Craft beer barsouth-city-centre
P. Mac's on Lower Stephen Street in Dublin 2, a candlelit craft-beer bar with twenty Irish and US taps, the southside's reference for an Irish craft IPA.
Signature drink: Whiplash IPA on tap
Food: Bar snacks; food trucks outside
Tip: Twenty taps weekly rotation; ask the bar for the Whiplash, DOT or Trouble Brewing pour. Cash and card.
Traditional pubsouth-city-centre
The Stag's Head on Dame Court in Dublin 2, a Victorian pub since 1860 with original mahogany and a stained-glass roof, the city's archetypal Dublin pub interior.
Signature drink: Guinness with an Irish stew
Food: Irish pub menu, full kitchen
Tip: Two bars; the downstairs is the trad pub, the upstairs Parliament Hotel is the late bar. Irish stew at lunch is the value play.
Traditional pubsouth-city-centre
Kehoe's on South Anne Street in Dublin 2, a Victorian pub of original mahogany snugs and an upstairs lounge that was once the publican's parlour, a classic Dublin pub.
Signature drink: Guinness
Food: Toasties only
Tip: Three rooms; the snugs sit four. The upstairs is the parlour room; ask the bar staff to point you up.
Cocktail and comedy barsouth-city-centre
The International Bar on Wicklow Street in Dublin 2, a Victorian saloon and the city's longest-running comedy room, the basement Cellar Bar pours cocktails.
Signature drink: Old Fashioned
Food: Toasties; pizza upstairs
Tip: Three floors; basement cocktails, ground-floor bar, first-floor comedy nights from 21:00 most weeknights.
Traditional pubsouth-city-centre
Davy Byrnes on Duke Street in Dublin 2, the moral pub since 1798, the Joycean Bloomsday stop for a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of Burgundy.
Signature drink: Burgundy with a Gorgonzola sandwich
Food: Irish seafood and pub plates
Tip: Bloomsday on 16 June fills before 11:00; the back room sits forty. Seafood plates run all day.
Audiophile craft beer and cocktail barnorth-inner-city
The Big Romance on Parnell Street in Dublin 1, an audiophile bar with twelve Irish and US craft taps, vinyl all night, the Northside's most considered late beer.
Signature drink: Daily craft beer pour
Food: Wood-fired pizza
Tip: Twelve taps and a serious vinyl system; the wood-fired pizza arrives until 23:00 Friday and Saturday.