48 hours in Dublin: 7 overlooked gems to tempt you away from Temple Bar
If you can get a foot in the door of any of these top spots come the next mobbed St Patrick’s, it’s as good as a secret in our books.
48 hours in Dublin can get messy at the best of times — the home of Guinness, whiskey, and the world’s best pubs (sorry London, it’s true), it’s hard not to fall in love with the warmth and hospitality on offer at the heart of the Emerald Isle.
But 48 hours over St Patrick’s Day? Chaos. Pure booze-soaked chaos.
It’s Dublin at its busiest, rowdiest and most disorienting, when party goers from around the world descend on the Craic capital of the world.
What better time then than to find the truly hidden gems of Dublin’s nightlife and culture? That’s what we went on the hunt for during a quick two-night stay in the city, courtesy of Staycity Aparthotels, for this year’s beer bonanza.
If you can get a foot in the door of any of these top spots come the next mobbed St Patrick’s, it’s as good as a secret in our books.
1. The Hacienda
You’d be forgiven for totally missing The Hacienda, a bar so unassuming as to be basically hidden. A speakeasy just north of the Liffey on Mary Street Little, it hardly announces itself — in fact, to gain entry, you’ve got to buzz its intercom and hope to pass muster with its sharply dressed proprietor, Shay. But don’t be too worried about the prospect of being judged on the door — it’s more a quick check that you’re not too inebriated than a catwalk critique, and provided there’s room at the inn, you’ll be ushered in by the friendly landlord.
Inside you’ll be greeted by a chilled out, low-lit bar, part nautical hideaway, part late night trattoria. Take a seat, and you can wonder which of the many famous faces who have graced its walls might have warmed the cushions before you — everyone from Taylor Swift to Nick Cave, Taika Waitti to Ed Sheeran have propped up The Hacienda’s bar. Our absolute favourite spot in Dublin, a truly hidden gem, and one that should not be missed.
2. Gallagher’s Boxty House
The only Temple Bar spot on our list, but it’s not a boozer so it gets a pass. Why Gallagher’s Boxty House? Because they make, hands down, the absolute best chips you’ll ever eat in your entire life.
They’re masters of the potato at Gallagher’s — it’s in the name, with a ‘boxty’ being a type of potato pancake, and the menu’s dishes each offering a potato-based element. But even with spuds on your plate, make sure you get a side of their Boxty Fries, which take that pancake recipe, sliced into strips, and fried to perfection.
3. O’Donoghues
There’s great live music right across Dublin, but if you’re looking for a great night of ‘trad’ (Ireland’s slang for traditional folk music) we’d put O’Donoghues top of the list. It has sessions almost every night of the week, with an open air cobble courtyard a great spot for larger gatherings, and plenty of nooks and snugs for a quiet intimate drink.
Part of the magic of O’Donoghues comes from its rich heritage — this was one of the formative venues played by The Dubliners, arguably Ireland’s best known folk group, whose pictures are all over its walls. Even if it’s just two rather than seven drunken nights, to tip the cap to The Dubliners classic, make sure one of them is spent at O’Donoghues.
4. The Brazen Head
Want more Dublin heritage? How about Ireland’s oldest pub? The Brazen Head has stood on its Bridge Street site since 1198, and remains one of Dublin’s best. Located right where the initial Dublin settlement was founded, and at the spot where the first Liffey river crossing was made, there’s almost as much history pouring out of its walls as booze in its beer taps. That it’s a super-cosy, incredibly friendly pub with amazing snugs to settle into is in some ways just the cherry on top.
5. Croke Park
To call the biggest stadium in Dublin a hidden gem might be a bit odd, but I’d hazard a guess that the average visitor doesn’t factor into their trips a night watching a GAA match, AKA Gaelic football. It’s a great, super-fast rough-and-tumble game with rules that are pretty easy to follow, feeling like a mixture of basketball, rugby and football.
The terraces are much more welcoming for the neutral fan than regular football, and if you’re sick of the stop-start nature of the modern game, with wussy stars rolling around in ‘agony’ after the lightest tackle, the tough GAA players and flowing play will be a breath of fresh air. Dublin’s team is on a great run of form at the moment, so you can bask in the second-hand glory and pride of the locals.
6. Guinness Open Gate Brewery
Forgot to book the Guinness Storehouse tour in advance? Heart skipped a beat when you saw the queue? The legendary Guinness Storehouse tour is an undeniable highlight of any trip to Dublin, a museum and shrine to the black stuff and its amazing advertising history. But it’s not the only Guinness-owned bar in town — and for our money it’s beaten out by the lesser-known Guinness Open Gate Brewery.
Just a five-minute walk around the corner from the Storehouse, this walk-in bar plays host to Guinness’s latest brewing experiments. Not too busy even on the afternoon before St Patrick’s Day, it had a great DJ and some wild beers on top. We sat down for an experimental paddle that included a Belgian Wit Beer (5%, citrus, bubblegum, orange), a 90 Shilling Ale (6.5%, malt, toast, caramel and toffee), and an Antwerp Stout (8%, rich in coffee), as well as a limited run Irish Brown Bread Ale (5% bread, brown sugar, nutty) especially mixed for the St Patrick’s festivities that came with a side of soda bread. Factor in a visit, even if you’ve already hit the Storehouse — it’s well worth it.
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7. Slattery’s Bar
On the face of things, Slattery’s is a run of the mill pub like many others across Dublin. Good Guinness, good whiskey, good vibe. But what elevates Slattery’s is its breakfast menu. A huge traditional Irish breakfast with bacon, sausages, black pudding, eggs and mushrooms, it was a favourite stopping spot for the late, great Anthony Bourdain. It’s a great hangover cure — as evidenced by its late 12.30pm kick-off time on Sundays. Keep that in mind if you’re after an early bite to eat to round out a weekend.
Where we stayed: Staycity Aparthotels, Dublin City Centre
Dublin can be a pricey city to stay in, and if you’re too near the centre, a noisy one, too. Staycity Aparthotels Dublin City Centre made a great base of operations, and we would recommend this one for the cash-conscious traveller.
It's airy, modern and with a great big bar meeting space at the lobby. Our room, like all of them in the hotel, was kitted out with a kitchenette, which meant we could dine in and save up the Euro for another pint of the black stuff. It's situated just north of the river Liffey, which is quiet and nice and away from some of the alcohol-fuelled casualties you’ll need to navigate / avoid over the bridge.
The best bit? It was a minute’s walk away from our favourite spot, The Hacienda, so theoretically you could roll in at closing time and be in your bed in two minutes flat. And in the morning? You’re just a few minutes walk from Slattery’s for that giant fry up.
