Irish hospitality and Irish drink are famous on the traveler circuit, and for good reason. And Dublin is the lively heart of all that food and drink.
Here is a handy roundup of the best pubs and other kinds of nightspots you will find in Ireland's capital. Some of these places are fairly new, while others have been around since the 1800s or even earlier.
The Black Door
The Black Door is so exclusive that even most Dubliners would struggle to find it.
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This chic, two-level cocktail bar, club and piano bar is tucked away behind an unmarked black door on Harcourt Street. Inside, bright young things with far too much money flit about clutching flutes of champagne and glasses of vintage scotch, but the staff will not sneer at ordinary folks (though you might run into trouble with the doorman if you turn up in scruffy jeans).
The party gets going and the volume climbs as the night wears on, and on, right through to the early hours. If you are after somewhere to sit and chat, this is not it, but for a night of mingling and meeting people (and maybe a spot of celebrity watching), it is a sure bet.
The Black Door, 58 Harcourt St., Dublin 2; +353 1 476 4606
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John Kavanagh (also known as Gravediggers)
For the few and the proud who can find their way to this northside spot, it is the best pub in all of Dublin. Run by the same family that founded it in 1833, the Gravediggers sits right beside the sprawling Glasnevin Cemetery.
It picked up its nickname, most likely, by serving lunchtime pints to the Glasnevin gravediggers through a special window that opened onto the cemetery.
John Kavanagh is old and wooden, and pretty much the only thing they pour here is Guinness. And it is a good one.
In recent years the owner has started serving first-rate Irish-Italian dishes in the room next door. Getting to the Gravediggers means catching a bus and walking down a nearly invisible lane, but there is something endlessly lovely about the place that keeps the regulars coming back for a lifetime.
John Kavanagh -The Gravediggers, 1 Prospect Square, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland; +353 1 830 7978
Fallon & Byrne Wine Cellar
This upmarket food hall doubles as one of Dublin's finest wine bars. Head down the stairs and you land in a cozy, candlelit cellar with tall, dark wooden tables and deep glasses.
Yes, it is a wine shop, and you can buy a bottle and take it away, but feel free to browse the wine racks lining the walls, pick out a bottle of something interesting, and the staff will open it for you. (The service charge varies from night to night, but it is always reasonable.)
There is also a food menu prepared by the chefs from the gourmet restaurant upstairs (well worth a visit too), billed as light bites but generous enough, really, to make up a whole meal of sharing plates or starters.
Fallon & Byrne, 11-17 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2, Ireland; +353 1 472 1012
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Mulligan's
To see what a Dublin pub looked like a couple of hundred years ago, just take a look at Mulligan's on Poolbeg Street, which has been running continuously since 1782. Judy Garland, James Joyce and the esteemed Irish sports journalist Con Houlihan are all said to have propped up the bar here.
The wooden floors are permanently damp from generations of spilled pints, the bench seating is uncomfortable, and the ceilings are lower than a man of average height would prefer, but all of it adds to the character of Mulligan's.
It has been said many times that Mulligan's pours the best Guinness in Dublin. If you drink only one pint of the good stuff in Dublin, Mulligan's is the place to do it.
Mulligan's, 8 Poolbeg Street, Dublin 2, Ireland; +353 1 677 5582
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The Long Hall
More than old school. Think of it as continuing education.
Another firm favorite among Dubliners, The Long Hall is an old-fashioned pub with a seriously refined Victorian style and the kind of elegant management that keeps Dublin pub lovers happy.
Besides a perfectly poured Guinness and the usual suspects in the way of international lager, The Long Hall is known for serving strong gin and tonics. The bartenders still wear white shirts and black ties, a sign that this really is a historic establishment.
If there were any doubt, one look inside at the filigree mirrors and carved wooden snugs (enclosed booths) puts to rest any question about the Long Hall's historic pedigree, and its beauty, for that matter.
The Long Hall, 51 S. Great Georges St. Dublin 2, Ireland; +353 1 475 1590
The Black Sheep
One of the first of its kind in Dublin, the Black Sheep is a beer pub offering a precious few (and delicious) craft beers brewed in Ireland.
Styled after a modern British gastropub, the vibe here is shabby-chic, with a mix of tables and chairs, board games and a vaguely homey feel, yet still bright, thanks to its corner spot with plenty of windows.
On tap are several ales from the Galway Bay brewery and other Irish craft beers still rare in Dublin, which come and go depending on what is available. The Black Sheep also serves a menu of gastropub dishes, though the main focus here is still very much the beer.
The Black Sheep, 61 Capel Street, Dublin 7, Ireland; +353 1 873 0013
Bowes
Bowes is one of those pubs no Dubliner could fault, yet few tourists ever see. Far enough off the beaten track to be practically invisible to visitors, but just a two-minute walk from the Temple Bar area, Bowes is small and atmospheric, with deep, worn wood everywhere and stained-glass partitions that hint at another era.
With only a handful of seats, Bowes is mostly a standing-room affair, but if you can make peace with that, they serve some of the best pints of Guinness and the friendliest crowd in the city.
Bowes, 31 Fleet Street, Dublin 2, Ireland; +353 1 671 4038
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Pubs with traditional music
Traditional Irish music, or just "trad" as it is known in Ireland, used to be a way of life; a way to pass the time in the tiny villages and local pubs where Ireland's social life has always centered.
Although the popularity of daily trad performances may have faded in recent decades, Dublin still has plenty of pubs where traditional Irish music lives on, much the way it has for centuries.
The mark of a good trad session is one that happens without amplification, with the musicians sitting around an ordinary pub table, facing each other with their fiddles and accordions and drinking far, far too many pints. While plenty of dodgy, plastic music calling itself trad can be found in the more obvious tourist pubs, here are a few places where the real tradition is still cherished:
The Cobblestone
The Cobblestone bills itself as "a drinking pub with a music problem."
A pleasant problem to have. Some of Ireland's finest musicians play traditional Irish music sessions every day of the week in this intimate spot. It has even drawn a few American singers. You will find it in the Smithfield area.
In 2017, The Cranberries had a drink here.
The Stag's Head
This one won the 2016 award for best pub from the Hospitality Ireland association.
If that does not impress you, the original Victorian setting and rich history probably will. A tavern has stood on this spot since the 1780s, though it became The Stag's Head in 1894.
Here you can catch comedy acts alongside live music.
Stag's Head, 1 Dame Ct., Dublin 2, Ireland; +353 1 679 3687
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O'Donoghue's
Paddy and Maureen O'Donoghue's bar burst onto the Irish music scene back in the 1930s. The popular Irish folk group The Dubliners had its roots here in the 1960s, and Bruce Springsteen has played here since.
There is live music seven nights a week.
O'Donoghue's, 15 Merrion Row, Dublin 2, Ireland; +353 1 660 7194
The Brazen Head
There is history, and then there is history. The Brazen Head's roots stretch all the way back to 1198.
As for the music, you might hear traditional Irish tunes, or you might land on an evening when more contemporary musicians take the stage.
Bands like Straight From the Crate and The Brazen Hussies have a loyal following here.
The Brazen Head, 20 Bridge St, Dublin 8, Ireland; +353 1 677 9549
