Definitely worth checking out this place, inside a 19th century building and their beer dates back to 1808. The Irish stew was tasty and the red ale was roasty and delicious! The staff was friendly and attentive! read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Tasty Irish stew and a delicious red ale - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

The service was great and we definitely enjoyed the food very much - if you are vegetarian, try their veggie pasta with garlic bread (be mindful it tastes more like a fresh bread with butter and probably barely sat near to garlic but still tasty), for carnivore my BF has a whiskey Irish chicken and a absolutely loved it! I'm a picky beer drinker (sucker for higher ABV craft beers) and wasn't impressed by their own brews (tried the flight with their current 5), but I enjoyed my Irish coffee after that and their Guinness is properly poured and as fresh as it gets. Enjoy! read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Irish coffee - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

The signs above the doors of JW Sweetman proclaiming craft beers got our attention on our first day in town, but we weren't able to stop in until our second day. We'd just finished soaking up history and architecture at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and wanted to pop into a pub for a pint and some food before continuing on. We were on the corner opposite the Cathedral, trying to consult both Google Maps on Yelp for options, when my husband suggested JW Sweetman. It meant a longer walk back in the other direction, but we were both curious about their beer selection, so off we went. It wasn't quite lunchtime when we walked in, but the guy at the bar downstairs welcomed us in and told us to find a table on any level, and to make ourselves comfortable. We walked up one flight and chose a small table next to a window; our waitress was at our table within a few minutes, with beer and food menus in hand. The first order of business was - you guessed it! - ordering a pint. Their beer list wasn't overly large, but I saw enough to pique my interest. I started with their porter, and my husband ordered a red ale. We spent a good amount of time poring over the menu. It's not overly complicated, but we weren't sure what, exactly, we wanted to eat, and went back on forth on options for a bit, before finally deciding to share the Sweetman's Platter. The platter is basically a pupu platter, consisting of wings, sausages, onion rings, potato wedges, mozzarella sticks and spring rolls. Very varied, very un-Irish. The second floor was empty when we arrived, so both the staff assigned to that area were attentive and friendly. They both (one female, one male, I'm sorry I don't know their names) spent some time chatting with us, asking about our trip, our origins, and what we thought of the weather. They got a kick out of me saying it was almost freezing; they thought it was mild weather. I'm spoiled, what can I say. The porter, by the way, had a lovely dark color. It was creamy and smooth on the palate, with a good roasted flavoring and the hint of a bite on the end. I really did *not* want it to be anything like a Guinness, and though there were similarities, I was glad to be able to pick out differences, as well. Anyway, the Sweetman's Platter was indeed an explosion of different bite-sized, hand-held, deep-fried foods. The platter also came with a few dipping sauces, and our waitress supplemented our dips with a spicy mayonnaise and a curried something. My favorite items on the platter were the wings and the spring rolls; indeed, I suffered from intense chicken wing cravings after leaving the restaurant. We actually considered adding a half order of the wings to our meal before deciding to walk to a donut shop I could see from the window, instead. For a breakdown of the meal: the onion rings were a little too soggy for my liking, not sure if that was due to the cooking method or the breading; the sausages were crinkly crisp on the outside, moist and meaty on the inside. They were good, just not what I was hungry for at that moment, so my husband ate most of them; the mozzarella sticks were exactly what you'd get from any Applebee's or Chili's restaurant in the US, except for the lack of marinara dipping sauce; the potato wedges were likewise very American. Again, my favorite items were the wings and the spring rolls, which were crispy and meaty. While we were grazing our way through the platter, we ordered our second pints: we both went with their stout. This one was smooth and creamy, and was the first time I noticed the "dry" in a dry stout. It was most noticeable on the palate. We were definitely full by the time we left, and did enjoy the food. We knew what we ordered wasn't a typical Irish meal, but it sounded good to us, and we liked that we were able to share the meal. It made for a relatively cheap meal that kept us satiated until much later that night. read more

See all

This place was packed and mostly because there was a game going on. But we were seated in a quiet nook and it was fine. It has a really cool interior and it is exactly what you would imagine from an old Irish pub. The food was good and of course the beer fantastic. Despite how crazy busy it was, we got great service and were never forgotten. read more

My wife and I have been here twice, and both visits were good. The food seems to be a cut above many other Irish pubs in the area. My wife loved her turkey roast, and the cheese plate was great for sharing. (I wasn't quite as happy with my Steak Sandwich, which was a little tough.) The place has a nice beer selection and also a full bar, including whiskey tastings. My wife was pleased with her gin serve. There are a lot of mediocre spots for a bite in the area, but Sweetman is worth a visit for a drink and dinner, if you're in the area. read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - First floor at Sweetman. - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

This place has changed their name and no longer has a wide variety of beer to choose.

Great spot to grab a refreshing beer while out sightseeing. The staff is very friendly and helpful. read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Perfect stop for a refreshment... - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

Our server was amazing, I'm sad I didn't get her name. This place is gigantic. The beer was pretty good. The portions are waayyyy too big and the food was just alright. Not much else to say. I was stoked to visit a local brewery, but would pass on the food next time. read more

Finding this place was like actually finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I know the beer gods led us here!!! We found ourselves ending up here on several occasions. They brew their own beer here and reminded us of the local craft breweries here at home in Kentucky. I literally felt like I had won the lottery when I saw they had a Hefeweizen. Thomas was one of the bartenders that we remembered. He was very helpful in telling us about all of their beers. They also have live music on the second floor with another full size bar available. Another spot we will visit if ever in Ireland again, felt like we were home. read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - I found a Hefeweizen beer this side of the pond.....winning!!! - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

Great brewery with great food! I had the fish and chips. The portion was huge! The fish was pretty tasty but the bottom did get a bit soggy. Of course it came with chips which were good. For beer I had both the blonde and the porter. The blonde was kind of generic but still good and the porter had a slight coffee flavor--not too overpowering. The inside is huge, it covers 3 floors and has some awesome decorations. The service was also good. Overall, I would recommend a stop by. read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

I came here with some co-workers on a business trip. The place is well located right on the River Liffey and in the the Temple Bar area. There are four floors and great nooks to enjoy the beer. They have 8 beers made in house and all of them are very good, especially the West and East Coast IPA's. I highly recommend both the creamy chowder and the chicken wings. read more

See all

Very cool multistory building with a central staircase. There was a band planning when we arrived and the acoustics were great. Awesome ambience in the place! The beer, I tried the Washington Red on nitro while SWPFTD had the Irish Red. JW Sweetman is brewing up some great beers. I would have liked to review all their beers but we didn't have that much time this trip. I did end up trying their stout, which frankly...Rocked! Nice roasty flavors, reminiscent of Guinness but with a sweeter finish. Very nice beers! I highly recommend JW Sweetman for the beer and the ambience. I can't speak for the food but I would hope it lives up to the rest. Cheers! If anyone is a glutton for punishment, please, follow my brewery reviews from across the U.S. and beyond! https://www.yelp.com/collection/-8iscFkpiiCI563-FDfwGg and if anyone is wondering who SWPFTD is you will have to check out my review of Black Market Brewing Co in Temecula, CA to understand. read more

By the time I left here, I was pretty noooot sober in front of my mother for the first time in my quarter-century+ on this earth. It's pretty comical looking back. I really didn't mean for that to happen, but JW Sweetman had the words "craft" and "brewery" in their name and also offered "flights." Since I'm me, I had to imbibe. I couldn't just walk by a craft brewery...even though I had already been to a few pubs that day. Anyway. Moving on from the state of my mind, I really enjoyed myself at this spot. The samples I had were all high quality and a nice range. They even had bar snacks and a full menu, but I protested eating here for whatever reason. I do know I liked the restrooms. We sat on the second floor and I liked that bar area better. There were also ample seats available. Our bartender was very sweet and accommodating. I'd return but make it a priority stop rather than one in a line of pubs! read more

We stopped here looking to try a couple local brews (other than the countless pints of Guinness consumed) and were so glad we did! The brewery has a longstanding history in Dublin and dates back basically as old as Guinness. They had a good variety of their own beers as well as other standard Irish beers on tap so everyone can find something they like. They also had an impressive whiskey collection. They had live music the night we were there and you could hear it throughout the building. The only downside is that you can't go upstairs where the better views are unless you're eating. They don't tell you that until you get upstairs. I got the American Blonde to drink. I wasn't overly impressed with that particular beer but my fiance said the stout was really tasty. Make sure you stop in to try their seasonal brew! read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - "Brexit Bitter," their seasonal brew. Gotta love a brewery with personality! - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

Good beer, tasty food, and FANTASTIC live music. We started with a flight of 8 different beers. The Weiss beer and Irish red were the favorites. For the meal, we just got a sharing platter for two. Delicious sausages, samosas, chicken tenders and potato wedges for €16. What really made the evening was the music, I believe his name was Gary. He was absolutely wonderful! One of my favorite parts of the trip was snacking on some food, drinking some beer, and listening to him play. read more

See all

Wherever I am I always drink whats made there. That being said I wanted to try the local beers in Dubbs that aren't the beautiful Guinness Stout. Took the train in mid-day and this place is only a few blocks away. Tried a few of the beers made there and they were all pretty good. Not exactly true to style but tasty and smooth. Most of the crowd there was there for carvery lunch. Not us, we were drinking our lunch. HUGE place with 3 floors or so. A wee bit swanky for me. P.S. sit by the front windows. GREAT view of the city and Liffey! read more

I think I was in Messrs Maguire years ago and my students wanted to go there again. However, looking online for more info, I heard it was closed. Strange. After a quick call, I found JW Sweetman. It looked good, so I called to make book a table for the students, but was told to email, which I did. Still no response, so I showed up early. When I got there, they didn't know what I was talking about. But despite this, I was given a nice table for my group. Very nice place. It was a bit quiet upstairs, but got livelier as the night went on. What I really liked about the place was the beer. Good thing it's a brewery! Their house pilsner was great. Really loved it. And I also enjoyed the German one. We also shared a platter. Not as nice as it sounded, but filled a gap. Obviously beer is their thing. read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Home brew Pilsner.... - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

I was wondering how much the place has changed - now that it is JW Sweetman. I was glad to see it didn't loose any of the atmosphere from Messrs Maquire. I choosed already from their website that I'll try their Porter. The website didn't state any prices and having tried several Craft beers before I didn't know what to expect. But not only the description of the taste was very spot on, the price of €4 surprised me very pleasently. I also had their Chicken Ceasar Salad. Very tasty and the right portion when you don't want to eat too much. I'll definitely go back, just probably not on a match day - unless I want to watch it there. read more

See all

Horrible service at this place and there were barely a dozen people in it. Waited 50 minutes for food here with the occasional reassurance from the barman that it was on the way. When I asked if he could check in with the kitchen, it became clear the order hadn't been put in. They couldn't even do me the service of comping a pint for the wasted time. Way too many options in Dublin to waste a visit on this place. The beer wasn't even that great. read more

Mmm, Beer... They also make excellent food, but what you really want to seek this place out for is the craft beer. Your tap will not be much different from that at a regular pub, so you might as well spoil your self with luxury craft pour. Later at night, when the kitchen is closed, this place turns into a vibrant place and an excellent place to bring all your buddies with the same bad taste of music as you. read more

This bar is huge...it used to be a real hotspot, but whenever I went in there in the last couple of years it has never been packed and you're bound to find a seat even on a weekend night. The music is a mix of old and new...anyone remember Ace of Base? Great, if you want to escape from the madness....but still looking for some atmosphere. read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

I like this place so much. Even though it changed brand & management some time ago this place is one of my favourite places in Dublin. As you probably know, Sweetman is a brewing and it is not bad at all ;) I personally like the red beer, that's their best one in my opinion. Not easy to find a table in a Friday or Sat night, they are always full. As it is localised in a very busy corner of the city centre, it is also full of tourists, just like temple bar. Food is also OK, but it is not a place for dinner, only for some nibbles, like onions rings & chips. Back to the beer, they are helpful if you are not familiar with their brewing. A very nice option is ask for the beer tray. You can have a taste of their options ad then decide which one you liked better. read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Beer sample tray - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

I've been in this place so many times but always in the first floor, last time I was in the bar located in the third floor enjoying a nice view and my jameson with ginger ale and lime. This pub is very well located, and it serves a wide range of beers. read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

Really nice spot to grab a few drinks in the center of Dublin without being overly crowded. They make delicious Moscow mules so try those out if you're looking for something other than a beer. They also have a menu which lists all their different cocktails. They have pretty quick service too and the staff is pleasant. read more

Ladies and gentleman- they have tasters. Located on the river front this gorgeously decked out location is an all in one. It has a solid selection of beers and a friendly staff to boot. A good place to chill for a bit and try some brews made in house. I had a Galway Hooker IPA and their five beer taster of the JW Sweetman brews. Porter, pale ale, red ale, seasonal (a bitter Brexit), and a blonde. Thoroughly enjoyed this location. Plenty of space (admittedly I was enjoying it at noon on a Saturday.) but I would return here to watch as march or two and enjoy more of their beers!! read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

My sister and I went to JW Sweetman for lunch and drinks on our last day in Ireland. The bartenders were so warm and friendly and we felt at home right away. Sis and I had gotten into a groove of drinking cider, so we placed our standard Bulmers order when we sat down. Big mistake! After chatting with the gentleman bartender about the house-brewed crafts, I had a sample of the blonde ale on cask and was instantly hooked. I immediately ordered a pint, despite having a full glass of Bulmers right in front of me (don't worry, it didn't go to waste). My sister had a chicken caesar salad while I went with the chicken caesar wrap with a side of chips. The flavors were fresh and satisfying. Both of us were very pleased with our meal. I finished my visit with an Irish coffee - easily the best I had in all of Ireland, which I told the female bartender who made it. I would have happily perched at this bar all day long but we had other sights to see. Do not miss Dublin's only in-house craft brewery when you're in town! read more

Fantastic food ! Stopped here after touring around Dublin a bit for some lunch. The food and beer were great !

Excellent location and service. Everyone loved their food. Would definitely come back if I was in Dublin.

At about 6pm we were seated quickly on the second floor. Service was good. Grilled goat cheese salad was delicious as was the chicken & bacon salad (we needed some vegetables!). Bangers and mash was tastey. Irish coffee was good (could have done with a bit more of the Irish part). I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Although with so many other places to eat I'd sample something else first. read more

I'm giving JW Sweetman a strong Three Star rating. We came here after a long day of site seeing around Northern Ireland. We were wiped out and were looking for somewhere to eat near the tour bus stop. There was a lot of seating, three levels, and we were seated right away. The house beers were good, service was ok, and the food was better then most pub food in City Center. I would recommend it if your looking for a quick, good meal. read more

See all

We stopped here after getting of the train for a quick lunch. The menu was simple and had good options. We didn't try any of the beers but overall it was a good experience and a nice lunch stop overlooking the water and street side. read more

I loved Messrs Maguire when it was there but there was always a problem in that the staff often didn't know they even had an on site brewery, let alone sold house beer and even the ones that did, often they didn't know much about the beer. The best thing that ever happened to this spot was NAMA. The new owners are the same ones responsible for Cassidy's. They know what they are doing and are beer enthusiasts too. Gone are the days of sporadic onsite brewing with the rest being outsourced to other breweries. John of Barrelhead brewery fame is the new brewer. He even gets to brew his infamous Barrelhead pale ale on site. The staff have all been trained in the beer, even down to describing the flavours one should expect and more importantly, they are enthusiastic about having people try it. The menu has now been designed around beer with pairing options and even a brewery dinner which is 3 courses I believe for €25 and each course comes with a beer. Want to bring some beer home with you? No problem, grab a filled growler for about €20 and then refills are €12. One thing to be aware of, they are advertised as 4 pint growlers but that's 4 US pints, in UK/Ireland it's about 3.4. They fill to the top so probably closer to 3.5 pints. It's still a little cheaper than drinking on site as €12 would get you 3 pints since house beer is €4. When a new beer is launched, the hold a batch party with free beer and some nibbles. They are always great fun and the brewer is there to talk to people about the beer. The place is still a superpub so gets very busy and loud at the weekends but then most places do in Dublin. It is uncomfortable if you want a chat and some pints because the music gets so loud but then, the majority of people in Dublin seem to prefer that. read more

This place is a joke and just another reason I can't trust yelp reviewers. Huge space? Hardly. Only one floor you can actually dine on. Otherwise, you can take a seat downstairs and pray to get service. Be prepared to sit for at least 30 minutes before going to the bar and ordering there. Don't expect to have your drink refilled because the bartenders are too busy ignoring patrons to notice that your glass is empty. This place is also incredibly dirty. A few people came in and were forced to sit at the only open table in the downstairs area - it was littered with mot only empty glasses, but McDonald's garbage as well. Anyone bothering to clean it up? Nope. Just let it sit there until finally an employee came and cleared the table. Those same patrons ordered food and it took over 45 minutes to arrive. The servers clearly completely forgot about them. This was evident as the server literally ran into the kitchen after asking how the group enjoyed their forgotten, not-yet served dinner. Our food came out in a timely manner, but it was gross. The pulled pork sandwich was fatty, the pasta my friend has looked smothered in very heavy sauce, and our other friend had the fish and chips which she enjoyed. Regardless - two of the three of us got ill after eating here. Again, this place is a joke. Skip and go to any of the other many restaurants in the Temple Bar area. read more

A group of us met up at Sweetmans to watch the rugby: England vs. Ireland. Ordered the brewery's cider which was grand. We got food too; steak sandwich, burger, chicken wings be loads of sweet potato fries. We were happy with the food, pub is packed! Good crowd, good atmosphere, good food and good beer. If only Ireland would win now *crying*. We will be back! read more

Massive multistoried pub serving a decent selection of beers, most of them their own! Its a bit too much of a nest for someone like me, when packed with drinker ants going through their motions on a Friday or Saturday night. Can get a bit hot too! I think i would like it more on a quieter day. They do a cheese plate. And some other food too. read more

Perfect, delicious four dishes were served in a remarkable three story pub that was previously a library on a great Quay location. I said the positive first so you know I'm not a sad, retired troll with nothing better to do but write flame reviews. In fact, I only write one review online for anything once a year but this level of contempt was a work of art. Which brings us to Anna. December, 2019 a very happy, low maintenance family on holiday sits at table #212 in front of a welcoming fire which was the last warmth we would experience at JW Sweetmans. With 50 years in the service industry between my wife & I, we have raised two kids, 25 & 23, to be very easy on staff. With stone face & not a single word, Anna eventually stood at our table, pen to pad & looked at us liked the burden we must be. Empty 3rd level, weeknight, 9pm. We don't stay if you're in the weeds. With minimal words spoken in an Eastern European accent, she left the table with disdain. Returning only once to drop the food, no check backs, no offer of other pints, even ignoring a direct eye contact, polite wave for assistance (no beets in the beet salad). The food was delicious despite the bad taste in our mouths. I put two kids through college, debt free, thanks to tips, so the European standard of 10% bothered me for days, feeling that service was undercompensated in Dublin, Galway, London & Paris (our trip). Ironically, Anna was the only one in 7 days that prompted us for a tip & also the only one to ask us if we were paying in visa dollars or Euros. Kind of a financial mood breaker with no explanation. We are in EU, just charge me Euros. I wonder what she was talking about with other staff across the room as she stared at us at the same time ignoring us. There is some service that the glow of Guinness just can't fix. read more

Had a quick bite to eat here, some coronas and chips and dips. The chips here are really nice, and the cheese bacon sauce and the whiskey pepper sauce are the best! Waitresses were chatty and friendly, great service. read more

JW Sweetman Craft Brewery - Menu - Breweries Near Me - Dublin, D

This place looks great from the outside, and that's probably why I left feeling underwhelmed after drinking here. Inside it's a typical pub with lots of dark timber and windy stairs. We grabbed a couple of drinks from a surly bar guy and headed upstairs where we chilled for a while while looking over the Liffey. It's got a pretty ok vibe and for a weekday afternoon it was easy enough to get a seat. But there was just nothing impressive about this place. Maybe I was put off by the surly bar guy who just seemed like he couldn't be bothered when we went to order drinks but this place didn't leave much to make me want to go back again. read more

While flying from Chicago to Paris, my fiance and I missed our connecting flight in Dublin and our 65 minute layover turned into a 6 hour layover. What to do? Go into town, find a pub and drink, of course! This is Ireland after all. After walking around O'Connell street for a while, we decided to duck into the first place that looked good. JW Sweetman billed itself as a microbrewery (we later found out they are owned by Guinness, but still brew their own beer). I had a Guinness (had to taste it in Ireland), and fiance had their homemade whit beer. Both were excellent. For lunch, I had a steak sandwich and she had fish n chips. The food was pretty good, but nothing spectacular. The barkeep was friendly enough and greatly appreciated the 2 euro tip I left him (I love tipping in Europe, because no one expects it!) Just as we had to leave, a football match was about to begin and the place was filling up. Overall, it was a good experience, I'm sure we could have done worse for stumbling into a place in a city we weren't even prepared to visit. read more

I had dinner my first night in Dublin. There was no planning, but rather we looked at the menu and thought it had something for everyone. It's a cool set up in an old building, or more accurate 2 old buildings. It made for a nice atmosphere. I ordered the Gaelic Whiskey Chicken, which was absolutely fantastic. The whiskey pepper sauce was delicious, so much so that once I was finished with the chicken, I was using any vegetables I still had to soak up more of that sauce. The location is good. It's not too far from the Temple Bar area, as well as being close to the River Liffey. All in all, a really good option in Dublin. read more