41 Best Bars in Dublin, Ireland

Dublin's first superpub received a €4 million face-lift just before the pandemic with three floors of opulent Art Nouveau style à la grand Parisian brasserie, an extensive food menu, and a spectacular enclosed garden terrace with a retractable glass roof. This is one of Dublin's more elegant places to socialize.

A glorious house of ale in the best Dublin tradition, the Cobblestone is popular with Smithfield Market workers. Its chatty imbibers and high-quality, nightly, live traditional music are attracting a more varied, younger crowd from all over town.

Somehow you always get a seat in this tiny sliver of a pub—a warm, old-school boozer at its best—tucked away on a corner near St. Patrick's Cathedral. Pure Dublin class.

Also known as the Castle Lounge, Grogan's is a small place packed with creative folk. The old owner was known as a patron of local artists, and his walls are still covered with their work. There's no music or TV, so you can have a proper chat with your pint and toastie.

The who's who of city society have always been drawn to the elegance of this glorious Dublin institution at the Shelbourne hotel. There's comparatively little space for drinkers around the famous semicircular bar—but this does wonders for making friends quickly.

Established in 1823, and scarcely changed since the 1940s, the wonderful Palace Bar is still all tiles and brass. Popular with journalists and writers (the Irish Times used to be nearby), the walls are lined with cartoons drawn by newspaper illustrators.

A Victorian beaut, the Stag's Head dates from 1770 and was rebuilt in 1895. Theater people from the nearby Olympia and Trinity students gather around the unusual Connemara red-marble bar, study their reflections in the many mirrors, and drink in all the oak carvings. They host live music and comedy downstairs most nights.

A music hub with four floors of entertainment of every kind, the Academy is anchored by big-name local and international DJs and gigs. It attracts a young, dance-crazy crowd who like to party until the wee hours.

A clever and cool addition to the Dublin nightlife scene, an evening at Anti Social can mean some serious dancing to live DJs, or a laid-back gaming session on the old-school arcade machines. 

This cool bar for lovers of electronic music is based around a custom-made sound system and an enviable vinyl collection . . . oh, and they specialize in craft beers and daring cocktails, too.

Reputedly Dublin's oldest pub (the site has been licensed since 1198), the Brazen Head doesn't have much of a time-burnished decor, with one big exception: an enchanting stone courtyard that is intimate, charming, and delightful. The front is a faux one-story castle, complete with flambeaux, while the interior looks modern-day (except for the very low ceilings). People love to jam the place not for its history but for its traditional-music performances and lively sing-along sessions on Sunday evening. On the south side of the Liffey quays, it's a little difficult to find—turn down Lower Bridge Street and make a right onto the old lane.

A happening music venue, the Button mixes top DJs and up-and-coming live acts. The place tends to be on the cutting edge of the Irish dance-music scene.

Once a quality neighborhood pub with a tasty pint of stout, Cassidy's has morphed into an often overcrowded but very popular spot with a young clientele.

An 18th-century wine vault with bare brick walls and vaulted ceilings, this spot at the superstylish Merrion Hotel tends to draw a well-heeled crowd.

A hop and skip from O'Connell Street, the Celt offers traditional Irish music seven nights a  week and draws a nice mix of locals and tourists. On busy weekends, to quote the natives, the place is "heaving."

A noted pilgrimage stop for Joyceans, Davy Byrnes is where Leopold Bloom stops in for a glass of Burgundy and a Gorgonzola-cheese sandwich in Ulysses (and ruminates before helping a blind man cross the road). The decor—with leather seats and dramatic art on the walls—is more decadent than in Joyce's day ("He entered Davy Byrnes. Moral pub."), but it still serves some fine pub grub.

A traditional spot with snugs, dark wooden furnishings, and smoke-darkened ceilings, Doheny & Nesbitt has hardly changed over the decades.

A cozy pub, Doyle's is a favorite with journalists from the Irish Times and Trinity students.

Directly across from the Abbey Theatre, the Flowing Tide draws a lively pre- and post-theater crowd. No TVs, quality pub talk, and a great pint of Guinness make it a worthwhile visit (although the decor won't win any prizes).

Dublin's two-floor main gay pub, the George draws an almost entirely male crowd; its nightclub stays open until 2:30 am nightly except Tuesday. The "alternative bingo night," with star drag act Miss Shirley Temple Bar, is a riot of risqué fun. Saturdays are always packed.

In its tiny but buzzing upstairs room, the Ha'penny Bridge regularly hosts blues and jazz nights and has good comedy on Thursday.

A Ballsbridge institution, the Horse Show House is a favorite of the boisterous but welcoming rugby and show-jumping set. A great spot to watch sports of any kind. They have a full à la carte menu.

Popular with Trinity students and local hipsters, Kehoe's has a tiny back room that is nice and cozy, while the upstairs is basically the owner's old living room, open to the public.

One of Dublin's most ornate traditional taverns, the Long Hall has Victorian lamps, a mahogany bar, mirrors, chandeliers, and plasterwork ceilings, all more than 100 years old. The pub serves sandwiches and an excellent pint of Guinness.

A landmark that once attracted boisterous Brendan Behan and other leading writers in the 1950s, McDaid's wild literary reputation still lingers, although the bar has been discreetly modernized and is altogether quieter.

Synonymous in Dublin with a truly perfect pint of Guinness, Mulligan's started life as a shebeen (unlicensed drinking venue) and then, pub lore tells us, was listed as "legal" in 1782. Today, locals and students flock here for a good pint.