The recent run of warm weather has led to prioritising pubs with lovely beer gardens that we haven’t yet visited, and the news that the Animal Collective group – they of Bonobo and Caribou fame – will be opening another location soon(ish) in Bolands Mills* bumped a trip to Kodiak higher up on the list. And it does involve a bit of a ‘trip’ – not just south of the river, but south of Dublin city centre, too. And so, to leafy Rathmines.
For the uninitiated, Rathmines has something of a dual reputation as both ‘Flatland,’ with many of the large, 19th century homes subdivided, but it seems to have more recently become a destination close-in suburb for more well-to-do families, many of whom have reconstituted some of those homes; there is no shortage of trees, nor of high-end prams; comparisons to Park Slope in Brooklyn or Wandsworth in London would both be apt. Kodiak fits perfectly into this mix, with its great beer and cocktails, wide array of plants dotted throughout the bar and a mix of different seating areas, from long tables to cosy sofas and chairs with lots of antique lamps and the like. Yes, it would probably be just as ‘at home’ in London or New York, but it does have a distinctly local vibe, too.
A recent BlueSky chat was a reminder that unlike the Neighbouring Island, we have few pubs that are a middle ground between Old Man Pubs, with a standard macro lineup (always Guinness, of course, plus Heineken or perhaps Carlsberg) and ‘hipster’ pubs with interesting craft beers…there’s no direct equivalent of a free house with a mix of standard macros, family brewery offerings on cask (sob) and local indies here in Ireland (with a very few exceptions – TP Smith’s is one that comes to mind). In most cases, if you want something other than Guinness, you need to find your closest local ‘hipster’ pub for more than a unique tap or two, if that. But arguably, perhaps as a result, Dublin’s ‘hipster’ pubs can feel a bit more inclusive than they might in San Francisco or Sarajevo – there’s always a broad mix of ages, genders and styles in places like Kodiak or its sister bars, whereas in similar pubs in some other places, not being a youngish white male with a beard and/or skateboard may make one stand out a bit.
But what makes Kodiak feel like ‘Dublin’ vs ‘Craftonia?’ Certainly, the staff are the first element – friendly and knowledgeable about the local beers, and happy to offer opinions (or make interesting cocktails). The art on the walls is very local and independent – this doesn’t feel like ‘old local maps’ at a Wetherspoons – and the vibe just feels, well, local.
It’s also worth mentioning just how spacious Kodiak is – the main floor has two full bars, each with its own distinct feel (one darker, one brighter) and tap lineup, so for you beer nerds, check out both, and then there’s the large beer garden at the back. Then there’s even more upstairs (shuffleboard!) – hangout spaces that would be ideal for parties, and the well-designed toilets can be reached via lift or stairs. Indeed, simply by moving around different parts of the pub, you can switch up your experience of the place: start off with a chill solo pint in subdued lighting, then grab some sun with friends.
Finally, there’s that drinks selection we’ve already discussed, but Kodiak deserves a special nod for their fantastic canned and bottled selection; there’s a menu at each table, true, but the tall cases are next to, rather than behind, the bar, so it’s easy to take a proper look to see if there are new additions or special releases.
All told, it’s a shame it’s taken us this long to get to Kodiak – it’s a great spot, and a worthy addition to both the beer garden and craft beer lists.
Where: 304 Rathmines Rd Lower, Rathmines, Dublin, D06 W3Y1
Access from the city centre: Buses 14, 15, 15A, 15B, 65B, 83, 83A, 140, Luas Green Line and a walk from Ranelagh or a c. 40 minute walk
Food: Pizza
Sport: Music-forward, rather than sport-forward
TVs: More foliage than screens
Music: Lots of music the Youths like as well as GenX faves
Family-friendliness: Plenty of space for late-afternoon weekend pizza with the kids, but a grownup vibe later
Pub-crawl-ability: Low-medium – Rody Boland’s, Mother Reilly’s, Murphy’s, and Martin B Slattery’s are all local haunts, but not many other ‘destination’ pubs, and a bit of a walk into Ranelagh for more
Local sites of note: Stella Cinema, Cathal Brugha Barracks
Haunted: Not a creak or moan of note
Other notes: High on the ‘beer garden’ list; dog-friendly
Socials: Instagram
*Another Grindstone Café, from the team behind Brickyard, is also in the works at Bolands Mills
It’s July, and that mean a happy birthday to 
Dudley’s
‘Foodie’ pubs with good craft beer options include 
Stoneybatter
And the attractions are many: great support for local independent beers from the likes of Hope, Kinnegar, Trouble and The White Hag, as well as a notable cocktail list. For the more ‘traditional’ drinker, it’s possible to get Guinness, Beamish and Murphy’s, so if you’re one of those who enjoys doing the blind taste test of all three, The Belfry has you sorted. There’s also a wonderful little beer garden, and plenty of events that are very much rooted in the local community. It was an absolute oasis for this year’s instalment of the always-busy-but-great-vibes 
Our only other ‘complaint’ is that The Belfry tends to open later than some other pubs, so it’s not always handy for a quick weekend lunchtime pint. All the more incentive, really, to get there as they open to secure a comfy leather chair and a refreshing beverage…
The staircase formerly connected floors in Trinity College, and the beer garden out back can even be heated when necessary (though as with so many of the more interior-feeling beer gardens in Dublin, it can tend toward feeling very smoky). All told, it feels very ‘pubby,’ but what strikes me is the very noticeable vibe shift when the tour groups leave. It took a few visits to realise that it wasn’t just the freeing up of part of the pub that made the real difference; rather, it was the music. When the groups are in, the music is not just trad (there is, after all, plenty of good trad out there), but full-on diddly-eye trad – the sort of music that might have been featured on an American PBS station 40+ years ago. But once they go, there’s a break – either no music, or a change to something a bit more current. Perhaps it’s coincidence, but it’s something we’ve noticed on multiple visits – and it’s no bad thing!
Now, this is not to say that some of the more touristy pubs are doing their customers a disservice in any way; to the contrary, they are doing a great job of catering to multiple demographics, and more power to them. And Nancy Hands also does a great job of supporting local writers – 
Inside, the look is all Old Man Pub, but with a more diverse clientele of all ages, genders and dog breeds. There’s also good support for local independent beer from Rye River, but they also get accolades a-plenty for the Guinness here. On our visit, the hurling was on (ironically, I was trying to get as far from 
It’s that time of year when we begin to get the ‘where should I go before Croke Park?’ question. The answers will depend on whether you’re pre- or post-gaming an actual game (and, of course, which sort of actual game – the occasional rugby crowd isn’t necessarily the same as the more usual GAA crowd) or a concert. Fortunately, as a household within the ‘so close to Croke Park we get free tickets to things* from time to time’ radius, we’ve got some educated opinions on which pubs to hit up before, say, Oasis. (I was going to say ‘before Oasis hit each other,’ but it was too lazy, so it’s parenthetical instead).
There are a few ways to approach the Croke Park Pubs question: proximity, food/drink options and, well, vibes. If wanting to be in the closest possible pub is your key consideration – and on a day when it’s 70,000 plus in attendance, it’s not unreasonable – your best bets are 
If combining food and drink is of paramount importance, casting a wider net can help, but you can still start quite close by. 
But all too often on recent visits, there are multiple taps out of service or perhaps not as fresh as they might be – a real contrast to years gone by when this was a destination for beer nerds for the variety and vibrancy of the beers on offer, both from Galway Bay itself as well as other independent brewers from near and far. And it does seem that Galway Bay are making some especially interesting seasonal, one-off and collaboration beers of late, so it’s a shame that they rarely seem to be highlighted here.
And to be clear, I haven’t had a bad experience here, but the pub does look and feel, well, tired. It’s possibly unfair to compare it to a brand-new Galway Bay pub like 
Although the branding is different, Urban Brewing is an outpost of 
But what I particularly enjoy about Urban Brewing is that each part of the venue feels very different – the outside space is the go-to when the weather is good, but the modern bar in the old building has a lovely look and feel, while the vaults below are great for events – cosy and always beautifully decorated. And as a newer business in an older building, they’ve had the space to get their accessibility figured out in the retrofitting; there are lifts as well as stairs.
This week, it’s another relatively rare visit into the more touristy part of town as we visit 
Kennedy’s is another pub I’ve walked past many times without entering, but I finally had a bit of free time in the area this week, so stopped in for a sneaky daytime glass after visiting the National Gallery. While not nearly as extensive a list of craft beer taps as nearby 
There’s a lovely tiled bar in the basement for live music and events, and this space as well as the terra cotta decoration on the pub’s exterior add unique touches, while the rest of the interior feels a bit more ‘standard Irish pub.’ All told, it’s probably more of a destination for those on literary walking tours than anything else, but it’s nice to find a spot in tourist-land with a few craft beers; it’s not necessarily a given in Dublin.
Sometimes, it really is all about The Socials.
