Best pubs in Dublin
Rated by locals, not tourists.
120 pubs rated in Dublin
Dublin has more good pubs than any guidebook can cover, and plenty of bad pints hiding behind a famous name. This is the locals' shortlist — the rooms where the Guinness is poured properly, the snug is intact, and the session is worth staying for.
Every pub here is scored on the pint itself, the room, and the welcome — by people who actually drink in them. No sponsored rankings, no tourist-trap markups.
Dublin areas
- City Centre
- Stoneybatter
- Smithfield
- The Liberties
- Phibsborough
- Rathmines
- Temple Bar
Pubs in Dublin
Camden StreetCassidy's of Camden Street
A Camden Street anchor — live music, big outdoor space, great craic.
North CityThe Church Café Bar
Arthur Guinness's wedding church, now Dublin's most dramatic bar.
Merrion RowO'Donoghue's
Birthplace of The Dubliners. Trad every night.
The Hairy Lemon
A Dublin classic on Stephen Street — great craic, live music & proper pub food.
The No Name Bar
No sign, no music — just exceptional cocktails in a Georgian gem on Fade Street.
The Lotts Café Bar
Dublin's smallest bar — steak on stone, legendary staff & homemade cooking.
Chaplin's
A solid Hawkins Street pub — sports, food & Con Houlihan on the wall.
The Grand Social
Dublin's indie arts and music venue — live gigs, comedy & events on Liffey Street.
Temple BarThe Stag's Head
Dublin's finest Victorian pub, hidden in plain sight since 1895.
The Dropping Well
Historic Dodder-side gastropub — great food, sports & craic since 1847.
The Foggy Dew
Temple Bar's best-kept secret — the finest free Sunday trad session.
The Workman's Club
Wellington Quay's indie music institution — pub downstairs, gigs upstairs, disco below.
Ballinteer House
Ballinteer's relaxed local — pool table, great chowder, pastry café & late bar at weekends.
Gaffney's
Fairview's finest Victorian local — great Guinness, great prices, no pretension.
The Swan Bar
York Street's perfect corner pub — famed Irish coffee & whiskey tastings.
Dublin 2Doheny & Nesbitt
Where Dublin's political class drinks. Est. 1828.
Bar Rua
Capel Street's creative cocktail bar — colourful, inclusive & lively.
The Oval Bar
A genuine 1916 pub — pour your own Guinness & outstanding feathered beef brisket.
Brickyard Gastropub
Dundrum's craft beer gastropub — rotating taps, great food & right by the Luas.
Neary's
No TV, no music. Just gas lamps and great Guinness since 1887.
The Lower Deck
Canal-side Portobello local — weekend breakfasts & great Guinness by the water.
The Rathgar 108
Rathgar's craft beer gem — great snug, top taps & TVs off when sport ends.
Peruke & Periwig
Georgian-era cocktail theatre on Dawson Street. The best date-night bar in Dublin.
Peggy Kelly's
Harold's Cross's evening-sun beer garden pub — quiz Thursdays & a warm local welcome.
Kodiak
Rathmines' hottest bar — 4.7 stars, brilliant pizza, creative cocktails & great vibes.
Birchall's
Ranelagh's most classic pub — best Guinness on the strip, open fire & Flann O'Brien's local.
Oscar's Pub
A Stoneybatter local named for Oscar Wilde — trad sessions, fair prices & great craic.
Token
Dublin's arcade bar — retro games, karaoke, great vegan food & cocktails.
McDaid's
Behan's and Kavanagh's local — a literary giant on Harry Street since 1779.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Newly revived Dundrum Road local — BBQ ribs, pool table & heated patio.
Peadar Kearney's
The pub named after Ireland's national anthem poet — trad nightly on Dame Street.
Rody Boland's
A Victorian pub physically moved in 1994 — heritage fittings, mural & great pints.
The Pint
Clontarf Road's solid seaside local — live music, sports & craft beer.
Dublin 2Whelan's
Dublin's original live music venue since 1989.
Camden StreetThe Bleeding Horse
Referenced by Joyce. Multi-room Camden Street pub since at least 1649.
Frank Ryan's
Dublin's most eccentric pub — great Guinness, stone-baked pizza & organised chaos.
Mother Mac's
A tiny Victorian gem on Bride Street — Beamish, snugs & old Liberties soul.
Hedigan's — The Brian Boru
Glasnevin's great Victorian pub — generous carvery, beer garden & Sunday sport.
Camden StreetDevitt's
Live trad 7 nights. The best session on Camden Street.
The Yacht
Clontarf's seaside local — great food, bay views & live music on Saturdays.
Temple BarDarkey Kelly's
Live trad every night from 6:30pm on Dublin's oldest street.
The Flowing Tide
The Abbey Theatre's local — perfect Guinness, zero pretension.
L. Mulligan Grocer
Stoneybatter's celebrated gastropub — outstanding food & craft beer since 2010.
StoneybatterWalsh's
Dublin Pub of the Year 2018 & 2023. Victorian perfection in Stoneybatter.
Smyth's of Ranelagh
Ranelagh's neighbourhood institution — food all day, great pints.
McNeill's Pub
Capel Street's listening pub — live music Mondays with a dedicated quiet zone.
Dublin 2The Long Hall
Stunning Victorian gem, licensed since 1766.
Hartigan's
A defiantly old-school local with a cult Guinness. No frills.
LibertiesRyan's of Parkgate Street
Museum-quality Victorian pub by Phoenix Park since 1886.
Sandyford House
Sandyford village's acclaimed gastropub — great food, free parking, cosy vibe.
Ashton's Gastropub
Clonskeagh's beloved gastropub — award-winning brunch, great Sunday roast since the 1950s.
Bowe's Lounge Bar
Old-world Fleet Street whiskey bar, pouring perfection since 1880.
The Winding Stair
Ha'Penny Bridge's iconic three-floor Liffey restaurant — bookshop, Irish food & views.
SmithfieldThe Cobblestone Pub
Dublin's premier traditional Irish music pub with sessions every day.
The Bankers
A Victorian bank turned great pub — fair prices, trad Thursdays & College Green charm.
Dublin 2Mulligan's
Dublin's most legendary Guinness pour since 1782.
The Ha'Penny Bridge Inn
Authentic Temple Bar local — great pints without the tourist prices.
Fagan's Bar & Restaurant
Bertie Ahern's local — three bars, great carvery & walls of Dublin history.
The Woolshed Baa & Grill
Dublin's biggest sports bar — every match, wood-fired pizza & 50+ screens.
BAR 1661
Ireland's Bar of the Year 2022 & 2025. Home of the poitín cocktail.
Porterhouse Temple Bar
Ireland's original craft beer pub — own-brewed ales, live music nightly since 1996.
The Boar's Head
One of Capel Street's most beautiful Victorian pubs — snugs, fire & silence.
Cassidy's
Where Bill Clinton had a pint. Craft beer & trad since 1856.
Hynes' Bar
Stoneybatter's highest-rated pub — 4.8 stars, great beer garden & Asian fusion food.
Lost Lane
Grafton Street's best gig venue — live music and club nights since 2019.
Grafton StreetThe Duke
Start of the Literary Pub Crawl. Joyce's local on Duke Street.
The Old Royal Oak
A Kilmainham Lane gem — perfect Guinness, trad sessions & dog-friendly.
The Willows
Beloved Dundrum local back and better than ever — quiz Thursdays, dog-friendly.
GlasnevinJohn Kavanagh's "The Gravediggers"
8 generations, cash only, perfect pint. Since 1833.
The Coach House
Ballinteer's community local — Sunday carvery, family-friendly & open from 10am.
57 The Headline
Clanbrassil Street's gastropub gem — Sunday roast, own-brewed beer & great whiskey.
Anseo
The ultimate craft beer dive bar and creative gig space on Camden St.
The Thomas House
The Liberties' community pub — craft beer, local art & genuine neighbourhood soul.
The Cat and Cage
Drumcondra's craft beer & pizza pub — near Croke Park, game nights & great taps.
P.Mac's
Dublin's craft beer pioneer since 2010 — 20+ taps, basement DJs & great burgers.
The Ferryman
A Docklands gem — spotless, warm & great beers near 3Arena.
Boland's
Stillorgan's much-loved local — vintage décor, great sports & award-winning craic.
The Bath Pub
Bath Avenue's brilliant local — Korean chicken burger, live music & a team that goes above and beyond.
The International Bar
Wicklow Street classic — birthplace of Irish stand-up with the Comedy Cellar since 1988.
Ryan's Arbour House
No-frills Dundrum local — jukebox nights, live music & cheap pints.
The Old Stand
300 years of history on Exchequer Street — perfect Guinness, no fuss.
J. O'Connell's
A Portobello Victorian gem — ornate snugs, perfect Guinness & unhurried calm.
R McSorley's
Ranelagh's late-bar favourite — quiz Thursdays, DJs at weekends & own craft beers.
The Hill Pub
A proper Ranelagh local — quiz nights, live music & no pretension.
Fallon's
The Liberties' gem since 1773 — flagstone floors, perfect Guinness & old Dublin soul.
Searsons
Ballsbridge's finest gastropub — Art Deco, great food, live music.
Sin É
Ormond Quay's alternative music & comedy bar — chess, gigs & basement comedy.
Café en Seine
Dublin's most glamorous bar — Parisian Art Deco on Dawson Street since 1993.
The Bernard Shaw
Dublin's most eclectic alternative venue — gigs, food trucks & drag brunch.
ChurchtownThe Bottle Tower – Beer & Food Co.
Churchtown's best beer garden — 90-person outdoor space, great food & pints.
Kehoe's
Victorian snugs, award-winning Guinness, est. 1803.
North CityThe Confession Box
Hidden Pro Cathedral local — cult Guinness & house whiskey since forever.
The Bloody Stream
Howth's legendary harbourside pub — seafood, open fires & live music under the DART.
Vaughan's Eagle House
Terenure landmark local — quiz nights, live sport & generations of history.
Sheehan's
A quiet Chatham Street gem — two floors of relaxed, elegant pub perfection.
The Bohemian
Phibsborough's community pub — Bohs FC HQ, live music & a great outdoor space.
Slattery's
One of south Dublin's finest traditional pubs — mahogany, snugs & live trad.
Usher's QuayThe Brazen Head
Ireland's oldest pub — live music nightly since 1198.
Corrigan's
A quiet Mountpleasant gem — real Dublin atmosphere, chess on Tuesdays.
O'Dwyer's of Kilmacud
Kilmacud's all-day local — breakfast to dinner, terrace & private events.
Slattery's of Capel Street
Bourdain's pick — Capel Street early house open from 9am, full breakfast & great pints.
The Devlin Bar
Ranelagh's boutique hotel bar — brilliant cocktails, live music & open from 7am.
Humphrey's Pub
Ranelagh's dog-friendly local — great beer garden & sports all day.
Temple BarThe Temple Bar Pub
Dublin's legendary pub — live music all day, 450+ whiskeys.
The Blue Light
Dublin's finest mountain pub — panoramic bay views, turf fires & exceptional Guinness.
Dublin 2Toner's
Yeats drank here. The snug alone is worth the trip.
Dublin 2Bruxelles
Dublin's rock institution — Phil Lynott's local since 1886.
Blackbird
Craft pints, board games & pizza in a dimly lit Rathmines den.
Rascals Brewing Company
Dublin's best craft brewery taproom — 16 own brews, wood-fired pizza & great beer garden.
The Glimmerman
Stoneybatter's craft beer paradise — 150+ bottles, expert staff & serious pints.
Keavan's Port
A quiet fireplace pub at the top of Camden Street — the antidote to the strip.
Gibney's of Malahide
Malahide's most beloved local — live music Thursdays, great beer garden.
The Portobello Bar
Portobello's lively strip anchor — craft beer, cocktails & weekend music.
Kennedy's Pub & Restaurant
Georgian red-brick pub near Trinity — great food, cocktails & Guinness since forever.
TapHouse Bar & Kitchen
Ranelagh's craft beer hub — rotating taps, rooftop terrace & Sunday roast.
Dublin 2Grogan's Castle Lounge
No music, no TV. Just great pints and local art.
GlencullenJohnnie Fox's Pub
Ireland's highest pub since 1798 — Hooley shows nightly in the Dublin Mountains.
The Palace Bar
Family-run Victorian gem & whiskey merchant, est. 1823.
Brady's
Terenure's warm pub & tapas bar — famous chicken wings, quiz nights & families welcome.
Dundrum House
Dundrum village's heart — traditional pub, food daily, loyal local crowd.
Dublin pubs — FAQs
- Where is the best Guinness in Dublin?
- The best-rated pints in Dublin shift as locals score them, but the leaderboard on this site ranks every pub by its honest Guinness score — pour, settle and all.
- Which Dublin pubs have trad sessions?
- Filter the Dublin map for trad sessions to see which pubs have live traditional music on tonight and through the week.