Group dinner & restaurant stag do

Group dinners in Albufeira are mostly central, with two-hour table slots starting between 7pm and 11pm. Typical formats are an all-you-can-eat Brazilian rodizio of spit-roasted meats and sides, or a two- or three-course set menu, both often with half a bottle of wine or a jug of sangria each. Unlimited wings and ribs are popular for a cheaper night. A beachfront option sits about ten minutes' drive from the Old Town. Dress is casual. A 7pm table puts the group on the Strip in good time.

Most Amsterdam group dinners are central, with a two-hour table. Options include a traditional Dutch main, a two-course Italian, spare ribs, or a table with its own beer tap, where the tap bill is paid to the restaurant on the night. Around Rembrandtplein there is a sports-bar restaurant that shows Premier League games and turns into a club later, which suits a match weekend. The drag dinner is a three-hour, three-course show at fixed weekend sittings and asks for a drinks deposit on arrival. Send dietary needs ahead; a vegetarian option is usually possible.

Group dinners in Barcelona run on Spanish time, with tables normally booked between 7pm and 11pm. The standard is a tapas spread of eight or more dishes in a central restaurant with the first round included, or a three-course Spanish meal or a tapas-and-paella menu with sangria poured throughout. Many packages add guest-list entry to a club afterwards, which makes it a two- to three-hour evening. The club still judges the group at the door, so go easy on the unlimited sangria. Smart casual covers both the restaurant and the club. Send allergies and dietary needs in advance.

Group dining in Birmingham works best close to where the night goes next: the canalside around Brindleyplace and Broad Street, or John Bright Street, a few minutes' walk from New Street station. Reserved tables are standard, and larger groups are usually asked to pre-order. Sharing formats such as pizza with a cider tasting board keep a big table simple and quick. If the night is on Broad Street, eat on that side of the centre and walk on rather than crossing town.

Group dining in Bournemouth is easiest close to the town centre and the pier, where everything is within a walk of the main hotels. One well-placed option on Westover Road, about seven minutes from the pier, does reserved tables with sourdough pizza and a cider tasting board for groups of six or more. Burger-and-a-pint deals are also common if the group wants a quick meal before the bars. For a big table, collect everyone's choices in advance so the food arrives together.

Group dining for a stag in Brighton is easiest on or near West Street, where the party bars sit just back from the seafront and a set two-course menu leads straight into the evening. Expect the whole table to choose the same format, such as starter and main, and some venues are 18+ and may ask for ID. If you have rented a house, a fine-dining meal kit delivered to the door is an alternative; it needs an oven tray, a frying pan and two saucepans. Agree the course choices in the group chat before you go.

Group dining in Cardiff is easiest in the city centre, close to St Mary Street, so the group can walk on to the bars afterwards. Reserved tables and a set menu are standard, and one popular option requires pre-orders for groups of nine or more. A two-course meal takes about 90 minutes to two hours, sometimes with sharing platters and a glass of fizz on arrival. On international weekends, book well ahead and eat early, because the centre fills from the afternoon.

Most group dinners that suit a stag in Dublin are in and around Temple Bar, which leaves the first pub a short walk away. Expect a set menu of two or three courses at reserved tables, about two hours, and sometimes a first drink included. Smart casual is the usual standard, and several places turn away trainers, sportswear and ripped jeans, so pack one pair of proper shoes. Bring ID, as 18+ checks are common. Service charge is often added to anything ordered beyond the set menu, so agree up front how extras will be split.

The local evidence here is thin. One quick, informal option before a night out is a themed bar on George IV Bridge in the Old Town, where groups of four or more get reserved tables, half a pizza and a two-pint stein each over about an hour. If the group has a rented flat, a fine-dining kit can be delivered and finished at home, which needs an oven tray, a frying pan and two saucepans. For a proper sit-down dinner, ask us early so we can find a table that seats the whole group.

Lisbon's group dinners come in two main formats, both central. The rooftop option is a three-course meal with views over the city and two hours of open bar. The Bairro Alto option is a 90-minute set three-course dinner with unlimited beer, wine and sangria and coffee to finish, which puts you right where the bars are when you stand up. Bottomless tapas with drinks is the more casual alternative. Smart casual is expected. Book later than you would at home, as nights here start late, and send dietary needs in advance.

Liverpool's group dining is mostly in the centre: Liverpool One, Queen Square, Hardman Street and the Albert Dock. Reserved tables and a set menu are normal, and two courses take about two hours. Watch the day: one popular dockside set menu is not available on Saturdays, and some places want the whole group on the same starter-or-dessert choice. For the morning after, a breakfast-and-drink package on Hardman Street shows live sport on big screens. A burger and a pint at Queen Square works for a quick pre-match meal.

For a stag, the useful London dinners are set menus in and around Soho and Leicester Square, where the rest of the night is a short walk away. Group menus usually need a pre-order, and some want ten or more. For something different, a dinner bus tour leaves from Embankment at 7.15pm (meet at 7pm) and serves six courses over two hours 45 minutes while passing the sights. A medieval banquet with comedy hosts fills about four hours. If the group is in a rented house, a private chef can cook there, provided there is a working kitchen.

Group dining for a stag in Newcastle tends to happen on or near the Diamond Strip around Collingwood Street, so the meal leads straight into the night. Expect a set menu, with the table typically held for about 90 minutes and last bookings around 8:30pm at some venues. Some ask the whole group to choose the same format, such as starter and main, so agree it before you arrive. Some bars are 18+ and may ask for ID. Burger-and-a-pint deals are common if the group wants a quicker meal before the bars.

Prague group dinners lean traditional. The standard is a two- or three-course Czech set menu, usually soup followed by a hearty main, with a couple of beers each and the table held for two hours. The medieval banquet is the theatrical option: three courses, drinks included, live music and performers, at a fixed early start of about 4:30pm and running roughly three hours, which leaves the whole night free. A Brazilian grill with meat carved from skewers suits a hungry group. Guides usually walk the group from Wenceslas Square. Send dietary needs ahead, because these are set menus.