Dublin
Bar Guide

Yes, it is overpriced. Yes, it is crowded with hen parties. No, that does not mean you should skip it entirely. Three of the pubs here are genuinely worth a visit, including The Palace Bar and Mulligan's, which predate the tourist machine by a century. Come early, stay for one round, then move on. We track 21 bars in Temple Bar, with honest notes on which 8 justify the prices. Find better after-work spots nearby.

The neighbourhood Dublin people actually drink in. Stoneybatter sits north of the river on the edge of Smithfield, and its bars have been taken over by a generation of craft brewers, natural wine importers, and bartenders who moved from the city centre to do their best work somewhere quieter. 19 bars in our Stoneybatter guide. The Cobblestone is the live music anchor but every street has something worth finding. Best craft beer bars in Dublin.

Dublin's tech quarter empties at 6pm into a cluster of rooftop bars and wine-heavy restaurant bars that have sprung up to serve the Google and Meta crowds. The prices are high and the views from the upper floors over the Liffey are worth it. 14 bars in our Docklands guide, including the best rooftop terrace in the city. See rooftop bars in Dublin.

The residential suburb south of the canal, where Dublin students and young professionals have been drinking since the city expanded outward in the 1970s. The pubs here are unpretentious, cheap, and loyal to regulars. 16 bars in our Rathmines guide. The Swan, Havana, and Cassidy's all make our list for different reasons. No reservations, no cocktail menus: just good pints in good company.

The area around Grafton Street has Dublin's most polished concentration of bars, from Victorian survivors like Kehoe's to modern cocktail operations behind unmarked doors. 28 bars in our Grafton Quarter guide, including the best whiskey selection in the city at the Whiskey Library. It works for dates, client meetings, and long Sunday afternoons in equal measure. Cocktail bars near Grafton Street.

Dublin's late-night corridor, where bars stay open past 2am and the crowd arrives after the dinner service elsewhere ends. The strip runs from Wexford Street down to the Grand Canal and holds a mix of indie music venues, cocktail bars, and old-school pubs that refuse to modernise. 17 bars in our Camden guide. Come after 11pm to catch the shift in energy. Live music venues on Camden Street. Heading north on the same island? The Edinburgh bar guide is the natural next step.