A glass of hot coffee with Irish whiskey, a teaspoon of brown sugar and a layer of softly whipped cream floated on top. Hot under cold, sweet then bitter, the Dublin afterparty drink.
Irish coffee was formalised by chef Joe Sheridan at Foynes flying-boat terminal in Co Limerick in 1942, serving a hot coffee with Irish whiskey to American passengers diverted by Atlantic weather. Stanton Delaplane took the recipe to the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco in 1952, where it became the city's signature drink. Every traditional Dublin pub now serves a version; the Brazen Head, Davy Byrnes and The Palace Bar pour the city's references.
3 editor picks for Irish coffee in Dublin, ranked by editorial score. All Dublin signature dishes · Irish coffee across every city.
The Brazen Head ★ 4.4
the-liberties · 20 Bridge Street Lower, Dublin 8, D08 WC64
The Brazen Head on Bridge Street Lower in Dublin 8, established 1198 as Ireland's oldest pub, the present 1754 coaching inn serves Irish stew and trad sessions nightly.
The Palace Bar ★ 4.4
temple-bar · 21 Fleet Street, Dublin 2, D02 H950
The Palace Bar on Fleet Street in Dublin 2, a Victorian pub since 1843, the literary watering hole of the Irish Times pressroom, with a hundred-bottle whiskey list.
Davy Byrnes ★ 4.3
south-city-centre · 21 Duke Street, Dublin 2, D02 K380
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.