15 of the best pubs in Dublin
It’s only right that Dublin, that most gregarious of cities, is the undisputed standard-bearer for the humble pub. And while St Patrick’s Day is an excuse for the rest of the world to don green hats and bark at anyone who’ll listen about their distant Irish heritage, it’s also a reminder that everybody should sample Dublin’s pub culture at least once in their life.
From nursing a quiet afternoon pint on an old mahogany counter to enjoying the rowdy hum of an evening trad music session, there’s a different character to each Dublin pub experience. And though the city offers some magnificent restaurants, museums and galleries, its beating lyrical heart is found at the bar.
Here are a few of Dublin’s best watering holes:
1. John Fallon's "The Capstan Bar"
Best pub in Dublin for: a post-whiskey tour pint
Back in 2015, the first whiskey distilled in Dublin for almost 50 years passed through the Teeling Distillery in the historic Liberties district, and there’s nowhere better for a post-tour pint than the curiously named Capstan Bar.
Just a five-minute walk from Teeling, this centuries-old street-corner pub in the shadow of St Patrick’s Cathedral pours some of the city’s finest Guinness, while lined behind the bar is a splendid Irish whiskey selection with prices hanging from small cardboard tags. While many modern hipster bars love a bit of exposed brick decor, the smoke-black bricks behind this bar are the real thing, though sadly the antique heater sitting at the back of the room is purely decorative. Grab the cosy snug, if you’re lucky.
Address: 129 The Coombe, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 NP52
Website: facebook.com/JohnFallonsTheCapstanBar
2. Bowes
Best pub in Dublin for: a post-Temple Bar hideaway
Temple Bar’s boisterous atmosphere can be a little overbearing at times, even for the most seasoned carouser. So if you require something a little more authentic, say, head east on Fleet Street and look out for the old mounted clock in the distance. Bowes is a bit of a blink, and you’ll miss it spot, but inside, it’s a warm, cosy and gregarious place with fine Guinness and even better craic. Opened in 1880, it’s also home to over 200 bottles of whiskey on its wooden shelves, covering the gamut from American bourbons to Japanese single malts (the Irish Whiskey Society itself was founded here in 2009).
Address: 31 Fleet St, Dublin 2, D02 DF77
Website: bowespub.com
Everyday Artistry Photography / Alamy Stock Photo3. The Brazen Head
Best pub in Dublin for: history
Dublin’s pubs are famous for the literary and historical luminaries who once quenched their thirst, though few can claim Gulliver’s Travels author Jonathan Swift and legendary revolutionary Wolfe Tone as regulars. Though the current building was built in 1754 as a coaching inn, you’ll notice a grand painted parchment on the Brazen Head’s entrance on Lower Bridge Street declaring that it (or at least some form of alehouse) dates back to 1198.
Either way, this is a grand old Dublin institution that, while often busy with tourists, boasts a vibrant beer garden and live music seven nights a week from 9pm.
Address: The Brazen Head, 20 Lower Bridge Street, Usher's Quay, Dublin, DO8 WC64
Website: brazenhead.com
Hemis / Alamy Stock Photo4. Toners
Best pub in Dublin for: a beer garden
Dublin’s meandering old streets mean that there’s not a whole lot of room for vast beer gardens, but Toner’s on Baggot Street has plenty of room for a few pints in the sun and heaters for when the weather cools down. With ‘Toner’s Yard’ emblazoned in jaunty red letters and twinkling fairy lights strewn above the patio, it’s a busy spot so arrive a little earlier to nab yourself a table.
And for a pub with such a fine outdoor space, Toner’s is also home to one of Dublin’s cosiest snugs located just inside the front window.
Address: Toners, 139 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2, Ireland
Website: tonerspub.ietonerspub.ie
Tuul and Bruno Morandi / Alamy Stock Photo5. The Cobblestone
Best pub in Dublin for: music
‘A drinking pub with a music problem’ goes the snappy tagline at The Cobblestone, but this is a friendly pub that takes its music seriously. And in a city with musicians proudly displaying their craft every night of the week, the journey out of the city centre to the Cobblestone’s street corner home in the Smithfield area is well worth travelling for.
With quality trad music sessions in the bar played by superb musicians to a receptive and appreciative audience, this lively pub is built on respect for Irish musical culture and owner Tom Mulligan’s family have been playing Irish music for five generations.
Address: The Cobblestone, 77 King Street N, Smithfield, Dublin, D07 TP22
Website: cobblestonepub.ie
Sir Anto / Alamy Stock Photo6. The Blue Light
Best pub in Dublin for: the views
It’s a while out of the city centre in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains, but The Blue Light’s terrace offers majestic views of the entire city stretching as far as the hazy outline of the Howth Peninsula. Dating back over 300 years, the pub takes its name from smugglers looking for a signal that the coast was clear so that they could safely land illegal booty such as rum, tobacco, wine and brandy.
If you’ve been exploring the mountains or hiking the Wicklow Way, there’s no better spot for a post-walk pint and the cinematic views are at their best as the sun goes down and the city lights begin to flicker on.
Address: The Blue Light, Barnacullia, Sandyford, Dublin 18, D18 PF72
Website: thebluelight.ie
Tuul and Bruno Morandi / Alamy Stock Photo7. Davy Byrne’s pub
Best pub in Dublin for: literature nerds
Writer James Joyce lived in European cities such as Paris, Zurich and Trieste but his stories were almost always set in Dublin and one of the most vivid literary references to his hometown was at Davy Byrne’s pub on Duke Street. Joyce himself had drunk here many times before and the main protagonist of his masterpiece Ullyses – Leopold Bloom – drops by the pub in chapter 8 and orders a ‘gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of Burgundy’.
The pub was also frequented by the likes of Patrick Kavanagh and Brendan Behan, but it’s the Joyce connection that remains the strongest – especially on Bloomsday, a joyous annual celebration of Joyce every June 16.
Address: Davy Byrne’s pub, 21 Duke Street, Dublin, D02 K380
Website: davybyrnes.com
PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo8. John Kavanagh’s (aka ‘The Gravediggers’)
Best pub in Dublin for: a pint of Guinness
Is where to find the best Guinness the most subjective question of them all? There’s no doubt that Dublin is the finest city for the black stuff, but where it’s served is a whole different animal to ponder.
With an evocative name and an even better drop of Guinness, John Kavanagh’s (aka ‘The Gravediggers’) in Glasnevin might be the best of them all. Located next door to Glasnevin Cemetary and dating back to 1833, its unfussy old-world interior, weathered wooden bar and lack of music and television mean you can enjoy a peaceful pint by yourself or settle in for a few with your friends.
Address: John Kavanagh’s, 1 Prospect Square, Glasnevin, Dublin, D09 CF72
Website: facebook.com/JohnKavanaghTheGravediggers
noel bennett / Alamy Stock Photo9. Temple Bar
Best pub in Dublin for: a bucket-list tick
Yes, it might be the most touristy of Dublin’s famous pubs (and by quite some distance) and it’ll also probably be the most expensive Guinness of your trip, but the Temple Bar pub is worth a visit just for the experience.
With its bright red facade and green shrubbery hanging over the windows, the exterior is almost as ostentatious as the jaunty interior and you’re guaranteed a lively music-filled atmosphere any time of the week. And if you’re not in the mood for a pint then Temple Bar comes armed with a choice of over 450 types of rare whiskey, making it the largest whiskey collection in Ireland.
Address: Temple Bar, 47-48 Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland Dublin D02 N725
Website: thetemplebarpub.com
Alessandro0770 / Alamy Stock Photo10. The Long Hall
Best pub in Dublin for: the decor
From the Palace Bar to the Stag’s Head, Dublin’s home to several lavishly decorated Victorian pubs but few can match The Long Hall on South Great George’s Street. The red and white striped awnings on the outside make it seem a little twee at first glance, but on entering it’s like stepping back in time into a glamorous 19th-century Epoque.
Virtually unchanged since 1881, its cosy lounge is blanketed by a glossy crimson ceiling, elaborate wooden partitions, antique clocks, globe lamps and red leather bar stools. The service here is excellent too, so settle in, order a pint and admire the splendour of one of Dublin’s great pubs.
Address: The Long Hall, 51 South Great George's Street, Dublin 2, D02 DV74
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Wirestock, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo11. The Black Sheep
Best pub in Dublin for: craft beer
Despite the pervasive presence of Guinness, Dublin hasn’t been able to fend off the craft beer revolution of recent years and there are plenty of beer options for those looking beyond the nation’s favourite stout. Sitting at the northern end of Capel Street, The Black Sheep is a craft beer nirvana with almost 20 different beers on tap and myriad more Irish and international varieties filling up their fridges.
Owned by the Galway-based Galway Bay brewery, the 3 per cent Weights and Measures session IPA is an easy-drinking introduction to their style while the 8.5 per cent West Coast DIPA Of Foam and Fury is strong, complex and big on tropical notes.
Address: The Black Sheep, 61 Capel Street, Rotunda, Dublin
Website: galwaybaybrewery.com/blacksheep
Neil McAllister / Alamy Stock Photo12. The Palace Bar
Best pub in Dublin for: whiskey
Irish whiskey has had something of a renaissance recently, and some of the finest examples can be found upstairs at The Palace Bar. A beautiful old Victorian pub on the eastern fringes of Temple Bar, the pub has a whiskey bar upstairs and is a cosy spot to settle in for a dram or two from Ireland’s ever-growing number of distilleries.
The gaudy neon ‘Whiskey Palace’ sign brings a touch of Vegas sheen to proceedings but don’t let that put you off – this elegant bar is stacked with handsome wooden cabinets packed with everything from newer distilleries like Teeling and Roe &Co to rare exclusives such as Redbreast’s 17-year-old Single Cask.
Address: The Palace Bar, 21 Fleet Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 H950
Website: thepalacebardublin.com
Geoffrey Arrowsmith13. O’Donohues Bar
Best pub in Dublin for: musical heritage
It’s only right that you’ll likely be greeted by raucous trad sounds swirling from the inside corner bay of O’Donoghues’ narrow old bar. Musical heritage runs deep here, with the Dubliners performing some of their earliest gigs within these walls in the 1960s. Black-and-white photos of the band line the walls of this surprisingly capacious pub, with its airy courtyard, quieter second bar, and upstairs (though Ronnie Drew’s piercing blue eyes aren’t as vivid in sepia). Built in 1789 as a grocery store, it didn’t pour pints until 1934 but has been a staple of the city’s drinking scene for decades now. There’s fine Irish food found across the street at Hugo’s restaurant, too.
Address: 15 Merrion Row, Dublin
Website: odonoghues.ie
Alamy14. Sheehan’s
Best pub in Dublin for: food
The best food pubs are always the ones with small menus. Lots of spots in Dublin serve up great food, but there’s something about Sheehan’s concise, all-killer, no-filler choice that gives some confidence that their grub will be of the highest quality. With its bright red exterior visible from chaotic Grafton Street, it's an easy amble into a surprisingly snug spot, though it's better to arrive early if eating, as table space is limited in the main bar. Classic local dishes include a hearty Irish Stew with lamb and vegetables in a rich broth, as well as an unctuous mash-lathered beef and Guinness pie that’s perfect on a chilly winter’s day.
Address: 17 Chatham St, Dublin 2, D02 X923
Website: sheehanspub.ie
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15. The Wool Shed
Best pub in Dublin for: sport
It doesn’t matter if you're watching GAA hurling, Premier League football, Six Nations rugby, or competitive sheep shearing; your sport will probably be shown live on one of the three big screens or 19 plasma screens at the Wool Shed on Parnell Street.
If you’re there with pals, their Woolshed Platter of chicken wings, cocktail sausages, veggie spring rolls, onion rings, breaded chicken goujons, and skin-on fries is ideal sustenance for any big game. They even do quiz nights and comedy sessions here if the on-screen action isn’t cutting the mustard (or your team is on the losing end).
Address: The Parnell Centre, 198-200 Parnell St, Centre, Dublin, D01 K5N8
Website: woolshedbaa.com/dublin