RetroReviews: N0144 Kennedys

This is the Kennedys in Drumcondra Village.

I watched a match here in about 2005. That's it. The reason I watched it here will be in the next post, though.

RetroReviews: N0107 Kimchi Hophouse

This is Dublins other, older genuine Korean pub - meaning that actual Koreans actually eat and drink here, rather than it being a tourist theme pub. Located in and preserving much of a fine old Dublin pub, including its original name board as The Shakespeare, they do decent food here.

They also rescued my football match viewing after N0106 The Metro as-was failed us, as detailed in the previous post in the series.

RetroReviews: N0106 MeMa's

When I was in this, once, it was still The Metro. I never went back for a reason you'll shortly see

We had been trying to find somewhere showing a football match, which I think may have been Brighton vs Bournemouth on the 09/10/2010 - that's just taken me a good half an hour checking for Sunday early kickoffs in the right era to find - which was a League One match at the time and not a Premier League match as it would have been in the past three seasons!

There were two of us, and two Bournemouth fans who had somehow found the same pub willing to show it - there were bigger sporting events on against it. However, at half time, the barman announced that a regular was coming in who'd "want the golf" and changed over.

Out we went a-wandering, both sets of supporters as one; and found that N0107 Kimchi Hophouse actually had a Sky sub and no other match on, and settled in there instead. 

I've been back to the Hophouse, and I'm sure I'll go to MeMa's, but the turfing out rankled enough that I never went back to the Metro!

RetroReviews: 1014978 The Wild Duck

This is getting published out-of-order, as I had it on my list under a former licence number, and it has since changed.

This sort-of outlet of Whelans took over the location of the former Spy nightclub, which is what this was when I visited it. 

Spy was a relatively low-end venue with a rather difficult layout for the DJ box and dancefloor as far as I can remember. I'm fairly sure there's plenty of nights nobody can remember, though, as all you can drink packages were sometimes on offer here.

RetroReviews: N0082 McGraths

My Dad's old local when he a: lived in Drumcondra and b: drank - so in excess of 35 years ago at this stage!

This was my preferred of the two pubs near Drumcondra train station for after-work pints, but we ended up splitting with my less-favoured N0080 Quinns unfortunately. I've not been back here for actual pints in quite some time; but there is now a decent off-licence in what used to be the front lounge (I think? Always went out the back to the big screen anyway), which I have used a few times if heading for a train that will leave me home after 10.

1013164 Pearse Lyons Distillery

As Dublin's alcohol tourism venues slowly reopened, and until I was barred from leaving the county along with tens of thousands of others, I was knocking them off the list; and this was I believe the latest to reopen.

While the adjoining pub of shared ownership is still closed and indeed has said it will not be reopening with its current tenants; a full conventional pub licence is used here to give flexibility compared to other options.

The tour here starts with a whiskey and an AV presentation, presented primarily by the late Pearse Lyons - his final caption with his birth and death years leading to one of the other visitors on the tour to become somewhat upset - followed by a tour of the graveyard. Yes, graveyard - the distillery is in a former church.

After entering the church you are shown the standard distillery kit and then lead to the tasting area if you have paid for a further tasting; this including gin in most tasting options as well as various ages or cask treatments of whiskey.

A notable thing on this tour is that the staff are both aware of and fully open about where products that are older than the distillery are obtained from. Plenty of new Irish distilleries have products with age statements going back to over 30 years old in some cases, with huge numbers offering a 10 or 15 when they are only trading for three or four; and while Alltech are no different here the staff will tell you whether a product is Cooley or Bushmills sourced. Alltech are one of the older of the new distilleries, having initially run product at a temporary plant in Carlow from 2012 prior to the Dublin site being available, so far more of the offered whiskey is actually their own, which may lead to this openness.

The duty distiller was also willing to give the mash bill percentage for the product going  through the stills at that time; which was a partial oats mix; and they are not just willing to say where they buy their malt and grain from - they have the branded bags on show.

As with the other touristic options, this is a very good time to visit - there are plenty of spaces available on tours, which are limited in numbers for social distancing purposes.

RetroReview: N0081 Tolka House

This was a regular spot for lunch when doing work in the Bon Secours Hospital just up the hill a bit, and I definitely had a sneaky pint at least once when doing so. I can't really remember very much about it, though.

RetroReviews: N0080 Quinns of Drumcondra

"Hey! Quinns is closed!" you might say. "It's still on the licence register, and anyway, it was awful enough to make me want to write it up", I'd reply.

In 2006/7, this was on my way to/from work and I was dragged in here for pints occasionally by a colleague who inexplicably didn't like N0082 McGraths down the road. I didn't like Quinns, so it was a trade-off as to who had to suffer each time! Pub smelled bad, crowd was often rough, drink was dear and poor, etc etc.

In 2014, it was temporarily closed for absolutely hideous food safety violations. I felt vindicated.

Its now closed entirely and likely to be knocked for student accommodation, which may use the licence for a licenced restaurant on the ground floor; or may flog it off.

RetroReviews: N0066 The Findlater

A mate of mine from Brighton (via Derry) used to head here before Ireland football matches in Croke Park; so I'd frequently meet him here, particularly if one of his group needed my second ticket. 

I honestly can't remember anything, at all, about the pub other than it being perfectly safe for a bunch of English accented guys in Ireland jerseys. The last Ireland match in Croker was 11 years ago; and I've not been back since 

RetroReviews: N0065 Eccles Townhouse

When I visited this, it was the Aurora Cafe Bar, and was a common lunch spot after doing work in the Mater Private or one of the many consultants clinics along Eccles Street. It has now been re-positioned as accommodation with an on-site bar; although I'm sure its still a fine place for a de-stressing pint and panini after fighting recalcitrant software all day. I was last here in 2013 at the latest.

RetroReviews: N0055 74 Talbot

My one visit here was a mistake. It was also still Mother Kellys back then.

Mother Kellys had quite the reputation. A local nickname of "The Pharmacy" applied, due to the apparent ease of getting certain possibly prescription products there.

I had been in N0006 Brew Dock, but wished to watch a football match - and Brew Dock only has terrestrial TV which is rarely used (you may not notice it at all - there's a projector upstairs and they put more TVs during the Euros). I decided to go up to Talbot Street rather than the potentially much safer idea of trying N0041 Robert Reades as-was and ended up in Mother Kellys

The pub was being 'run', to some level, by a single bar woman. She managed to remember, and indeed pour my round on the second go before I'd even got to the bar; and also managed to eject someone who was going around the pub trying to sell a single, presumably shoplifted, bottle of Smirnoff to patrons. 

Between the absolute headbanger status of most of the clientele, the guy trying to sell vodka with his reason of "I've just got out of the Joy and need money"; and the inch deep of 'water' (read: piss) on the floor of the toilets I should have bailed at half time - except due to the remembered order I actually had three pints in front of me, as the mate I was with had accidentally got a round also while I was wading through the mire downstairs.

Never again. I popped my head in to the refurbished and renamed 74 Talbot, and on seeing a similar crowd and not one of the promised "craft beers" - engraved on the windows - on the taps, I left. 

RetroReviews: N0053 Graingers Talbot/Amiens Street

 Grainger is one of the more common surnames above the door of Dublin pubs; and unlike, say, Madigans - they don't appear to all be the same person/family. I'd imagine someone out there knows the relation between them all; if there is one that is.

When I first started going to this Graingers, it was a very traditional Dublin city centre pub; very convenient to Connolly Station and often very quiet. I've never failed to get a seat here.

Over time, it has had some work done and is now primarily a craft beer bar; although some of the regulars seem to have stayed; and while its probably a bit busier at the times I'd usually end up there; its still possible to get a seat. 

RetroReviews: N0033 3Arena

Its a big concert venue and the drinks dear & crap. I've been lots; including before it was rebuilt - the old series licence number shows its carried over from then.

RetroReviews: N0006 Brew Dock

Another of my frequent locations, being sort-of near work and matching what I want in terms of beer and food. This is one of the smaller Galway Bay bars but still manages 24 taps and the normal food menu. 

Like many Galway Bay pubs, this had a bit of a mixed history prior to them taking it on - it was an early house, went through multiple name changes and ended up closed; but has thrived with the GBB format.

Craft competition has popped up nearby over the years, with 1013149 Urban Brewing opening up and N0053 Grainers re-targetting; but it has held its own.

I've noticed that because I usually write up a specific visit; some of the shorter posts in this series are for pubs I visit a lot!

RetroReviews: N0002 Madigans Connolly Station

In the UK, railway station pubs usually slot in to two categories - boring or beautiful. In Dublin we get original yet still quite boring, we get bonkers, forced twee and sort-of beautiful in this case. Externally, there is little or nothing appealing to the pub in Connolly; but inside Madigans you get to see quite a bit of the 1840s railway architechture; some of it lit quite nicely from memory.

Memory here isn't the best though, as while I was here relatively recently; like all visits to in-station pubs it was very quick - 29 minutes for a train due to just missing one. By the time of the evening my trains go to hourly, the pub is closed so its Graingers across the road for any 59 minute waits.

RetroReviews: 1013315 The Button Factory

Another gig venue, and one I haven't been back to that much recently - for some reason bands I go see have mostly moved to the Olympia it seems.

This has a theatre licence, but now also operates a standard bar under somewhat disputed conditions.

RetroReviews: 1011804 The Bridge 1859

I initially said some of these pubs might have been last visited 15 years ago. This one's 16; as I forgot that I got in to a few places underage... and under a completely different ownership and setup I must add!

Back in 2004, this was still known as Bellamys, and I was rather tall and able to pull a Homer Simpson grade five o'clock shadow, so it was quite easy for a barman to not bother checking ID. That it was during the Young Scientist should have been of some concern; but as we'll see in another post much further down the list; that alone definitely didn't raise eyebrows elsewhere...

So - the pub's been fully refurbished since. Its now run by the same people who run 1004917 Lemon & Duke, so maybe that writeup will give you a better idea of what its like. But I drank here, on the same licence, so it counts under my rules.

RetroReviews: 1010890 Market Bar

This premises has undergone a vast and hopefully temporary rework to enable it to operate more viably under COVID restrictions; and I haven't been in since - or for some years actually - so I can't reflect current realities here.

Back in t'day, when I were a lad... or March, and its normally known, the Market Bar was a vast open plan pub/restaurant known for its rather odd acoustics and its resultant ability to be EXCEPTIONALLY LOUD despite having no music playing. It is in an old market, or at least part of it - the bulk of the South City Markets still operates as the Georges Street Arcade, in to which there is (normally, anyway) a secondary entrance to the bar.

RetroReviews: 1010804 The Drunken Fish

This is a Korean bar - one that's actually drunk in by Koreans, albeit that's not unique in Dublin - in a fine listed building; namely a former excise stores. Originally opened as a modern bar called Excise, which I have a very vague feeling I may have drunk in in about 2006; I've definitely been here quite a few times since it opened under its current guise in about 2014.

The floor levels in here are somewhat confusing; due to the preservation of parts of the listed building it is in - the main street facing entrance is up steps, with the bar then down steps back to much the same level as the street! From memory, last time I went in here the drink selection was all Heineken Ireland and missing the more drinkable options at that, but that was a few months ago.

When I worked a bit closer, I was a very frequent customer of the take out / fast food part of the business, which operates as "Mix & Mix" from one of the modern extensions of the building. There is also a more conventional restaurant above this and back in to the upper floor of the original building; which uses a call bell system to call wait staff to your table - something I've not seen anywhere else.

RetroReviews: 1010576 Yamamori Sushi

I recently wrote about my first visit to the other pub-licenced 1010212 Yamamori on Georges Street which describes this place relatively well.

There is more of a bar setup here; as well as a nightclub and obviously, the restaurant. Have the chicken katsu, its better than you'll make yourself.

N1983 Jameson Distillery Tour

As with the other distillery tours in Dublin, a full pub licence provides flexibility here - although currently, you get your tasting on the tour and a single sample or cocktail afterwards; with table service to tables scattered around the extensive bar area.

Now is a good time to go on the various distillery tours - in the case of Jameson, everything has been spaced out to provide social distancing, and while numbers are heavily limited it is very likely you can same-day tickets.

RetroReviews: 1008963 Porterhouse Central

I've been here countless times before; the most recent in mid-February. I've been here as Judge Roy Beans (underage - its totally new operators since 2004!), I've been to the nightclub as Lillies. I've been to the Dingle Whiskey Bar that shares the licence. Its nowhere near the most frequently visited pub for me, but it would be hard to even try remember every time.

The Porterhouse provided Dublin's earliest craft beer bars and that's the main offering on the ground floor; along with a restaurant area at the back offering fairly decent conventional pub grub. The whiskey bar next door has a huge selection, including their own Dingle products but also a near complete set of current Scotch distilleries.

The nightclub on the upper floors has relatively recently been relaunched as Lost Lane; having been the infamous Lillies Bordello prior to this. Lillies, with its members only Library bar, bottle service and so on attracted an odd if varied crowd. I somehow ended up here one night from the rather other-end-of-the-scale Sin in Temple Bar; and another night when my employer decided it would make a good Christmas party venue for some reason. Its website is still up, for now; if you want a look back in time to what was one of the last vestitages of 1990s/pre-crash 00s Ireland.

RetroReviews: 1008888 Dublin Airport T1

This is the catch-all licence for some of the bars in T1 in the Airport; primarily the one allll the way down in Ryanair-land which is the most likely one you'll have used.

RetroReviews: 1008359 Weston Aerodrome

There is a proper bar and restaurant here; on the upper floor of the terminal building. Its not bad, but its an irritating walk to the bus stop afterwards so maybe get a taxi - its not like you'll be flying out, unless you're very wealthy of course. 

RetroReviews: 1007885 Jampark

I haven't been here since it rebranded (from The Wright Venue); and indeed I haven't drunk here in ages, but I have and that's what matters for the list!

RetroReviews: 1006699 St Bridget (Dublin Bay Cruises)

This is borderline to include really; as it is a passenger vessel - a boat - not a land based premises. There is a pub on a boat, namely The Boat, but its permanently moored; and the St Bridget is definitely afloat

This is the Dublin Bay Cruises vessel, from which I've done a Halloween special broadcast for work, as well as attended a The Original Rudeboys gig in Dublin Bay which we organised. 

There is a small but functional bar on board the boat. The trip out into Dublin Bay is amazing in good weather and well worth a go.

RetroReviews: 1006303 Opium

I had a fairly poor Christmas party here - in terms of atmosphere and attendance more than anything else - and don't massively remember much else about it. Wouldn't be my type of place to go to, normally. But I've drunk there, so it counts.

RetroReviews: 1004033 Vintage Cocktail Club

 Its hard to say whether this was the first of the fancier cocktail bars in Dublin, but its likely to be up there - although it isn't the first licenced premises in its location; Pal Joey having been there previously. In the Pal Joey era, it had a ground floor - now, you enter via a door to the stairs, having to buzz in as if its a speakeasy... which, as it holds a conventional publicans licence, it by definition is not

That prohibition era vibe is what they're going for; and have mostly managed to get. The prices are rather on the steep side and that's likely why I haven't been back in about five years!

RetroReviews: 1004031 The Workman's Club

The place that (sort of) started it all for Press Up's bar stereotypes; the once hipster mecca, and somewhere I've not actually been in quite a while. The licence also covers Bison Bar, which is linked upstairs; and is a bit of an oddity in that regard as Press Up have multiple licences in this overall structure for their different units.

I've probably been to Bison more often than the Workman's itself; as its directly beside a bus stop home and quite conducive to leaping in for a pint when you see over 20 minutes on the screen; although since the off-peak bus services were increased a few years back this has really died off.

The Workman's was what it says it is - its the former City of Dublin Working Men's Club; the club itself having moved to Strand Street Little in 2003; where it was still operational in 2017; but I think may have closed since, as the building was up for sale in Summer 2019. There ever very few ever of this type of club in Ireland, and even fewer still operate.

They've kept some of the interiors from that era, giving possibly the most genuine atmosphere of any of the modern Press Up locations - the original S2119 Captain Americas also has its charm, but they bought it.

Bison is a lot newer, not being a former sort-of-pub; and is more food focused.

RetroReviews: 1002905 Croke Park

I'd never noticed how so many of the places at the lower end of the register weren't "really" pubs before. Two stadiums and a conference centre in the first bundle of posts is a bit excessive but it doesn't leave many more of the same to do

I've not been to Croke Park as often as the Aviva; but I have been to at least one gig here at which I had rather crappy stadium pints; and I'm fairly sure I had more at the 2007 League Final too.

RetroReviews: 1001986 SSP Dublin Airport T2

This is the catch-all licence for the Select Service Partner operated bars in Dublin Airport T2; and the Budweiser tap in the Burger King... if you've had a pint that you paid for in T2, this is probably the licence you hit - the DAA licence covers mostly duty free and the lounge.

What is a Pub?

No, this isn't some existential post about what makes a somewhere feel like a pub in someones mind (just go read The Moon Under Water for that); its what is the legal definition. Currently, the LVA are trying to claim that somewhere that looks like a pub and acts like a pub is "not a pub". They've said this about fifty times so far today on Twitter, trying to create some division between licence classes in peoples minds.

On this blog, I accept the following licence types as pubs:

• Aerodrome Licence
• National Concert Hall Licence
• National Conference Centre Licence
• National Cultural Institutions Licence
• National Sporting Arena Licence
• Passenger Vessel Licence (for vessels which ply their trade entirely in Dublin)
• Publican's Licence (6-Day)
• Publican's Licence (7-Day Ordinary)
• Publican's Licence (ordinary) - Theatre
• Publican's Licence (ordinary) Horse Racecourse
• Publican's Licence (Ordinary) Hotel - (Public Bar)
• Publican's Ordinary Railway Refreshment Rooms Licence

The reason for this is that all are allowed serve you alcohol without the requirement to purchase food (in normal times, clearly) and while some are clearly impossible without a ticket; there were plenty of ticket-only pubs in the boom.

I would also accept the Early Closing variants of the 6- and 7-day licences and the Omnibus Station Licence if these ever appeared in Dublin again.

Its very, very easy to argue that the first 6 categories shouldn't count; and I wouldn't even bother arguing about it; nor would I bother arguing in favour of the single racecourse licence - seeing as Leopardstown actually has conventional licences anyway.

However, the LVA are now repeatedly claiming that a pub that holds a Theatre licence is "not a pub", and has even doubled down with a claim that they don't represent hotel bars; which I find exceptionally spurious.

We don’t represent them.That venue is not a pub and does not hold a pub licence. We don’t represent them just as we don’t represent other places serving alcohol like hotel bars, restaurants, theatres, shebeens etc

— LVA (@LVADublinPubs) August 16, 2020

The LVA has a committee member who represents a hotel chain; with no non-hotel licences that I am aware of it. The Irish Pub Awards, which they co-organise, gave its 2017 Dublin region Best Music Pub award to S3207 Darkey Kellys (hrm, that's probably the shortest positive write-up I've ever written).

If you exclude theatres from your idea of "a pub" in Dublin, you lose not only Berlin but also 1001735 RIOT, the Wild Duck in Temple Bar, 1005429 Barts on South William Street and a number of other places that are clearly Not Theatres Or Restaurants, which is what the LVA are trying to batter down on Berlin being.

If you exclude hotels, as I don't think they actually do except when further digging down on an argument, the list of places that basically everyone else thinks of as pubs rockets. Would you exclude the Library Bar from Dublin's pubs? Its on the licence of the Central Hotel, S3099. 

PMacs Drury Street is on a hotel licence. The Gasworks is on a hotel licence. The now closed Alfie Byrnes was on a hotel licence. All the various bits of the Mercantile complex are on a hotel licence. There's over 120 hotel licences in Dublin and about a quarter of them have bars that would be considered pubs by basically everyone

The LVA could very easily have just condemned the scenes in Berlin and pointed out that other operators are not doing it - instead they've spent an entire day trying to insist it isn't a pub as if this somehow changes the situation instead; which I simply cannot understand. Throwing the hotel bar sector under the bus is particularly strange too.

1010263 Pacinos

Pacinos restaurant on Suffolk Street has two sort-of secret additions, the Blind Pig in the basement and the Little Pig not-in-the-basement (well, someone else has already said its upstairs). Both are reservation required; and both have convoluted entry procedures - the linked article gives away the Blind Pig one but we went to the Little Pig; which is even more convoluted and which you can find out for yourself if you go.

Its a fully pub licenced premises, so I would assume that in ordinary times you can just go for cocktails; however at the time of visiting, food was not optional. Our 2215 sitting would also be impossible now, but the regulations had not been hardened by then.

The offering here is the quite common Prohibition-era style cocktail bar. Considering Prohibition era cocktails were devised to hide unpalatable bootleg spirits; and all the Dublin ones aping that style use good quality ingredients, any attempt at authenticity is gone from the start, but they go deep here to try and keep it feeling era-appropriate. There is an antique pull-handled toilet with no cistern siphon in the gents, so you need to pull multiple times to get a flush, for instance.

Its a small room and the available space for customers has been further reduced to allow for distancing, with tables moved appropriately apart and some new permanent fixtures at the bar to stop it being used

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Hidden behind a pub in Dublin is the Littlen Pig Speakeasy. Social distancing has led to the stools at the cocktail bar getting some new regulars #dublin #dublin2 #pub #pubs #dublinpubs #sony #lowlight

A post shared by Every Pub In Dublin (@everypubindublin) on Aug 1, 2020 at 4:23pm PDT

The cocktails we had - its a few weeks ago now, so I can't remember all of them, but they included an Aviation and a Sazerac - were all well made and the required accompanying meal was very good; and while it met the 'substantial meal' rules, was not like having to eat a carvery at 11pm.

In the circumstances, this was a very satisfactory end to the evening and I'll willingly return - when I'm allowed out of the county maybe!

RetroReviews: 1001973 The Gibson Hotel

One of the last hotels built before the late 2010s economic crash, and with a rock/guitar theme to match its location right behind the 3Arena; this is very near where I work, so I've been in quite a bit. Its also where a different employer had their Christmas parties and where some friends married, so my visits here have been multitude.

The main thing to note here is that food service is usually a tad on the slow side; but the food is good and the staff have always been exceptionally accommodating - particularly with the wedding I attended there. Its one of a limited number of Dublin hotels I've actually stayed in, too.

RetroReviews: 1001965 Dublin Airport T2

This is a catch-all licence for any facilities run or owned by the DAA in T2 that serve alcohol, such as any concession stands in their duty free, some of the bars and the generic lounge. 

As far as I can tell, the way the licencing works is that each operator - DAA, SSP, Wrights etc - needs a licence for each building - T1, T2, the carpark structure, the south boarding pier - that they use. This means that there are quite a few licences in the airport. They aren't pub licences as such, as you can get new ones generated without cancelling and old one; and I'm never quite sure whether to count them or not - but the old arrivals bar in T1 was certainly considered to be a "proper pub" by many; but a fridge with a few bottles in what is basically a huge portakabin is about as low as it gets

RetroReviews: 1001735 RIOT

I haven't actually visited this as RIOT; but only in its prior incarnation as the Gypsy Rose. This was a regular spot after gigs in the Button Factory or the Academy; but for whatever reason in gig scheduling, all I've gone to recently have been in Whelans (which becomes its own after-gig spot) or the Olympia, which drives me towards Georges Street instead.

What you got back then - a rock bar. If you've been in one you've been in them all I'd say. 

RetroReviews: 1001489 Aviva Stadium

To drink at the Aviva, you can go to a concert; or a rugby match; or for the posh seats at a football match - and if its a UEFA controlled match, don't expect to actually see the game with your pint. Which won't be great either.

Multiple FAI Cup finals in Premium (you used to get this automatically with a FAI season ticket; I no longer have one but I got used to the cushioned seat!), and one Champions League Qualifier for which I can't quite remember how a Premium ticket was obtained make up the times I've drunk here; but I've been to a decent amount of other games in normal tiers.

Its a Diageo shop, which dictates what drinks you can get. There isn't really much else to say.

RetroReviews: 1001292 Olympia Theatre

I've been here a vast number of times, as a gig venue; to the level that I'm not quite sure I could actually count it out. Hitting a sweet spot in venue sizes, and with not that many venues bigger until you hit 3Arena or outdoor arena sizes, its a permanent fixture on the touring schedules for mid-popularity brands and also the regular home of charity events.

Unlike the other gig venues, it's actually famed for its drinking facilities -  all the bars on all floors are quite special in terms of design; but Maureens Bar is the best known, as it is still watched over by the now approximately 95 year old Maureen Grant, who has worked at the theatre since 1949. 

As an old building, its been through quite a lot; including being saved from conversion to a dance hall by the then new planning laws in 1963, the collapse of the main arch in 1974, leading to a three year closure; and then its canopy being severely damaged by a truck in 2004. Both have been restored to their original glory and there are minor restoration works underway pretty much all the time to keep it going in decent condition.

I quite like this as a gig venue; although the Heineken Ireland products only bars do rather dampen the drinking experience!

RetroReviews: 1001691 Convention Centre Dublin

 A few of the now defunct Alltech beer festivals make up the entirety of the times I've entered the building that currently houses the Dáil. I'm unsure as to whether there is a bar operating here for the TDs; but a members bar doesn't need a publicans licence; hence why the normal Dáil bar is never going to appear here.

RetroReviews: 1000012 The Green Room

 I live in Kildare, not Dublin; which means that for the next two weeks (at least), there'll be no further pub visits for me. I do actually have a few from two weeks ago that are not yet written up, and will appear in the next few days, but I've been intending to do what this post starts for some time now...

At the start of this project, I figured out that I had already drunk in about 130 pubs; which I marked off the now much abused spreadsheet I've used to keep track of where I am with the project. As Revenue updates came in, or pubs reopened - or, in a few cases, I had a sudden remembrance of a long-lost night out - a few further pubs have been marked off as previously visited.

I want to eventually be able to link to every pub's post when mentioned, which means I need to write up these 130 or so reviews. Some are going to be particularly abrupt; and if I ever get around to doing the small number that were closed prior to the Revenue open data era there's going to be at least one "I know I was here, but I can't remember a thing" - for Polly Hops in Newcastle.

I'll be going in the order my spreadsheet has them in, which is number order; so what better place to start than with the lowest numbered pub in Dublin - The Green Room on Sheriff Street.

This pub is part of the Liffey Trust complex of apartments, studios, offices and kitchens; which replaced a former equivalent, destroyed by fire in 2002. As the old building was apparently uninsured, I must assume the rebuild was funded by the apartments which the previous setup didn't have.

This is very near to where I work; and was one of the few places doing lunches when I started working there; so I've been a fairly frequent visitor for that, and also the occasional drinks before going to something in the 3Arena or the Gibson. However, since the opening of 1015426 Rubys, I've rarely been back, the reason for which will become clear.

The pub has its normal sized area, which is what is open regularly for lunchtime trade as well as its locals; some of whom even have customised bar stools; and a significantly larger area and second bar which I have only ever seen open for major gigs in the 3Arena.

Its fine as a drinking pub; but I've never liked the food (excepting for one day there was a BBQ in the smoking area, actually); and Rubys food is both better and cheaper so the majority of my business has moved. It should be fine from its locals and gig trade once this comes back to normal; though.

1010212 Yamamori Izakaya

I'd never eaten here before, because for some reason I always gravitate towards the Yamamori on the other side of the street - which is 'only' a restaurant - or their Norths Quays location which also holds a pub licence (1010576). The main floor is a restaurant, and the basement was a nightclub, pre-March, which is similar to the setup on the quays.

The offering here is small plates, so my regular dish (chicken katsu - unimaginative, I know) from the other two branches was not available; but the menu has a decent offering for those who dislike sushi; and a huge offering for those who do like it. The drinks menu is cocktails and sake heavy, with a small amount of beer, Japanese and American whiskey and quite a bit of gin available otherwise.

There's a good atmosphere here, although I don't know if it was more crowded in times past. The interior resembles a Victorian shopfloor, which it probably was - it occupies part of the ground floor of the 1880s Central Hotel; and is basically the only bit not being affected in their controversial wide-ranging renovation plans that will remove The Globe and RiRa from the face of Dublin's nightlife permanently.

I'll probably keep going across the road for my katsu, but if there's a case of there being a booking available in one and not the other I'd be totally willing to come back.

#LOKdown - Cross Border Pubs

Laois, Offaly and, most importantly here, Kildare have now entered a two week partial lockdown, a return to a mix of Phase 2 and 3; with shops and hairdressers allowed open as normal but pubs and restaurants closed; and a prohibition on leaving your county except for work and other essential reasons. This affects me, although as I have a few remaining posts for licences ticked off last weekend I should be able to ride it out without breaking the rules.

Leixlip is right on the border with Dublin - the Liffey forming the boundary here - and features two hotels and a pub which are actually in Dublin. All three of these are now in an odd situation of being allowed trade, but without their customer base.

N1958 Becketts Hotel (visited pre-blog) has not yet reopened, according to its website. N1218 Springfield Hotel has reopened, and its website is carrying a statement proudly stating that they pay their rates to South Dublin County Council - so will be trading through it.

1011787 Salmon Leap Inn is so close to Kildare that basically everywhere you see from the front door is in the county - but it itself is still in Dublin. It has been open and trading since the resumption of food pubs, and appears to still be open

Rather further away from a built up area, the remaining of the two pubs at Hazelhatch bridge, S1578 McEvoy's is within a few moments walk of the county boundary but I don't believe it has reopened yet. 

Finally, along the N7 there is S1574 Blackchurch Inn, but I'm totally unable to tell if this has reopened yet from their rather strange online presence; and out on the N81 there is Arp0667 Blue Gardenia, which I also can't tell - this is as close to Wicklow as to Kildare and indeed has a Wicklow licence number; but is actually in Dublin.

August 2020 Licence Update

 Very small licence update this month - only 4 rows are even touched - but there's something interesting

Reapperances

N2805 Krewe, Capel Street - this licence which was formerly Seven Stars karaoke bar had been off the register for some years, and the bar closed and derelict. Reopened in December 2019, which shows how long it can take for the register to reflect reality.

S0131 The Hairy Lemon

Meh. I'm not sure if there's much more to say here, but I try to avoid giving one line reviews except where somewhere is actually awful, and this isn't awful; but its barely worth it.

 

As discovered over the course of the weekend which will be partially documented in posts here, Dubliners are addicted to brunch, meaning that getting a late breakfast is close to impossible in anywhere that specifically advertises itself as doing such. So we headed to somewhere that doesn't.

A rather expensive breakfast with, very specifically, one of everything other than toast was obtained. One sausage, one rasher does not a Full Irish make, even with the other bits added in.

The waitress didn't know what was on draught - which they don't even have a huge volume of; and what was obtained was quite dear.

There are many, many worse pubs in Dublin but there's a better one diagonally across the junction (S3221 PMacs), and in the multiple times we passed it appeared that plenty of other people realised this too. PMacs was busy, the Hairy Lemon was not.

The lost pubs of Lockdown

Edit: This article is continually updated as more pubs are confirmed to not reopen

While we await any announcement on whether what have recently been re-named "wet" pubs can reopen on August 10th as originally proposed (update: they can't), it is worth noting the Dublin pubs have stated that they will not be reopening at all - at least not as they were with their current operators. Rumours swirl around other pubs; particularly if there have been obvious changes such as signs coming down or furniture being removed, but its not a good idea to speculate in public.

First out of the gate in early June with this news was the S0314 Queens in Dalkey, and with the value of this site for redevelopment potential, its easy to see how this may never return. - the reopening of the Queens in June 2021 has since been announced

N0869 The Donaghmede Inn was next, leaving a very substantial area of the Northside unserved

The Alltech-owned but not operated S1502 McCanns on James Street has also announced that it won't be reopening; with all social media already taken down. Nearby, S1465 Bakers on Thomas Street has also stated they won't reopen.

Bakers reopened as Dudleys in Autumn 2021.

Some pubs have closed for other reasons, but their passing may not have been noticed due to Lockdown. S0040 Ruin on Townsend Street closed in early March, as the building containing it is being demolished for redevelopment; and S2747 Alfie Byrnes did not reopen after Lockdown as the Conrad Hotel is undergoing some renovation and has re-taken the bar space

Updates after original post:

I was informed that N1099 Sackville Lounge will not be reopening (again), and there is a statement on their website confirming this

Update to this information - a statement was released that the website was inaccurate and that the Sackville will reopen; however it hasn't reopened as of January 2022.

I was informed via Twitter that the Cardiff Inn in Finglas is also not reopening, this was reported quite early on but didn't get a huge volume of media coverage

S1464 Pimlico Tavern has now put up a statement confirming they will also not reopen

 

In November, it was confirmed that N0215 Dice Bar would not be reopening

I had noticed that the signs were down on N0197 Taproom 47, and in December the second branch of the Soup Ramen restaurant opened in its premises - they have retained the pub licence.

In February 2021, dlbcycles opened a bike shop / takeout coffee shop in the premises that was S4428  The Bar in Dun Laoghaire. This was a replacement building, but on the site of a long established pub; albeit one with a very patchy operational history in the past few years. The Bar was still open heading in to lockdown, however.

dlbcycles confirmed on Twitter that they do not have the licence, so I would assume this has been sold off by the building landlord. A bike shop should have a good innings with the shift to personal mobility since the start of lockdown, particularly in Dun Laoghaire (where significant cycle lanes have been provided), so hopefully they outlast the last number of operators of this pub put together.

Thank you. 🤩 No license unfortunately 😕

— Dublin Loves Bikes (@dlbcycles) February 16, 2021

In April 2021, the closure of N1195 Clifton Court Hotel and Lanigans Pub was confirmed on Instagram by the operators. There has been a hotel on this site for well over 100 years, so hopefully something can reopen in the future

On driving past in August 2021, it was clear that the Clifton Court and its bars had reopened. The former operators confirmed they are no longer running it, but are looking to open another venue. The bars in the Clifton Court have been renamed to the James Connolly and Dalys - itself a former name of the venue.

The Business Post reported on the 16th of May that the Everleigh Garden nightclub portion of the Dean Hotel has been converted to a gym. The hotels other bars/restaurants are unaffected.

Only days before outdoor reopening - which they intended to do - Jam Park in Swords have announced they cannot come to a lease agreement and will not be reopening. This was also to be the pilot site for the first nightclub event in July.

While there was never any statement to the effect that N0022 Hill 16 was not reopening, the building has been placed up for sale with the pub unit vacant. This reopened in Summer 2022

Similarly, S2738 TGI Fridays St Stephens Green only ever put up a sign directing people to the Fleet Street branch, but in September 2021 it was placed for rent as an empty unit, having never reopened.

This reopened as The Bar in Sumer 2022.

In July 2020 - which I didn't notice until September 2021 - Sams Bar announced that they (and the entire hotel) would not be reopening. A later Instagram post was for the sale of the interior fittings

The complete redevelopment is a larger hotel, so expect this licence to stay alive and get reused.

Lockdown didn't precipitate the full closure of S0775 Ballsbridge Hotel, but it did probably cut its last few months off. The site is to become the new American Embassy and permission has been applied for to demolish it. A final announcement that it was not reopening came out in November 2021.

1010310 Napper Tandys hasn't opened since March 2020, and was very briefly placed up for rent in January 2022 - the ad was pulled before I could even open it from the email alert!

While there's nothing public to confirm that it *isn't* coming back as a pub, N0049 The Little Tree (visited as the Brendan Behan) was converted to the Summerhill Off Licence quite early in lockdown, and the licence now seems to be in the hands of the  N0104 Parnell Street Off Licence which is also in a former pub premises.

N0072 Chancery Inn was sold during lockdown and has not yet reopened.

While N1352 Foxhound Inn was already up for sale pre-pandemic, reports on the messy situation relating to staff redundancies confirms that the operators at the start of the pandemic are not returning.

N0091 Mayes on Dorset Street, popular with the cities Spurs fans as well as its locals, operated only its off-licence during periods when outdoor drinking, or nine euro dining were allowed; with even this having stopped. Lisa Grimm noticed that there was bad news on the planning front, so we must assume this will not return

Today in Unfortunate Dublin Pub News, apparently they want to make the shuttered Mayes a Centra - possibly keeping the Guinness sign/clock? https://t.co/zlB79Yk9p0 pic.twitter.com/4CR2JjUcZw

— Lisa Grimm (@lisagrimm) May 30, 2022

N1066 Bachelor Inn never reopened, and was placed for sale in September 2022. I don't think the Fitzgerald Group were operating this before it closed, perhaps it was leased out?

There are a number of other pubs which have not reopened but which there is nothing to indicate any direction as to what's happening - many are still licenced, no works have been done to the premises, they have not been advertised for sale etc. There are other premises which have closed for redevelopment but will reopen - e.g. S3175 Mercantile Hotel