Every Pub I Got Recommended In Dublin (And If You Should Go)
The Irish pub experience is it’s own warm, nostalgic and unique thing. That’s why very city in the world with access to electricity and green paint manages to have at least one Irish themed pub. Ironically, that’s what makes Dublin stand out; no Irish themed pubs, just streets and streets of the real deal.
Dubliners were perhaps the most friendly people I met during my last trip to Europe. They love their city and they want you to love it too which is why they share pub recommendations so readily, often when you’re in another pub.
Here is a list of pubs I was recommended and what I thought of them.
The Long Hall
Recommended by: A guy who worked at a university art gallery.
A fantastic place to start a voyage into Dublin’s Victorian Pubs, 16 pubs built in the classic style of the Victorian era of 1837-1901. As advertised, the interior of The Long Hall is long and spacious, with a ruby red warmth that already has you reflecting on your visit with rose tinted glasses. Eclectic and elaborate light fixtures add an ornate touch while hunting riffles and bed warmers on the wall hint at the past.
Indeed, the dark red ceiling, walls and wooden furnishings (the latter almost resembling Guinness) are part of what make the big space feel so cosy. You can sit on a red leather stool at the near-lickable wooden bar or around an equally sumptuous looking table on red studded leather bench seating. If you can bring yourself to order something that isn’t a Guinness, there are beers by local Rye River brewed just down the river in Kildare.
SKIP OR SWIG: Definitely swig.
The Snug
15 Stephen Street Upper, Dublin 8, D08 ADW4, Ireland
Recommended by: The same guy who worked at a university art gallery.
Right down the opposite end of Irish pubs is The Snug which proudly (and economically) holds the title of Dublin’s cheapest pint of Guinness at €5.10, about €2-4 less than a lot of other CBD pubs (particularly cheaper than those who target tourists). The fella who recommended this place to me did so with a very ‘if you dare’ tone that made my eventual visit a certainty.
Katie and I actually shot here for our video project so I don’t want to reveal too much about our Snug experience for now. What I will tell you is that the pub is as no frills as the Guinness price implies with peeling wall paper, long suffering furniture and locals that rub their eyes in surprise when a tourist walks in. What we didn’t capture on camera were the looks on local Dubliners when we told them we visited the Snug. “Woah! So you’re really getting adventurous with the pubs then!” was one reaction. You wanna feel like a real off-roader, visit The Snug.
SKIP OR SWIG: Swig if you want people to think you’re cool.
The Swan
Recommended by: Derek who runs a great Irish Coffee Masterclass.
Bloody hell did I like the Swan. It is another of the 16 Victorian pubs of Dublin with ornate wood and glass dividers on the bar that is just begging for you to sit at it. Unlike the other Victorian pubs I visited however, the Swan boasts a lighter shade of wood with lots of windows on the wall that runs the length of the bar and ensures plenty of natural light makes the place glow.
Traces of The Swan’s history and Irish sporting memorabilia line the walls but it’s the service that really welcomes you. Sitting at the bar is the correct call as both members of bar staff on the Tuesday afternoon we visited were keen to chat and laugh in the warm & witty manner I’d come to expect from Dubliners. We also spotted Derek there who came over to say hi which really made us feel like locals and at the end of the day isn’t that exactly what we want when travelling?
SKIP OR SWIG: Big swig, especially on a sunny day.
Peader Browns
Recommended by: an Australian editor of mine who has been to Dublin a few times.
A little walk out of the typical tourist area of Dublin, Peader Browns looks like any Dublin bar. There are Irish flags, Guinness on tap and that Irish pub font. It looks very normal but it is not for the faint of heart. Without spoiling too much (we filmed inside) Peader Browns takes a very strong stance on a recent chapter in Irelands war against the UK.
I visited after a victory to the catholic Glasgow Celtics against the prodestent Glasgow Rangers and let me tell you, it was a buzz like I have yet to experience elsewhere with rebel tunes and those black humour Irish soccer chants flowing aplenty. As a lover of rebel tunes the staff, locals and musicians were insanely welcoming to me. I felt like I was watching an Irish film. It was grand.
SKIP OR SWIG: Skip if you’re English, swig if you can handle A LOT of dark humour.
Brogans
75 Dame Street, 75 Dame St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, Ireland
Recommended by: The university art gallery guy (he recommended so many!)
We stopped by Brogans when nearby, and conveniently rhyming, pub Grogans didn’t have a spare table. Brogans however did have space and perhaps because it wasn’t quite as cosy as it’s rhyming cousin. The space is big and dark, almost cavernous, with ambient lights providing warm illumination to a veritable museum of classic Guinness adverts that far outstripe the collection at the nearby Guinness Storehouse.
Although not as glamourous, historical or even as busy as other Dublin pubs, Brogans is a good place to talk to locals who are used to chatting all things Irish in such a tourist friendly part of town.
SKIP OR SWIG: Swig if you’ve got more than five days in Dublin, skip if you don’t.
McNeill’s
140 Capel St, North City, Dublin, D01 F9R2, Ireland
Recommended by: Uni gallery guy AND Derek from the masterclass.
Double recommendation has to be doubly as good right? On bustling Caple Street, you’d almost walk right past McNeill’s as unlike some colourful pubs catering to tourists, McNeils seems to blend into the Dublin scenery of which it is an important living organism.
The outside seating is gorgeous on a warm and sunny day, however, most of your time in Dublin will be spent inside pubs and McNeill’s offers several spaces to do just that. The busy bar area always has sport on for local and international solo drinkers while there are several rear spaces where groups can relax in authentic Irish pub serenity. Of course, there’s Guinness, Powers whiskey and kooky little bits of raff scattered about the place. Perhaps what makes McNeill’s so special is it’s lack of gimmicks.
SKIP OR SWIG: Skip if you simply must go somewhere with gimmicks.
P. Mac’s
Recommended by: Derek.
The red neon light immediately clues you in that P. Mac’s is not a traditional Irish bar. With a spacious interior where classic meets grunge, P. Mac’s caters to their younger clientele with appropriately trendy staff, plenty of room to dance and a modern playlist that means you’ll have to go somewhere else for traditional Irish music (which in the Temple Bar area should take you 30 seconds).
P.Mac’s makes a great stop on a pub crawl, particularly on a sunny day where the outside seating proves to be an ideal spot for relaxing with a drink and a side of watching Dublin do it’s thing. Ambush Pale Ale by Trouble Brewing is a top tier example of the modern Dublin brewing culture.
SKIP OR SWIG: Definitely swig if the day is perfect.
Dudley’s
Recommended by: Derek.
Once he realised we were beer lovers, Derek recommended we go Dudley’s in a nearby crawlable suburb called The Liberties. Green, neat and lived in, Dudley’s has two big bar spaces with around 15 taps either side offering much more than Guinness, although there are still two Guinness taps either side.
Local breweries are on display at Dudley’s such as local brewery Whiplash who make the light, fun and tangerine sweet Roll Over Session IPA (3.5%). Enjoy one in a leather booth or on a stool at either one of the long bars and don’t be afraid to ask for a sample.
SKIP OR SWIG: Swig if you need a break from Guinness.
Places I was recommended but didn’t make it too:
