Arca Bar

I’ve had some great memories in this bar especially as they know how to host a good party! You can even go there for a quiet drink during the evening and on some nights. The bar is a great place to go in the Arcadian but the bad thing about this is sometimes it can get really busy, especially during the holidays and on bank holidays. The main bar is downstairs and the dance floor is upstairs, which is where my friends and I usually are. I prefer to go with a large group of friends because going with a small group (especially girls) can make you feel like you’re a fish in a shark tank because there are loads more males than females in here. It’s best to go early to avoid disappointment and enjoy the space more. Even though the bouncers often let their power get to their head the staff are very friendly and polite. The place is decorated to make it look classy but don’t let this fool you because the prices are reasonable. I love the music here as it’s a good and modern variety. You know how some DJs just play tracks one after the other? Here they actually get involved with the crowd, mix the tracks and play requests!

Arca bar has been in Birmingham as long as I can remember. This used to be a popular destination for the more discerning of socialites but it’s changed quite a lot recently.
If you’re heading down to the Arcadian, it’s a potential stopping off point for a drink but people don’t really plan their whole night on just coming here as there are more popular bars in the complex.
Crowd wise there’s a good mixture of people consisting of your classic chavs, glam students to the older crowd. Drinks have become pretty expensive here but when you’re out in the centre on a weekend you kind of expect it.
They always have quality local DJs on over the weekend so you’ll be sure to hear a good variety of music which will get you in the mood for the night ahead. Most people will then head over to SoBar or Bambu afterwards so it’s definitely worth checking these out too.

I find that there are three down points to Arcadian’s Arca Bar as the drinks are quite pricey for a student ranging at just under five pounds for a single and mixer. I find that the music played within Arca Bar is of standard but there is no actual dance floor to party upon which I find not an enticing aspect of any bar or club. The girls toilets are also ridiculously tiny and takes completely ages to wait for a cubicle which is one of my hates, why build a bar where giant amounts of alcohol is being consumed and not make a large enough facility for the capacity? I personally also find that the smoking area could do with more usage of electric heaters as the smoking area can get quite of a draft on a night out. I would preferably go to Arca Bar when I am already drunk as I wouldn’t want to spend money in there for alcohol that will further force me to wait in a twenty minute queue for the toilet.

At 21.49, these toiled were dry and full of bog roll! Makes a change for a night club… But they could do with maintainence. The lock is superb on the doors, and I didn’t notice any soap.

A great placet o start a night out in the Arcadian, although it does take some time to get going and people dont start to trickle in until after midnight.
As the name suggests, this place is sparse, but that is quite novel as there is not much to bang into and alot of room to have a dance. Although the venue is not overly large.
It did used to have an upstairs, which was lovely, however this has now been blocked off and removed from Arca bar.
The drinks prices are not too bad here, about average bar prices i would say.

Pricing isn’t too great here if you don’t have the money but other than that a good night out.
You can sit and chat with friends and can dance if you wish to. However, with other bars so close to it in the Arcadian it would not be my first choice.

The thing that lets this place down is the drinks prices and the door staff, if you get past the arrogant bouncers and don’t mind paying over the odds for a drink then your onto a winner. The crowd in here is usually a good crowd and the music is usually quite good too, would say its more funky/​trendy but still has the odd moody person in there. Very nice and clean inside, toilets are clean too, last time i went there they had them annoying people in the toilets who try to charge u £1 for a spray of perfume, other than that its an ok place, usually a starting place in my opinion

In my opinion arca bar is quite overrated, and defintely one of my least favourite out of quite a good bunch in the Arcadian.
Firstly, the drinks are very expensive, probably the most expensive out of all the bars, partly because they rarely have any promotions on. Your looking at a whopping £3.50 for a small bottle of bud or similar.
The bouncers are quite imposing, especially with the dress code which is very strict. I’ve seen adequately dressed blokes turned away on many occasions for shoes which are completely acceptable. TIP= if you’re going to the arcadian for the night, wear a shirt and smart shoes.
On a Friday/​Saturday night especially it can get complete;y rammed, i. e shoulder to shoulder, especially if upstairs is closed/​hired out for a private party/​function, which it often is.
This means that the relatively small toilets are often a nightmare, even for the men!
However, positives include the music, as they often attract some quite established DJ’s, (funky/​house/​electro etc), and the atmosphere is always good, especially upstairs (when its open) with the expansive dance floor.
Overall a lowly 4/​10, mainly because of the other far superior bars right next door, try indi bar!