there are plenty more places to try that have a more exciting lunch menu but do they have wi-fi? I will keep up the search.

The Village can be genuinely surreal at times. The ground floor is black and gold like something out of American Psycho, with occasional groups of office workers having their liquid lunch.

Things get mad upstairs. I'm convinced that the layout has an effect on peoples behavior, as it's not uncommon for it to be packed tight everywhere except the dance floor. Generally turns into an alright night, although it does take a while to get served.

Be forewarned, if you're going to a gig you probably have to go around to the back entrance. It can be very confusing the first time, although you are rewarded with some great murals by Maser.

A friend and I chanced upon The Village on one of our 'ladies who lunch' excursions. All frocked out in cute little dresses and matching printed (but highly impractical) umbrellas, we were quite the sight to see along Wexford St this afternoon.

The Village afforded us a much needed escape from the gawking stares that usually follow us around town (we are gorgeous, irresistible and have a highly magnetic effect upon men, it seems). But ah, sure, didn't we know that already?!?

Anyway, on to more important matters, we were very pleased with our lunch at The Village. I've never had the opportunity of visiting at night-time, so I can't vouch for it as a nightclub or concert venue, but during the day it has a very pleasing ambience and makes for an excellent lunching venue. And to its credit, The Village does not carry the stale alcohol smell from the previous evening's shenanigans, unlike many other establishments that double as sober and drunken venues.

As for the food, delightful more than a little posh pub grub. A little better than pub grub, I would have to say. My comrade opted for the goat's cheese salad (topped with a delightful beetroot and seared rocket concoction - and she assured me the beetroot was to DIE for! I can hardly imagine it was that good, but I'll take her word for it...)

Mine was a baked salmon with mustard mash and tomato relish topping. Both meals were well presented and smelled amazing!

Probably our favourite part of our Village experience was the homemade lime-ade (lemonade with a twist!) It was refreshing and lovely and if I didn't live on the other side of town I'd be back there sipping on another one right now (maybe with a little vokda thrown in this time?) At only 1 euro it is not to be missed!!!

Our waiter was lovely - friendly and very French (!!) without being overbearing. We also loved the wall art - awesome shots of past gigs on one side, and crazy paintings on the other. Do have a close look when you stop by.

The Village is fantastic at multi-tasking. It effortlessly shifts from a super lunch-time spot to a fabulous bar/club hybrid to a music venue. It's pretty great at all of these things, which is impressive!

Downstairs the bar gets super busy and I find that that can be kind of obnoxious. Upstairs there is another bar, so if you don't feel like dealing with the downstairs crowd just skip it! There is also a lot more breathing room, and more importantly, dancing room.

I love the dance nights they have on Friday and Saturday; the DJs play a great mix of tunes, mostly electro and funky dance stuff. The best part is that everyone just lets go and boogies to their hearts content. Right at the peak of the evening this dance floor is reeeeally fun. As people head out, it gets a little less populated but still awesome. The cover is sometimes 5 and sometimes 8... not sure why or what's the deal with that, but for a fiver it is definitely worth it if you feel like dancing like crazy!

My dear Yelpers, I am not very happy.

There was the event which I was very excited about and which, finally, didn't meet my expectations.

Songs of Praise, on 9th February at The Village. The Rock & Roll Karaoke night was more roll than rock. It was supposed to start at 9pm but did start at 10pm. So I had to patiently wait.

And while I was waiting I thought I would get a drink. No waiter around. I had to wait at least half an hour to get served. You can imagine my surprise and disappointment when I was charged €5.70 for a Smirnoff Ice, when I get it for around €4 anywhere else. A bit bitter, I got hungry and thought of getting some crisps too. Another disappointment to be charged €2.50 for a small box of Springles, which I didn't buy.

10pm and the karaoke organizer started to set up his stuff... and went out for a smoke. My friend and I were just exhausted of waiting, we left.

1 star because the place was nice.

1 star for the very relaxing music. Maybe too much. If it had been a spa, I would have asked for a shoulder massage. But it wasn't and I was litterally falling asleep on my chair.

Wednesday is not a day for partying all right. I just wanted to enjoy a nice chat & drink. I will give this place a chance and come back on a Friday or Saturday.

PS : Last night the DJ... made me sleep.

This place is grand. Grand in the Irish sense.

"How are you?"

"Grand"

In other words. Average. Meh. Gah. Blah.

I have been here numerous times over the years and have enjoyed most of my nights but that is down to being gee-eyed with my friends and dancing like a lunatic. I guess what I am saying is I could be in a field drunk and dancing with my friends and have an equally enjoyable night.

I was here last night for Grandmaster Flash. Music was epic. I was getting down with my homies (I'm usually getting down with my homos dancing to Britney in a gaybar so twas a grand oul change) and it was amazeballs. He could have played in a field and I would have had the same experience.

A couple things I was impressed by however. Nice bar staff. The place was jammers and the bar was mobbed but the staff stayed pleasant and remembered who was next to be served. That really impresses me. Another plus was the smoking area. This was not here the last time I was in the Village. Easily accessible and warm!

TOILET ATTENDANTS.... ARGGGHH!!!!!! Strangely enough I do understand how a tap works, how a soap dispenser works and how a hand drier works. The same way I don't need you to hold my man hood whilst I pee, I don't need you to help me wash my hands and making me feel uncomfortable when I REFUSE to give you money. Something that unfortunately still lingers in very few places anymore. Another load of my hoop nonsense concept from Celtic Tiger era.

So to sum up the Village in one word?

Grand.

Even though The Village is probably my second most frequently attended nightclub of all time, try as I may in the now sober hours, I can't think of what the interior looks like. I mean, I have a fair idea of the layout, but I can't visualise anything particularly remarkable to comment on (black and gold floor? I'll have to take your word for it, Rónán).

Just generally, The Village has a bar downstairs which is always packed to bursting point on a Friday or Saturday night, and a dancefloor and another bar upstairs that is also packed on said evenings, but to a slightly lesser extent. In other news, there is a distinct chance that I am in mad unrequited love with the petite blond from Brazil who works there.

They play good music in The Village, and their €8 admission on weekends compares favourably with a lot of other clubs. Well, favourably to the tune of €2, anyway.

And in a further note in the sphere of economy, the cloakroom of The Village don't have any means of charging you for umbrellas, as you can't really stick it on a hanger with a raffle ticket, so if you turn up of a soft evening as I did, umbrella in tow, and want somewhere to put it, they won't charge you a red cent.

In furtherance of this theme, The Village don't even charge for pints of blackcurrant, which almost makes you give pause when you're about to rip them off with your Crouching Tiger/Hidden Nagin, but only for a second, as charging for a tiny bit of blackcurrant cordial with some water is a scandal unto itself.

So good show, The Village, you've put yourself together a damn fine nightspot.

The Village is a great spot. I love Camden Street and really enjoy it on nights out. The Village is good for lunch any day of the working week but you need to get there early if you want a seat - they have some nice specials too.

On a Friday and Saturday night the place is packed and if you arrive in after 11pm there is sure to be a cover charge. (10 Euro)

The one thing I don't like about The Village is the sound system and layout for gigs. I've been to see a couple of performers and have never been overly impressed.

Went dancing at The Village for a work friend's farewell party. The interior was gorgeous with all the wood and the pillars and such. I think the bar placement is good--cuts down on crowding near the dance floor. Also, for whatever reason, I was into the screensaver graphic circa 2002 that was being projected over the dance floor.

Still, nothing stood out as exceptional about the place once it was full of people. The dj jumped from song to song in an odd mix of top 40, hip hop, and indie rock that had no flow. The crowd skewed a bit young definitely early 20s. There was an over-abundance of ratty jeans, trainers, and hollister shirts so the hip factor wasn't really there. Overall it was enjoyable but I dont think I'd choose it myself.

I'm writing this as an organiser looking for a venue for around 100 people after a day's event. I dropped in a total 3 times trying to find someone to check out the venue and details for booking the area upstairs.

First time, I was told to come back or phone them after 4pm and ask for the manager.

Second time, the manager in question was on the phone with someone and I waited around 15 minutes and was asked to write down my number so he can call me back. He never did.

Third time, the same manager was on the phone again and there was another person ahead of me waiting to talk to him in person.

I've already emailed them via their form on their website, and no-one replied. So after all that, I called it quits, why do I need to bend over backwards if I can just get somewhere down the road straight away.

So I would not recommend this place if you are thinking of organising an event.