Morten Andersen does not romanticise the big-box sports bar, but he respects one that commits, and The Living Room commits harder than anything else in Dublin. With more than 50 screens and a 40-foot wall in the garden, it has decided what it is and built the room to match.
The Living Room sits on Cathal Brugha Street, off O'Connell Street on the north side of the river, a few minutes from the Spire. It bills itself as Ireland's number one sports bar, and the claim rests on scale: the venue carries Ireland's largest selection of live sport across more than 50 screens and opens seven days a week (The Living Room official site). This is a watching machine, not a quiet local.
The room is large, loud and built for crowds. A long bar feeds a floor of booths and high tables angled at screens, and the headline feature is a beer garden anchored by a 40-foot screen for the marquee games (DublinTown). On a Premier League Saturday or a Champions League night the garden becomes the seat to fight for, and the indoor screens cover every other fixture running at the same time.
What to order is beer by the pitcher and food built for a long sitting. The taps run the mainstream lagers and stout a sports crowd drinks, and the kitchen turns out wings, burgers and sharing plates aimed at a table watching a game. Morten's note: book the garden for a big match, take a pitcher and the wings, and treat the indoor screens as backup for the second game. Pricing holds at a city-centre $$, fair for the scale of the operation.
Who it is for is the fan who wants every game in one building and a crowd to watch it with. The Living Room is right for a multi-match Saturday, a stag or hen group, or a Champions League night with the garden screen on. It is wrong for a quiet pint, a date or anyone allergic to noise. For pubs with more character and fewer screens, our guide to the best sports bars in Dublin covers the traditional end.
Best time to go is an hour before a marquee kickoff, especially for the garden, which fills first for the big European and Premier League nights. The venue runs late on Thursday through Saturday to 2.30am, so a post-match session is on the table. Avoid a packed derby day without arriving early, because the garden screen is the draw and the good seats go fast.
The Living Room is Dublin's answer to the question of where to watch everything at once, a 50-screen barn that does scale better than anyone in the city. For a fan who wants the full slate and a loud room to share it, it is the obvious booking on a busy sporting weekend. For the wider city, start with our Dublin bar guide, and for a sport-and-games hybrid nearby see MVP in Dublin.
Sources: The Living Room official site; DublinTown listing; Yelp venue page.
