Editorial
Dublin date nights live in Georgian basements, hotel lounges and Temple Bar back rooms, and the city does both ends well, grand and hidden. We judged these on the room, the welcome and whether the round leaves change from a fifty.
Eight made the cut, from a doorbell speakeasy under Suffolk Street to art deco trolley service at the Westbury. The full Dublin date night bars list and the wider date night bars worldwide guide go deeper, and the Dublin bar guide covers the rest of the city.
The Blind Pig hides under Suffolk Street, Dublin's longest-running speakeasy, open from 6pm most nights and 5pm at weekends. The 1920s styling is heavy but the cocktails earn it, with a 4.4 Google rating across 1,200 reviews and live blues and jazz. It books up weeks ahead at peak, so reserve. Go for a late, low-lit second round, not a quick pint.
Vintage Cocktail Club sits above Crown Alley in Temple Bar, ring the bell to get in. Same team as Peruke & Periwig, and voted Dublin's best cocktail bar at the Irish Craft Cocktail Awards six years running. Open to 1:15am on Fridays. The room is small and the booths are the prize, so book. Go for a proper date, not a Temple Bar crawl.
Peruke & Periwig runs three floors at 31 Dawson Street, open seven nights with draught pints, craft beer and a long cocktail list. The styling is theatrical, the upstairs snugs are the seats to ask for, and the staff know the menu cold. It suits a date that wants conversation over noise. Book the first floor and settle in for the evening.
Drury Buildings spreads over four floors on Drury Street with a garden, terrace and balcony, open daily from noon to 11:30pm. The kitchen does charcoal-oven sharing plates and the cocktails hold up, so it works as dinner and drinks in one stop. The garden is the seat to book in summer. Go early, eat, then move up to the bar floors.
The Horseshoe Bar at the Shelbourne is the grand-hotel option, open from 4pm daily, where the Black Velvet of Guinness over champagne was reputedly first poured in the 1870s. Whiskey flights are the move, with a deep Irish list and bartenders who lead tastings. It is dressy and not cheap. Go for an early, civilised drink before dinner nearby.
The Liquor Rooms sits below Wellington Quay near the Clarence, a warren of themed rooms open 5pm to 2:30am, seven nights. The Boom Room and the Black Rabbit give you somewhere different for each drink, and it tips from cocktails into a late dance crowd. Go early for the quiet rooms and the cocktails, before it turns into a club.
The Library Bar reopened in November 2025 inside the made-over Central Hotel, now the Hoxton, the old wooden staircase and the fireside armchairs kept intact. It is the room for a cheese toastie and a Guinness by the fire rather than flashy mixology. Quiet by Dublin standards. Go on a cold afternoon, grab a fireside chair and stay for hours.
The Sidecar at the Westbury was named 2025 Hotel Cocktail Bar of the Year, an art deco lounge off Grafton Street with a martini trolley mixed tableside. It is polished and pricey, the drinks are precise, and the people-watching is half the fun. Go for the martini service and a special-occasion date, not a casual one. Book a banquette at the weekend.
Pygmalion runs inside the Powerscourt Townhouse on South William Street, a relaxed cafe-bar by day that turns club by night. The Coppinger Row terrace is one of the city's largest, and two-for-one Pygtails run all week. Open late.
For one bar, make it the Vintage Cocktail Club for the booths and the consistency, ringing the bell and settling in. For grand and special, the Sidecar at the Westbury earns the splurge.
Dublin rewards booking the small rooms ahead and timing the hotel bars for early evening. Pick the room for the kind of night you want, reserve where you can, and the pints stay cheaper than the cocktails.
Sources: venue official sites and menus; Visit Dublin and DublinTown listings; The Irish Times; Google Maps and Tripadvisor reviews.