An Irish pub expert's top five in Dublin

After years living abroad, Irishman Colm Dalton's search for home has led him to rate 150 Irish pubs in 50 countries. Now he rates the best of the best in the Irish capital.

Colm Dalton is torn. "This is a nightmare decision," he says. "To choose five! It's like choosing your favourite child."

Born in Dublin to Dubliner parents, Colm Dalton was raised in County Kerry and now resides in London. Since 2017, he has explored the global lure of the Irish pub, rating pubs and pints in cities from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

But if anyone knows pubs, it's this displaced Irishman who's on a mission to visit every Irish pub on Earth.

Dalton, an Associate Lecturer at University College London, admits the project started "as a joke". But when he recounted his adventures on his website Publican Enemy, he soon found a devoted audience. "People would say, 'Do you know there's one in Mongolia? There's one in Brazil!' It started off as crazy idea; now it's got a life of its own."

Raised in Kerry and based in London for the past decade, he muses that absence makes the heart grow fonder: "When you move away from your country, you try to connect to it in any way." As of October 2025, he's visited 151 Irish pubs in 50 countries.

But Dublin pubs are "special," says Dalton, who was born in Dublin and has travelled there yearly to visit family ever since. "Dublin was one of the biggest cities in the British Empire; they had more money, so a lot have this Victorian ornate wooden glamour, which I think is beautiful. And you see literary connections in Dublin pubs. You can drink where your legendary alcoholic writer hero drank."

Dublin is also the birthplace of Guinness, so a classic pub experience here starts with a creamy black pint. "Guinness is a winter drink," says Dalton. "That's when it's at its best." And the city's posh past doesn't belie its legendary Irish craic. "People will still talk to you in a Dublin pub even though it's an international city."

Alamy

1. Best of the best: Kehoes Heritage Pub

Dalton concedes that city centre pubs are often touristy. "Like Temple Bar," he says. "[It's maybe worth seeing] out of morbid curiosity. But don't hang around there."

Accept no substitutes

After visiting 150 overseas Irish pubs, Dalton can immediately spot imposters. "Look at the name! If [it's] a family name, guaranteed it's going to be good. If the name is generic or confusing, it's not going to be worth it. [The pub] should have a connection to [Irish] culture – music, sport, literature, art. A good pub has authentic material on the wall; a picture of the family or the county where they're from.

"[And] if you see anything leprechaun-related… just run. Or these fake signs that say rubbish like, 'If you're looking for a sign to drink, this is it.'"

However, some remain standouts – like Kehoes Heritage Pub on South Ann Street; Dalton's best of the best.

"Everything that makes an Irish pub good is Kehoes," he says of the 19th-Century pub, whose façade is inscribed with a James Joyce quote and has mahogany-bedecked interiors. "It's got beautiful Guinness, it's very central. It's got the heritage; all the Irish literary heroes of yesteryear used to drink there."

Dalton particularly loves its Victorian-era snug, a tiny, enclosed side room with a hatch for discreet ordering. "That's your sign of absolute quality. The snug was invented so people could drink without being seen, so originally women and maybe politicians or priests."

He also praises Kehoes' longevity: "Over 100 years, same family running [it]. So you can imagine the love, the knowledge."

Address: 9 Anne St S, Dublin, D02 NY88

Phone: +35316778312

2. Best Guinness: John Kavanagh The Gravediggers

"The Guinness in Dublin by and large is amazing," he says. "But Gravedigger is definitely the best."

"It should have that dome at the top; that's key. The head can't be too big or too small. It's got to be flat without bubbles. It has to stick to the glass [and] leave what they call 'lacing'. Not too bitter, not too warm or too cold. If you drop a bit on the table, it becomes solid, a bit like cream. That's how you know it's the real deal."

In a sea of stout, what makes Gravediggers' Guinness so good? "There's loads of science around it. It's a self-fulling prophecy… because everyone knows the Guinness [there] is good. The more you're drinking the Guinness, the more it flows and the fresher it is."

Gravediggers' is resolutely no-frills. "There's no music; there's no TV. It's a pilgrimage for Guinness people."

And it's not just a clever name: the pub is located beside the Glasnevin Cemetery, the final resting place of Irish revolutionaries and artists including Maud Gonne and Brendan Behan. "There's nothing else apart from the graveyard," says Dalton. "You have to go out of your way to get there, and it makes it more rewarding."

Apart from the perfect pour and a "good crowd" that "spills out into the streets", Dalton rates Gravediggers' traditional Irish dishes like coddle (bacon, potato, sausage and onion stew): "If you're in a pub and it's winter and it goes with the Guinness and you want something warm."

Address: 1 Prospect Square, Glasnevin, Dublin, D09 CF72

Phone: +353872963713

Eoin Kennedy

3. Best city centre escape: Grogan's Castle Lounge

Central Dublin throbs with activity, particularly brick-paved Grafton Street with its boutiques, buskers and tourists. For a cheeky refuge, Dalton recommends Grogan's Castle Lounge on South Williams Street. "[It's] the tiny little one on the corner. It has the seats outside and all the mad art on the inside," he says. "It's close to [Grafton Street] so if you're shopping or going to museums, that's a nice one. Good vibe, good atmosphere. You sit outside around the corner and people watch on the inside. Get a book, sit down in there."

Founded in the late 19th Century, cosy Grogan's became a neighbourhood mainstay in the 1970s – and a magnet for local artists, poets and writers.

"It's got all these paintings from random local artists, constantly in flux," he says. "It's a little bit like a gallery; it's bright and kind of kooky which is quite nice. They do good toasties [toasted sandwiches] as well, if you wanted a little snack that goes with a pint."

Address: 15 William St S, Dublin 2, D02 H336

Phone: +35316779320

4. Best historic pub: John Fallon's "The Capstan Bar"

"Historic" is relative in Dublin, where history stretches back thousands of years and at least one pub has been for around for nearly a millennium.

"We never ever tip. The barman wouldn't know how to react! It's already expensive enough, so no need to tip unless you want to leave him something because it's a big occasion.

"One way you can see if someone is a tourist is when they take the Guinness before it's settled. Wait until it goes from brown to dark ruby red or black. Then you drink it."

Dalton favours John Fallon's in The Liberties neighbourhood. "It's 400 years old," he says. "People don't make that much of a big deal about it 'cause they're like, 'Yeah, but there's another one that's 800 years old'."

Fallon's dates to 1619, when Dublin was still a medieval walled city; today it sits amid distilleries and trendy businesses. Dalton insists you can truly feel the history upon seeing the wood-panelled interiors. "It's got all the old features; it's got the Victorian snug as well. It hasn't been modernised at all. Although they also do a toastie, which is good."

Address: 129 The Coombe, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 NP52

Phone: +35314542801

Alamy

5. Best for Irish music: The Cobblestone Pub

"I think Irish music is intrinsically linked to pubs," says Dalton, whose parents are both Irish folk musicians. "It just gets that atmosphere going."

His hands-down favourite is The Cobblestone in the recently revitalised Smithfield neighbourhood. "It's got this mythical reputation as a music pub," he says. "It's classic Irish style, so there's no stage… [the musicians are] just in the window."

A relative newcomer to Dublin's pub scene, established in 1983, The Cobblestone holds multiple authentic Irish trad music sessions daily, with no flash photography or singalongs permitted. "It's a music pub, so you have to be there for the music," says Dalton. "There's all these signs saying to be quiet and respect the musicians. It's quite sweaty on a Saturday night when there's a gig going. They've got other music other nights. That's why it's so good; music is the forefront."

"If you're going to go to a pub and you want a bit of Irish culture as well, I couldn't think of a better one than The Cobblestone."

Address: 77 King St N, Smithfield, Dublin, D07 TP22

Phone: +35318721799

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

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