It’s December, it’s properly cold in Dublin, and while we already have our roundup of our Best Pubs for Fireplaces, it’s time to turn our attention to Christmas decorations. Most pubs around town get a pretty considerable glow-up for the holidays, and even some of the more low-key Old Man Pubs can be glimmery and sparkly at this time of year.
And while the two clear front-runners in the Most Extra for Christmas race are The Ginger Man and The Hole in the Wall (full profile coming next week), there are plenty of excellent places to go if you’re looking for festive cheer (and maybe a bit of mulled wine or cider on top of your usual tipple). Most of the usual listicles that seem to repeat annually will name-check The Stag’s Head and Doheny & Nesbitt, and with good reason, but there’s a lot more to enjoy beyond the immediate city centre. The Flowing Tide and its sister pub, The King’s Inn, both have strong Christmas games, and Nancy Hands sparkles as well.
But if you do find yourself in the city centre proper, The Oval and JR Mahon’s are both extremely festive, as is The Bank Bar. But we tend to prefer staying a bit further away from the Christmas shopping parts of Dublin, once the crowds appear (though you can’t beat TP Smith’s if you’ve been trapped in the shops on Henry Street or in the Jervis Centre – they do a great job with the decorating, too). With that in mind, we always consider The Bald Eagle or The Cat and Cage top-notch for holiday cheer, but without the same level of frenzied shoppers looking to sit down to rest. Doyle’s Corner is also festooned with wreaths, and for a more modern, minimal-but-festive vibe, The Big Romance and Caribou are both good spots in which to relax.
For those looking for a Santa visit, he does appear (early and often) at the aforementioned Hole in the Wall, but also makes visits to pubs like The Two Sisters – one to keep an eye out on the socials and book ahead if that’s more your speed than a 12 Pubs of Christmas crawl. And, of course, if you are setting out on a 12 Pubs quest, please be mindful of the pub staff and your fellow pub-goers; by all means, have a good time, but don’t get messy or unpleasant.
If it’s a special holiday beer you’re looking for, we don’t get a huge number of them, and even fewer will be available in pubs – there is almost nothing in the broader ‘winter warmer’ category, much less a special Christmas ale, and even something globally-available like Sierra Nevada Celebration will only appear here and there, at pubs like The Porterhouse or Tapped…you’re better off looking into a bottle shop like Craft Central and stocking up on the seasonal stuff to have at home with your Late Late Toy Show viewing.
But whether it’s a post-shopping decompression pint or another get-together after the corporate holiday party, there’s a festive Dublin pub for every taste.
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