or why you don’t need to go to The Temple Bar
By Michaela
Dublin is arguably the best place to indulge in a freshly draught pint of the world famous frothy stout Guinness. The St. James’ Gate Brewery, which is the home of the dark beer, is located in the city’s centre, south of the river Liffey and within walking distance from the Jameson and Teeling distilleries.
For newbies when it comes to Guinness or for those interested in the story of the brewery, the ingredients and the Guinness family, a visit to the Guinness Storehouse can be fun, but the tickets for that experience are not budget friendly. But: the good thing is they include a pint to be enjoyed in their nice top-floor viewing ‘Gravity’ bar. A day spent there can be well concluded in their restaurant, with nice food, but you will not save any money choosing your Guinness that way.
While Dublin is Guinness’ proud home, and it certainly goes hand in hand with the experience of the city, it is not the cheapest place to drink it. A rather unwise spot to go flock to the Guinness well and dance through Dublin’s nightlife is the famous Temple Bar. There will be Guinness, or any other kind of beer and cider, life music and surely not a single Irish person. If you enjoy an overpriced beer, a taproom full of tourists from all over the world, tacky Temple Bar merchandise and other kinds of tourist traps – well then Temple Bar‘s the place for you.
However if you know your Guinness well, don’t need an expensive introduction to it, and are looking for a more authentic Irish Experience, here are our top 5 picks of pubs to go to:
5. Mulligan’s
This cosy old-school pub, loved by both the locals and the visitors who know about it, is on the south side of the Liffey, in between the Samuel Beckett theatre and the Butt Bridge. The reason Mulligan’s pub is a must and why its’ pint is quite famous amongst generations of Dubliners, who hail the atmosphere as a mecca of sorts, is the good drinks and good chats. That’s what made famous Irish writers James Joyce and Seamus Heaney, and reportedly John F. Kennedy when he was still working as a journalist for the Hearst Newspapers, come to Mulligan’s for their Pints. For a pint with the air of conversation with Dublin’s great writers, Mulligan’s is the place for you.
4. Toners
If you want the feel of the Temple Bar but not the tourists; and you also not quite want the old man-pub traditionalist air that many similarly looking pubs may have, we recommend Toner’s pub. Right next to St. Stephens Green and close to O’Donoghue’s, the people you will meet there are more artsy and most likely Students. While it surely will be busy there, we never saw the Bartenders struggle too much to not knock out pints as if they were the last. If this does not convince you, you might listen to the words of Rory Guinness, a Guinness-family member, who once supposedly said that Toners’ pint is “the best pint of Guinness in Dublin.”
3. The Stags Head
The Stags Head pub, just off of Grafton Street, provides a relief from all the hustle and bustle of the shopping and students’ places around. It will be filled with locals, so the vibe will be very relaxed and laid back, but it will also be super busy on the weekends and around dinner time. If you enjoy your pint with meal of traditional Irish cooking, your best bet is this historical Dublin pub, with traditional Irish food, music and banter.
2. The Long Hall
Named after St. Georges Chapel and just like Dublin Trinity Collages famous library, this pub is old enough to fill a library with its stories. You will find it located not far from Dublin Castle, on the southern side of the Liffey. With its iconic red doors that have not changed since the Victorian era, it is one of the must see pubs, especially after visiting the Long Hall Library. The few tourists who come to see it are mostly there to take some pictures and leave, usually visitors are mostly locals and the atmosphere will be significantly quieter, yet the ‘craic’ and the service there are always the best.
1. Grave Diggers
John Kavanagh’s Gravediggers is a short bus ride to just outside of town, in Glasnevin on the north side of the river. So if you’re staying outside of town, it’s perfect to go for a meal and a pint, without having to go back into the city. Or it is perfect if you go outside of town to visit the mysterious and famously haunted Glasnevin cemetery, just across the street from there you will find the best pint in Dublin. It is a traditional Irish pub, run by the same family for Generations and named after the men, who used to dig the graves on the nearby cemetery. Besides the friendliest service this pint will also be the best value for your money.
For an Irish voice, on where to get the best pint, why not listen to this funny Guinness expert in his video:
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