Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Taphouse

While we are patiently waiting for a new, independent-beer-focused pub to open in the near future (no pressure, lads!) here in Dublin, we did something unusual for us, and headed not just south of the Liffey, but even further down the Luas into the leafy environs of Ranelagh. But it was, as it turns out, a pleasant experience.

Our destination pub, Taphouse, is one last visited pre-Covid, possibly for a work event, and so the memory was a bit hazy. There were faint recollections of a reasonably-interesting beer selection, but not much more than that. We also had not made it back as it we are usually in the company of offspring when heading in this general direction, and had been given to understand that it was not especially welcoming to the youth. On the contrary, though – it was very laid-back indeed, at least of a weekend afternoon. And, happily, the beer selection was more than respectable for Dublin. We are always excited to see Rascals Sidekick on, but there were also options from Hope, Wicklow Wolf, Whiplash, Hopfully and Kinnegar, along with the usual Guinness and Beamish. By local standards at the moment, this is pretty exciting.

There was a strong cocktail game as well, and while we didn’t have time to sample the food, it did look rather more interesting than many other pub options…perhaps something we’ll revisit to consider adding to the Best Pubs for Food list in future. The décor is ‘fancy pub’ – dark wood, decorative ceilings and lots of un-sorted books that one presumes have come from house clear-outs, though that said, there are a few shelves worth digging into more deeply (and we are very much in favour of ‘more books’ as a pub feature, even if the initial impulse was purely window-dressing).

Upstairs there is a glorious sun deck, so rather than Pavement Pints, it’s a literally more elevated experience.

And yet, while some may shout ‘notions!’ at Taphouse for being a bit design-led, the food and drink options hold their own, and it still feels very much like a neighbourhood pub. There was a good mix of punters of all ages on our visit, from solo pint-with-a-book enthusiasts to groups getting a bit of sun with their Sunday roasts.

We won’t wait so long before our next visit.

Where: 60 Ranelagh, Dublin 6, D06 C9C6
Access from the city centre: Luas Green Line, buses 11,14, 15, 15B, 80, E1, E2; 30ish minute walk
Food: Small plates, Sunday roast, a cheese board (something not enough restaurants, much less pubs, do here)
Sport: The usual suspects
TVs: All over the place, though some areas are quieter than others
Music: Indie tunes, sport commentary
Family-friendliness: A fair few well-behaved kids at Sunday lunchtime, but likely more of a grown-up vibe
Pub-crawl-ability: Low-medium: Smyth’s Pub, The Hill or a walk to Kodiak in Rathmines
Local sites of note: Richard Crosbie monument, Stella Cinema
Haunted: Perhaps some haunted books? The Taphouse Middoth?
Other notes: Very dog-friendly; karaoke can happen
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