15 Best Nightlife in Dublin, Ireland

Dublin's first superpub received a €4 million face-lift just before the pandemic with three floors of opulent Art Nouveau style à la grand Parisian brasserie, an extensive food menu, and a spectacular enclosed garden terrace with a retractable glass roof. This is one of Dublin's more elegant places to socialize.

The who's who of city society have always been drawn to the elegance of this glorious Dublin institution at the Shelbourne hotel. There's comparatively little space for drinkers around the famous semicircular bar—but this does wonders for making friends quickly.

Old meets new in this award-winning, cozy spot adjacent to the Drury Court hotel. The dark-wood and bar-mirror interior is classic Dublin, but the craft beer selection and chilled-out, board-gaming atmosphere has a more millennial vibe. 

Established in 1823, and scarcely changed since the 1940s, the wonderful Palace Bar is still all tiles and brass. Popular with journalists and writers (the Irish Times used to be nearby), the walls are lined with cartoons drawn by newspaper illustrators.

Ireland has gone through a craft-beer revolution and this busy spot is the place to sample a huge variety of them. The classy red pool table and selection of board games are perfect for a rainy afternoon. 

A clever and cool addition to the Dublin nightlife scene, an evening at Anti Social can mean some serious dancing to live DJs, or a laid-back gaming session on the old-school arcade machines. 

An 18th-century wine vault with bare brick walls and vaulted ceilings, this spot at the superstylish Merrion Hotel tends to draw a well-heeled crowd.

Originally fronted by the infamous Dublin drag queen Panti and a cultural hot spot for the local LGBT community, this amusingly named gay bar has loud music at night but is pretty chilled-out during the day.

This cool bar for lovers of electronic music is based around a custom-made sound system and an enviable vinyl collection . . . oh, and they specialize in craft beers and daring cocktails, too.

A hop and skip from O'Connell Street, the Celt offers traditional Irish music seven nights a  week and draws a nice mix of locals and tourists. On busy weekends, to quote the natives, the place is "heaving."

Dublin's two-floor main gay pub, the George draws an almost entirely male crowd; its nightclub stays open until 2:30 am nightly except Tuesday. The "alternative bingo night," with star drag act Miss Shirley Temple Bar, is a riot of risqué fun. Saturdays are always packed.

The converted main building of Harcourt Street's old railway station houses this large, modern cocktail bar. Both the lunch and dinner menus include fish-and-chips, burgers, and good salads. Sunday brunch is served between noon and 5.