The edinburgh vs dublin bars comparison sits at the intersection of two drinking cultures that outsiders often conflate and insiders consider entirely distinct. Both cities have a pub at their core, a whisky tradition (Scotch in Edinburgh, Irish in Dublin), and a reputation for hospitality that produces some of the most genuinely enjoyable bar experiences in Europe. But they differ in mood, pace, and the role that alcohol plays in the city's identity.
Edinburgh: Whisky, Old Town Charm, and a Serious Craft Scene
Edinburgh's bar scene divides between the Old Town, where the pubs are historic and the whisky bars are exceptional, and the New Town, where a serious cocktail and craft beer scene has developed alongside the financial services community. The Grassmarket and Victoria Street run some of the most atmospheric drinking streets in Britain. For a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood breakdown, see our complete guide to the best bars in Edinburgh.
01 — EDINBURGH
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Bar
New Town, Queen Street
$$$
Members Club / Whisky
The SMWS is technically a members club, but day passes are available and worth every penny. The society bottles single casks under its own numbering system without naming the distillery, and the tasting notes are written with wit rather than technical pomposity. The bar at Queen Street is the best place in the world to work through a guided whisky education. Staff are knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic.
Order: Ask for a guided comparison of two single casks from the same distillery region
02 — EDINBURGH
Bow Bar
Old Town, Victoria Street
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Traditional / Whisky Pub
Victoria Street is Edinburgh's most photographed bar street, and Bow Bar is its most reliable stop. The whisky gantry behind the bar runs to over 140 labels. The cask ales are kept well. The space is small, dark, and unpretentious in a way that takes deliberate effort to maintain in a city this heavily touristed. Come at opening on a weekday to get a seat without competition from the afternoon crowd.
Order: A dram from the Highland section or a pint of whatever cask ale the landlord recommends
03 — EDINBURGH
Lucky Liquor Co.
New Town, Queen Street
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Cocktail Bar / Casual
Lucky Liquor Co. is Edinburgh's most approachable serious cocktail bar: small, unfussy, and producing drinks that compete with much more expensive venues in larger cities. The menu changes regularly and the prices stay reasonable enough to order two. The space has a counter-service aesthetic rather than formal bar seating, which makes it significantly more relaxed than similar venues elsewhere in Europe.
Order: The seasonal sour or whatever they are currently excited about behind the bar
The full Edinburgh bar guide
Whisky bars, craft beer pubs, and cocktail dens across the Old Town, New Town, and Grassmarket. Our complete guide.
Explore the guide
04 — EDINBURGH
Panda and Sons
New Town
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Speakeasy / Cocktail
Edinburgh's best cocktail bar operates behind a barbershop facade on Queen Street, which is either charming or tiresome depending on how many speakeasy entrances you have navigated. The bar programme itself is unquestionably good: original cocktails built around Scottish ingredients, a serious spirits selection, and bartenders who have done time in London and returned. Reserve on weekends. Walk in on a weeknight.
Order: The house Smoky Old Fashioned with Islay Scotch or the seasonal Scottish gin cocktail
Dublin: Pub Culture at Its Absolute Best
Dublin's bar scene is anchored by the pub in a way that no other European capital matches. The traditional Irish pub is a genuinely distinct institution, and the best examples in Dublin produce an atmosphere that is not available anywhere else. Beyond the pubs, Dublin has developed a serious cocktail scene in the last decade that now runs 20 bars worth visiting on their own terms.
05 — DUBLIN
Mulligan's
Poolbeg Street, City Centre
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Traditional Pub / Guinness
Mulligan's has been pouring Guinness on Poolbeg Street since 1782 and it remains the gold standard against which Dublin pours are measured. The interior is original: dark wood, low ceilings, no music. The pint arrives in two stages and takes the time it takes. The crowd is mixed between city workers, journalists from the nearby Irish Times, and knowing visitors who came specifically for the pour. Order nothing else on your first visit.
Order: A pint of Guinness. Drink it there rather than walking out with it.
06 — DUBLIN
The Long Hall
South Great George's Street
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Victorian Pub / Atmospheric
The Long Hall is Victorian pub architecture at its most intact: the carved wood back bar, the ornate mirrors, the long narrow room that gives it its name. It draws a mix of tourists and regulars without feeling overrun by either. The barmen pour properly and the whiskey selection runs to several dozen Irish labels. Come on a weekday evening when the light through the etched glass windows is at its best.
Order: A pint of Guinness or a Redbreast 12 neat with a small water back
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07 — DUBLIN
The Dead Rabbit Dublin
Temple Bar
$$$
Cocktail Bar / Irish
The Dublin outpost of New York's celebrated Dead Rabbit brings the same Irish-American cocktail programme to its home country with a menu built around Irish whiskey, poitin, and Dublin-relevant history. The parlour floor upstairs is the more serious drinking environment. The programme is excellent and the service matches the reputation of the original. A strong choice for a Dublin evening where you want both the Irish context and the cocktail ambition.
Order: The Irish Coffee done properly or a poitin-based cocktail from the house menu
08 — DUBLIN
Against the Grain
Wexford Street
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Craft Beer / Independent
Wexford Street is Dublin's best independent bar strip, and Against the Grain anchors it with a craft beer selection that rotates through Irish and international producers. The space is unpretentious, the beer knowledge is genuine, and the prices stay accessible for a city that can be expensive. A reliable option for anyone who wants to explore Ireland's emerging craft beer scene beyond the obvious Guinness pilgrimage.
Order: Ask what is freshest from an Irish brewery or a local stout on cask
The full Dublin bar guide
Traditional pubs, whiskey bars, and cocktail dens across Temple Bar, Wexford Street, and the city centre. Our complete guide.
See the full list
Our Verdict: Different Strengths, Both Essential
Edinburgh wins on whisky depth, cocktail ambition, and the particular pleasure of drinking in a city where the architecture is doing as much work as the bar programme. The SMWS and Bow Bar are both irreplaceable. Panda and Sons is producing cocktails that justify Edinburgh's growing reputation as a serious drinking destination.
Dublin wins on pub culture, warmth, and the particular quality of being in an Irish traditional pub done properly. Mulligan's is not the best bar experience in Ireland because of its drinks programme. It is the best bar experience in Ireland because of everything else: the atmosphere, the ritual, the conversation. No bar in Edinburgh produces that specific feeling.
Our recommendation: fly to Edinburgh for whisky and cocktails. Fly to Dublin for pub culture. Both trips are worth making separately. If you have to choose one city for a long weekend of serious drinking, Edinburgh has more range. If you want a single unmissable bar experience, the pint at Mulligan's wins. For the full picture of which cities lead the world in pub culture, our top 10 cities for pub culture ranks both Dublin and Edinburgh among the global contenders.
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