The 10 Best Pubs in Dublin [IRISH PUBS]

It’s only fitting that Dublin, the most gregarious of cities, is the undisputed champion of the humble pub. While St. Patrick’s Day provides an excuse for the rest of the world to don green hats and tell anyone who will listen about their distant Irish ancestors, it also serves as a reminder that everyone should experience Dublin’s pub culture at least once in their lives.

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Each Dublin pub experience has its own personality, from nursing a quiet afternoon pint on an old mahogany counter to enjoying the rowdy hum of an evening trad music session. And, while the city has some fantastic restaurants, museums, and galleries, its beating lyrical heart can be found at the bar.

Here are a few of Dublin’s best drinking establishments:

The 10 Best Pubs in Dublin [IRISH PUBS] — Everyday Artistry Photography / Alamy Stock Photo

1. The Brazen Head

Dublin’s best pub for: history

Though few can claim Gulliver’s Travels author Jonathan Swift and legendary revolutionary Wolfe Tone as regulars, Dublin’s pubs are famous for the literary and historical luminaries who once quenched their thirst. Though the current structure was built in 1754 as a coaching inn, a grand painted parchment on the Brazen Head’s Lower Bridge Street entrance declares that it (or at least some form of alehouse) dates back to 1198.

In any case, this is a grand old Dublin institution that, while frequently crowded with tourists, boasts a vibrant beer garden and live music seven nights a week beginning at 9 p.m.

The Brazen Head is located at 20 Lower Bridge Street, Usher’s Quay, Dublin, DO8 WC64.

Phone number: +353 1 679 5186

2. Toners

Dublin’s best pub for: a beer garden

Dublin’s winding old streets don’t allow for large beer gardens, but Toner’s on Baggot Street has plenty of space for a few pints in the sun and heaters for when the weather cools down. With ‘Toner’s Yard’ emblazoned in bold red letters and twinkling fairy lights strewn above the patio, it’s a popular spot, so get there early to secure a table.

Toner’s also has one of Dublin’s coziest snugs just inside the front window, which is unusual for a pub with such a lovely outdoor space.

Toners, 139 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2, Ireland Phone: +353 1 676 3090

3. The Cobblestone

Dublin’s best pub for: music

The Cobblestone’s snappy tagline is “A drinking pub with a music problem,” but this is a friendly pub that takes its music seriously. And in a city where musicians proudly perform every night of the week, the journey out of the city center to the Cobblestone’s street corner home in the Smithfield area is well worth it.

This lively pub is built on respect for Irish musical culture, with quality trad music sessions in the bar played by superb musicians to a receptive and appreciative audience, and owner Tom Mulligan’s family has been playing Irish music for five generations.

The Cobblestone is located at 77 King Street N, Smithfield, Dublin, D07 TP22.

Phone number: +353 1 872 1799

4. The Blue Light

Dublin’s best pub for: the views

The Blue Light’s terrace offers magnificent views of the entire city stretching as far as the hazy outline of the Howth Peninsula, despite being located some distance from the city center in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. The pub’s name comes 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.

There’s no better place for a post-walk pint if you’ve been exploring the mountains or hiking the Wicklow Way, and the cinematic views are at their best as the sun sets and the city lights begin to flicker on.

The Blue Light, Barnacullia, Sandyford, Dublin 18, D18 PF72 is the address.

Phone number: +353 1 216 0487

5. Davy Byrne’s pub

Dublin’s best pub for: literature nerds

Joyce lived in 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 had previously drunk here, and the main protagonist of his masterpiece Ullyses, Leopold Bloom, visits the pub in chapter 8 and orders a ‘gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of Burgundy’.

The pub was also frequented by Patrick Kavanagh and Brendan Behan, but the Joyce connection is the strongest – especially on Bloomsday, a joyous annual celebration of Joyce held every June 16.

Davy Byrne’s Pub is located at 21 Duke Street, Dublin, D02 K380.

Phone number: +353 87 712 1405

6. John Kavanagh’s (aka ‘The Gravediggers’)

Dublin’s best pub for: a pint of Guinness

Is finding the best Guinness the most subjective question of all? There’s no doubt that Dublin is the best city for the black stuff, but where it’s served is another story.

John Kavanagh’s (aka ‘The Gravediggers’) in Glasnevin may be the best of them all, with an evocative name and an even better pint of Guinness. The 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. It is located next door to Glasnevin Cemetary and dates back to 1833.

John Kavanagh’s is located at 1 Prospect Square, Glasnevin, Dublin, D09 CF72.

Phone number: +353 87 296 3713

7. Temple Bar

Best pub in Dublin for: crossing something off your bucket list

Yes, it’s the most touristy (by a long shot) of Dublin’s famous pubs, and it’ll most likely be the most expensive Guinness of your trip, but the Temple Bar pub is worth a visit just for the experience.

The exterior is almost as ostentatious as the interior, with its bright red facade and green shrubbery hanging over the windows, and you’re guaranteed a lively music-filled atmosphere any time of week. If you’re not in the mood for a pint, Temple Bar has over 450 different types of rare whiskey, making it Ireland’s largest whiskey collection.

Address: 47-48 Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland Dublin D02 N725

Phone number: +353 1 675 4340

8. The Long Hall

Dublin’s best pub for: the decor

Dublin has several lavishly decorated Victorian pubs, from the Palace Bar to the Stag’s Head, but few can match The Long Hall on South Great George’s Street. Outside, the red and white striped awnings make it appear a little twee, but once inside, it’s like stepping back in time to a glamorous 19th-century Epoque.

Its cosy lounge has remained virtually unchanged since 1881, with a glossy crimson ceiling, elaborate wooden partitions, antique clocks, globe lamps, and red leather bar stools. The service is also excellent, so come on in, order a pint, and take in the splendour of one of Dublin’s great pubs.

The Long Hall is located at 51 South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2, D02 DV74.

Phone number: +353 1 475 1590

9. The Black Sheep

Dublin’s best pub for: craft beer

Despite the pervasive presence of Guinness, Dublin has been unable to fend off the recent craft beer revolution, and there are plenty of beer options for those looking for something other than the nation’s favorite stout. The Black Sheep, located at the northern end of Capel Street, is a craft beer nirvana, with nearly 20 different beers on tap and a plethora of other Irish and international varieties filling their fridges.

The 3% Weights and Measures session IPA is an easy-drinking introduction to the Galway Bay brewery’s style, while the 8.5% West Coast DIPA Of Foam and Fury is strong, complex, and full of tropical notes.

The Black Sheep is located at 61 Capel Street, Rotunda, Dublin.

Phone number: +353 1 873 0013

10. The Palace Bar

Best Irish pub for: whiskey

Irish whiskey has recently experienced a revival, and some of the best examples can be found upstairs at The Palace 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. It is a beautiful old Victorian pub on the eastern outskirts of Temple Bar.

The gaudy neon ‘Whiskey Palace’ sign adds a Vegas sheen to proceedings, but don’t let that fool you: this elegant bar is stacked with handsome wooden cabinets containing everything from newer distilleries like Teeling and Roe &Co to rare exclusives like Redbreast’s 17-year-old Single Cask.

The Palace Bar is located at 21 Fleet Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 H950.

Phone number: +353 1 671 7388

Topic: The 10 Best Pubs in Dublin [IRISH PUBS]

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