Jah Ruulz... Rules!

Trip to Jah Ruulz reggae bar

I have never been to a reggae bar before and the experience was one that I had always wanted to undertake.

Jah Ruulz is on that I had heard many great things about, with there being some great alternative bars such as this, surrounding St Julian’s and Spinola Bay.

Above: Wall art in Jah Ruulz

My friends and I decided to take a trip there to experience some of the rave reviews that we had previously heard about. Needless to say, we were not disappointed.

This quaint little bar that packs a punch, is situated just outside of Spinola Bar, down one of the infamous Maltese side streets, that are incredibly steep and sees many people perched on its steps enjoying a beverage or two.

You could actually hear this bar before you could see it. The blaring, cheerful music set us right in the mood for a joyful night that would be filled with amusement and a drink or two.

We strolled up to the packed bar where groups around us were taking back shot after shot of tequila, quite the impressive show I must say.

Above: Pina Colada's that my friends ordered

The highly extensive menu sees many cocktails that are all priced very reasonably considering their alcohol content. I opted for a frozen mango margarita, which helped to cool me down in the sweltering bar. For €6, the cocktail was laden with flavour and beautiful aromas of sweet mango with the bitterness of the tequila and Cointreau.

The drinks very incredibly well presented, with garnishes galore and even a little umbrella that I have not seen used, for years.  

My mango margarita lasted for approximately 5 minutes, as it was too good to have sitting around, I just had to have it all. The bar maid seemed impressed by my determination to finish the glass as quickly as I could, and she started preparing another drink for me.

This time, I opted for a classic mojito. This rum based drink is one of my favourites as the flavour is incredibly refreshing. Perfect for a hot summer’s day. The mojito made here was stacked with wedges of lime and sprigs of mint, that really gave the drink that revitalising wash of energy. It was undoubtedly one of the best mojitos I had ever tried and the service again, was very good.

From having worked in numerous bars throughout my life, I know that the business can make it difficult for one to have a conversation with the customer, especially if the establishment is busy at that time. In my previous job, the music was that loud that we were often unable to hear simply our customer’s order, never mind getting to know them a little bit more.

Above: Seating area inside Jah Ruulz

However, in Jah Ruulz, the bar maids and bar men work well to not only make your order swiftly and to its correct specification, but to also get to know you as a person. I chatted with the bar maid about my internship in Malta, along with the people I was living with etc. She seemed very interested and it made for a very pleasant experience.

We then decided to sit outside as the warmth within the main area of the bar was too much for us to handle any more, as the punters were swarming in by the minute. There is limited seating outside, so arriving early is always recommended so that you can get a good spot. We luckily managed to grab a table that overlooked the water at Spinola Bay, and with the backlighting of the bars around us and the fair lights that were stretched over the waters edges, the setting looked divine.

The thing that I love about bars, is the social aspect. Especially when one sits outside, it seems to open for the door for friendly people to come and converse with. Which is exactly what happened to us during our visit to Jah Ruulz and we have now made a friend for life, because of simply being at a bar and enjoying the vies. We met a lovely young gentleman who was from Sweden, who had been in Malta for around 6 months and was coming to the end of his trip here.

We chatted with him for hours about our life experiences, travels, work lives, everything that we could talk about, we could. A complete stranger had become a friend.

We opted for one last drink at this bar and this time I left the choice of my beverage up to the bar man. I had tried all of the drinks on offer at other bars before and wanted to go for something that was completely different. So, I left the cocktail making in his trusty hands, where I was greeted with a very unusual drink.

A spicy margarita.

This drink was entirely unique and different to anything that I had ever tried before. And, it did not disappoint.

At first, I was sceptical about drinking something contained chilli based spirits and was laced with pepper, but I can tell you that it is probably now one of my new favourite drinks and I wish more bars would have something like this on offer for its punters.

Overall, the vibe and the quality at Jah Ruulz is remarkable and you really get a sense of community in this place as the manager was frequently popping outside to say hello to her locals and also her new guests. They really work hard at getting to know their customers, which makes the experiences all the more pleasant.

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