I wouldn't normally be one to plagiarise the work of others in my reviews, but I think that for my…read morereview of The Cedar Lounge in sunny Raheny, I may have to borrow the headline of The Star's Pub Spy's review, which hangs laminated behind the bar: "THE CEDAR LOUNGE WAS 'TREE'MENDOUS: Locals should be proud of this really classy boozer".
Well, we are. The Cedars is the nicest of Raheny's pubs. While the decor may have been nicer in the sadly missed Shieling Hotel, for ambiance and quality of the pints, the Cedars has always been head and shoulders above the rest.
It's unlikely that you would stumble across the Cedars, as it is off the main road, so it gets very little passing trade. The Cedars has a very small catchment area, and is frequented mainly by people living in the surrounding housing estate, but don't let that put you off.
When you get to the main door of the Cedars, there's a door leading left, and another leading right. In to the right is the bar, where there's s television and this where all the regulars drink. There's almost never a woman in the place, and my group of friends are the only people under forty who drink there with any regularity. We wouldn't change it for the world, however.
In to the left is the lounge, which has no telly and looks a little less like an old man pub. It's still very nice, though; it's where the couples and such tend to sit at the weekend. During weeknights, it can be a little dead.
The Cedars can also boast two smoking areas. Well, one is actually more of a yard with a few tables in it that no-one really goes to, but the other is a really nice covered smoking area, nice to sit out and have a few scoops in.
There's also one room that has books all along the walls, that you can buy at the bar for a euro. There's one other bookshop in Raheny that is useless, mainly schoolbooks and a few bestsellers, very small, so the Cedars is also technically the best bookshop in Raheny as well as the best pub.
The Cedars also periodically hosts tables quizzes for deserving causes, plus they do a raffle every Sunday with the money going to hospices and hospitals and whatnot. And they have a golf club, so they really have all bases covered.
The Cedar Lounge is easily one of the best pubs on the northside and is absolutely worth a trip, so why not give it a go this evening, there's a fair chance that I'll be in the bar. You can buy me a drink to thank me for making the recommendation.