The Best Beer Bars in Dublin

The cobbled courtyard and castle-like facade are your first hint that this pub has been around forever, and it genuinely has, with a tavern on the site since the medieval period. Inside, three low-ceilinged rooms are plastered with historical curiosities, which suits the atmosphere well enough that it never feels like a theme park. A classic old Dublin pub, full stop, and one that's earned the patina.

1. Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide

The Victorian snugs up front still have their carved woodwork and whiskey-branded mirrors, exactly as they should. This is an old-school Dublin pub on Lower Baggot Street, the kind that looks modest from the pavement but extends surprisingly far back once you're in. Locals and politicians from nearby Leinster House have long made it a second office, which keeps the conversation loud and the pretension low.

1. Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide

The Dubliners launched their career in the cramped spot by the front window, and that corner still fills with live traditional music seven nights a week. O'Donoghues is an old-school Dublin pub on Merrion Row, the stretch locals call the Royal Mile of traditional bars, near St. Stephen's Green. Pints, fiddles, and a room that has barely changed since the O'Donoghue family converted it from a grocery shop.

1. Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide

Twenty taps of house-brewed stout will calibrate your expectations fast: this is a beer pub, full stop. The Porterhouse started here off Dame Street before expanding into a chain, but the original still runs its own brewery and sends unpasteurised beer to the bar. Around 180 bottles round out the draught list for anyone who treats a beer menu the way others treat a wine list.

1. Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide