If there’s one thing that’s not lacking in Ireland, and Dublin in particular, it’s pubs. When it comes to gastropubs you can have a pint of Guinness in Dublin and actually eat quite well too. The best of both worlds!
Read along for our insider’s list of the best gastropubs in Dublin.
The best gastropubs in Dublin: A brief backstory
In January 1991 in the London neighborhood of Clerkenwell, a couple of restaurateurs struck a deal to take over a tired, old, ho-hum pub. They immediately zapped it back to life when they conceived a menu of elevated and inspired pub grub. People started to take notice. Instead of coming to the pub just to quaff a few pints and then eat some knackered pub grub in order to prolong a night of drinking, it suddenly became the other way around at The Eagle: you came here as much to eat as you did to drink.
And with that, the gastropub was born. Since that time, gastropubs— basically, pubs serving way-better-than-average food—have popped up everywhere: from the Spotted Pig in New York City in 2004, the first gastropub in the United States, to elevated pubs in Perth, Prague, and everywhere in between.
The best gastropubs in Dublin: Our favorite spots
The Chophouse
It’s all beer and beef at this Beggar’s Bush gastropub. The Chophouse has racked up the awards since first firing up its burners and turning on its taps in late 2009 for being one of the best gastropubs in the country, including being recommended by Michelin.
You can indulge in a three-course set lunch or dinner or go a la carte any time of the day. The 10-ounce, dry-aged ribeye is the way to go for Chophouse first-timers. But if beef isn’t what’s calling, there are plenty of other winning options that go well with a hearty pint of brew: roasted free-range chicken breast, slow-cooked crispy pork belly, pan-roasted salmon and, for non-meat eaters, gnocchi with tomato sauce and burrata salad.
Tenters
Located between Portobello and The Liberties, Tenters is an excellent gastropub. A six-minute stroll to and from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Tenters is a fine place to sip a pint of craft Irish beer or a glass of whisky from a little-known Irish producer while feasting on a slow-roasted lamb shank with truffle-laden chips or a carmelized onion-topped Irish beef burger.
Mulligan Grocer
Opened in 2010, L. Mulligan Grocer was part of the first wave of gastropubs in the Irish capital when the owners took over an old pub and gave it new life. Located in Stoneybatter on the northside of the Liffey, L. Mulligan is actually one of the very few pubs in the country that doesn’t serve Guinness. Which would have been heretical in years past. Instead, the owners would like to introduce you to smaller breweries in the country.
The menu changes with the availability of seasonal ingredients but expect to find gooey black pudding arancini, wild Irish seafood chowder, a pork tomahawk with roasted pumpkin, and flaky fried wild Irish cod with ultra-crispy double-cooked chips.
Searsons of Baggot Street
Dark and brooding, Searsons is a wonderful place to wile away an afternoon or evening indulging in the bar’s enormous collection of over 150 different whiskeys. If the brown stuff isn’t your jam, they have 15 beers on tap and four craft beers by the bottle, plus a sizable wine list and a menu of classic cocktails.
When the stomach starts to grumble, you can reward yourself with a hearty shepherd’s pie, rotisserie-roasted half chicken, seafood chowder, and, of course, crispy fish and chips.
The Brazen Head
The Brazen Head has been in operation since 1198, making it the oldest gastropub in Dublin.
You can swing by this place any day of the week for some of the best Guinness in Dublin plus a variety of drinks, tasty dishes, and live music all in a historic setting.
This spot is also a feature on our Pubs, Pints, and History tour: Beer & Whiskey Tasting in Dublin’s Historic Pubs. Dive into Dublin’s past and delight in local beer, Guinness, Irish coffee, whiskey, and more!
Spitalfields
Depending on who you ask, Spitalfields is either a classy gastropub or a casual fine dining restaurant. Whatever label you want to put on it, this southside Dublin spot should really hit the perfect spot on your palate.
Start off a three-course meal here with a plate of unctuous jamon Iberico de bellota paired roasted squash or a beef cheek and oxtail Parker house roll smothered in bone marrow gravy, before moving on to tea-smoked line-caught Kilkenny trout and/or the inventive cock-a-leekie pie, a dish derived a Scottish soup that has magically materialized as a delicious plus-sized pie.
Brickyard
Getting to Dundrum in south Dublin may be a trek for some, but it’s worth it once you settle in at Brickyard. The pub opened in 2016 to great fanfare as the area was lacking in great pub grub. Brickyard shut down during the pandemic and reopened in 2023 to even greater fanfare after extensive renovations.
The ambience here, complete with plenty of exposed brick walls—fittingly enough—is perfect for eating a large Iberian pork cheek drenched in caramelized onion gravy and crispy fish and chips. The menu here goes way beyond Ireland, offering patatas bravas, Thai massaman curry, and poppadom nachos—an Indian/Mexican mashup.
The Old Spot
The Old Spot puts the “gastro” in “gastropub.” Located between the Grand Canal and Aviva Stadium, this vaguely upscale pub serves one of the best burgers—wagyu beef and beef-dripped fries—in the area, plus there’s creamy risotto of Jerusalem artichoke, pan-fried cod, and tender venison loin encrusted with wild mushrooms.
The main beer selection is not wildly impressive with all the usual suspects but they always have at least three craft Irish beers on tap. The Old Spot also boasts a wonderfully large gin and tonic menu.
The Legal Eagle
Centrally located and nestled on the northside of the Liffey near the Four Courts, The Legal Eagle is one bird that you want to catch a flight with. The extensive drink list includes a long wine list with some interesting bottles from Italy and Spain, a fairly decent line-up of beers on tap, and well-made traditional cocktails.
The food menu is the star of the show, though. Start with a batch of homemade crisps, some game terrine with cranberry chutney or chicken wings doused with Korean spices before digging into a plus-sized portion of tender lamb rump, wood-fired monkfish tail, or, on Sundays, Black Angus sirloin beef with carrots, green cabbage, turnip puree, and Yorkshire pudding.
David Farley is a West Village-based food and travel writer whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Food & Wine, among other publications. He’s the author of three books, including “An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church’s Strangest Relic in Italy’s Oddest Town,” which was made into a documentary by the National Geographic Channel. You can find Farley’s online homes here and here.