D Backyard
D Backyard lives up to its name. Tucked behind Western Main Road, the venue is an open-air space with a covered stage, scattered seating, and enough room for about 150 people when a live act draws a crowd. The outdoor format is a significant advantage in Trinidad's tropical humidity, catching whatever breeze moves through St. James after dark. A full bar runs along one side, and food vendors sometimes set up on event nights. The stage hosts a rotating lineup of live bands, solo performers, DJs, and occasional comedy acts. Musical variety is the defining feature: you might catch a soca band one Friday, a jazz trio the next, and a spoken word event the following week. The space doubles as a private event venue for birthdays and corporate functions on quieter nights. Sound quality is better than you'd expect from an outdoor setup, with the stage rigging designed for live instruments as well as DJ equipment.
What to Expect
You walk through a gap between buildings on Western Main Road and emerge into an open courtyard with fairy lights strung overhead. The stage is at the far end. Tables and chairs scatter across concrete flooring. The bar glows on the right. The air is cooler than inside any club on the strip, and you can hear yourself think between songs.
Relaxed and open, with energy that builds as the evening progresses. The outdoor format makes it feel more like a house party than a club. When the live music is good, the whole space comes alive.
Genuinely varied. Soca and calypso are the baseline, but jazz, R&B, blues, reggae, spoken word, and acoustic sets all appear regularly. The genre depends entirely on who's performing.
Smart casual. The outdoor setting makes it slightly more relaxed than indoor venues. Clean jeans and a decent shirt work. Some events attract a dressier crowd, so checking the event listing helps.
Live music fans who want something beyond pure soca, people who prefer outdoor settings, and anyone looking for a middle ground between Pelican Inn's quiet and Frankie's chaos.
Cash (TTD) preferred. Card machine available but unreliable. Bring cash to be safe.
Price Range
Carib/Stag beer TTD 25-30, rum and coke TTD 30-40, cocktails TTD 50-80, cover TTD 40-80 for live acts
Beer ~USD 4-5 / ~EUR 4; rum and coke ~USD 5-6 / ~EUR 4-5; cocktails ~USD 7-12 / ~EUR 7-11
Hours
Thu-Sat 7 PM to 2 AM. Open other nights for special events. Check social media for the weekly schedule
Insider Tip
Follow their Instagram for the weekly lineup since it changes constantly. Arrive early for live music nights (before 9 PM) to get a spot near the stage. The breeze is strongest on the left side of the venue, furthest from the building wall.
Full Review
Getting to D Backyard requires a brief act of faith. You walk off Western Main Road into what looks like a narrow passage between buildings, and for a moment you wonder if you've made a mistake. Then the passage opens into the courtyard, strung with lights, and the doubt evaporates.
The space works because it solves St. James's biggest problem: heat. Every enclosed venue on the strip turns into a sauna by 11 PM. D Backyard catches the evening breeze off the Northern Range, and even on humid nights, the temperature stays manageable. Tables and chairs are arranged with enough spacing that you don't feel packed in, a rare luxury on the St. James strip.
The stage is properly equipped. Sound board, monitor speakers, stage lighting, and rigging for instruments all look like they've been invested in. On a good live music night, a soca band fills the courtyard with sound that bounces off the surrounding walls in a way that creates natural amplification without distortion.
The bar serves the standard lineup with slightly better cocktail options than most St. James spots. A rum punch made to order costs TTD 50-60 and actually tastes like someone measured the ingredients. Beer prices match the strip standard at TTD 25-30 for local brands.
The crowd depends on the night. Live soca bands draw a dancing crowd that turns the courtyard into a fete-like atmosphere. Jazz and acoustic nights bring older couples and groups who sit, listen, and nurse their drinks. Comedy nights attract a different demographic entirely. This variability is the venue's strength and its challenge, since you never quite know what you're walking into without checking first.
The main drawback is the event dependency. On nights without a scheduled performance, D Backyard can feel empty. The DJ-only nights don't generate the same draw as the live acts. Check their social media before heading over.
The Neighborhood
D Backyard is behind Western Main Road, accessed through a passage near the main St. James bar cluster. Frankie's, Drink!, and Zulu Lounge are all within a 5-minute walk. Street food vendors on Western Main Road serve the late-night crowd. The venue shares the St. James taxi ecosystem.
Getting There
Taxi from downtown Port of Spain costs TTD 30-50. From Ariapita Avenue, TTD 20-40. Tell the driver 'D Backyard in St. James, behind Western Main Road.' The entrance passage is between buildings on the main road. On event nights, you'll hear the music before you see the entrance.
Other Venues in St. James
Drink!
Casual rum bar on Western Main Road where locals lime hard on weekends. Cheap drinks, loud music, and a crowd that spills onto the sidewalk. No frills, just Trini nightlife at its most honest.
Frankie's
One of St. James's longest-running nightclubs, pulling crowds with soca, dancehall, and reggae. Two levels, a packed dance floor on weekends, and the kind of energy that doesn't quit until sunrise.
Zulu Lounge
Upscale-leaning lounge on the St. James strip with cocktails, hookah, and a slightly calmer vibe than the surrounding bars. Good for starting the evening before the street gets loud.
Pelican Inn
Old-school St. James bar that's been serving drinks since before most of its current patrons were born. Rum-heavy menu, local crowd, and a jukebox that leans toward classic calypso and soca.