This heavily food orientated pub in Booterstown has a deeply confusing layout - due to the slight hill its on, what seems like a restaurant upstairs from outside is actually just a quieter end of the bar/lounge layout once inside.
Food is pushed over everything else here - the off licence section to the front sells food items and is called the "Food Corner" and the single menu for both the restaurant and bar section has little in the way of bar food beyond burgers.
Food was decent enough although they were out of many deserts even early in the evening - this is a pub blog not a food critic one so I won't bore with the details.
Tuesday, 31 October 2017
S3795 The Forty Foot
This Wetherspoons has all the atmosphere of drinking on a ferry - an airport has more life to it. The food is quite poor too.
Prefer the Three Tun Tavern in Blackrock significantly, which isn't saying much. Dun Laoghaire has a decent selection of other pubs even if there are far fewer than there used to be.
Prefer the Three Tun Tavern in Blackrock significantly, which isn't saying much. Dun Laoghaire has a decent selection of other pubs even if there are far fewer than there used to be.
Friday, 27 October 2017
1009755 Three Tun Tavern
The first JD Wetherspoon pub to open in Dublin, back in 2014 and one of the cheapest pubs in Dublin. It also probably has the least prominent Wetherspoon branding of any pub in the chain; albeit I've clearly not been to the 1000 of them!
Whatever you may think of Wetherspoons pubs probably still applies here - its fairly large, there's no background music or TV noise, there's a unique carpet and the prices are very low.
The dearest draught pint is under €4; cask ales are €2.75 - when you consider this includes Jaipur at 5.9% this is incredibly cheap.
Like the initial few Wetherspoons, this is in an existing pub premises; this one is claimed to go back to the 18th Century originally. This gives it slightly more of a Dublin pub feel than you might expect but it is still very like the rest of the chain.
I didn't look at the food prices, assuming they'd be online - but they aren't. They're not dear either, though; but the food is not fantastic by any means. However, you're unlikely to find a meal and drinks cheaper anywhere else in Blackrock and the nearest similar priced pub would be S3795 Forty Foot which is *another* Wetherspoons.
Whatever you may think of Wetherspoons pubs probably still applies here - its fairly large, there's no background music or TV noise, there's a unique carpet and the prices are very low.
The dearest draught pint is under €4; cask ales are €2.75 - when you consider this includes Jaipur at 5.9% this is incredibly cheap.
Like the initial few Wetherspoons, this is in an existing pub premises; this one is claimed to go back to the 18th Century originally. This gives it slightly more of a Dublin pub feel than you might expect but it is still very like the rest of the chain.
I didn't look at the food prices, assuming they'd be online - but they aren't. They're not dear either, though; but the food is not fantastic by any means. However, you're unlikely to find a meal and drinks cheaper anywhere else in Blackrock and the nearest similar priced pub would be S3795 Forty Foot which is *another* Wetherspoons.
Saturday, 21 October 2017
N0199 Delaneys
The "other" long standing pub on Smithfield Square (N0198 The Cobblestone gets all the attention), this is a good traditional Dublin pub in a fine looking building.
There is an inexplicable (to the first time customer anyway) "Members Bar" at the front overlooking Smithfield to which you need to be allowed access - it was empty, as you might predict; so either nobody was allowed or wanted to sample whatever delights there are within.
Its a bit less, well, rustic inside than the Cobblestone and if you're not in to trad, this is probably the better choice in the area.
There is an inexplicable (to the first time customer anyway) "Members Bar" at the front overlooking Smithfield to which you need to be allowed access - it was empty, as you might predict; so either nobody was allowed or wanted to sample whatever delights there are within.
Its a bit less, well, rustic inside than the Cobblestone and if you're not in to trad, this is probably the better choice in the area.
N0192 The Richmond
A traditional inner suburban pub near the corner of North King Street and Church Street.
This is an area which has lost a huge volume of pubs over the past 50 years - and even more recently enough with The Tap (likely to reopen) and Saints and Sinners (up for sale as a 'former public house' so unlikely to reopen) closing down; however there is likely to be an increase in housing in the area as stalled developments finally restart so we're probably at the lowest volume of pubs now.
This is an area which has lost a huge volume of pubs over the past 50 years - and even more recently enough with The Tap (likely to reopen) and Saints and Sinners (up for sale as a 'former public house' so unlikely to reopen) closing down; however there is likely to be an increase in housing in the area as stalled developments finally restart so we're probably at the lowest volume of pubs now.
Sunday, 15 October 2017
N0214 McGettigans
This is the original McGettigans that started what is now an international bar and hotel chain; although strangely it isn't listed on their website's properties list currently - neither are their branches in the North Star Hotel or the Regency Hotel however.
I believe this was closed for quite some time; and until fairly recently possessed a wonderful example of a 1960s/1970s pub exterior that you just don't see anymore.
It's now a fairly generic modern city centre pub, inoffensive and a decent enough place for a pint. Seeing as the other bars nearby are all rather different to the norm in their own ways (Token, Dice Bar, Frank Ryans) this would be a good choice for a more traditional pub.
I believe this was closed for quite some time; and until fairly recently possessed a wonderful example of a 1960s/1970s pub exterior that you just don't see anymore.
It's now a fairly generic modern city centre pub, inoffensive and a decent enough place for a pint. Seeing as the other bars nearby are all rather different to the norm in their own ways (Token, Dice Bar, Frank Ryans) this would be a good choice for a more traditional pub.
1013114 Token
This is a rare thing - an actual new pub, rather than a rebrand of an existing one.
Based in what was built to be retail units on Queen Street, this retro gaming arcade opened as a restaurant early this summer and then upgraded to a pub licence shortly after. It is still heavily food based, with little in the way of seating for drink-only purposes - however, nearly every games cabinet has a drinks holder.
Upstairs, there's a big range of original, non-emulated cabinets from the 70s to the 90s; downstairs there a range of pinball machines. Nearly everything is one token a go, with tokens 50c each in low volumes and reducing to as little 30c should you wish to buy rather too many for one evening! I'd recommend getting 10 at least.
Larger groups wanting food would be advised to book a table in advance as it was quite busy on a weekday evening.
Based in what was built to be retail units on Queen Street, this retro gaming arcade opened as a restaurant early this summer and then upgraded to a pub licence shortly after. It is still heavily food based, with little in the way of seating for drink-only purposes - however, nearly every games cabinet has a drinks holder.
Upstairs, there's a big range of original, non-emulated cabinets from the 70s to the 90s; downstairs there a range of pinball machines. Nearly everything is one token a go, with tokens 50c each in low volumes and reducing to as little 30c should you wish to buy rather too many for one evening! I'd recommend getting 10 at least.
Larger groups wanting food would be advised to book a table in advance as it was quite busy on a weekday evening.
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