Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: The Merry Cobbler

by

Exterior of The Merry CobblerThis week, we make a trip not only south of the Liffey, but nearly into the heart of Dublin 4, with a visit to The Merry Cobbler.

While we are now happily Northside people, when we first moved to Dublin, we were initially deposited nearby – this area is, at least as stereotypes go, a land of rugby and Range Rovers, D4 accents and posh schools (though it is much more diverse than that generalisation would have one believe). The nearby Aviva Stadium can, at times, feel a world away from our now-neighbour, Croke Park, despite the venues being only a few kilometres apart. Irish pubs, though, can feel like great equalisers, and The Merry Cobbler is no exception.

A Wicklow Wolf at The Merry CobblerIt’s very much a neighbourhood spot, welcoming local families, game day regulars and guests – you can even stay in the pub. And while its renovation of the past decade means it’s got a bit more polished wood and stained glass than many of its counterparts on the other side of the river, it never feels snobby. There are some lovely snugs – again, more stained glass – and various different spaces to spread out around this large pub. Local independent beers are well-represented (from Trouble and Wicklow Wolf on this most recent visit, though we’ve also seen Hope in the past), but this is another spot where the stout enthusiast can do the full Guinness–Beamish–Murphy’s taste test.

There’s a lovely fireplace that’s worth a visit in the colder months, and a few outdoor seats next to the yarn-bombed bollards for fine weather – we will admit there’s much less traffic than we tend to get near some of our closer pubs that have Pavement Pints options.

Inside The Merry CobblerWe will eventually do a ‘Best Pubs for the Aviva’ roundup to complement our ‘Best Pubs for Croke Park‘ summary, but in the meantime, this is one to add to that list.

Where: 78-82 Irishtown Rd, Dublin 4
Access from the city centre: Buses C1, C2; Dart to Lansdowne Road; 40-ish minute walk
Food: Pub grub, pizza, weekend brunch and tasty desserts
Sport: Rugby (you are on the southside, after all), football…all the big sports
TVs: Many screens all around
Music: MOR pop hits of the 80s and 90s on our visit
Family-friendliness: Very family-friendly indeed
Pub-crawl-ability: Low-medium – The Vintage Inn and Irishtown House are very close, with The Oarsman and The Yacht Tavern up the road in Ringsend; The Old Spot and The Bath Pub are not too terribly far. While BrewDog is close as the crow files, actually getting there can be a challenge from here
Local sites of note: Aviva Stadium, Ringsend Park, Irishtown Stadium, Seán Moore Park (for Poolbeg Parkrun – you can get your New Year’s Day run in here), Poolbeg Chimneys, Sandymount Strand
Haunted: The church just steps away always looks a bit spooky
Other notes: Dogs welcome; main floor toilets but a few areas of differing floor heights around the pub
Socials: Instagram

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Token

by

Exterior of Token: yes, it looks that corporate now This week, we are visiting more of an event venue than a pub, but needs must.

The subject of our profile is Token, relatively recently re-opened in a new location, some two years after closing in Smithfield to general consternation. As the name implies, it’s more of an arcade than a bar, with a mix of video games, pinball and suchlike.

But it wasn’t (quite) always like this; although we only hit the former location once or twice, it did seem that the balance tipped a bit more toward the ‘pub’ side before, whereas now that feeling is very much reversed. Token in its previous incarnation held a wide variety of events, from art-making to LGBTQ+ community gatherings (and everything in between). In short, it felt like a neighbourhood bar that offered something of an alternative to simply ‘sitting at the bar,’ though you could do that as well, if you preferred. This Token, however, feels very much more transactional, and much more, well, bro-y.

Inside TokenAnd it may be that this vibe is a direct result of this new space: surrounded by bland offices and corporate apartments, it now feels like an after work ‘enforced fun’ spot for company meetings. The prices certainly fall into the ‘someone else is paying’ category with an ambitiously-priced pint of Scraggy Bay on offer for €8.20 (and a service charge added to food orders, despite it being relatively difficult to find someone to take your payment when you want to leave, even at the bar).

A model shark at TokenAlthough it’s part of the same ownership group as The Back Page, it feels less like a pub in comparison to that one as well, though both have games on offer. Their other sister venue, The Bernard Shaw, has arguably also lost much of what made it unique when it moved locations some years ago, though it still hosts a number of handy neighbourhood activities and meetups.

Really, the main lesson learned is that we should have let the tween solve a Rubik’s Cube in under a minute for a free pint (for us) – it would have been a fair exchange for some game tokens. Still, there is a shark…

Where: Custom House Square, Unit 4 Mayor Street Lower, North Wall, Dublin 1, D01 DE47
Access from the city centre: Luas Red line, buses G1, G2, 14, 15, 27, 56A, 77A, 20-ish minute walk
Food: All-day breakfast, burgers, pizza, vegan bowls, snacks
Sport: Lots of sport
TVs: Many screens of varying sizes around the venue
Music: Aggressively ’80s on our visit
Family-friendliness: Kids welcome and busy spending money before 6 pm
Pub-crawl-ability: Low-medium – The Brew Dock, Urban Brewing, or head across the water to Dockers, Daphni or Brewdog, if you prefer…
Local sites of note: EPIC, Connolly Station, Grand Canal Dock, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Haunted: Presumably by poor choices made at work off-sites
Other notes: Another karaoke warning; main floor toilets
Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Best Pubs for Books

by

The Dublin Pub at Underdog (RIP) - yes, we're cheating with this picture.Dublin has an exceptional number of ‘literary’ pubs, and it’s no surprise that visitors build entire itineraries (a fancy word for ‘pub crawl’ in no small number of cases) around pubs frequented by Brendan Behan or namechecked by James Joyce. Indeed, in some parts of town, it can be tricky to find a pub that doesn’t claim to fit into one (or both) of these categories, and in many instances, it’s absolutely true.

But our intent here isn’t to map out the best bibliophile journey-by-pint – rather, it’s to highlight the best local pubs to enjoy a quiet pint with a book. There will be a bit of crossover with the aforementioned ‘literary’ pubs as it’s nearly impossible not to stumble across at least a few, but on the whole, these are spots where you can relax and catch up on your TBR pile without worrying that you’ll be fighting with a tour group for a seat at the bar or a nice table in a corner or snug.

A pint at The Cat & CageOf course, there will be times when even the most chill bar will be absolutely heaving, so it (mostly) goes without saying that you’ll have better luck of a sport-free afternoon versus, say, a Friday or Saturday night, so plan accordingly – a peek at most pubs’ socials will tell you if there’s a big event on when you’re keen for a solo reading session.

With that introduction, it’s on to some of our favourites, and we’ll begin with one that does also have a Brendan Behan connection: The Cat & Cage. And yes, it can get very full if there’s a game on at Croke Park or just a bit of Premier League action on the TV, but there are cosy spots all over the pub that are ideal on a quieter afternoon (near the fireplace is a wonderful place in chilly weather), and the beer selection is much more varied than many, too. Heading over to Phibsborough, both The Bald Eagle and Doyle’s Corner are also handy – but again, make sure it’s not a game day. Doyle’s Corner even has a respectable mix of books lying around in case you forgot your own – though the Phibsborough Library is also right there.

 

As we move closer toward the city centre – depending on your route – The King’s Inn and The Flowing Tide are both fine options with various corners to hide in. Mulligan’s of Poolbeg Street is a no-music pub if you want to avoid distraction, and while Kehoe’s can certainly get crowded, it’s a common spot to see people with books or notebooks in the afternoon. Neary’s, too is often quiet in the lounge (if not so much in the main bar), so don’t be afraid to seek out a spot, especially in some of the larger pubs. And while The Long Hall gets its fair share of tourist foot traffic, it is also typically calm enough early on to get a few chapters in. It may come as a shock to anyone who’s been into Caribou on a Friday night, but in the daytime, it can be a fine spot for reading. The Oak is also pleasant…it must be the panelling.

Suit of armour and books at Delaney'sOddly enough, even some dive bars can be good for the bookish – Anseo has its own small library ready to go, and while not quite so divey (dive bar-adjacent?), Delaney’s also maintains a grown-up vibe – with its own book collection. And while much more ‘pubby’ than ‘divey,’ Anseo’s near neighbour, The Bleeding Horse, is not only a great spot to tuck yourself away with a tome, it’s also the spooky inspiration for Brian J. Shower’s book of the same name which is out in a new edition – pick it up now!

In Stoneybatter, Walsh’s and Hynes’ Bar are both excellent for mixing your reading time with a little people-watching – and there’s the bonus beer garden at Hynes’. And like its sister pub Caribou, Bonobo is surprisingly handy for a little bit of afternoon reading (also with a great beer garden), but the atmosphere will notably change once it starts to fill up – not, we hasten to add, for the negative, just very different!

Books at TaphouseVenturing out toward Kilmainham, The Old Royal Oak flies a bit under the radar but is ideal for an afternoon out (these two facts may not be unrelated), and if you’re looking for a pub on the Luas later, Taphouse has not only the space, but plenty of books to choose from if, once again, you forgot your own.

And this is simply to get you started; there are plenty of other pubs all over Dublin that welcome the reader – why not write yourself into a pub’s literary history? If you’re in need of a book or two (or three?) to get started, we recommend picking up The Dublin Pub by Donal Fallon, Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland by fellow Beer Lady Podcaster Dr. Christina Wade and A Compendium of Irish Pints by Ali Dunworth.

Grab a book (or several), settle in with your pint and enjoy a few chapters.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Taphouse

by

Exterior of TaphouseWhile we are patiently waiting for a new, independent-beer-focused pub to open in the near future (no pressure, lads!) here in Dublin, we did something unusual for us, and headed not just south of the Liffey, but even further down the Luas into the leafy environs of Ranelagh. But it was, as it turns out, a pleasant experience.

Our destination pub, Taphouse, is one last visited pre-Covid, possibly for a work event, and so the memory was a bit hazy. There were faint recollections of a reasonably-interesting beer selection, but not much more than that. We also had not made it back as it we are usually in the company of offspring when heading in this general direction, and had been given to understand that it was not especially welcoming to the youth. On the contrary, though – it was very laid-back indeed, at least of a weekend afternoon. And, happily, the beer selection was more than respectable for Dublin. We are always excited to see Rascals Sidekick on, but there were also options from Hope, Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash, Hopfully and Kinnegar, along with the usual Guinness and Beamish. By local standards at the moment, this is pretty exciting.

A pint of Whiplash with books behindThere was a strong cocktail game as well, and while we didn’t have time to sample the food, it did look rather more interesting than many other pub options…perhaps something we’ll revisit to consider adding to the Best Pubs for Food list in future. The décor is ‘fancy pub’ – dark wood, decorative ceilings and lots of un-sorted books that one presumes have come from house clear-outs, though that said, there are a few shelves worth digging into more deeply (and we are very much in favour of ‘more books’ as a pub feature, even if the initial impulse was purely window-dressing).

The upstairs sun deck (beer garden?) at TaphouseUpstairs there is a glorious sun deck, so rather than Pavement Pints, it’s a literally more elevated experience.

And yet, while some may shout ‘notions!’ at Taphouse for being a bit design-led, the food and drink options hold their own, and it still feels very much like a neighbourhood pub. There was a good mix of punters of all ages on our visit, from solo pint-with-a-book enthusiasts to groups getting a bit of sun with their Sunday roasts.

We won’t wait so long before our next visit.

Where: 60 Ranelagh, Dublin 6, D06 C9C6
Access from the city centre: Luas Green Line, buses 11,14, 15, 15B, 80, E1, E2; 30ish minute walk
Food: Small plates, Sunday roast, a cheese board (something not enough restaurants, much less pubs, do here)
Sport: The usual suspects
TVs: All over the place, though some areas are quieter than others
Music: Indie tunes, sport commentary
Family-friendliness: A fair few well-behaved kids at Sunday lunchtime, but likely more of a grown-up vibe
Pub-crawl-ability: Low-medium: Smyth’s Pub, The Hill or a walk to Kodiak in Rathmines
Local sites of note: Richard Crosbie monument, Stella Cinema
Haunted: Perhaps some haunted books? The Taphouse Middoth?
Other notes: Very dog-friendly; karaoke can happen
Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Keavan’s Port

by

Outside Keavan's PortIt’s finally happened.

We didn’t have time to get to a new pub over the bank holiday weekend – too busy smashing the Dublin City Half Marathon – and so, we’ve had to dig deep into our occasionally-regrettable photo archives to find what we had lying about. This can only mean one thing – it’s Spoons time.

Although as a rule we tend to avoid Wetherspoons – easily done as there aren’t so very many of them in Ireland – occasionally, needs must. The Spoons in question is Keavan’s Port on Camden Street, and, if we put the sight of the bouncers (and some punters) to one side and focus only on the complex itself, it’s a huge achievement, and well worth visiting simply to explore the building(s). Now both pub and hotel, for many years, the Georgian townhouses that make up the site were derelict, with little of the previous history visible or accessible. And the history is fascinating: these buildings have housed a convent, a boxing gym, a stained-glass workshop (some of them concurrently) as well as their original residential intent.

Stained glass art inside the SpoonsAnd the restoration work is truly wonderful – care has been taken throughout to honour the different eras and uses that have gone before, and there are explanatory panels and photos throughout the pub (if you keep an eye out). The attention to historical detail has been balanced out with accessibility measures – ramps, lifts and a variety of reasonably easy-to-navigate spaces, despite the multi-level, multi-space layout of the pub; it’s comparatively rare to find this much care given to these features in Dublin, even in many pub rebuilds.

And yet.

Despite the layers of local history, there is still a feeling that you could be in any Wetherspoons in, say, Loughborough. The ‘pub experience’ doesn’t feel local – it feels pre-packaged and generically, well, British. This is not inherently a bad thing – we love going to the UK to go pub-bothering there, especially if there’s good cask ale on. But the ones we tend to go to there (even if, as is so often the case there, part of a larger pubco) still feel like they have their own personalities and quirks. This may, of course, be very much self-selected, but a pub like Ye Old Mitre still feels like it has its own vibe, even if it’s part of the Fuller’s/Asahi empire, while the Spoons experience is much more akin to a global chain (especially when it comes to the always-underwhelming, presumably-microwaved food).

Pints at the Spoons - not the ones ordered, but the ones availableThe cask offering is also a point of contention here – as cask nerds, we’ve noted before the very small number of pubs in Dublin that have any cask ale at all – on any given day, the ones you are most likely to find in action at a non-Wetherspoons are single cask lines at The Porterhouse and Harty’s Bar, respectively (though we have it on very good authority that another beer engine will soon be regularly with us at A New Pub…watch this space), while The Black Sheep has neglected this of late. And, indeed, there are up to 5 beer engines at Keavan’s Port, but on the several occasions we’ve tried, a good 3 of them have been out of service (with the working ones being rather unremarkable Greene King beers), whilst on other visits, the beers had actively gone off and were nearly straight-up vinegar. To be fair, we know others have not had this experience here, and we seem to be particularly unlucky, but it’s always proved disappointing for us.

Finally, though, there is the other main Wetherspoons selling point: the cost. You will not find cheaper pints in the city – €2.60 for a Worthington’s Creamflow, or €4.50 for a Beamish are hard to beat, which is a not-unreasonable point. It would just be nice if the experience felt more like a real ‘Dublin’ one, but if price is the main issue, that may not be relevant to many punters.

A sign from the former chapel, still in situWhich, of course, leads us to the other reason we tend to not go there very much – it would be horrifying to the Young Adult member of the household to run into us at a place that is very much a usual haunt of His People; best to leave it to the Youth most of the time, but it is handy for a cheap pint before a gig nearby, and you can always make paper airplanes from the Wetherspoons magazine if you are so inclined. Just consider eating somewhere else beforehand…

Where: 1-5 Camden Street Upper, Dublin, IE D02 K854
Access from the city centre: Buses 9, 14, 15, 16, 27, 56A, 65B, 77A, 83, 140, 151, 15-ish minute walk
Food: Breakfast/lunch/dinner – the usual Wetherspoons options
Sport: All the sports
TVs: All over the place, though some areas are more subdued
Music: Quite a generic soundtrack of MOR tracks through the decades
Family-friendliness: There is the standard Spoons kids’ menu, but Camden Street can get rowdy at night
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Devitt’s, Anseo, Barebone, The Camden, Ryan’s of Camden Street, The Bleeding Horse, The Portobello Bar
Local sites of note: Whelan’s, Iveagh Gardens, St Stephen’s Green, National Concert Hall, Marsh’s Library, St Patrick’s Cathedral
Haunted: Definite ‘haunted object’ vibes in some sports
Other notes: One of only a few spots with truly accessible toilets throughout the building
Socials: N/A

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Best Pubs for Food

by

Steak and a pint at BareboneBroadly speaking, it’s more common to find food (beyond crisps) in Irish pubs, compared to their counterparts in the UK. This is, of course, a huge generalisation – Old Man Pubs, in particular, tend not to have a food offering that isn’t of the pre-packaged variety*, and we’re all still recovering from the term ‘wet pubs’ as employed by the Irish government during the Covid lockdowns to indicate (effectively) pubs without kitchens.

But for those pubs here in Dublin that do serve food, there are a few loose categories: spots that offer a fairly typical pub grub lineup of burgers and wings, the usually-central pubs that have a more ‘touristy’ offering with Irish stew year-round, those that specialise in pizza, and then what we might call more of a ‘gastropub’ experience – plus a few outliers. But we’d argue that for the ‘gastropub’ category, it’s a subtly different sort of thing here; Irish ‘gastropubs’ still feel like pubs with top-notch food, whilst UK ones (often) seem more like restaurants that happen to be in an old pub building. Again, this is painting with broad strokes, but we argue the overall sense of that is accurate. As an aside, the gastropubs here tend to still have at least a few (and sometimes more) good local indie beer offerings, whilst ‘restaurants’ of equal calibre frequently just offer the same typical macro beers alongside their curated wine and spirits list – but we digress.

Dessert at The Bald EagleThis is a ‘best’ post, so we’ll focus on a few favourites for each of those broad categories mentioned above. For more-than-just-reliable pub grub – especially with kids – we love The Bald Eagle or The Cat & Cage (which also has surprisingly good tacos, as well as pizza); Dudley’s also has a very nice burger, though we find ourselves there more often just for drinks. Arthur’s holds the middle ground between pub grub and a tourist menu, as does The Hairy Lemon and O’Neill’s. The Porterhouse’s food menu is very firmly in the ‘tourist menu’ category, but its sister pub Tapped has what we might call ‘hipster pub grub,’ plus brunch on weekends (a topic we may return to more specifically in future, as it’s largely represented by The Botanic, Brickyard and a handful of others we have yet to visit). We can’t leave the ‘tourist friendly food’ topic without mentioning The Gravediggers – the general tapas approach is a nice touch, but there are a few dishes you typically otherwise only see in a place serving this many visitors (coddle, anyone? and yes, we know this will trigger the coddle enthusiasts).

Pizza and a pint at The CircularMoving on to pizza, it’s a shorter list, but there are a few pubs that are flying under the radar for their pizza. Rascals is the obvious standout for great beer and pizza at their brewpub, but there are others: Doyle’s Corner has QR codes to order in Vice from across the street (a vastly superior experience to queuing for a slice of Bambino’s to eat standing next to a busy road, for our money), but we think that the pizza at MeMa’s is quite underrated, while Bonobo and its sister pub Kodiak are both pizza stalwarts. For a ‘proper pub’ experience with excellent pizza, it’s tough to beat The Morris Bar – it’s a true hidden gem. The Circular and its relation, Lucky’s, both have tasty pizza as well.

Gargoyle friend at The Bull & CastleFinally, we move on to the pubs that we go to for special occasions, because the food is just that good, but that you can equally go to for simply a pint or some nibbles – airs and graces are not required. We love L. Mulligan. Grocer for their amazing food (suitable for all palates and needs – vegetarians and vegans are very welcome), and the drinks are just as carefully chosen. For the steak fan, The Bull & Castle is outstanding, and The Old Spot is another ‘event meal’ spot that caters to all sorts – there’s a very handy ‘nice’ kids’ menu, too. A recent entrant to the ‘foodie pub’ category is Barebone – it’s an ideal spot for a ‘nice’ meal before a show, but you can still pop in for a casual drink, and the same can be said for Caribou (though it does get crowded). The aforementioned Brickyard even has ‘gastropub’ in the full name, but there are no pretentions here, just good food and drink – once again, families are very welcome. And let’s not forget Juno’s transformation from Old Man Pub into an award-winning dining spot that still manages to keep the pre-event vibe welcoming before games or concerts at Croke Park.

And these are really just a few highlights – there are great pubs all over town with a wide variety of cuisines, not just standard ‘pub food’ – we’ll give special mention to Hynes’ Bar and The Barber’s Bar for their tasty Asian street food options – with new spots popping up all the time (so it seems of late), we feel this page may be a moving target…

*We’re leaving out Fidelity Studio as it has real ‘restaurant’ vibes – the food is excellent, but although connected to Fidelity’s bar, they are quite separate experiences.

**Though it’s worth noting that some do handy toasties – something we’ll save for a separate list.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Lynott’s

by

A pint of Rye River looking toward the bar at Lynott'sYes, it’s yet another new pub this week, replacing one more short-lived but much-loved Dublin spot – we venture back to The Liberties to bid farewell to All My Friends, and to say hello to Lynott’s.

We never had a chance to write up All My Friends in its relatively short tenure, but we always heard good things about the LGBTQ+-friendly space* that was known as a great spot for local artists and other creatives to showcase their work. It was a relatively quick turnaround (by local standards) for the pivot to Lynott’s – yes, it namechecks one of Dublin’s most famous sons, but it also feels very much like a traditional neighbourhood pub that’s been there for ages.

A portrait of a horse and a pint at Lynott'sIndeed, it seems to have hit the sweet spot between newly-opened Old Man Pub and modern-day venue for music of all sorts, with more comfortable and varied seating than you might get in a pub that’s been going for 50 or 100 years. The wood isn’t all dark, and the colours are a bit brighter, with a small stage near the front for the regularly-planned tunes. There is a mix of old-school horse racing-inspired art and a fair few portraits of Phil himself, many by local artists.

Beer-wise, it’s mostly the usual suspects, but we were pleased to see that in addition to a Rye River tap, there is now also one for Trouble, so local independent beer is getting a look-in (plus some cocktails). With so many pubs in such a small area, it’s hard not to feel spoiled for choice in The Liberties, so it’s important that pubs here do have their own distinctive feel and offering. There’s likely a bit of settling in yet to be done here (food is still on its way, as of this writing), but it’s clear there’s an emphasis on supporting local musicians, so that’s a nice hook (see what we did there?).

A cosy seating area at Lynott'sAnd while we couldn’t find any direct connection between Phil Lynott and pubs in this part of town – it would be a bit of a walk to The Long Hall, where he famously filmed the video for Old Town, or his childhood home in Cabra – it seems the kind of spot he’d have enjoyed. As to whether we’re pronouncing it the way he did or the way most people seem to, the jury’s out…we heard both versions whilst out and about.

We’ll need to revisit once the food is A Thing, but again, given so many pubs in the area, it’s easy to put together a nice Liberties pub crawl.

Where: 61-63 Meath St, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 H2NE
Access from the city centre: Buses C4, G1/G2, 13, 23, 24, 27, 56A, 73, 77A, 80, 150, 15ish minute walk
Food: Coming soon
Sport: Horse racing, football, rugby (not just men’s, which was nice), etc
TVs: All around
Music: Regular live music – check the socials
Family-friendliness: A fair few kids in during the afternoon
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Lucky’s, Drop Dead Twice, Dudley’s, Arthur’s, Swift, Love Tempo (still closed, post-fire, as of this writing), Guinness Open Gate Brewery, The Thomas House, The Lord Edward, The Bull & Castle and Thomas Read’s/The Oak are all within a short walk; The Brazen Head is also not far, if you’re feeling touristy
Local sites of note: Guinness Storehouse, Vicar Street, Olympia Theatre, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia, St Audoen’s Church
Haunted: The Liberties is crying out for more pub ghost stories – someone supply some!
Other notes: There’s a lot of interesting history on Meath Street, if you know where to look
Socials: Instagram, Facebook

*FWIW, we wouldn’t go anywhere that wasn’t LGBTQ+-friendly, but obviously, some pubs are more specifically aimed at the community than others…something that probably needs its own list at some point.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Bar Anam

by

Bar AnamIt must be New Pub Season – everything around Dublin seems to be rebranding, relaunching or reopening.

This particular new pub is in the space previously occupied by the much-lamented Underdog, and it would be fair to say that there has been a certain amount of impatience in the local beer-nerd community to see what it would be like.

Of course, it’s an entirely different business, so there were no expectations that Bar Anam would be any kind of like-for-like match for Underdog. Yes, there is (some) independent beer, which we’ll come on to shortly, but it’s not the main focus of the experience. As we’ve already described elsewhere, there simply aren’t that many spots in Dublin that have much beyond your typical Diageo-and-Heineken options, and in the absence of Underdog, there’s really only Brickyard, Porterhouse or Tapped if you’re looking for a wider variety of both breweries and styles – spots like Rascals and Fidelity may have some guest taps, but they are mostly their own beers.

Yes, there are individual pubs that have a dependable set of the same 4-6 offerings – nearly always Scraggy Bay, Ambush and a few Whiplash choices – and it’s fair to say that Bar Anam fits into this category at present. There aren’t quite as many taps (yet?) as at their sister bar, Dudley’s, but there is a strong cocktail game – all those we saw on opening night looked wonderful.

The food is still on its way, but it sounds like it will be tasty: Korean-inspired fried chicken and dumplings from DAK will be serving up from the still-under-construction back room shortly.

While the proximity of The Black Sheep means there is still a somewhat-larger craft beer offering a short walk away (albeit one that is, again, mostly a single brewery – Galway Bay in this instance, plus some rotating guest taps), time will tell if this becomes a hangout spot for the now-peripatetic beer nerd crowd.

But we do hope that in any event, Bar Anam manages to make a success of this spot; the turnover here in recent years has swift. We’ll be back to test the food very soon…

Where: 199 King St N, Dublin 1, D07 PR5X (at the top of Capel Street)
Access from the city centre: Buses 1, 11, 16, 44, 46A, 155, Luas Green Line, 15-20 minute walk
Food: Korean fried chicken is on its way
Sport: Not so far
TVs: Not yet
Music: Perhaps a bit loud, but all bangers; there was even a DJ opening night
Family-friendliness: Remains to be seen, but the food sounds like it will be crowd-pleasing to most palates
Pub-crawl-ability: High – The Black Sheep, J McNeill’s, The King’s Inn, Bonobo, Bar 1661, The Church, Slattery’s…or wander on to Smithfield or Stoneybatter…
Local sites of note: National Leprechaun Museum, Wolfe Tone Square, 14 Henrietta Street, King’s Inns,
Haunted: Is this spot cursed? One hopes not…
Other notes: Still the same basement toilets, though a bit spruced up
Socials: Instagram

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Drop Dead Twice

by

Outside Drop Dead TwiceWhat is it with certain parts of Dublin and lovely places Going On Fire?

Originally opened in 2017, Drop Dead Twice was known for its good beer, excellent cocktails, LGBTQ+ events and dog friendliness. But then, like a number of nearby businesses before and since (notably Love Tempo, just a short walk away), Drop Dead Twice had a damaging fire back in 2022. And while it’s not quite back at full strength – food and bigger events are still to come – happily, the pub has now reopened.

A pint at Drop Dead Twice with new wall art. You heard it, right?The ‘bumblebee’ yellow-and-black paint job outside has been replaced with a more plain black exterior, though still with yellow lettering, but it looks ever-so-slightly more sombre (or, perhaps, sophisticated?). Inside, it’s still got a bit of an under-construction feel, with the sense that more decoration is coming, but what’s there now is a mix of darker hues of blue, black and red, and to good effect. The stage area toward the rear looks like it will soon be back in action, and there is a comfortable mix of different seating options.

The cocktails have returned, and beer-wise, there were not one, but two Rollover taps, representing Whiplash, as well as other local faves like Ambush. Dublin Bay IPA from Hopkins & Hopkins is less-often seen on tap around town, so that was a nice bonus, and there were also Kilkenny and Harp options from the ‘macro legacy’ selection box.

We’ll need to get back to visit again once it’s fully back in action, but indications so far are positive – lovely staff, a nice beer selection and a lively vibe. Let’s hope for no more conflagrations!

The bar at Drop Dead TwiceWhere: 18/19 Francis St, The Liberties, Dublin, D08 EK06
Access from the city centre: Buses C4, G1/G2, 13, 23, 24, 27, 56A, 73, 77A, 80, 150, 15ish minute walk
Food: Not back yet, but stay tuned
Sport: More drag than sport
TVs: We missed them, if they were there!
Music: Lots of genres and live shows – watch the socials
Family-friendliness: More of a grownup vibe
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Lucky’s, Dudley’s, Arthur’s, Swift, Love Tempo (still closed after a *different* fire, as of this writing), Guinness Open Gate Brewery, The Thomas House, The Lord Edward, The Bull & Castle and Thomas Read’s/The Oak are all within a short walk; The Brazen Head is also not far, if you fancy paying more
Local sites of note: Guinness Storehouse, Vicar Street, Olympia Theatre, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia, St Audoen’s Church
Haunted: There is still a new-carpentry-and-paint feel – does that count?
Other notes: Very pet-friendly
Socials: Instagram

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Thomas Read’s

by

Behind the bar at Thomas Read'sIt’s time for another pub re-brand, but this one does seem to be purely a name swap and a bit of a paint job, rather than anything more drastic. We speak, of course, of Thomas Read’s, latterly known as The Beer Temple. But while the name has changed, it’s not even an entirely new one: the pub was previously known as Thomas Read’s (also previously Thomas Reade and similar variations), so it’s really just a return to what might be classed as tradition, although the current building does not go quite as far back as the specific Thomas Read namechecked.

That said, while this site was largely rebuilt in the late 19th/early 20th century, Parliament Street and the surrounding area does have Georgian roots, with much of the area having been an output of the Wide Streets Commission. As we like to bang on about, it’s why there isn’t much of medieval Dublin visible above ground (though this is a good neighbourhood to go searching for little glimpses), but there are historical elements here. Yes, this spot is mentioned in Ulysses (though not as a pub), but it was also held by the Irish Citizen Army during the 1916 Rising (with considerable repair work required after).

More at Thomas Read'sThe Read family did run their business from what is now House of Read just to the rear – while the date above the door there suggest a 1670 date (which does line up with the business founding), the location is a firmly 18th century building, mostly likely constructed in the 1760s as with much of the surrounding area. But for the much more complicated history of the Thomas Read name and its association with the pub trade, check out Every Pub in Dublin – happily for everyone involved, Cian has done the heavy lifting here, with the attendant Celtic Tiger-era twists and turns. We also recommend House of Read for tea and small snacks; they do excellent miniature cakes and pastries, among other more substantial offerings, and the interior there has been very well-restored to its 1760s appearance.

But back to the pub…

More nautical photos are on The Oak sideIn truth, beyond some more sober colour choices and nods to both the Read family and a portrait of Michael Collins, little has changed – but this is no bad thing. The more recent trend around Dublin has been for pubs to remove their independent beer taps when they renovate, but happily, Thomas Read’s remains a Galway Bay Brewing pub, so there is the usual range of their beers and a few guests, although there are, perhaps, a few more Guinness and Heineken taps than there used to be. The Oak side has also had a bit of a glow-up, though again, the major changes there are cosmetic – adding some decoration to the many mirrors, for example – the are-they-from-the-Mauretania panels have been left alone. Staff suggested that the aim is to think of The Oak as more of a whiskey bar, although it’s easy enough to walk from one side to the other with your beverage of choice.

Here we are once more at the scene of our former triumphs (yes, before another Divine Comedy gig)And it’s a change that makes sense from a tourism point of view: if we’re being honest, The Beer Temple was a name that sounded a little try-hard and bro-y (even if the pub was not – indeed, it’s always been one of the most family-friendly in town), whereas Thomas Read’s is very much more ‘Irish pub’ – and in this part of town, with so many tourist attractions, it makes sense not to make tour groups or travellers think that your business only caters to a certain brand of drinker. So it’s not quite a more ‘grown-up’ name, but it is a nice nod to the area’s history.

And given where Thomas Read’s is, right at the entrance to Temple Bar, it’s by no means cheap, but there is one nice promotion that they look to continue to run – on Mondays and Tuesdays, Galway Bay Brewing pints are only €6.50. Around these parts, that’s a great deal.

Where: Thomas Read’s, 1-3 Parliament St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 AN28
Access from the city centre: You are in it – nearly everything touristy is within a 5-10 minute walk
Food: Usual Galway Bay menu; breakfast on weekends
Sport: Not constant, but now there are bigger games on
TVs: See above: more for major rugby, football, etc
Music: Playlist now depends on the day; occasional live acts
Family-friendliness: Still very welcoming to all ages at the usual times, with food that appeases fussy eaters; kids’ menu available
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Porterhouse, all the Temple Bar tourist traps, The Lord Edward, The Bull & Castle, The Brazen Head, or wander into The Liberties for spots like Dudley’s, Swift, Lucky’s and more…
Local sites of note: Olympia Theatre, Dublin Castle, Dublin City Hall, Chester Beatty Library, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia
Haunted: Still no obvious ghosts
Other notes: Basement toilets still not meaningfully renovated or accessible