Blackbird sits at 82-84 Lower Rathmines Road, a candlelit room that has anchored the Rathmines drinking strip since 2014. Spotted by Locals describes it as craft beer by candlelight, and that line captures the place exactly: low light, mismatched furniture, and a beer list that takes itself more seriously than the decor lets on. It reads as a student local that grew up without losing the fun.
Who would love it: a craft beer drinker who wants a long, low-key session with board games and a roof terrace. Who would hate it: anyone after a polished cocktail lounge or a quiet, early night, since the room gets loud and full by the weekend.
The room
The interior leans deliberately scruffy, with candle stubs, worn sofas, and a warren of seating that runs back from the front bar into a bigger session room. A roof terrace upstairs adds an outdoor option that is rare on this stretch of Rathmines, and a back space hosts club nights, table tennis, and the occasional market. The whole place is built for staying put rather than passing through.
The drinks
The draught and can list runs heavy on Irish and international craft, rotating regularly enough that regulars check the boards on arrival rather than ordering by habit. The bar staff mix a solid cocktail too, so the room is not purely a beer house, though the taps are the headline. Prices sit in the standard Dublin craft band, well under the city-centre cocktail rooms, which is part of why it pulls a younger Rathmines crowd. Come for the beer boards and let the staff steer you toward whatever just landed.
The crowd and vibe
Early evening is the calm window, when the candlelit front room suits a quiet pint and the board games come out. The energy climbs sharply toward the weekend, when DJs and club nights fill the back room and the terrace overflows. The room runs to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 1am on Friday and Saturday, so the late slots skew loud and social rather than sedate.
Who it is for
A craft beer session with friends over board games. A pre-gig pint before a night on the Rathmines strip. A weekend club night with a terrace to cool off on.
Best time to go
Weekday evenings reward you with the quiet candlelit front room and easy seating, ideal for a slow pint and the rotating beer boards. Weekends fill fast and run latest, so arrive before nine if you want the terrace or a table in the back. Check the listings for club nights and markets if that is the draw.
What regulars say
Across Yelp and Tripadvisor the verdict is consistent: come for the craft beer, the candlelit character, and the roof terrace, and accept that it gets packed and loud at the weekend. Reviewers praise the friendly staff and the rotating taps while flagging that seating disappears fast once a crowd lands. The recurring note is atmosphere, with the candle-lit, lived-in look cited again and again as the reason it stands out on the strip.
Blackbird earns its place in our pubs in Dublin guide. Pair it with a Rathmines and south-city crawl through Slattery's in Dublin, the craft-led The Bernard Shaw in Dublin, or the late-night Anseo in Dublin. See the full Dublin bar guide or our craft beer bars in Dublin roundup.
