Pubs, Whiskey Dens, & Cocktail Bars: The Coolest Places to Drink in Dublin

In the pantheon ofworld - class bar city , Dublin has been view as royal court in the Radclyffe Hall of renown for a strong millennia . And while itsclassic pubshave found their station in chronicle rule book and spawned homages the humankind over , the bar view has continued to evolve , with slick cocktail bars , groundbreaking gastropubs , hidden speakeasies , and more living in mutualism with the centuries - quondam stout - slingers where Irish story continues to be made .

Hitting a pub ( or 20 ) in Dublin is an all important experience for any visitant , but with so many selection , it can be hard to navigate , avoid the tourist hole , and get a real feeling for the urban center . With that in mind , we tapped our Dublin measure expert to put down out the indispensable stops , from can’t - miss legend to whiskey dens and cocktail joints bridge over the gap between C - old tradition and advanced flair .

Bar 1661

Parnell SquareLocated around north Dublin ’s historical food markets , Bar 1661 is leading a revitalisation in poitin , Ireland ’s answer to moonshine . With its slick leather - top stools , dour green wall pane , and a centerpiece communal table , 1661 and its berkeep , Dave Mulligan , have become the go - to place to get word about and prize the once - long - lose spirit .

Named for the class poitin was banned , 1661offers a full spectrum of cocktails , though the Belfast Coffee – a riff of the Irish Coffee made with Bán Poitín , cold brew , pick , and Myristica fragrans – is a show-stopper , even for folks like me who hate coffee . If poitin does n’t do it for you , there ’s a wide selection of Irish whiskey and gin , plus a stellar craft - beer selection . Every detail here is on point , mightily down to the toilet pass : a handmade beaut made with oak tree bark and marble . –Yolanda Evans

Palace Bar

Temple BarIf you fancy going to a proper Irish pub in Temple Bar , skip the ones along the master pull of the district . sure as shooting , with the cobbled streets outside and the strains of trad music through the room access , they might see legit . But they ’re as touristy as they fare , and some of them pinch up the price of a pint after 11 pm ( when you ’re less probable to be chequer your bill ) .

Your best bet ? manoeuvre to The Palace Bar , aright at the end of Fleet Street . This slur is the veridical pot , a boozer beloved by Dubliners for almost 200 yr . deep down , the bar is separate by carved wooden sectionalization , perfect if you require to have a sneaky tittle-tattle about your fellow drinkers . If you want to be part of the action mechanism , snaffle a seat at the back , under the skylight and sully - ice window , where impromptu sing - alongs often kick off . It ’s a great place for whisky fan too – they have over 100 assortment uncommitted , include their very own Palace Bar whiskey . –Nicola Brady

The Cobblestone

SmithfieldOld - school Dublin mainstay The Cobblestone advertises itself as " a drinking taphouse with a euphony trouble . " This little treasure is not some tourist trap , but rather where local anesthetic go to tap along to the best unrecorded trad music with some of Ireland ’s ok musicians seven daytime a week . No pre - planning necessary : Stroll in , order a pint , and determine on as musicians form a lap and unleash transonic walking on air . Being that it ’s so celebrated , it ’s best to get to the bar early if you desire a fundament , otherwise you ’ll be leaning by the saloon most of the nighttime – which , frankly , is reasonably O.K. too . –YE

John Kavanagh

GlasnevinLocated by the Glasnevin Cemetery , John Kavanagh – better know by its nickname , “ The Gravediggers ” – has been slinging the black stuff since 1833 , when the first of eight propagation of Kavanagh set off pulling tap handles .

So just how did it get its morbid nickname ? The gin mill is built into the wall of the burial ground , making it a prime post - dig halt for cemetery worker . With its worn wooden tables and weathered cake , this prim era public house transport you back in time when people actually had conversation in bars . There ’s no singing or dancing let ; no television set toot the football match . All modernistic conveniences are left outside the doorway . That ’s the way the topical anaesthetic like it in this bar where time seems to have stopped . –YE

The Brazen Head

Merchant ’s QuayThe Brazen Head is Ireland ’s previous operating pub , date back to 1198 . It ’s the genuine prototype of a traditional Irish measure , complete with brilliant traditional and modernistic contemporary dish like their famed Beef and Guinness Stew . It ’s been an essential part of Irish history for centuries , with a strong literary connection with Irish writer like dramatist Brendan Behan and James Joyce – the latter even gift it a shout out in his celebrated book , Ulysses . If you close up your centre and conceive of an Irish bar , this is what you ’re probable seeing . erectile and gloriously fusty , it ’s deserving out yourself as a tourist for a dry pint . –YE

Lucky’s

The LibertiesPerfect if you ’re heading to a show on Vicar Street , Lucky ’s is a chill - out saloon where you might get hold an artwork market place in the afternoon and a group rugby football screen just a few hours later . They have a good selection of beers ( I love the Liberties Pale Ale ) as well as wines on tap , and whiskeys made flop here in this neighborhood ( this part of the metropolis is a hotbed for distilleries ) .

But what sets Lucky ’s over the edge is insert in the small pub garden , where you ’ll findCoke Lane Pizza . This tiny hatch is the home of some of the effective pizza pie in the city , with a charred , blister crust and killer whale toppings ( the Scarface comes with spicy salami , chilli , and Irish love ) . Even better – if you get there before 7 pm Sunday to Thursday , any pizza and a pint or glass of wine is only € 13 . It ’s one of the good buy in Dublin . –NB

The Liquor Rooms

Temple BarOpened in 2014 , The Liquor Rooms is the first Irish bar to make a nomination for Best New International Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail , near forthwith giving Dublin ’s cocktail view a shot in the arm . That nod alone stamped this legal profession as a destination for cocktail lovers : Here , cut - edge cocktails incorporate herbs , infusions , homemade tincture , and high - end spirits into wholly unequaled concoctions .

site in the cellar of the Clarence Hotel , this recent - night drinking den is divided among four principal rooms : The Black Rabbit , a burlesque circus den ; the Boom Room , a bandstand - look dance area ; the Mayflower , a conservatory reserved for swanky secret parties ; and the Blind Tiger , the composite ’s flowery main room . This is very much a topographic point where stopping in for a drink can result in a nighttime - long party where expectations and design dissolve as quickly as a sugar block in an one-time fashioned . –YE

L. Mulligan. Grocer.

StoneybatterA gastropub with an previous - school taproom vibration in the extremist - hip Stoneybatter neighborhood , L. Mulligan . Grocer . charms with small touches like menus gather into old books and bills delivered in vintage cannister with confect . But the nutrient take it to the next level , with fare like a killer Scotch testis and a venison pie stand out . If you ’re looking for a Guinness , you ’re out of circumstances : This is one of the only Irish saloon without the black stuff . Instead , prefer from 24 craft strike and 150 bottles on offer , or dive into the 200 - inscrutable whiskey inclination , which could inspire you to go corrupt a full bottleful at Mulligan ’s nearby shop in Powerscourt Centre , one of thebest places to expend a rainy day in Dublin . –YE

John Mulligan

DocklandsThis legendary Irish gin mill on Poolbeg Street is a ethnical introduction that Judy Garland , Seamus Heaney , James Joyce , and John F. Kennedy have graced for a few pints . It ’s the original shebeen ( unlicenced drinking venue ) , and has been around since 1782 , when it became a legal watering maw . It ’s really a traditional Irish pub as it do no food nor is there medicine : just dry pint and a good time . Instead of a Guinness , try Mcardle ’s Irish cerise ale , best revel in a gloomy corner hidden behind the confessional screens . There ’s no well , more intimate place to plan your next move on a bar front crawl . –YE

Vintage Cocktail Club

Temple BarLook for a tiny VCC dagger on a nondescript doorway in bustle Temple Bar and you ’ll find the entranceway into Vintage Cocktail Club , a hidden treasure in the most literal of horse sense . skirt the doorbell and you ’ll gain entry into a low - lit , cozy living room of a cocktail den .

The cocktail fare can be a little overwhelming – there are over 80 choice all disunite by unlike earned run average from the former 1400s to modern times – but eternal sleep assured there are no wrong choices . strain the Sherry Cobbler made with 1840 Tio Pepe dry sherry , orangish slices , and fine caster sugar on crushed ice with fresh fruit to get your night going . This candlelit cake is the correct spot to savour your cocktail in peace of mind without gaudy euphony in the background : the utter antithesis to the intermediate Temple Bar experience . –YE

P Mac’s

Creative QuarterP Mac ’s is the variety of place that ’s almost unacceptable to baulk when you walk past its door , the smear where you ca n’t aid but peek through the windowpane just to see what the craic is like in spite of appearance . Right in the center of townsfolk , between the maze of bars of William Street and George ’s Street , P Mac ’s has that everlasting " meeting lieu " vibe . There ’s a neat selection of craft beers on pat , and the candle on each of the tables give off a supremely flattering light ( an important matter to note when you ’re a match of beer in ) . The mishmash of squishy bum and grandmother - esque article of furniture adds to the informal vibration . –NB

Peruke & Periwig

Stephen ’s GreenOne of the absolute best cocktail spots in Dublin , Peruke & Periwig . looks teeny tiny when you first take the air in , but there are three floors to research , each with a nerveless , courtesan boudoir aesthetic . Upstairs , you’re able to snuggle up on velvet armchairs underneath oil painting , but I choose to nab a seat on the couch downstairs , so you’re able to watch the mixologists do their matter . The cocktail menu is n’t as overwhelming as it can be in other places , but I still opt to exit things in the hands of the bartenders , telling them what I wish ( Sours ! Citrus ! bitterness ! ) and leave the conclusion making up to them . –NB

The Long Hall

City CenterWalk into The Long Hall , and you ’ll be wandering into a space that ’s barely change since 1881 ( though it ’s been around even longer than that ) . This classic Victorian saloon is one of the most inviting spots in Dublin , all carved sepia and red leather banquettes . But the unspoilt affair about it ? When it gets meddlesome enough , they do table overhaul , so you do n’t even ask to get out of your fanny ( which is just as well , because there ’s always a swarm of marauder look to pounce on an empty tabular array ) . –NB

The Bison Bar and BBQ

Temple BarThe Bison Bar is a Texas cowboy - themed BBQ joint smack in the middle of the ever - bustling Temple Bar neck of the woods . The carte du jour ( which , truth be told , I have n’t sampled ) include requisite bites like pink - ringed brisket , pulled pork , and burn - end beans . But it ’s the whiskey that genuinely stands out : with more than 150 kind on offering from throughout the cosmos , allowing you to create a flying spanning Japan , Ireland , the US , and beyond .

If whiskey is not your affair , you might be in the haywire country . But you ’ll still find more than 50 tequilas as well as a robust cocktail carte du jour and craft beers . Oh , and the seats are shaped like saddles . For Americans , it ’s likely to give you the same feeling a Dubliner might have in a white clover - bedecked " Irish " bar shilling corned gripe in Austin . Just go with it ! –YE

Peruke & Periwig