I’ve been living in Dublin City Centre now for over 12 years, and even as a Kilkenny man I have to say I’ve grown to love it. The city has something for everyone regardless of what mood you’re in. When it comes to drinking Guinness, let me tell you that locals don’t drink in The Temple Bar and we don’t drink in The Guinness Storehouse.
This is how we drink Guinness.
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Grab a Pint in an Early House
Ireland has some pretty strict licensing laws. When you visit here there are a few that might catch you off guard. Most pubs must close by 11:30pm Monday to Thursday, by 12:30am Friday and Saturday, and by 11pm on Sundays. There’s usually a 30-minute “drinking up” time after last orders, unlike London where you’re given the bum’s rush.
Sales of alcohol in supermarkets, shops and off-licences cut off strictly at 10pm, every night, including weekends. On Sunday, you cannot buy until 12:30pm and on St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin you cannot buy take away alcohol until after 4PM.
We can’t be trusted. But we do love an exception.
Dotted around the country are “early houses”. These are pubs that are legally permitted to open and serve alcohol from as early as 7am. Originally, these special licences were granted to accommodate dock workers, market traders, and shift workers who finished their jobs early in the morning and wanted somewhere to unwind.
Today, they are for those of us who just fancy an early pint or want the “hair of the dog” after last night! Here in Dublin, there are some great early houses.
- Slatterys, Capel Street.
- Wind Jammer, Townsend Street.
- The Padraig Pearse, Pearse Street.
Slatterys in particular is a fantastic spot to visit because they also do a decent fry. Perhaps not what it was when Anthony Bourdain visited, but good nonetheless.
Personally, I find there’s something enjoyable about having a pint early in the morning. It gives you that same feeling as an airport pint. You’ll also almost certainly get to meet some characters in the bar at that hour!
Live Irish Traditional Music at McNeills
Sticking with Dublin, pints and even Capel Street.
McNeill’s on Capel Street is famed for its live traditional Irish music sessions. These are open sessions (meaning technically anyone can join – but you’d want to be good) and are on every week, Thursday through to Sunday at 9pm.
The pub itself is a long-running institution, established in 1834, it started as a music shop and remains deeply focused on nurturing Irish musical culture. Expect a welcoming, no-nonsense vibe, a great pint, a real turf fire in winter.
Grab yourself a pint, some crisps and settle in for the evening. If you are a chatty bunch, you might want to sit away from the musicians.
Ukulele Tuesday at The Stag’s Head
Another Dublin institution is The Stag’s Head, and Tuesday offers up one of the quirkiest nights in Dublin. I always wonder what it’s like for people who wander in without a clue what’s going on.
Ukulele Tuesday at The Stag’s Head is a weekly music night every Tuesday from 8pm. Upstairs, the parlour of this historic pub fills up with a crowd of ukulele enthusiasts and curious pub-goers alike.
Anyone can join. Bring your own ukulele and play along, borrow one from the house (first come first served), or just come to sing, clap, and soak up the pure fun. No experience required!
The group tackles everything from pop hits to rock classics, folk, and random crowd requests. Lyrics and chords are projected on a big screen, so it’s easy to follow.
Glasnevin Cemetery & The Gravediggers Pub
The Gravediggers Pub is probably the most talked about pub in all of Dublin. Locals love it. Beer snobs love it. Hipsters love it. Those that hate hipsters love it. Established in 1833 and run by the same family for eight generations, the pub is physically built into the cemetery wall. I’m a former undertaker so I love this.
Gravediggers used to be served their stout through the railings – dead handy that. The pub is a time capsule. Little has changed in centuries, with weathered wooden floors, no TV or music, and a lively focus on conversation and storytelling.
If you want to try Dublin’s most famous dish, you’ll get your chance here too because they serve coddle. They serve Gravedigger Coddle to be precise, because everyone that makes coddle makes it their own unique way. Coddle is a traditional Irish stew, deeply associated with Dublin’s working-class roots. It’s a hearty, comforting dish made primarily to use up leftovers, and it consists of pork sausages, bacon rashers, potatoes and onions.
The dish is somewhat similar to scouse from Liverpool, showing the two city’s close connection. But the dishes are different. Scouse relies more on chunks of beef or lamb and often includes carrots. Coddle is distinctly different for its heavy use of boiled sausages and bacon rather than beef or lamb, plus its simplicity and looser, brothier texture.
If you’re planning a visit to The Gravediggers pub, make the most of your trip by exploring Glasnevin Cemetery, which is right next door. Just up the road is the beautiful National Botanic Gardens.
Here you’ll be able to immerse yourself in Ireland’s rich history among the cemetery’s famous graves, then enjoy a tranquil stroll through lush glasshouses and rare plants at the gardens, all before rounding off your day with a timeless pint in Dublin’s most storied pub.
It’s a classic northside Dublin trio, all within easy reach, offering history, nature, and unbeatable atmosphere.
Grab a Toastie and a Pint
Dublin is an expensive place to visit. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news on that front. But, there is value to be had. Some absolute stunning value if you look for it. I personally believe that the best value is to be had when you bundle a pint an a toastie together. A toastie is a simple Irish snack. It’s bread, cheese and ham – toasted until the cheese gets melted. You get some places doing fancier ones, but that’s the basics.
Here are the three I recommend the most.
Grogans, South William Street
Grogans has some of the best Guinness in Dublin. They also serve up toasties galore. I recently got myself a pint of Guinness (which was sublime), a toastie and a packet of Cheese and Onion Manhattan Crisps (don’t leave Ireland without trying these), for €14. I’ll come onto better value than that, don’t worry – but the quality of everything is excellent.
Liberty Belle, Francis Street
I like to think of myself as an adopted son of the Liberties having lived there for over 10 years. It’s become an absolute melting pot of modern Dublin. The area is undergoing change and evolution, one of them has been the rejuvenation of the Liberty Belle.
On any given day, you’ll likely find locals and tourists chatting with each other over a pint and (you guessed it) a toastie. The absolute winner here, is the incredible value. I was flabbergasted.
For just €8, you can get yourself a ham and cheese toastie, with a side of crisps included and a pint of Guinness. The ham they use is real chunky ham too.
Incredible stuff this.
Bowes, Fleet Street
Bowes has to get a mention here because it’s another bar that easily makes the list of some of the best Guinness in Dublin. A list I must actually draft one of these days.
Bowes also does toasties for about €5 or €6. The toasties are grand, but it’s a great way to pass of trying more Guinness as a “lunch stop”.
Fitzgeralds, Aston Quay
Believe it or not, it was a recent random wander into Fitzgeralds on Aston Quay that started off my mini hunt for pints and toasties. For €10 you get yourself a decent pint of Guinness, an ok toastie and some crisps on the side.
You’ll see none of this blew me away, but the location is excellent. If you’re flying into the city on the bus for a few hours or a layover, or heading from the Southside over to the Northside and feeling a little peckish, €10 for this fixer as you go – well you can’t go wrong.
Bonus: Guinness Alternatives
Along with drinking Guinness like a local, I want to tell you that locals don’t always drink Guinness at all. In the south-east, you’ll find more Beamish and Murphys drinkers. In some bars you’ll find local craft stouts. And in Dublin, if you go to the likes of the Porterhouse or Tapped, you’ll find one of my favourite drinks on the planet; Oyster Stout.
Now, as the name suggests this isn’t suitable for vegans or people that are allegergic to shellfish. Oyster Stout uses oysters in the brewing process. But don’t let that put you off. It just adds umami to the flavour – yum yums as In describe it, not making the drink at all “fishy”.
You can read more about my favourite stout alternatives if you like, because there’s more to Ireland than Guinness, but more to Guinness than the Storehouse and The Temple Bar.
