Man was I disappointed with Palace Bar. I was so excited to check it out after hearing that it's the preferred bar of my favorite Irish Philadelphian, Fergie Carey. With only a few precious hours to spend in Dublin, my sister and I made Palace Bar the first stop on our list. We arrived and there weren't many people there; a couple older gentlemen in the back seated area and maybe two people at the bar itself. There were a few people chatting in the office off the bar. We were famished, so when the bartender came over I said hello and asked if they serve food. The bartender sort of grunted a no and walked away. So we decided to just have a quick drink before setting off for a restaurant. My sister went to the restroom while I waited for the bartender to come back. He came over and filled an ice bucket but didn't make eye contact. By the time my sister returned, I hadn't seen the bartender again. So with that, we grabbed our purses and took our business to another bar, where we were treated with warmth and kindness. Extremely disappointing experience. read more

I've been here once before ages ago and downstairs. But a couple of month ago they opened the upstairs as a bar and it is just lovely there. It reminded me a bit of Keogh's with its flair of a living room. The chairs we had could be more stable / comfy but other than that I loved the interior in this cosy room. The audience was a mix of tourists and locals but for it being so close to Temple Bar it was definitely not touristy. read more

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Very casual spot. Pop in for some conversation over a pint or a cocktail. The backroom is stools and coffee table style seating with a beautiful center skylight. Bathrooms are well kept. A nice change of pace after leaving the temple bar. read more

Palace Bar - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

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Great bar. I have been going to for years. Nice lunchtime early evening pub. They also have the whiskey palace upstairs only open in the evenings. read more

How have I not written a review for this place before?! It's easy to walk by the touristy (and always crazy busy) part downstairs, and never think to venture up to the land beyond. Well, venture you should. The Whiskey Bar is quite at treat. It's like a cosy little private bar that feels nearly as if you're in your (mad) granny's gaff in a lock-in! The walls are absolutely lined with whiskeys from all corners of the world, and it's full of comfy furniture, dim lighting and interesting Victorian / vintage decor. The place is as old as the hills, and they've absolutely kept hold of that history with both hands which is wonderful to see. The barman is personable and knowledgeable and can talk you through some of the choices available. They have trad sessions in here from time to time as well - though genuine ones, rather than the GM type ones offered in some other parts of Temple Bar! A great place to stop if you're looking for a quiet cosy corner in an otherwise crazy busy part of town. read more

"It's great to see a woman drinking a pint," smiled the Don Juan of Irish men chat up lines. "Thank you." "Tis great," he added and leaned in for dramatic effect as he passed our table. I wouldn't come here expecting to be captivated by poetry by potential partners. I would come here if you want a great pint of Guinness and if you wanted to have a good conversation with friends. At the back there is a Victorian styled dome which opens up the space a lot versus older pubs with smaller ceilings that can be rather claustrophobic. The ladies loos are wonderful - seriously wonderful. So clean, plants, moisturisers... I was not expecting that very feminine side to what is a very masculine bar. read more

This, in the time of Joyce and O' Brien, was The Pearl bar. It was, for decades, the pub for Irish Times journos to drink in. There was once a great saying in the capital that if you missed The Irish Times, you missed a part of the day, yet if you went into The Pearl, you'd miss a few days! This pub is located unfortunately close to the bus stop, and on many occasions I've missed the 11:30pm for another pint. The pint is up to scratch, and this is one of the only pubs that gets away with selling t-shirts. Like O'Donoghues, the walls here are like those of a museum, giving great insight into the history of the premises and perhaps even bragging about a few famous ex-punters. Two pints, a pint a piece, is all we have time for when I drop in. On the way out I drop them back to the bar, something anyone who spent any amount of time working in a pub seems to develop a habit of doing, and the barman gives thanks. I haven't been in here in a while, but the atmosphere is just as I remember it on a previous visit, with conversation king here. Go visit. read more

The Palace is one of the most traditional pubs in Dublin, and although it's on the corner of Temple Bar, it is most definitely not part of the rip-off tourist trap that is Temple Bar. It may be a cosy little bar, but good goods come in small packages! This is a bar is as it was, and unspoiled by the passages of time, unlike a lof of Dublin. It was also the favourite watering hole of a lot of the Literati of Dublin in the late 19 and early 20th Centuries. Frequented by the likes of George Bernard Shaw, Flan O'Brien, and James Joyce Still one of the best pubs in Dublin, and it serves a fantastic pint of Guinness. read more

I normally steer clear of Temple Bar because it's a bit of a tourist trap and the drinks are over-priced, but on the edge of Temple bar on Fleet Street this pub is a real gem. Whenever I have friends visiting from America I always bring them here for its authentic Irish feel. In the downstairs section of the pub, there's an old-fashioned snug, which are hard to come by in a lot of pubs in Dublin these days. It's normally locked so you just have to ask the bar men to let you in and voila you have your own private seating area plus direct access to the bar, as one door leads right to the bar. My favourite thing about this snug though is the history behind it. It's rumoured that Michael Collins used to meet other co-patriots to discuss secret plans and the politics of the day! I always feel like I'm conducting some sort of espionage whenever I'm sitting in there. In the upstairs section bar most nights they have a great trad music session. The lads who play are great fun and are Dubs through and through. The crowd is a good mix of locals and out-of-towners and the many nationalities present are a good representation of those in Dublin today. It's definitely worth a stop if you want an authentic Irish feel with a lot of history! read more

I'm a non-drinker because of my diabetes. If I was back in my native Pittsburgh, PA, I would almost never go into a pub (the ironic thing was that I was the bassist in a bar/covers band). But on a recent trip to Ireland, my husband and I did venture into a few of the famous pubs. I am, however, an avid reader. I was interested in this place because it was frequented by writers of the Irish Times. The bar also draws a fair amount of both locals and tourists. It's a fairly lively place, and is fun to stop in at any time. read more

I absolutely love this place, Im a huge fan. Great bar staff. Good Location even though I hate Temple bar with a passion this is on the edge and you dont get ripped off. You pay more than outside Dublin but hey, you expect that. Try a toastie. Excellent Guinness BTW if you like Guinness. read more

Palace Bar - First guinness ever - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

I'm not gonna lie, when I walked into this place I thought; "what the bleeding hell is this kip?!" Upon walking in the door you're greeted by a tight squeeze past people to find a seat. It seemed the place was tiny, cramped, old fashioned and quite rubbish. I wasn't in the mood to be there at all; we only went in to pass time while waiting for a bus! When i settled I took my surroundings in. It's character lies in the dinjy, ye olde Dublin pub it represents. A place where your grandad went for a few scoops after working on the docks. A place where after tirelessly shopping for Xmas your ma and her sister go for a bitch about their husbands. This is that place. No smoke and mirrors; though you'd half expect a few ashtrays to be decoration the centre of the table. It's a no bull Dublin pub; a place to be watered with a birra warmth thrown in! AND atmosphere...it has loads! read more

There's one food being served in The Palace. Just one. And it's the best BLT sandwich you'll ever have. In addition you'll have plenty of beer and whiskey as well as the locals coming here as well. Come here for the last drink or the first one. It's not a party place, it's a nice pub. read more

Palace Bar - Lovely place. Great BLT Sandwich. - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

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Fantastic old school pub. Mentioned in Anthony Bourdain's "Layover". Service was great, nice selection of alcohol. Great atmosphere inside. read more

It's a nice yet busy bar on the verge of the bustling area of Temple Bar, however, it manages to stay mostly tourist-free (says me the tourist). So it's always easy to strike up a conversation with some witty Dub originals there. The atmosphere is relaxed which makes it a nice hang-out for a few quiet pints and a good chit-chat. I hear that they also got live music on but haven't as yet been there then myself. What's the use of describing their selection of booze... it's a true Irish pub so... They've got what you'd want :) As a plus you can also acquire the odd home-made sandwich and a pack of crisps. Good! The bartenders have as yet always been pleasant and chatty guys. So that's pretty cool, too. They are never short of advice where else to go - or general gossip. "Internationally famous for our intellectual refreshments" as their homepage says. read more

After hitting a lot of classic Irish pubs, I was looking for a place to try a nice variety of Irish whiskies. After looking through the Irish Whiskey Trail website, I learned about Palace Bar which is right in Temple Bar. Jackpot! The whiskey selection is formidable and well organized. They have a section called "desert island whiskies" which was an excellent road map for the inexperienced. Though all the whiskies we tried were interesting , I particularly enjoyed the Bushmills 1608. Though I would've liked it if we could have talked about the whiskey with the bartender, the tasting notes in the whiskey menu was good enough. The place was filled with locals and we got to chat with a couple of them. Also in the back room a band was playing traditional Irish music and people were singing along. This may be in the tourist district, but the vibe was decidedly local. An excellent spot! read more

I am pretty sure this is my first time to grace these hallowed halls and I was pleasantly surprised. Real old school pub with cool signage and most importantly a whiskey selection. Not sure about the upstairs but they have more Irish than scotch single malt downstairs. Yea being Irish drink Irish but it's nice to try some of that peaty nectar from Scotland. I had a dram of the newly released greenspot aged for a time in boredeaux red wine casks which was nice but not exacrly complex. They serve their whiskey in Glencairn glasses which I really appreciated as the glass does make a difference and they provide a small water jug should you want to dilute the cask stenghth offerings. read more

I had not been here since it was a night club and was pleasantly surprised by the pool tables. I think it would make a lovely venue to meet up with friends. There were about 25 people in at about eight pm on a Tuesday night so I think it attracts some regulars but is open and friendly. €20 deposit for pool but it is fully refundable. Plenty of beers on offer including Tiger on tap! read more

Came here for 1 drink last weekend and ended up staying the rest of the night. I was very impressed. The atmosphere was great and relaxing for temple bar and the staff very friendly. The prices for the drinks were also very reasonable. I would recommend visiting the Palace Bar if you haven't already. read more

It was with a certain degree of trepidation that I headed to a friends birthday in Temple Bar, now I've lived in Dublin for 10 plus years at this stage, and to be honest, Temple Bar is somewhere that I avoid, avoid, avoid. My expectations where low, we headed to the Upstairs Bar, and i was kind of impressed at what I found, there was a subdued, conversational atmosphere, an amazing range of whiskeys and for the first drink of the night, a great range of local craft beers. We settled in the corner, and spent most of the evening feeling ver comfortable with the atmosphere, just the right amount of busy, just the right balance of people there for the night, and groups passing through for a drink. I'd definitely return here if I was looking to drink in this part of town again! read more

Unlike some bars in Dublin there were a lot of tourists there when we went in. Drank downstairs which is a little tight space wise but no real complaints. Did the job. read more

Extremely low key bar, would not think you're in the Temple Bar district - seemed to be little or no tourists or gimmicks. Like almost all bars though, great for a few points and some Powers to take the edge off, stop in! read more

It's a great place to visit specially try to get there at a time when its not too busy so you can chat with the bartenders they are super knowledgable and if it's not too busy will take the time to explain al the whiskey sand history read more

Palace Bar - Nice tasting flight off variety of Irish whiskers - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

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Best pub in Dear Ould Dirty Dublin by a mile... Run by a family from Tipp for years, you can't ask for better,great beer and good slagging, and then Wasps beat Leinster boo hiss read more

A grand old pub is the Palace, and surpisingly roomy considering it's narrowness. Brian O'Nolan who wrote fantastic books under the name of Flann O'Brien had this as his main local. he also wrote a wildly satyrical column for The Irish Independent under another name: Myles na gCopaleen, and had a great number of other pseudonyms too! Other regulars included the rare auld pair of Patrick Kavanagh & Brendan Beehan, "No singing in the bar!" Every year the best of Dubs performance poets gather here in celebration of Paddy Kavanagh. read more

Palace Bar - Pubs Near Me - Dublin, D

One of the oldest bars in the city. Complete with two snugs where women were allowed drink. Right in the temple bar area. Fine conversation with the locals read more

This is just about my favourite pub in Dublin. The interior is as it was for many years and the portrait of Flann O'Brien watching over proceedings is a wonderful comfort. The staff are the old school style staff that Dublin was once famous for and I have had the experience of being told 'I haven't seen you in here for a long time' by a member of staff I was sure must have forgotten an old customer. It is right in the centre of town, easily accessible by public transport but the clientele are Dubliners as opposed to large groups passing through. There used to be a writer's group meeting upstairs (I'm not sure if there still is something like that now) and the whole mood is one of discussion and warm familiarity. You can get in and out of conversations as you please - just a very nice experience. And, of course, the stout is wonderful. I gave 5 stars but I am sure many people would have something to say about the toilets - if the interior has not been changed (and that's positive), the toilets downstairs could certainly do with a lick of paint (and a scrub). Maybe this just makes the whole experience more authentic though! read more

We walked a long the Tempe Bar area and were in and out of bars, trying to find one that was not super loud so we didn't have to scream at each other or only look at each other for lack of being able to hear. A simple request. We found this charming place with seating in the back room and had a great night. In addition, we were a bit done with drinking beer and wanted to go back to our usual cocktails and lo and behold, we were very happy as we found raspberry vodka and Monkey 47 gin. A great night for all with fantastic cocktails. read more

Palace Bar has literary and political associations with many famous people.(Behan, Michael Collins) One can find interesting people of all social classes and professions here. My favorite Dublin pub, but there are still many good pubs in Dublin. This is my choice, second would be the Kilmainham pub(can't ever remember that ones name). read more

Had such a fun time here. I'm not much of a bar person so the temple bar scene isn't really my thing. Technically, it's still in the temple bar, but it was much more my speed. The music was awesome and the atmosphere was great. read more

This bar has major charm! Situated in Temple Bar, this was one of the few places where there were equal amounts of tourists and locals. Drinks were delicious and served quickly, and they had an excellent whisky selection. The history of this place is incredible, and the walls are lined with photos of the famous writers of past and present who frequent the bar. Seating was ample in the early evening, and it was a great starting point for our pub crawl around Dublin! read more

Kinda small, expensive for Dublin on a Tuesday, and no music (which I have come to expect in Temple Bar). It was pretty nice inside though.

Cosy and quiet pub in the city centre. That's a rare enough enough thing. I was jumping up and down I was so happy when I came in here after the wilderness of Temple bar on a Friday night. They serve a lovely pint of Guinness and the atmosphere is just fantastic. read more

Solid pub with solid pints and well worth a visit. The downstairs gets a bit mad, but the upstairs is almost always seat-having, even during matches. Haven't experienced the loud music that Lynne's suggested. read more

Nice looking pub, drinks over priced but to be expected with its location. Had enjoyed nights in there before but a few quiet drinks there were ruined by an extremely rude bar manager who told 2 non drinking members of our group of 5 that they had to leave. This occurred on a Wednesday night that was not particularly busy, there were empty seats available around us. The situation was handled extremely badly on the part of the bar manager, who refused to listen to any reasoning. Will not visit again. read more

This was the very first pub I stepped foot in upon arriving in Dublin and it was this very pub that I kept coming back to. I also had my first Guinness here. A friend of mine who I was staying with suggested I come here first if I wanted to soak up a more "local" culture and I'm so happy I did. I sat in the back with a book and never even got a chance to break it open. Everyone was so friendly and within an hour or two the back room turned into a bit of a party. Rounds of Guinness, card games and lots of mingling. The pub itself has a lot of character. I kept thinking to myself that it was a pub right out of a movie. Absolutely lovely place. I'm sure this will be my first stop each time I visit. read more

Great little whiskey bar. Good selection, knowledgeable staff, decent prices. And their own Palace Bar 14Y bottling is excellent.

Wondering where everything went wrong with your trip planning as you find yourself in a new town but somehow walking by yet another Hard Rock Café? Stop in the Palace Bar, which is like 100 yards away, for some reason. Walking south on O'Connell Street, attempting to escape the endless tides of tourists north of the river and wondering what the hell was up with that giant spike, anyway? Take a right on Fleet Street and stop in the Palace Bar, which is like 50 feet from the corner. Heading west from seeing the Book of Kells and the Long Room, knees weak from the beauty of such a vast library and the overwhelming dread that the leatherbound works of our forefathers will outlast every blog post and tweet our generation squeezes out of our desperate fingertips? Might I suggest grabbing a pint at The Palace Bar and decompressing a bit. It won't fix the problem, but it'll help. Also, the Wi-Fi reception is better toward the front. read more

they have an actual Irish music session upstairs most nights. Very much a "public house". Felt more like a party in someones house than a bar. Nice, specially in super touristy Temple Bar. read more

Good pub. It maybe in a tourist area but this place is a great place to sip a pint and meet the locals. Even if the locals aren't from Ireland. read more