Dublin Restaurants - Pubs and Clubs - Dining Guides
Accommodation - also featured in this section> Bed and Breakfasts > Hotels > RestaurantsFuelled by the economic boom and undeterred by its downturn in recent years, Dublin restaurants, pubs and clubs are just mushrooming overnight and offer the city's young population a choice of increasingly sophisticated options for a night out. If you've only got a weekend in town you'll be spoilt for choice.
Although the city's rejuvenated heart, Temple Bar, with its many restaurants and lively pubs, seems like a Mecca for visitors on a weekend break, you'd be well advised to avoid it. The pubs spout Oirish music, serve overpriced food and are generally mobbed with other tourists. And although there are plenty of restaurants, most are mediocre and some are just plain awful.
A better bet for entertainment is South Great George's Street, just a stone's throw from Temple Bar but home to a cluster of hip bars such as The Globe, Sosueme, and the Market Bar and traditional, no-nonsense pubs where you're get to know the locals such as the Stag's Head and the Long Hall. You'll also find plenty of reasonably priced Dublin restaurants along this strip, such as the Italian style Café-Bar-Deli with its excellent pasta and pizza and the Japanese powerhouse of sushi, Yamamori. After you've had a few pints and a bite you can go clubbing by just crossing the street: Hogan's has a free club area in its basement, a real rarity in the city, and Rí-Rá, one of Dublin's best funk clubs has its doors at the back of The Globe.
Continuing on Dublin's nightlife - for the upwardly mobile, Dawson Street, just off St Stephen's Green is the place to head. Start off with a few drinks and dinner at Tiger Becs, a cavernous place oozing atmosphere and serving excellent Thai food. Just next door you can schmooze with the suits at the massive, classically Parisian-style Café en Seine and then head across the green to the Sugar Club, where live music and DJs thrill the bright young things into the wee hours.
In general Dublin restaurants are expensive; main courses at a mid-range restaurant will set you back about €15 while top-notch eateries such as the Tea Rooms at the Clarence Hotel, Eden in Temple Bar or Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud charge about €50-€60 for a set three-course evening meal.
It's also worth knowing that smoking is banned in all Irish workplaces - that includes all restaurants, pubs and clubs. Most places have an outdoor smoking area, and word on the street is it's a great place for matchmaking.
Dublin - Weekend Breaks
