Best Craft Beer Bars in Dublin City 2025 – And What to Drink There

Beer Temple/Against the Grain – Althea

If you’re right in the heart of Temple Bar, head to Beer Temple. If you’re closer to the Stephen’s Green area, it’s Against the Grain you’re after.

Galway Bay has grown its footprint massively in Dublin City Centre over the past few years. They’ve taken over operations at Brú and bought several spots around the city focusing on both food and beer.

The beer I recommend from Galway Bay is Althea. It’s an easy drinking nice Pale Ale. Quite approachable and a great way to ease yourself into a bar you’re not that familiar with. Galway Bay bars have plenty of choice to offer, including some great guest beers too.

One caveat comes with attending a Galway Bay bar though. Ask what’s pouring well. I’ve just recently discovered this makes a massive difference in these bars in particular. That’s the difference between an “ok” and a “great” experience.

If you find these bars are all a bit too far away, you can also check out Brew Dock or The Black Sheep. Galway Bay really do offer a wealth of City Centre locations.

Urban Brewing – O’Hara’s Red Nitro

Will you find yourself up at EPIC? EPIC is one of Europe’s best-known and loved tourist attractions. For that reason alone, there’s a good chance you’ll be within a stone’s throw of Urban Brewing. Urban Brewing is a long-standing brewpub in Dublin City. Owned by O Hara’s, you’ll find a mix of beloved O Hara’s favourites, in-house brews and some lovely tapas food.

Now, the in-house beers are ok. But that’s the best I can say about them I’m afraid. I’ve always found the beers to be slightly off-style or served somewhat poorly. But don’t let that rule out a visit.

You can still get a much more established beer in Urban Brewing. Personally, I would recommend the O’Hara’s Red Nitro. This is a classic Irish Red Ale served with a burst of nitro. The result is a gorgeous grain-forward red ale with a lovely creamy mouthfeel.

I’d argue it’s one of Dublin’s best red ales plus the food is good there, if not a little expensive. You should be able to score a discount after EPIC though so box clever.

Rascals HQ Inchicore – Wunderbar IPA

For a long time, I was steering clear of Rascals. For me, the problem was the location. What I didn’t cop for a long time was just how easy it is to get to Rascals. The brewery is based out in Inchicore but is just a short walk away from the Blackhorse Luas stop on the Red Line. This means you can catch the Luas near the Spire on Abbey Street and be sipping on freshly brewed beer in a brewery within 30 minutes for just a couple of Euro.

Now, once you’re there, Rascals serves up a wide selection of beers. You’ll be spoilt for choice. If I had to recommend one, I’d say stick to the core range. Wunderbar IPA is my goto beer from Rascals and it’s never let me down.

If you ask nicely (and pay for it obviously) you can even do a tour of the brewery. The pizza they serve is whopper too. Don’t be intimidated by the Luas trip – it’s well worth it.

Street 66 – White Hag Ninth Wave

Another entry for Temple Bar shows there’s a lot more to this lively area than just overpriced Guinness and stew. Street 66 is a welcoming bar for the “global citizen”. Within these four walls, you’ll find an amazing range of gin and cocktails. But you’ll also find a nice little stash of craft beer too.

Honestly, it’s surprisingly hard to find Sierra Nevada on tap, but here it is. But I’m not going to push an American beer here. No, no. It’s another beer from Sligo in honour of the bar’s Sligo co-owner Siobhan Conmy.

Ninth Wave is a lovely big-hop American Pale Ale. It’s juicy but not overly so. I’d probably keep this for a sunny day, but don’t be caught waiting too long for one of those in Dublin.

Porterhouse Temple Bar – Oyster Stout

I live in Dublin. More accurately, I live in Templebar. The place is a tourist trap from morning to night. But there are some exceptions if you’re clever. The Porterhouse in Templebar is a must-visit for people seeking a craft beer in Dublin City.

The Porterhouse in Temple Bar is Ireland’s (not just Dublin’s) first-ever brew pub. That’s enough to earn your interest. The beers on site earn your visit.

Alongside walls of beers from around the world which were donated by happy travellers in exchange for free drinks, you’ll find a fine selection of craft beer on tap; both from Porterhouse and guest breweries.

I recommend Porterhouse’s own Oyster Stout. It’s a unique way to enjoy stout, typically enjoyed with oysters – unsurprisingly. The bar serves oysters too, even though they are an acquired taste.

While I visit the bar on a fairly regular basis, it’s usually for a portion of buffalo sauce hot wings, chips, and a pint.

The Thomas House – Trouble Brewing Ambush

A trip to Dublin, in my opinion, isn’t complete without visiting the Liberties. It’s authentic Dublin. You’ll find lovely cafes, markets, and street vendors selling fruit. It’s what Dublin could easily have ceased to be, but refuses to lose.

Here, you’ll also find The Thomas House. This is an awesome rock bar serving great beers. You’ll find old-school staples that your macro friends enjoy and excellent Irish craft beers.

My tipple of choice here is the ever-wonderful Ambush by Trouble Brewing. It’s a real fruity hazy IPA. I mean it’s a proper fruit bomb. It pours well in nearly every bar in the city. For that reason, I’ll also give a big mention to Dockers over near Sir John Rogerson’s Quay. Very unlikely most tourists end up here but if you do, this new bar does a wonderful Ambush.

Note: it’s mandatory you tweet “I’m back on the Ambush” when drinking.

Tapped – White Hag Atlantean

We used to have two Porterhouse bars in Dublin. The one in Temple Bar that I’ve already mentioned, and another off Grafton Street. That one on Grafton Street has just been refurbished to be all fancy and modern. With the lick of paint came a new name; Tapped.

While my earlier recommendation stands, there’s something special on tap here too.

Tapped boasts over 50 taps serving craft beer, wine, prosecco and cocktails. But let’s stick to the beer. One of those taps is Atlantean by the White Hag. A lovely fruity NEIPA. Arguably the best Ireland has produced. Here in Tapped is probably the best way to drink it inside The Pale (that’s how we Irish refer to the Dublin region).

Fidelity – Pick a Rotation

What a bar this is. One of Dublin’s most beautiful craft bars. Fidelity is a collaboration between Big Romance (Parnell Street) and Whiplash (one of Ireland’s best breweries). The atmosphere is chilled, the music excellent and the drinks on offer brilliant. Naturally, you’ll get the core range from Whiplash on tap, that’s a given. The beauty of Fidelity is the tasty guest taps, forever changing collabs and a great wine and cocktail selection. This is one of those rare spots you can go with friends who don’t care for IPAs or Imperial Stouts.

When you’re here, I highly recommend the likes of Whiplash’s Blue Ghosts, Body Riddle or Rollover. Three beers I could easily drink any evening. Incredibly consistent, a word I use to describe Whiplash because it’s the reason I love them.

But, as the title says – check out their rotation taps too. There’s an exploration of flavour to enjoy. If you’re hungry, Fidelity Studio next door has some amazing Asian-inspired food for you.