Vuvuzela sports bar making a noise as venue becomes fan favourite

Nick Watkins - Writer 09:31 24/12/2019
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  • Style and substance: Vuvuzela is designed to have an intimate feel

    The football fixtures come thick and fast over the festive period, so what better time to get out and watch the action. Sport360 headed down to Dubai’s newest sports bar to sample the atmosphere at what’s been labelled, ‘the Palm’s friendliest neighbourhood pub’.

    Vuvuzela sports bar offers sports fans an alternative place to watch all the latest games. The South African-inspired venue opened in October this year and hasn’t taken long to be a hit with local residents, thanks largely to its location on Palm Jumeirah. The Fairmont hotel itself is located on the ‘trunk’ of the man-made island, with views facing Dubai Marina, so for hotel guests, and residents, the bar is a welcome addition as sporting venues are few and far between in the area, especially within walking distance of the Golden Mile – a stretch of residential buildings along the centre of the island.

    Inside you’ll find the walls lined with pictures of footballing heroes, including Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, as well as signed shirts from the world’s biggest names such as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. You’ll also find four screens, each showing the live action. Sport360 attended the venue for Liverpool’s semi final World Club Cup tie with Monterrey, and Barcelona’s draw at home to Real Madrid, which drew fans to the bar despite the late kick off time. It should be noted that the venue is designed to be compact and fits around 40 people when full, it’s designed more of an intimate venue to watch the game in comfort, rather than a big rowdy sports bar. This brings it’s advantages though, the fact it has four TVs in a compact space, one of which being a giant screen, means no matter where you are, you’ll have an unrestricted view of the action, making it quite literally ideal for the armchair supporter.

    “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.” Those famous words from Bill Shankly are just some of the iconic saying you’ll find dotted around the venue, including the menu – which, thankfully, also includes a generous selection of dishes. You’ll find bar favourites such as nachos, jalapeno poppers, and chicken tenders as light snacks and hearty cheeseburgers, hot dogs and BBQ beef sandwiches as main meals. If you’re in search of something healthier there’s also a selection of salads to choose from. Should you have room for dessert you’ve a good choice of mini churros filled with a warm caramel sauce, chocolate cake or ice cream. No sports bar is complete without a good choice of hops and Vuvuzela has no less than nine options to choose from. Not to mention and extensive list of spirits if you’re after something stronger.

    The weekend’s sporting action, mainly the football, is already proving a hit with crowds who are regularly packing the place out. Crucially for the longevity of the venue, it has the benefit of attracting both the Fairmont the Palm hotel guests along with the residents, giving it a strong chance of succeeding in the long run. The Premier League alone has a packed schedule over the festive period and Vuvuzela Sports Bar offers a great place to spend an evening relaxing in the comfort of an armchair with up to four games on at the same time –it’s open daily from 3pm – 1am.

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