This place was super cool. Really nice Victorian interior with cool stag-inspired decor. Staff is…read morenice and it's pretty spacious. Was surprised to find they had table service.

If you want to experience a true Victorian pub in Dublin, The Stag's Head is a beautiful place to…read morestart. Tucked down Dame Court just off Dame Street, The Stag's Head is one of those rare pubs that feels genuinely historic rather than designed to look old. The building dates to the late 1800s, and the interior retains the ornate features of a classic Victorian "gin palace"--rich carved wood, stained glass, brass rails, and a warm, glowing bar that feels wonderfully preserved. We stopped in around 4:30 pm, which turned out to be a perfect time to visit. There were other patrons enjoying drinks and food, but the atmosphere was calm and relaxed rather than loud or rowdy. It felt like the kind of place where locals drop in for a quiet pint on their way home from work before the evening crowd arrives. The staff were excellent--friendly, welcoming, and attentive without being intrusive. The food was very good (we failed to take photos because we were too busy enjoying it). As a vegetarian, I was thrilled to see the Impossible burger front and center on their menu; it was deliciously prepared with guacamole on a brioche bun, and not an afterthought on the menu. My companions both chose the Irish Beef Burger, and said it was excellent. One thing to know: this is a traditional Victorian pub, so cocktails aren't really part of the program. Expect beer, wine, or spirits rather than mixed drinks. In a place like this, that actually feels exactly right. Other pubs do serve mixed drinks. Between the history, the ambience, the quality of the food, and the wonderful staff, The Stag's Head is the kind of place that makes you feel like you've experienced a real piece of Dublin.

Stopped in for lunch and we're seated promptly at a table for two. Need to mention that seating is…read moreeither high top or booth and stool seating. Stools are ok but not super comfortable. Menu has a good selection of Irish dishes from seafood chowder up to lamb stew and pies. We ordered the potato soup, seafood chowder, 'banjo' burger with onion rings. The soups arrived first and the seafood chowder was loaded with huge pieces of fish, potatoes (not many) with a creamy rich base. Flavor was incredible and in itself a full meal. Served in a large crock style bowl. The potato soup was minus any whole potatoes. It was a rich creamy base with plenty of flavor and very hearty. The burger was really a double cheeseburger with plenty of cheese, grilled onions, what appeared to be a mayonnaise based sauce on a soft hamburger roll. Really tall enough that it was tough getting your mouth around it. Very well seasoned burgers and the onions were a nice touch. The onion rings were huge and had a very light batter on them. They served in a metal bowl to keep them hot. For dessert the apple crumble was ordered which was served in a large dish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This could have been warmer but still was good.. The 5 star rating is for the chowder as it outshone the rest of the meal although the burger was definitely a close second. Definitely will return to try other dishes when we come back to the city.

Quick review for a quick lunch stop. We shared an Irish Lamb Stew: meat and vegetables in gravy…read morewith a layer of mash(ed potatoes) on top. The meat and veggies were plentiful, the portion generous, and it was tasty enough but maybe on the bland side? It was served with a side of braised red cabbage which we really liked: sweet but not sour like pickled cabbage. And house-made brown stout bread, also very good. The wife had a Guinness and I, thinking it too cliché to order Guinness as a tourist in Ireland, tried a different stout whose name I've forgotten from the ample selection. But comparing the two, so much better! The menu offers a wide variety of traditional Irish dishes, more than most of the similar pubs in the area. As well as the other expected pub type food: sandwiches, burgers, etc. As for desserts, if we were hungrier, the wife might have ordered the Irish Whiskey Bread & Butter Pudding. The hubby would probably get his dessert later, as the selection was limited and neither that nor the Apple Crumble appealed. Sitting at the bar we had a more personalized experience than were we at a table. The bartender offered to take a photo of me behind the bar which I of course accepted. We made the right choice in coming here.

Sometimes it's the food. Sometimes the setting. Today, it was Mike, our server, who made this a…read morefive star experience. He's worked there more than 20 years and had us thoroughly entranced with his personality and charms. Oh yes, there was food: a vegetarian boxtie and a corned beef boxtie. These were more like stews than a classic boxtie. We polished the plates off and finished with dessert. The toffee pudding was perfect; surprisingly the housemade ice cream sandwich had almost no flavor and was disappointing. The order of three Irish breads was a good appetizer and helped us understand the different styles in the country. The ambiance here is not classic Irish pub, which was good for dinner. !:)

Very cute restaurant that stopped by during our food tour to have a lunch…read more Beer was delicious and I definitely recommend this place for lunch if you are nearby to try the different stews. My favorite of the stew samples was coddle. The bread and butter were also delicious although every place had amazing bread. we didn't really get to interact with the server, but the bartender did give us a good intro to the beers that are available that day

This joint is old school and very clean.. one of the better pubs in D2 if a bit off the beaten path…read morethey said. Stopped by on an early Thursday afternoon for a pint just to check it out after some folks recommended the joint! Walking in.. I don't think it's changed much in the last 50 years and that's a good thing. Met a few locals as well as a good looking woman in a LOW CUT blouse and chatted about the town for a bit! Great pint/ great service/ must stop joint. talk later

Friendly neighborhood pub Clean and good service Would happily stop in again for a few pintsread more

Hard to find as we passed it & realized it's upstairs! Small single room w/ a standard collection…read moreof wall art / signs. Asked to be re-sat & they were happy to let us choose. We asked about the soup flavor & they offered a taste and brought out a huge sample boat. Super cool. I got the cottage pie lunch portion, which is more than I could barely eat. It came with a boat of the sauce /and gravy and meat. Wife got the fish and chips... The fillet was longer than the plate and it came with a mountain of fries, both delicious. Daughter got the creamy vegetable soup and chips. She loved it but couldn't even finish half. All the portions were very generous, nobody finished their meal, too bad we couldn't have taken it back to our hotel. Server was great & funny. Love this place.

If you're in the area, The Old Mill Restaurant should be on your list. From the traditional decor…read moreto the delicious food, this seems to be a staple spot for an authentic Irish dining experience. Thankfully, when I arrived around 1, one table happened to be opened so no wait for me. A long queue did start soon after though so just be prepared for some wait depending on when you arrive. I ordered the Seafood Chowder and the Guinness Stew. Both were very tasty! The Seafood Chowder had a good amount of seafood and the flavor was hearty but not overly heavy. Same applies to the Guinness Stew. Very hearty with lots of beef chunks but I didn't feel too heavy after eating it. The stew is definitely much different in terms of flavor and the richness (the stew was a lot more rich) but having the contrast of both dishes was ideal. To top it off, dipping the provided soda bread in each of the dishes was an added bonus. The service is very prompt and the staff are friendly. There's a decent amount of tables so turnover shouldn't be too long for those waiting in the queue. Will definitely be back on my next visit to Dublin to try the other dishes!

So be sure to make a reservation for brunch. We made the mistake of not having one but got lucky…read morewith 2 newly opened seats at the bar. The service with the bartender was good. I had the French toast with bacon. My friend had eggs Benedict. The food was average. They have a nice cocktail menu and the drinks were really good. We were there on a pretty sunny day so the view was great!

While visiting Dublin, I was staying at the Dean so Sophie's seemed like the easiest and quickest…read moreoption to get food from a couple of times. I had their breakfast first, which was honestly just average. It wasn't bad but it didn't blow me away. I had a much better experience having dinner there a couple days later! The Summer Salad was nice and refreshing but definitely not filling so I followed up with the Soup of the Day which was perfect. If you're looking for breakfast in Dublin, I might recommend trying somewhere else but dinner at Sophie's is definitely worth trying!

We drifted in here about 5 pm and the place was hopping. Live music and a short wait for a table…read more Great, loud pub ambiance. We ate an early dinner, including lamb shank and beef stew. Both were good and exactly what you think of for Irish comfort food. Friendly, efficient staff. It's a tourist spot, but a fun one. Btw: the name is not racial. The original owner was Dorcas Kelley, nickname Darkie.

I'll start with the good: loved the vibes and look and feel and the fact that they do different…read morestyles of live music every night means I just might be back. The staff are also very nice and despite how busy it is, service was quick. Neutral: this place was smaller than I was expecting and could be cramped if you're trying to eat as well as drink Bad: the food left something to be desired. I tested bangers and mash and barely made it through one sausage as they seemed mushy and the texture through me off. Would return but not to eat

The Old Storehouse is a Dublin pub with casual seating, live music, Guinness on tap (of course),…read moreand delicious eats. My husband and I stopped by for dinner and I ordered a caesar salad and their fish chowder. The caesar was great but my gosh the fish chowder and accompanying brown bread rocked my socks. So, much so, that I did what I never do--I revisited this spot more than once on the same trip (so many places to explore I almost never do this!). That fish chowder is craveable. They do live music on occasion as well and so we were able to enjoy that while sipping our Guinness. The prices are reasonable and the service is friendly. They aren't as small as they look at first glance, on one of our visits, we sat upstairs which has a second dining area. Amazing! Get to it!

Loud music, cheap drinks and good food…read more Place was absolutely packed with people in town for the American Football game so service was dreadfully slow. Had to excuse ourselves from the table multiple times to freshen drinks. The food was good. Once again, absolute star was the Buffalo Wings! Ireland? I mean what??? Perfectly cooked, sauced nicely, just spectacular! The band was playing a mix and of Irish Music and American Rock songs played to Irish tunes. Very fun and well engaged with the crowd. The restaurant itself is cozy and very warm. A great night was had by all!

Second time getting fish and chips. These were really good and I ate it all. Surprisingly I thought…read morethere could have been more and I would have been able to eat it.

The kitchen closes at 9 pm here so make sure to go early if you want food. Had good Caesar salad…read moreand live music. The water closets were a little unexpected and definitely need some maintenance

We had a wonderful dinner at this gem of a restaurant a short walk from Hotel Mespil. Highly…read morerecommend when in the area but make a reservation beforehand as there are only a small number of tables. Only a few photos taken but they should give a good idea of the quality and ambiance.

An utterly divine experience. I expressed this sentiment to the waitress by the way!…read more The quality of service, hospitality, and the lamb sheppard's pie created a memory of a lifetime. Thank you to the Sussex staff for this wonderful experience. Viva la Sussex