Block 6 turns into Central Booze District
Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday October 17, 2023 06:00
The area has probably the highest bar density in the whole country. Roughly the size of the National Stadium, Block 6 complex is home to no less than 20 outlets serving adult beverages.
Approaching the multi-building complex from a westerly direction takes one to a Victorian-looking building. Not too long ago, this was a desolate building devoid of activity save for two hair saloons housed within what is the oldest part of the Block 6 shopping complex.
This building is home to a bar with a catchy name, ‘Bev Republic’ which sums it all up for a first-time visitor to this curious complex. It is a name that resonates well with the Block 6 system and fits perfectly with the dominant booze narrative.
Could the whole complex be renamed the Bev Republic? Block 6’s booze story has been incremental in an industry that has witnessed fluctuating fortunes occasioned by the advent of COVID-19. At some point, Block 6 only had one liquor outlet found at the extreme end behind the building now housing the remains of Payless.
Upstairs the building on the western end, there was Mariot, an upmarket establishment for your discerning drinker. Downstairs, there is an internet cafe that has stood the test of time amid the evolving landscape. Post-2010 has been a fast and furious period for the Block 6 complex that has witnessed the sprouting of liquor outlets with unrelenting regularity. Other than the three at the Victorian-style building, there are more outlets when you enter the complex from the northern end.
Liquor City Bottle Store, a relatively new entrant greets you and upstairs in the same building, Cloud9 has long replaced Mariot Café. Liquor City has a bar within the same building offering pool facilities and as one progresses further in a southerly direction, there is Bobo’s liquor restaurant to the left. A quick turn to the west, there is a narrow passage that takes you past two bars, Tipsy Cub Sports Café and Alviton’s. Back to the wider space, still moving south, there is JM Lounge to your right and a further two narrow bars to the left. Another Bobo’s outlet is next after JM Lounge. The next door takes you to Hops and Malt Bar and further down is the latest upmarket addition Que Bar. No other business breaks the booze monopoly within this complex, counting no less than seven successive liquor outlets.
Next to the Payless building, there is Matrix, which concludes the bar count at the western end of the complex. Turning east towards the building closer to the Caltex filling station, there are at least five alcohol businesses. Here Horse Shoe and United Lounge are the two dominant names, contributing to the five outlets within this building.
A new building adjacent to Horse Shoe is under construction, almost guaranteeing more booze outlets for Botswana's undisputed Central Booze District. The varied nature of the outlets is in sync with the cosmopolitan population that patronises this metropolis of booze as Block 6 is an undoubted melting pot of cultures.