weirdodublinpubs

Your friendly neighbourhood guide to Dublin's best pubs, from a weirdo perspective - craft beer, food, family-friendliness & potential for ghosts.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Barebone

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A menu and pint of Ambush at BareboneBack in the 1990s – before Trainspotting, as it happens – Robert Carlyle and Shirley Henderson starred in Hamish Macbeth, a vastly-underrated Scottish cosy crime comedy-drama, with a bit of quirky/folksy paranormal goodness thrown in here and there for good measure. In the show, Carlyle played the titular Macbeth, a police constable with an adorable Westie, a fondness for the odd herbal cigarette and a work ethic that isn’t overly-dedicated to solving crimes, but who, nonetheless, keeps his small, eccentric village in good order. Shirley Henderson’s character starts off as a relatively conventional love interest (this was, after all, the 1990s), but as with all the characters in this excellent show, we discover much more as we go along.

What, though, does this have to do with Dublin pubs?

Well.

In the episode ‘No Man is an Island,’ Hamish decamps to a nearby island – we’ll be vague about why, and let you avoid spoilers in case you haven’t had the chance to watch – and during his absence, those left behind in Lochdubh are not thrilled with his replacement, PC Duggan, who is much more committed to following the letter of the law. In response, they employ a strategy of treating him like ‘the man before the man before Macbeth.’ Once again, avoiding spoilers, it is an absolute delight, and you should go watch the entire run of the programme.

No doubt, you are still wondering what this has to do with Dublin, much less pubs – but we’re getting there.

A pint of Ambush with a view of the bar behindIn 2024, Dublin craft beer OG Against the Grain closed abruptly, not long after a renovation. What had been a friendly and welcoming Galway Bay pub with an excellent tap lineup of own-brand and guest beers was replaced by the wildly-underwhelming Teach Tábhairne Ag Teach, a semi-sport-related concept with a single independent tap and a lot of beer you’ll find anywhere – a massive downgrade. As we’ve said before, we aren’t anti-Guinness, we just want to see it as well as a wider variety of other local beers. And this was…not that.

Fast forward to a few months ago, and what had been ‘the place that replaced Against the Grain‘ (at least, to our social circle) closed as well. Drumroll, then, for the opening of Barebone – ‘the place that replaced the place that replaced Against the Grain.’

The exterior of BareboneAlthough initial chatter was the Barebone would be ‘just a restaurant,’ we’re happy to report that it does still feel like a neighbourhood pub – but one that also happens to do quite good food. Yes, the décor has been upgraded even a smidgeon more – lots of dark tiles, mirrors and subtle brass fittings (including very handy coat/bag hooks, which we don’t see enough) – but it’s all thoroughly welcoming, both for the person stopping in for a quick (or not-so-quick) drink and their more relaxed-dinner counterpart. While the taplist isn’t quite as extensive as it was during the Galway Bay days, there were independent options from Hope, Whiplash and Trouble, as well as more ciders than one usually sees, both on tap and in bottles. The cocktail list is interesting, and the only especially ‘expensive’ drink was Beavertown’s Neck Oil, which you can skip nowadays in any event. And there’s both Guinness and Beamish for the stout-comparing person in your life.

Steak and a pint at BareboneFood was fantastic – it’s not just your typical bar food – and it looks like a great spot for nibbles with a group, too, with a variety of options. The only major change to the layout is the addition of a DJ booth and some well-placed speakers – this is now another spot catering to the music enthusiast, in the vein of Fidelity or Daphni. In some ways, it’s a bit surprising there hasn’t been something more music-led here before, given the number of live venues within a short walk – ideal for pre- or post-gaming those events.

All told, Barebone is a great new-old addition to Camden Street – a welcome return in the sense that there’s a reliable pre-gig spot as there was in the Against the Grain days, but it also feels like it can be dialled-up as a spot for a ‘nice’ night out, plus everything in between. We’ll certainly be back.

Vinyl on the wall at BareboneAnd so while it’s true that we didn’t need to quite go to the extremes the townspeople of Lochdubh did, we're thrilled that the place that replaced the place that replaced Against the Grain is a worthy successor. And if you haven’t binged Hamish Macbeth yet, what are you waiting for?

Where: 11 Wexford St, Dublin, D02 HY84
Access from the city centre: Buses 9, 14, 15, 16, 27, 56A, 65B, 77A, 83, 140, 151, 15-ish minute walk
Food: Steak, Korean-inspired chicken, tacos…all interesting
Sport: Music >> Sport
TVs: More speakers than screens
Music: Well-curated vinyl selection, not dissimilar to that at The Big Romance
Family-friendliness: More of a grownup vibe
Pub-crawl-ability: High – The Bleeding Horse, Devitt's, Anseo, The Camden, The Portobello Bar, Whelan's, Ryan's of Camden Street…and the local ‘Spoon's, Keavan's Port
Local sites of note: Iveagh Gardens, St Stephen's Green, National Concert Hall, Marsh's Library, St Patrick's Cathedral
Haunted: Hopefully, the good times are back…but a few ghosts wouldn’t go amiss
Other notes: Fantastic service all around
Socials: Instagram, TikTok

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: BrewDog

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Exterior of BrewDogBrewDog is, once again, back in the news for Negative Reasons, but coincidentally, we had plans to be at Dublin’s BrewDog over the weekend anyway. And so, rather accidentally, we’ve managed to cover a pub that’s been getting some press coverage…let’s dive in.

Similar to many other extant BrewDog pubs around the world, it’s a large, modern building: lots of exposed beams and concrete. Dublin’s BrewDog has the advantage (or disadvantage) of being something of a trek around the docks: this means there are interesting views of the canal and Poolbeg chimneys from the large windows and expansive deck, but you need to be heading there on purpose; there’s limited casual foot traffic beyond the offices in the immediate area. This can, theoretically, draw a large after-work crowd, but we’ve never found it particularly crowded – but whether that is down to the sprawling layout or a true reflection of its popularity is hard to say.

Inside BrewDogInside, the look is straight out of the Craftonia playbook, with very little to give it a local feel from a decorative perspective. There’s an indoor firepit downstairs, with lots of long tables for groups (plus semi-covered outdoor seating at the back), and the upstairs has shuffleboard and a deck. The BrewDog branded house beers tend to be on the ‘it’s fine’ side – more on the other locals and collaborations in a moment – and the food is also in the ‘useful for a wide range of palates and allergy needs’ category without being particularly remarkable.

So far, so generic.

And yet, here’s the unexpected (to us) part: we’ve never had anything but positive experiences here. We used to come more often (back in the pre-workplace culture allegations era) when we lived nearby, for two main reasons: first, during different parts of lockdown, BrewDog could actually open, thanks to their outdoor seating; secondly, they have always been extremely family-friendly, and when we had Smaller Offspring, it was a more important part of the experience.

A pint and table decorations at BrewDogNowadays, we are rarely in this part of town, and if we were looking for pre-show drinks, we’d be more likely to hit up Daphni, and yet, there are two other factors that give this particular BrewDog real appeal: the excellent staff, and the guest beers. We’ve never had a visit where the team behind the bar have been anything other than great: always deeply knowledgeable about the beers and beer styles in general, whilst being friendly and helpful. Given the size of the pub, it’s often a spot for events and parties, and they are clearly skilled at keeping those running smoothly and efficiently. And the guest and collaboration beers from the likes of Hope and Four Provinces are very much the sorts of things you won’t generally find elsewhere – on this most recent visit, they were excellent. Granted, we shouldn’t have to get so excited about finding a perfect pale ale on tap, but it’s a vanishingly rare thing these days.

The bar at BrewDogWe have no insights into ‘what will happen’ with BrewDog’s uncertain future (though it’s difficult to imagine a space of this size continuing without global private equity money). In our ideal world, this would continue as an independent tap room and community space with the same staff, but we also know that’s highly unlikely. It’s also possible a buyer will swoop in and continue running BrewDog’s portfolio as-is (for good and ill), but as of this writing, it’s all guesswork.

In summary, it’s a pub with a great team (and having worked for a lot of ‘evil multinationals’ like Amazon, we 100% empathize with rarely having the luxury of choosing the ownership/management of your parent company, even if we might choose to spend money elsewhere when possible), a unique-for-Dublin space and some interesting guest beers. While we may be no fans of BrewDog’s leadership, we’ve got our fingers crossed for everyone who works here.

Where: Three Locks Square, 4, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2, D02 E5R7
Access from the city centre: Buses C1/C2/C3/C4, 47, 56A, 77A; 30ish minute walk
Food: Pizza, burgers, salads, bowls: lots of veggie and vegan options, too
Sport: Lots of sport
TVs: Screens inside and even outside on the patios and terrace
Music: Varies, depends on the time of day
Family-friendliness: Very welcoming to families
Pub-crawl-ability: Medium – The local ‘Spoons (The South Strand) is the nearest spot, Daphni and Dockers are quite close, but otherwise, it’s a bit of a further trip to the pubs of Ringsend or spots like The Wind Jammer
Local sites of note: Grand Canal Dock, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Haunted: Only by alleged corporate malfeasance
Other notes: One of a very few fully-accessible spots in Dublin, with useful toilets and a lift
Socials: Facebook, Instagram

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Wicklow Wolf

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Sign in the Wicklow Wolf taproomWe admit we are stretching the boundaries of the blog this week, as our profiled location is neither a pub, nor, in any meaningful way in Dublin. The clue, indeed, is in the name: we headed a long way out of town to visit Wicklow Wolf Brewery.

But given that it’s getting more and more difficult to find independent beer in Dublin, perhaps we should be practicing our longer-distance travel skills; taprooms are already Not Really A Thing here (with some exceptions we’ll get to), and getting beer fresh from the source made a huge difference – something else we’ll get on to momentarily.

Tanks in the Wicklow Wolf breweryFirst, though, the practicalities and context: it’s a good 90+ minutes on the bus (or train and bus) from Dublin city centre out to the industrial estate that houses Wicklow Wolf’s production brewery and taproom. The occasion in this instance was a Craic Beer Community meetup – for the Extremely Online, this is what happens when your local beer nerd WhatsApp group comes to life. We couldn’t make the last outing to O Brother and their relatively new taproom that is *nearly* in Dublin (though we must make it there at some point soon), so getting to join the outing to Wicklow Wolf was something of a moral imperative.

Your fave Beer Ladies Podcast hosts, Lisa and Katie, in the breweryOnce there, we got the usual friendly brewery tour, made a little more in-depth and interesting as we could skip over a lot of the basics that one might get on a more general brewery tour for The Normals (which they absolutely do – the tour after ours was a knees-up for a local women’s rugby team). Instead, we could get some fairly obscure technical questions answered, and go deep on the merits of the brewhouse and the sustainability efforts of the brewery. And then it was on to the tasting, at one of the smaller, private bars that overlooks the brewing floor – your fair scribe was thrilled to see Locavore 2025, a fresh-hopped ESB still on tap (it appeared in cans around town just before the holidays, and as one of a very few bitters available in Ireland, it’s always most welcome to see), but trying the core range of Wicklow Wolf beers was more instructive than expected. We must confess that in general, we don’t gravitate toward Wicklow Wolf’s core range when we see it around town, but the massive difference in quality on-site more than suggested that we’re often not getting it in the best shape elsewhere. Now, to be clear, it’s never been off, but it does make one wish that more pubs looked after their independent lines as lovingly as they do their Diageo and Heineken ones – the beer here was all top-notch.

A tasting glass in the taproom

We settled in after the tour for pizza and more beers, and the taproom portion of the facility is spread across several areas – there’s a large covered and heated porch, which was clearly popular with families (they do coffee and pastries in the mornings and afternoons), and inside, more bar and couch-space, with some well-placed old can art and branding décor.

With the only real taprooms in Dublin proper at Rascals (who also do a lovely, albeit smaller, brewery tour, and fantastic pizza) and the Guinness Open Gate (no brewery tour as such, but excellent pretzels, which, if we’re honest, we tend to prefer to the beer there, though there can be a nice surprise), it’s nice to have the option for a short day trip. We’d be remiss not to mention other production breweries you can tour, however – Hope and Rye River both offer excellent tours, and while both include tastings, there isn’t (at present) a casual taproom you can simply pop into as there is at Rascals or the Open Gate. There are often rumours of more opening, yes, but with such a small market, there is no equivalent of London’s Bermondsey Beer Mile in Dublin.

Can wraps ready to goAnd beyond a great day out, with some really lovely beers, what was our biggest takeaway?

Well, we need to get down to O Brother…but in the meantime, we’ll be off on another out-of-town Craic Beer Community jaunt at the end of the month, to blog faves Ballykilcavan in County Laois – though we’ll be back in Dublin proper next week with a real local pub.

Where: Wicklow Wolf, Moneycarroll, Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow, A63 A243
Access from the city centre: Buckle up: Bus 133 from Busáras or Dart to Bray and the 131 bus
Food: Pastries and pizza
Sport: Might have been some!
TVs: A few screens, but not the main focus
Music: Likely depends on the crowd
Family-friendliness: Quite a few kids around, very family-friendly in the various seating areas
Pub-crawl-ability: You are on an industrial estate, but there is a pub, The Mount Kennedy, in Newtownmountkennedy
Local sites of note: Wicklow Mountains
Haunted: Even by our standards, highly unlikely
Other notes: There’s also a run club, just like at Rye River! We need some in town…
Socials: Facebook, Instagram

*All are welcome to join the Craic Beer Community! Simply get in touch.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Best Pubs for Music

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Outside Piper's CornerAlthough Dublin has no shortage of pubs featuring music, it’s by no means all the traditional Irish music overseas tourists may be seeking out – there are many regular live DJ sets, local and touring bands across all genres, music-led performance art and everything in between. Finding what’s on when, though, can be harder than it should be; there’s no direct equivalent of Time Out (one of your fair scribe’s first employers), especially for those seeking something a bit more unusual – but we have our ways.

Outside The CobblestoneWe’ll start with trad, though, as ‘where should I go in Dublin to hear trad Irish music?’ is a common enough question, and there’s a bit of nuance in the answer. Yes, there are package-tour ‘shows’ featuring Irish dancing and music at places like Johnny Fox’s or The Arlington, but these are very much performances, often at a not-inconsiderable price, though the musicians and dancers are fabulously talented – but know what you’re booking. If you’re looking for more of a local affair, try a session at The Cobblestone or Piper’s Corner. The Cobblestone has live music every afternoon or evening, while Piper’s Corner’s sessions tend to begin after 9 or 9.30 pm (so, for those keeping score, music at Piper’s Corner is too late to be out and about with kids – they need to be out of the pub by then).

But these are not the only trad games in town – L. Mulligan. Grocer often has a Saturday night trad session, with TP Smith’s hosting trad musicians on Sundays at 6 pm. Hynes’ Bar has weekly trad on Thursdays, but keep an eye out for DJ sets there, too. The Big Romance features queer-led trad sessions semi-regularly, and we’ll return to their music offerings shortly – there’s much more to hear. Dudley’s also regularly hosts trad sessions – no booking required, as does The Hairy Lemon.

Martin and Eliza Carthy at The HutThere’s a folk club upstairs at The Cat & Cage, which is another one that crosses genres, and The Four Provinces offers a mix of trad, blues, swing…you name it. Monday is usually blues night at The Porterhouse, but again, there’s a mix of genres and DJ sets. And yes, while you may see tourists flocking to hear ‘trad in Temple Bar,’ The Porterhouse is the only spot we tend to go in Temple Bar…and there are plenty of other, less-crowded/expensive options for trad elsewhere, as you can see. Folk and trad both make appearances upstairs at The Hut from time to time, though theirs can be more of an IYKYK setup vs more well-publicised events. And right around the corner at (er) Doyle’s Corner, there are plenty of gigs spanning a variety of genres, now that Gavin James is calling the shots behind the scenes – you may be able to catch him doing a residency there, too.

Speakers at Fidelity

If jazz is more your thing, try Lucky’s, The Circular, The Big Romance (yes, again) or Arthur’s – they each have a slate of local and touring artists. The Vintage Inn also hosts regular jazz, folk and trad, plus a bit of everything – even CMAT stopped in after the Late Late Toy Show this past Christmas season. Slattery’s also has the odd bit of jazz upstairs…it’s not just an early house.

For the DJ set, Fidelity and The Big Romance are both go-tos, with bring-your-own vinyl nights and headlining acts from across Europe, and MeMa’s and The Bernard Shaw also get in on the electronic and adjacent scenes.

A Scraggy Bay at AnseoAnd if you’re looking for up-and-coming local bands or established touring acts, there are plenty of pubs that also serve as music venues. Whelan’s, Anseo, The Thomas House and The Workman’s Club all tread the fine line between pub/venue, but we’re including them here as you can very much just stop in for a pint without intending to see the band playing, whilst for a spot like The Button Factory, drinks are a secondary feature to the music, so we leave them off this listing.

With so many options, how can you keep track of what’s on? Broadly speaking, each pub’s Instagram account may be your best bet for many musical pub activities, but specifically for gigs, try Nialler9. You can typically simply drop into one of the abovementioned trad sessions, but tickets or cover charges will vary for other events, so it pays to do some research in advance.

Finally, if you want to join in, consider Ukulele Tuesday upstairs at The Stag’s Head. BYOU and enjoy.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Bar Rua

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Exterior of Bar RuaWhile perhaps rather less traditional-looking than many pubs, this week’s destination is one that is surrounded by many classic Victorian pubs, and so perhaps serves as something of a palate-cleanser: Bar Rua.

Just steps away from well-trodden spots that often appear in tourist must-visit lists, including The Long Hall, Neary’s and The Hairy Lemon, Bar Rua looks, at first glance, more like a late 1980s/early 1990s hype restaurant – think a little bit like Spago-on-the-Liffey. The modern red-and-glass exterior does have, in the local parlance, ‘a bang of the Celtic Tiger on it,’ but it’s a softer impression inside. While still clean and modern, the photos of Irish celebrities lining the walls do add a more ‘pubby’ feel, and there’s something reassuring about Brendan Gleeson casting a watchful eye over the premises.

Pictures on the wall at Bar RuaAnother unusual feature of this pub is that there are guestrooms above it, so again, despite its non-traditional look, it does hearken back, in some ways, to the functions of an inn. As a sidebar, we also discovered that you can also stay above The Beer Temple – this was news to us! There are a variety of spaces spread across the building, so private events are common, with bars in multiple locations. One slight oddity on our visit was that the Full Sail – one of Galway Bay Brewing’s flagship beers, and always a solid option – was not available anywhere despite its tap handle popping up in different parts of the pub, but that was made up for by an excellent guest beer from Belfast’s Boundary instead. Is Bar Rua, indeed, still officially a Galway Bay pub? The property was sold a few years ago, and it certainly still has a fair few Galway Bay beers and their food menu, although it doesn’t show up under ‘our bars’ on their website…but it’s there if you do a bit of digging. Granted, this much more ‘inside baseball’ that the average punter likely cares about, but hey, we’re curious.

An upstairs room at Bar RuaIn any event, the food, drink selection (minus the absent Full Sail, on this occasion) and service are all on point; we’re still disappointed with recent visits to The Brew Dock, which is still very much in the Galway Bay stable, but all of those elements were in fine shape at Bar Rua. And with so much choice in the area, pubs here need to be on top of their game; it’s easy enough to walk a few doors down if something doesn’t suit or seems ‘off’ on the day, or if you’re simply seeking a change of pace.

And we confess it had been some time since we’d last popped in to Bar Rua – possibly not since the 2024 Women’s Mini Marathon, when they were offering very welcome free glasses* of any flagship beer to finishers. Our party was certainly on brand on that occasion, with red faces from the effort (‘rua’ being an Irish word for ‘red,’ though at least in the smaller offspring’s school, they prefer ‘dearg’ for a ‘red’ red) – perhaps we need to stop in again after this year’s event…though a race medal is certainly not required to enter the pub.

We had a lovely visit on a recent chill Sunday afternoon – it’s not always easy to achieve calm in Dublin city centre on a weekend, but Bar Rua kept us cosy, well-fed and well-watered: a very relaxed spot indeed.

Where: 32 Clarendon St, Dublin 2, D02 HX66
Access from the city centre: You are there
Food: Standard Galway Bay menu, plus a cheese plate
Sport: All the usual big games & sport are on
TVs: Many all around the pub
Music: Fairly MOR tunes in the background
Family-friendliness: As with all Galway Bay spots, very welcoming
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Neary’s, The Hairy Lemon, Caribou, Sheehan’s, The Long Hall, Grogan's, Peter's Pub, Sinnott's Bar and more are all nearby
Local sites of note: Gaiety Theatre, Craft Central, Little Museum of Dublin, George's Street Arcade, St Stephen's Green, Grafton Street
Haunted: Celtic Tiger ghosts?
Other notes: Many levels and upstairs toilets, so not especially accessible, despite being a modern building
Socials: Facebook, Instagram

*For the visitor, a ‘glass’ in Ireland is a half-pint.

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: The Thomas House

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Exterior of The Thomas HouseIt’s hard to beat The Liberties for a Dublin pub crawl, since there is a pub of absolutely every sort within a very small radius – everything from old-school Old Man Pubs to pricey tourist hotspots (several, in fact), with everything else in between. We have been remiss thus far in not mentioning this week’s pub, since it’s a classic of the dive bar genre – and so, to The Thomas House.

From the Sailor Jerry tattoo-inspired exterior decoration to the dark-but-welcoming interior stuffed full of music memorabilia, a step into The Thomas House is immediately an entry into something of an alternative universe: part music venue, part regulars’ pub, but a welcoming, inclusive space that seems to recognise that everyone has their own favourite obscure acts, and that sharing the love over some pints is a lot more fun than gatekeeping that kind of knowledge. And the pints are very affordable – any tourist still smarting after a trip to The Brazen Head should stop in for a much-more-wallet-friendly (and well-kept) Beamish or Ambush (there is, of course, Guinness as well, plus the lesser-spotted but more-frequently-appearing-of-late Kilkenny).

Pretzels at The Thomas House

There are soft pretzels – as we’ve complained before, both here and elsewhere, a rarity around these parts – and while they aren’t as fancy as those at the nearby Guinness Open Gate, they are cheap and cheerful. Perhaps one of the most compelling sights at The Thomas House is the fish tank…there’s something oddly soothing about watching its inhabitants swim around in the near-darkness.

And although this is most definitely a nighttime spot – no afternoon pints here – it’s an ideal location to stop in for a more reasonably-priced pint before heading to a show at Vicar Street, or as part of a longer wander up or down Thomas Street. And there’s something of a nice sense of a continuous practice there: while the buildings in the vicinity are largely 19th century (with some surprising outliers), Thomas Street has been a busy commercial thoroughfare since at least the medieval period, and if you look around, you can still see some of that history in street layouts and names. There may not be a spurious claim to being an ancient hostelry at The Thomas House, but stopping in here for a few drinks is very much carrying on a centuries-long tradition for this area, so consider it something of an exercise in exploring the past through the present.

Fish in a tank at The Thomas HouseFinally, we’re left to ponder why it seems that Dublin’s dive bars (see also: Anseo) have more interesting beer selections than many of their more mainstream, city centre counterparts do nowadays…answers on a postcard!

Where: 86 Thomas St, The Liberties, Dublin
Access from the city centre: Buses C4, G1/G2, 13, 23, 24, 27, 56A, 73, 77A, 80, 150, 15ish minute walk
Food: Soft pretzels, crisps
Sport: Music >> sport here
TVs: Didn’t see any, but it *is* dark (just not Frank Ryan’s-level dark)
Music: Punk, rockabilly, reggae, ska, metal…you name it
Family-friendliness: Not for the small ones
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Dudley's, Arthur's, Swift, Love Tempo, Guinness Open Gate Brewery, The Christchurch Inn, The Lord Edward, The Bull & Castle and The Beer Temple/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: Fish ghosts?
Other notes: Keep an eye out for surprise music royalty of all descriptions
Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Sheehan’s

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Exterior of Sheehan'sThis week, we remain on the south side of Dublin with a visit to Sheehan’s, a very central pub indeed. Despite its close proximity to Grafton Street and the Gaiety Theatre, we confess to never having particularly noticed it – though, granted, we are rarely near Grafton Street on purpose, and when in this part of town, we are typically headed to Caribou (after the inevitable stop-in at Craft Central).

It can feel a bit like running a gauntlet over there these days; the now-constant massive queue of Young People waiting for pizza slice at Bambino (and then Instagramming it all over the footpath) is a non-trivial obstacle. One imagines that the queueing is part of the ‘experience,’ though while it’s a perfectly fine pizza slice – at least, it was when we tried it at first opening, just before the hype kicked in – it’s not something we would wait for when there’s nicer pizza at Rascals or Vice, and you can sit down or have it simply appear at your house (or at Doyle’s Corner, in the case of Vice)…but we digress. The nearby crowds meant that we’d never really had cause to walk in the direction of Sheehan’s, but after seeing that they had recently become a venue serving Trouble Dark Arts Porter (see, we can be influenced by The Socials, too), it became a priority spot to try.

Trouble Dark ArtsAnd it was a very pleasant discovery indeed – the Dark Arts was as fresh as promised, but there were other independent offerings as well, notably Sullivan’s Black Marble Stout from Kilkenny. There were several Changing Times beers, and while we remain unconvinced about them in general from both a cost and taste perspective, as long as there are other options, it’s fine to see them. There was also Beamish, for the ‘split the B’ enthusiast in your life, plus the usual suspects.

The bar at Sheehan'sIt’s a very ‘pubby’ pub, with the usual dark woods and a lovely decorative ceiling. The atmosphere was very calming, certainly a change from the post-holiday shopping and pizza lines outside. It wasn’t quite full Old Man Pub, but was heading in that direction, in the best of ways, though it also felt fresh and up-to-date, with a good mix of clientele. It definitely feels like it’s been in the family for a good long while, and, indeed, it has. And if it’s one of those days where The Hairy Lemon or The Long Hall are absolutely overrun with tourists, Sheehan’s has a bit more of a calm, local vibe – it’s worth the very short walk around the corner.

A corner at Sheehan'sRather like TP Smith’s and Delaney’s, it seems that if we just wait around long enough, we’ll find independent beer in unexpected places (albeit of the more normal, core-range variety). But let’s hope we continue to be surprised…in the good way!

Where: 17 Chatham St, Dublin 2, D02 X923
Access from the city centre: Right in the mix
Food: Pub grub, pies
Sport: One imagines occasional sport
TVs: A few around the pub, though all were off on our visit
Music: Very chill on our visit
Family-friendliness: Not one for the kids
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Neary's, The Hairy Lemon, Caribou, Bar Rua, The Long Hall, Grogan’s, Peter’s Pub, Sinnot’s Bar and more are all nearby
Local sites of note: Gaiety Theatre, Craft Central, Little Museum of Dublin, George’s Street Arcade, St Stephen’s Green, Grafton Street
Haunted: Please?
Other notes: Basement toilets, but also a dedicated whiskey bar upstairs
Socials: Instagram, Facebook

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Daphni

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Exterior of DaphniWelcome to 2026!

Normally, the first post of the month is one of our Best Pubs For… round-ups, but we’ll save standard operating procedure for February, once we’re all back into the groove of things. And so we profile a brand-new pub that opened just before the holidays: Daphni.

Located in the Bolands Mills* complex of recently-renovated historic buildings in Dublin’s Docklands, Daphni is another pub from the Animal Collective group that includes Bonobo, Kodiak and Caribou. Like Caribou, its name is a nod to musician and DJ Dan Snaith, who records under both the Caribou and Daphni monikers. Music is very much a key element of the Daphni experience, and it’s a very well-considered one: the selection is eclectic, but interesting, and at a good volume for conversation. As with spots like Fidelity and The Big Romance that are sonically-inclined, the sound system is another by Hatchett; we here are not cool enough to know how it all works behind the scenes, but the effect is very pleasing.

Inside Daphni

As at their sister bars, there is also a strong cocktail offering, and the staff were very attentive and knowledgeable – both table service and going to the bar seemed equally handy. The beer list is perhaps not as interesting as at some of those other spots so far – Bonobo, for example, gets the Tap Room Only offerings from Kinnegar, but on our visit, there was nothing along those lines (so far). There was, however, very fresh Ambush, Scraggy Bay and Rollover, which are always nice, but a little more in terms of variety would be most welcome, especially as there are so few places with any real choice nowadays. That said, the prices were very competitive for ‘in town’ – €7.20 or so for most pints. By contrast, our group had been at a more city-centre pub that shall remain nameless earlier and paid closer to a tenner a pint (and no, this wasn’t in Temple Bar) for their sole ‘craft’ offering, which also wasn’t in the best shape, to add insult to wallet-injury! So, finding some fresh and at least not-tourist-priced pints at Daphni was most welcome. One imagines that once they’ve been open a little bit longer (perhaps after January, given the growing popularity of Dry January), the tap lineup may become more varied.

More inside Daphni

But in any event, this area has been something of a wasteland in terms of decent pubs and bars, especially when looking for a spot to enjoy before or after a show at the Bord Gáis; the immediate options were more or less ‘Spoons or ‘Spoons (well, with a slightly longer walk to BrewDog, but…well). The Dockers Bar isn’t so far, but it can be full of a post-work crowd. And it’s true that this area was, in no small part, redeveloped to suit the local Google office, but the restoration has been reasonably thoughtful, and Daphni doesn’t give off the FAANG-only vibes that, say, the Brave Horse Tavern did in Seattle (though their wonderful pretzels and dip would be most welcome here – full disclosure: your fair scribe is an ex-Amazonian, key prefix being ‘ex’). That may also change as people return to work from the holidays, but on the whole, it was a very mixed and friendly crowd, in the best way.

A pint and menu at Daphni

It remains to be seen what the future food offering might be, but we’re big fans of Animal Collective’s track record for both pizza and smaller bar snacks, so hopes are high – it should make a vastly superior pre-theatre venue to anything currently in the area (once again, looking at you, ‘Spoons), and certainly a great spot for drinks after.

All told, a fine beginning, and we’re looking forward to more.

Where: Flour Mill, Bolands Mills, Dublin 4, D04 H5C6
Access from the city centre: Buses C1, C2 C3, C4, 15A, 15B, 52, 56A, 77A, 82; 25-ish minute walk
Food: Not yet
Sport: Music > Sport
TVs: Absent
Music: VIBES. Jazz, electronic…all good
Family-friendliness: Saw a few small folk on our early-evening visit
Pub-crawl-ability: Low-medium – The nearby ‘Spoons (The South Strand) isn’t too far, ditto BrewDog, but otherwise, it’s a bit of a further trip to the pubs of Ringsend or back toward The Docker’s Bar
Local sites of note: Grand Canal Dock, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Haunted: These lovely stone buildings need a ghost or two
Other notes: Basement toilets, but with a brand-new lift
Socials: Instagram

*They seem to officially have done away with the apostrophe in their corporate branding, but it does crop up in normal usage describing the site; one presumes this has something to do with how the legal entity was named vs labeling the buildings themselves, but who can say?

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: 2025 Wrap-up and Golden Pints

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A picture on the wall and tables inside The Morris Bar.Before we go on our Christmas/New Year hiatus, we’ll leave you with a brief wrap-up of 2025. This year, we wrote about 39 pubs – or, if you prefer, 38 locations, as our very first pub of January, Biddy Mulligan’s, had a swift closure and re-opening as The Sackville. We began adding Best Pubs For… themed roundups this year, partially as we had enough of an archive to do so, and partially as it’s easier to get to three new pubs in a month versus four. We lamented the closure of Underdog and the ever-decreasing availability of independent beer in Dublin as taps are replaced by less-interesting (and more expensive) options in certain pubs, but we’ve also seen some bright spots as new pubs open and others have very positive improvements.

And to keep on a cheery note before we close for the holidays, some Golden Pints from 2025’s profiled pubs:

Most Underrated Pub: The Morris Bar
This pub’s gorgeous interior honours the building’s history and has been a real asset to the local area; the addition of a covered outdoor space is another bonus, and the pizza is excellent. We love it.

Darkest Pub: Frank Ryan’s
No contest here, and locals simply know, but it’s a handy heads-up for visitors.

Most Welcome Surprise: TP Smith’s
The area around the Jervis Centre can be hectic and more than a bit messy even outside the holiday shopping season; TP Smith’s is a real oasis of calm, and with a surprisingly good beer selection.

Most Improved Pub: Tapped
One of the few places left in Dublin for a reasonably wide beer selection, its vibes were very much off when it first opened, but it’s much more welcoming now. There’s also a bonus cask ale option at the attached Harty’s Bar next door.

Outside The BelfryAnd finally, this coveted award:

Why Don’t We Go Here More Often? The Belfry
Well, the ‘why’ is because there are just so many excellent pubs in Stoneybatter, but The Belfry is a really great spot – a nice beer selection, a lively atmosphere and a pleasant interior. We’ll try to get over this way more often in 2026.

With that, we’ll sign off for 2025, and we will be back in January with new pubs to talk about and more Best Pubs For… features. In the meantime, you can always check out the map to find a pub we’ve mentioned, or let us know in the comments if there’s a pub you’d like to see covered.

See you next year!

Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Delaney’s

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Exterior of Delaney'sWhile Dublin city centre certainly has plenty of pubs, we are fortunate in also having additional parts of town that are also jam-packed with excellent options, especially when the holidays can make those in the immediate centre more crowded than usual. Smithfield and Stoneybatter are particularly blessed with not only a large number of pubs, but pubs that all have their own individual character – there’s cosy vibes with craft beer and pizza at Bonobo, or fantastic food and local colour at L. Mulligan. Grocer, plus all the trad music you could wish for at The Cobblestone – and that’s name-checking only a few of the many options.

A pint of Whiplash at Delaney'sSo, it’s taken us a while to get to Delaney’s, which has very much a ‘pubby’ pub feel, but it was worth the wait. There’s a wonderful fireplace for our current season, and a large back garden for less-chilly temperatures (though it is also heated); it is truly a pub that caters to the ever-changing weather – just mind the suit of armour by the back door. While the building was built as a house around 1800, it’s been a pub since the 1880s, and it’s very much a family-run pub.

Indeed, it has the kind of ‘neighbourhood pub’ feel you get in many places around town. Delaney’s doesn’t have the slightly-faded grandeur of some of the high Victorian pubs like The Long Hall or The Hut, but it has a warm welcome and plenty of books for those chill solo pints. Local independent beer is represented by Whiplash and Trouble, and there’s food if you’re peckish, too. There is the customary Guinness, but also Beamish, Harp and Heineken/Beavertown’s Neck Oil, whose ubiquity in Dublin seems to be increasing in inverse proportion to its quality…but here we are, that’s on Heineken, not the pub.

Granted, this is not a spot that you’ll be bringing the kids, but there are plenty of other places around nearby that do welcome them; if you’re on the hunt for an afternoon or evening out alone or with your fellow grownups, you can catch the sport or relax with a local pint at Delaney’s.

Where: 83 King St N, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 PF51
Access from the city centre: Buses 23, 24, 37, 39, 39A, 70, Luas Red Line, 27ish minute walk
Food: Pub grub
Sport: Sports galore
TVs: All around
Music: Classic rock vibes
Family-friendliness: No kids here
Pub-crawl-ability: High – The Cobblestone, Bonobo and The King’s Inn are all in the immediate area, with Walsh’s, The Belfry, L. Mulligan. Grocer, Hynes’ Bar, The Barber’s Bar and The Glimmer Man in Stoneybatter, and Fidelity and Frank Ryan’s not much further on…plus, all of Capel Street, too…
Local sites of note: Lighthouse Cinema, Jameson Distillery, St Michan’s Church, TUD Grangegorman
Haunted: The suit of armour looks far too recent to be haunted
Other notes: Main floor toilets
Socials: Instagram