During our pub crawl, one of our stops was O'Donoghue's. Zero regrets. The vibe in here was good, even though it was more of an old man pub. Like most pubs in Dublin, it had TONS of character and feel. We got a booth above ground level and then got to ordering. This was my first time trying Yellow Spot Whiskey. It was amazingly smooth. We also ordered Kopparberg cider, a few pints of Guinness, and Fish and Chips. The drinks were great, and the fish was tender and delicious. The server who helped us was amazing. Yet another one of the happiest places on earth discovered. If you're doing a pub crawl or just want a good pub with good food and good people, O'Donoghue's is a must-try. 10/10. read more

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Went for lunch in the afternoon. Place was relatively empty. Few folks chatting at the bar. Service was nice. Wanted to finally try the iconic Guinness stew. It was a decent portion. The stew was warming. It came with soda bread and a pad of butter. read more

O'Donoghue's - Guinness stew - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

In our search for live music, O'Donoghue's came up time and again as the place to be. We arrived around 8 p.m. to find the pub already packed, and were lucky to snag a couple of stools at the bar, though I'd definitely recommend being prepared for standing room only. A four-person band was casually set up near the front, filling the space with lively Irish tunes that added to the unique local atmosphere. The walls are plastered with signed American dollar bills and framed photos and posters celebrating the many musicians and bands who've played there over the years. If you're looking for the kind of authentic, energetic experience you picture when imagining an Irish pub, O'Donoghue's delivers. read more

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Stopped in for a pint before dinner. A nice pub, not too noisy, and great ambiance. The pub was not quiet but it definitely was more suited for conversation than other pubs nearby. Service: friendly staff read more

O'Donoghue's - A beer at the bar - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

So I live for the pubs in Dublin. I could just sit in pubs for the entire stay. This one felt like I was in a piece of history. The service was good. I had a nice Guinness. The crowd was chill the night I was there. We sat on the side that was "outdoors". I enjoyed myself. read more

We had someone recommend O'Donoghue's for lunch and we have some regrets. Sadly the food wasn't great (wasn't horrible, but not great either). Best part about the meal was the cider! What we tried: - Irish Guinness Stew - Bulmers cider Wait staff was great! read more

Popped in for a quick pint on the way to dinner. This is a great pub packed with limited seating. We found one stool empty at the very front corner and shared a pint before heading off to dinner. They are very quick and attentive. If you look up, they are rushing over to see if you need anything. read more

O'Donoghue's - Smithwick's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

A friend and I stopped at O'Donoghue's for some pub time when we were in Dublin last month, and we had a great time. It's a big pub - a couple of different areas to sit (including some outside seating). We had some G&Ts and pints of Guinness. Cozy, comfortable. No music while we were there but still a good time! It was a great pub for us during our short visit to Dublin! read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

Given this recommendation as a locals legend. I can see why. Small place that's no so small. Looks can be deceiving, they have an outside area or back area where live music is going on. At least on this day they only food choices was soup and sandwich. So we elected to have a "cold sandwich" a Guinness. I can see the locals hang here. For us a nice place to stop for a bit. read more

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Very cool pub in a slightly tucked away location. Good assortment of beers on tap. The staff was very friendly. Prices were very fair. It's on the divey side but that was just what we were looking for. Tilts more toward local than tourist. Yet against n just what we were looking for. A solid five star spot for a couple few pints and conversation. read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

Such a cool pub! Stumbled upon this location on a day trip from Belfast. Very nice bartenders. Super cool seating and the postcard-like coasters were a unique touch! read more

O'Donoghue's - Guinness, obviously - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

Fun pub with live music Guinness and two singers with a 4 string banjo and a guitar singing folk songs (ballads?) Perfect last night in Dublin read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

This place is amazing. Wonderful outside with live Irish music. Fantastic pints and fantastic people watching. Great place to grab a pint. read more

A very popular place to sit around and have a few pints of Guinness with friends. The place was busy and seating is limited, but we were lucky and got some. If I lived in Dublin, I would hang out here for sure. read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

This is a great local Irish pub. Live locals playing Irish music. The service was friendly and people engaging. The Guinness was cold and the best I had in Ireland. I can't recommend this place more for a good time and great people. read more

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On our way back to the hotel from a Book of Kells tour, we decided we wanted to stop for a couple drinks and hear a little Irish music. Just happened to pass O'Donoghues, and one of our tour guides had mentioned it earlier in the day. So we swung in, found a table in the courtyard area, and ordered our drinks. We were enjoying our drinks, and conversation with some friends, waiting for the music to start. Unfortunately, for us, a group of about 10 came in and sat at the 3 tables beside us, and most of them smoked. As soon as they all lit up, it kind of ruined the experience and we ended up finishing our drinks and leaving. The music had just started, and we did catch a little of it....it's the real deal. read more

Found this place by accident but was glad I did!! Walking in, it's a traditional Irish Pub with a seating area in the front for live music.. the whole joint is pitched on a pretty sharp angle towards the street! Lots of locals & tourists alike and they have live music every night that's not to be missed. Friendly service and a perfect pint round it out as well as some fab people watching.. they said. Good place to close out the night for sure// talk later read more

Nice pub, it was close to where we were having dinner, so we had a couple drinks here. It felt like less of a tourist trap and more of a place locals would actually hang out. They had a choice of two ciders (Orchard Thieves being my favorite) as well as a good selection of beers for our group. It's a small pub, but we were able to grab a couple stools and hang out for a bit. One word of caution...there are two O'Donoghue's in Dublin, so if you're going with a group and splitting up in multiple taxis, make sure all members of your party have selected the same location! :) read more

Great environment. Bartenders were fun and quick to check how we were doing. Some traditional Irish music to top it off. Great pub to cap the trip to Dublin. read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

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Trad session was cool. Bartenders were on the ball with a smile and a joke. The place itself was an authentic old-fashioned Irish pub, packed with a jovial crowd. read more

Great Irish Breakfast until 3:00. Friendly staff and cool atmosphere. Definitely recommend!

Great bar. Must see spot in Dublin. It's a classic must see spot. Not sure what else needs to be said.

Full disclosure, I only had a pint. But it was a great experience. It was easy to find. It was very sprawling and it was a Perfect sunny days of sitting on the patio that was in the alley between the two areas was perfect. There were tables in barrels that you could set your point on. The server was very attentive. And of course the Guinness was delicious. read more

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The best spot and the best pint of Guinness - in my opinion - in Dublin city centre (compared to Kehoe's and a couple other pubs!) read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

May the luck of the Irish be with you!! Traveled to Ireland for the first time and have to say this is a must go-to-place for outsiders. Traditional, historic, nostalgic are all adjectives that expressly represent this pub. We left a small verifiable record that in fact we were there which is hanging over the bar along with hundreds of other patrons leaving their mark. This pub does not compete nor compare with Temple Bar which is targeted for tourists. This is a local pub that feels local once you enter so have a pint, listen to good music and enjoy yourself because you'll forever remember it when you leave. read more

O'Donoghue's - Hanging on the wall the location of the pub near restroom - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

O'Donoghue's, you have a piece of my heart! Just down the street from our hotel, we found this bar the last night we were in Dublin on our quest for good trad music. It didn't disappoint! We even got to rub some elbows with the musicians, which made our time there even more fun. Bartenders were great guys. It was busy as all get out, and they were still attentive (we were sitting at the bar) and genuine. (If you tip them, ask about the bell!) We had a great time meeting other patrons, listening to more music, and altogether having a wonderful time. This will most likely be our first stop next time we're in town and if you're looking for good trad music, make this a must-see. Buy a round for the musicians and they may even take a request or two! read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

Can't go wrong with Guiness. We all had Ham, cheese, onion and tomato sandwiches. They were very good and inexpensive. The bartender was very nice and the place is just full of history. There is a wonderful courtyard that is heated (pictured) for nicer weather. This is a real gem of historic Ireland. read more

O'Donoghue's - The courtyard with some heat. - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

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This was our attempt at visiting an authentic Irish pub with Irish music... and yep, we sure got it. O'Donoghues has a lot of history, because it's the place where the Dubliners formed their band. But honestly, weren't they from the Sixties? It's a little before my time. So although I've heard of them, I'm not really a mega-fan and didn't recognize all the people whose photos were up on the walls. The place is a bit old and run down, but we did see a group of fiddlers, and my friend was even able to do a bit of Irish dancing. I tried Bulmers berry cider, which tastes just like punch! Yum! read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

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Visited this bar a few years ago and loved it. Small bar with live music and the atmosphere was awesome. Would go back again in a heartbeat.

The best Irish pub in Dublin. Great pints of Guinness, live music and a fantastic atmosphere. Never a dull moment in this pub.

Fun place it was packed both times I was there. Still managed to get served pretty quickly. They had music later in the night. Worth a visit and lots to do in the area and a quick walk from St Stephens Green read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

Just stopped in the other day to get out of the rain(wink). It's a nice enough pub, decent Guinness, though I had the ear bent off me by a lonely barfly. Lonely barfly's are a good indicator of a pub's quality. They're attracted to places where it's easy to slip into conversation with complete strangers, effectively, they're the flip side to a good convivial pub. It also shows that the staff are reasonably tolerable kind-hearted people, because anyone who puts up with lonely barfly's on a regular basis must have the patience of a saint. They also sell t-shirts. Something the barman was nearly embarrassed to admit in front of the barfly and I. read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

O'Donoghues's is pure blessed by it's just-about-edge-of-the-central business-district-proper location, as if it were any closer to Grafton St it would surely be overrun with tourists every minute of the day. This is because O'Donoghue's, as anyone who knows anything about trad music could tell you, is the birthplace and spiritual home of The Dubliners (if you don't know what I'm talking about, for the love of jaysus open up a new window and type 'Rocky Road to Dublin' into Youtube immediately and click on the first video that pops up). Done? Good, now we'll have a bit of context for the discussion. The heyday of the 1960s when Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew played O'Donoghue's may well be gone (as are Luke and Ronnie themselves, god rest them), but there are still trad sessions to be had in O'Donoghue's, and it's probably your best bet for a good session anywhere near the city centre. Oh, and be sure not to confuse this O'Donoghues (on Merrion Row) with the other O'Donoghues, the one on nearby Suffolk St. They both have similar black and white facades, but that is the only the only thing they have in common, as the other O'Donoghue's is pure shite and pains should be taken to avoid it. read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

It feels legendary. There's a vibe in this place that transforms it from an average pub to an institution. Three pints with a very good friend and one of his best mates made this even better. We laughed, and drank in the experience. Choose if you wish, see if you get it. I did. This will always be a Dublin stop for me. Cheers, O'Donoghue's. read more

What a wonderful place for a pint , hat off to paddy Brennan , bartender, a true professional Dublin bartender and Damien , another class act . A pleasure drinking in your bar , from a NYC barman . read more

After a tour on the hoponhopoff bus being told that this is a historical pub where The Dubliners actually formed. Therefor, of course, we had to go there. It was pretty early in the afternoon so there were plenty of seats. We ordered our pints and sat down in the inner room. It is rather dated - if you can say that about a pub without being told a pub SHOULD BE dated! Well, OK. But it can be dated in a good and a bad way. This feels a bit run down. So it is not a favorite of mine. Friendly staff as always at any pub in Dublin, that I've been to. read more

O'Donoghue's - So tiny inside - this is the inner room - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

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It is a must when in Dublin to visit the back room, have an ale and listen to some authentic Irish music. Not a tourist trap: the locals visit also and love to bring their guests here from across the pond. read more

I love it when you go to places with one idea but then you come out with another. I thought that O'Donoghue's would be a gimmicky city centre pub filled with either tourists or annoying shoppers, but it isn't. At least, it hasn't been the three times that I've been here. Most people who come to this pub are pleasantly surprised. My friend Simon summed up the experience when he exclaimed: "This place is actually good!" When you come in, you're confronted with a dark wooden crowded pub. If you want some space and tranquility, head on upstairs. For some reason the upstairs is never too busy (perhaps because there's no bar and people are too lazy to go up and down the stairs for drinks). The whole pub is built like a country cottage and customers feel cozy and rested after drinking here. read more

O'Donoghue's - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

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I was an abroad student in Rome visiting Dublin with new acquaintances. I yearned to act normal but slowly pull the string and unravel for a profound connection. I was a romantic then, young me in a sports coat, smoking, Guinness to my eyelids in O'Donoghues, my after-midnight smile and tired right eye (I'm slightly cockeyed when drunk) thinking how wonderful life was that I was able to see Arianna in Rome in just a few days, how unmindful I was of my surroundings in Dublin. Arianna, as I've mentioned in other reviews, was my muse, but I had not known yet. I knew that she was married to her high school sweetheart in order to get him citizenship. I knew that, as a disciple of the western canon, I needed affairs with married women, that I would mold myself into what she wanted only to unravel and reveal the tangled mess that is Jamie Battat, greatest Painter in America, now abroad in Dublin. I ordered an Irish coffee and received an odd look from the bartender. Between the loudness and his accent, I couldn't understand. In all humility, I couldn't understand a thing about anything. How I ended up in O'Donoghues when I'd had no money, no good grades, just a glimmer of talent that someone spotted, and here I was on a free weekend, Guinness to my scalp, brooding in a bar, wanting to be wanted by a married woman. The bartender was tender, exuded the patience of a monk, patted my arm. Brought me another beer. My friends stood accumulated in a corner like water molecules, the high surface tension of young pretty artists in a foreign bar not wanting to get lost on their walk back to the hostel. I found it useful to regroup and make the best of a night without the girl I chose to love, a lock of her hair in my back pocket like an ace card. I had something they didn't. The purpose to contribute to the canon and shift it. Make it sexy. I love Guinness. I love old bars. I love gold halos and the invisible ones we had in O'Donoghues. A place like this doesn't need pork belly sliders, for we'd soon end up back at the hostel lying face down on hard bunks. read more

Cozy pub! Very old school cozy pub. Went here about half past eleven on a Saturday and it was packed! The bartender was standing on the bar ready to give us our Guinness! They have Guinness waiting in the wings, and the bartender hands them out when you walk in. The crowd was all ages, young to old. Only downside was someone clearly farted so it smelled bad for a bit. read more

O'Donoghue's - Giving out Guinness! - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D