Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Doom Slice @ Pawn Shop

Is it a pub, or is it a bar?

There are a fair few pubs in Dublin that don’t comfortably fit the ‘Irish pub’ stereotype – the dark wood, the photos and signs on the walls, the Guinness, perhaps a few auld fellas in permanent residence at the bar. But while there are many pubs in town that do follow this very broad template, especially Old Man Pubs, it’s never been anywhere nearly as identikit in local practice as the ‘overseas Oirish pub‘ you get from the likes of the Irish Pub Company, which have been marketed so effectively for decades.

But when a bar (pub?) does take an intentional step away from that globally-recognised experience, design-wise, what do we call it? And to whom does it cater? We’ll explore those questions this week with a visit to Doom Slice at Pawn Shop. Although on first glance it looks more ‘European hipster bar’ than ‘Irish pub,’ we’ll argue that it’s got clear DNA from both.

This Dame Street spot was formerly home to Berlin Bar, which was briefly notorious locally for flouting Covid restrictions and, unsurprisingly, subsequently losing their license. After several years of paperwork and renovation, Pawn Shop opened in its place. While not connected to the previous business, it did carry through something of a ‘European’ vibe, with carefully-curated spaces, upcycled furniture (including, of course, old pianos), electronic music of a particular type and a clear visual language. But it feels just as much ‘Irish pub’ when you look at (and behind) the bar – Guinness and Beamish, of course, but also a wider array of local independent beers: their own lager from Trouble, called Trouble at the Pawn Shop, plus Ambush and some rotating taps from Whiplash and Wicklow Wolf. We’ll give them a pass for the Neck Oil, given the other options. The staff, too, are clearly experienced at working in other local pubs – and we’d argue this is another element that sets Irish pubs apart from their counterparts elsewhere. Here, they seem equally ready to manage a stag do stumbling across from Temple Bar as they do making a much wider range of cocktails than one sees in most nearby places.

And while it’s *slightly* confusing where you need to go to order your slice of Detroit-style pizza by Doom Slice as there is an indoor hatch that might or might not be serving, plus an outdoor one, it’s easily sorted out. It is quite a tasty slice, it must be said, and it’s one of the cheaper options for food and a pint in Dublin (without the Instagram-driven queue for Bambino – why stand outside when you can sit inside with your slice and beer)?

This is, perhaps, why it’s much more fully-stocked with Young People than many other pubs, and there’s nothing wrong with that; while the overall crowd did skew a bit ‘younger’ than the places we typically frequent, we were by no means the only ‘Olds’ there (though that may be a different story late at night – they do stay open well beyond our bedtimes).

So, is it a bar or is it a pub?

In short, yes.

Where: 14 Dame Ln, Dublin 2, D02 XC91
Access from the city centre: In it
Food: Detroit-style pizza
Sport: Mostly not, only major events
TVs: Fairly hidden, but artistically framed
Music: Loud and electronic, in a good way
Family-friendliness: Daytime, perhaps…but not so much at night
Pub-crawl-ability: High – Porterhouse, all the Temple Bar tourist traps, Thomas Read’s/The Oak, The Christchurch, The Lord Edward, The Bull & Castle, The Brazen Head, or wander into The Liberties for spots like Dudley’s, The Thomas House, Lucky’s and more…
Haunted: A ghost? In *this* 19th century building?
Local sites of note: Olympia Theatre, Dublin Castle, Chester Beatty Library, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia
Other notes: Basement toilets
Socials: Instagram, Facebook