After a bit of an unplanned break, we are back, and this week, we are heading into the city centre to check out Caribou – the new bar from the Animal Collective folk that has recently opened in the former P Mac’s spot. The recent spate of Galway Bay pub closures/rebrandings, including Against the Grain (RIP -now Teach Tábhairne Ag Teacht) and BRÚ House Fairview (now The Strand House) has not boded well for Dublin-based craft beer fans; most of the re-opened pubs have had zero or, at best, one craft tap remaining; the shift from The Beer Market to The Christchurch Inn is – so far – the only relaunch bucking that apparent trend.
While P Mac’s was not part of the Galway Bay family – its sister pubs include Cassidys and Blackbird (the other P Mac’s in Dundrum closed a bit ago), and the family resemblance was best seen through the dark spaces and drippy, red candles – it was always a spot with a nice selection of Irish craft beer, and when its closured was announced, I know I was not the only person concerned that it might be relaunched as a Fake Oirish Pub, with all macro beer and diddly-eye music for tourists, especially given its location, a short walk from St Stephen’s Green. Fortunately for us beer nerds, Caribou has us covered, with a nice selection of Irish craft beer, plus some international choices – and there are plenty of standard offerings for The Normals, too, as well as some very interesting cocktails. There is also an impressive array of alcohol-free cans and mocktails that is worth noting.
This is no surprise, though, as the other pubs in the group have always supported independent beer; we’ve covered Bonobo before (though wouldn’t it be improved by more housing nearby, instead of a vacant site? Well, that’s another story we won’t get into here), and Impala in Cork is lovely. I have yet to make it to Kodiak in Rathmines, but I had been past the OG Caribou in Galway and knew they had a good selection as well. Rather than find a new animal, the Caribou name has been transplanted to Dublin after the closure of the Galway spot, and very pleasant it is, too.
For anyone familiar with P Mac’s and its rather cavernous feel (not a bad thing, by my reckoning), the new look and feel at Caribou is light and airy, yet in discussions with the excellent staff, they said that not much had been done to the place, structurally. The removal of a snug near the front has opened up some windows that I would never have noticed before, and the new colour palette – lots of white, faded blues and mid-century modern wood – gives it an entirely different feel. And while the old red candles are gone, they have been replaced with white pillar candles – perhaps a nod to the old space? I am obliged to credit my fellow Beer Lady Katie Malone with this idea – and it’s a good one!
All told, it’s not terribly dissimilar to Bonobo in ambiance, and there are still some cosier spots toward the back for a more relaxed conversation – the absence of the front snug is no cause for concern, and I say this as someone who loves a good snug. I suspect it’s a trickier balance to get right than it might appear at first glance – there’s a difference between simply throwing together some charity shop furniture and hoping it gives off hipster vibes, versus having a more intentionally-designed space and aesthetic. There is another pub I won’t mention by name that seems to have attempted a similar ‘vibe’ and missed the mark; it ends up feeling rather impersonal and slightly chaotic (though the less-than-stellar service hasn’t helped with that). A lot of the warmth and welcome at Caribou does come from the staff, so they’ve done well in that regard, and my suspicion is that this is what cements that feel of the place. Even with a brand-new (brand-new retro?) facelift, it feels authentic in a way that some pubs and bars attempting to play in this space simply do not.
And given Caribou’s location, just around the corner from St Stephen’s News – Craft Central for Those In The Know – there’s no excuse not to have some great craft beer options, and a well-trained staff who know their stuff, so it’s great to see that tradition continue in this location. The red candles may have gone, and I did very much enjoy them, but I can still go to Cassidys for that vibe, but the new chilled-out feel that Caribou brings is most welcome in this part of Dublin.
Where: Caribou, 30 Stephen Street Lower, Dublin 2, D02 XY61
Access from the city centre: You are in it
Food: Only at lunchtime, but it’s a great selection: steak frites, nibbles, Nashville hot chicken and more
Sport: Less sport, more chat
TVs: No obvious sign
Music: Bit of jazz, bit of indie
Family-friendliness: A more grown-up (or, at least, Elder Gen Z+) vibe, but you can pop a kid in for lunch
Pub-crawl-ability: High – The Hairy Lemon, Bar Rua, The Long Hall, Grogan’s, Peter’s Pub, Sinnot’s Bar and more are all within a brief stroll – and there are many more beyond
Local sites of note: St Stephen’s Green, Gaiety Theatre, Craft Central (absolutely a landmark for the beer nerds), Little Museum of Dublin, George’s Street Arcade
Haunted: There was that definitely-real incident with the hot dog ghost…
Other notes: An ideal spot for a book and a pint
Socials: Instagram
From the exterior, 
On a recent Saturday evening, I found people making the most of the remaining visit from the sun in the beer garden, which comes complete with a DJ booth and Oasis-v-Blur cigarette disposal – a reference that here in Ireland is both a GenX comfort blanket and general Father Ted reference that even the younger set who don’t recall the 1990s will recognize – they know all about 
All told, it would be a challenge to find a more inclusive, welcoming spot, and the bao buns are absolutely fantastic. 
A mid-October 2024 update:
As tourist season seems more or less nearly in full swing, we’re sticking with Dublin city centre this week and O’Neill’s Pub and Kitchen – a tourist-friendly but also authentic pub that caters to a range of tastes and preferences – and one that’s large enough to offer a different experience depending on where you are in the pub (and just how crowded it is on the day or evening).
I recently had the unpleasant experience of stopping in a pub I’d never tried, and which shall remain nameless here, that was so aggressively 
Happily, O’Neill’s is nothing like this, and visiting it not long after The Pub to Remain Nameless made its positive features stand out all the more. Yes, there are trad sessions – good ones are always welcome – but the usual background music is quiet enough to chat, not painfully loud. Yes, there are various old photos and signs, even some barrels as you head upstairs, but they seem like a more natural accumulation over 
And speaking of ‘upstairs,’ there’s a nice ‘Whiskey Corner,’ all red leather and dark wood, though of course you’re welcome to drink anything you’d like (and the whiskey selection is indeed a very good one). It can be quieter up here (not necessarily on big game days, of course), especially during the afternoon, and it can make a pleasant spot on your literary pub crawl, given its 
Bill Clinton wuz here. And you’re not likely to forget it, as he seems to be on every wall in Fagan’s, somewhere.
We’re back in the ‘my sort of Dublin pub’ category: one with great craft beer – and a good variety, not simply one or two taps – there are 28 in total at Dudley’s, which is one of my favourite spots in 
Dudley’s opened in 2021 when the previous pub on the spot closed during the Covid shutdown. Its name now commemorates 
In short, even though it’s not one of my locals, Dudley’s is always a must-visit when I’m over in that direction; it’s great for a chilled-out solo pint, a pause on the 
2026 edit: closed and re-opened as 
Without getting into the specific behind-the-scenes workings that are, frankly, none of my business, the pub ended up in 
But while it has much less of a ‘craft beer bar’ feel and more of a ‘catering to international tourists’ vibe, there is still a strong lineup of local options, albeit without any from Galway Bay. On our visit, there was some well-kept Ambush, Happy Days, Big Bangin’ and Rustbucket from Trouble, Rascals, Rye River and Kinnegar, respectively; even some Galway Hooker (no relation) appeared, plus a La Chouffe tap for the odd Belgian hit. Obviously there’s Guinness as well, both the real thing and 0.0, and some of your standard lagers as well. And it must be said that it really does feel much less like a locals’ craft beer pub and more like a tourist pub nowadays, though that’s completely understandable, given the location. And on this particular visit, there were many, many North American accents on display (not just mine), and I didn’t have the usual warm-fuzzy feeling from the playlist, which in most pubs I frequent is more ’90s Irish, UK and European tracks – I first moved out of the US in 1995, so haven’t heard any new music From There since then, and I couldn’t identify anything playing without the help of Shazam…it was all American bands I’d never heard of. And to be clear, I’m not saying I’m cool to not take on board New Things, just…old. So, if you’re an American or Canadian younger Millennial or older Gen Z traveller, it will probably get you right in the feels; not everything needs to be just for me, and that’s fine!
This week’s Weirdo Dublin Pub is properly a little bit weird, in the best possible ways; we’re heading back to Stoneybatter for 
But back to the dogs – they are very much catered for here, with their own little snugs and corners, photo wall (there is much to be said for a pet-focused feature wall vs a human-centred ‘Instagram wall’ in a pub) and even a little bed tucked away within some of the seating, for the sleepier or simply more retiring Good Pupper. On my recent visit, all the canine customers were very well-behaved indeed – and the same went for their human counterparts.
I’d been told by a regular that 
Welcome to the new home for Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs! If you’re a regular visitor, you’ll notice we’ve spun off to a new, stand-alone site, just in time for the first anniversary of this series, and we’ll be adding some new features and categories as we go. With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, we’re back to normal service with another Northside pub – 
My perception of The Ivy House before this visit was that is was more restaurant than pub; the larger main section is sleeky and modern – there’s a lot of dark blue – with many booths and tall tables, though there is a fireplace toward the back, albeit a large open and, again, very modern one. It’s less cozy and more efficient, with a large menu suiting most tastes (including my still-rather-picky younger offspring). Indeed, they always seem to be doing a roaring brunch trade at the weekends, and when I’m out and about for a solo pint, I frequently stop at The Cat & Cage, rather than The Ivy House, simply out of habit, but also because on those occasions I’m looking more for a nice spot to sit and relax, rather than go for a full meal.
But as I happened to be in the area and wanted to get inside as soon as possible, I finally stopped in to the Carthy’s Bar side of The Ivy House, and ‘side’ is the key word here – it has an entirely separate entrance around the corner, complete with its own frontage. And, once inside, it’s quite the contrast from the other side of The Ivy House – it’s every bit the old-man-pub, complete with the aforementioned fireplace – not a woodburner, but lovely an warm. On my afternoon visit, there were at least 3 different sports on – possibly one for each person in the pub at that moment – but nothing was too loud or distracting. And as the bar serves both sides of the pub, it’s easy to order one of the local craft options – they always seem to have Hope Hop-on on tap – or a Guinness or Beamish from either spot.
