Pubs in London and Dublin

In Dublin, throw a rock in Temple Bar and you'll find a decent pub. If you want some Irish music with your pint, try The Castle, which sits a little further away, near Dublin castle... hence, the name.

London doesn't have a central "pub district" like Temple Bar, but you'll find the pubs more scattered throughout this vast city. Did you have a specific area in mind?

If you would like to find a pub where you can converse with the locals and not other tourists try the Lord Edward. It is directly across the street from Christ Church Cathedral and not only is it a good pub but has some of the best seafood in Dublin. Leo Burdocks fish and chips is just around the corner about 100 feet away. It is only about a 10 minute walk up Dame/Lord Edward St. from Temple Bar. The drinks are also cheaper.

There is also a hole in the wall pub called Mother Murphy's on Talbot St. not far from Connolly rail station.

If you go in these places in the middle of the afternoon you can meet some real characters.

While traveling in the UK, Scotland, Ireland and N Ireland we would ask someone to recommend a pub nearby and eat there.

You don't have to to to a particular pub clear across town to eat a typical meal. Take what is nearby and you will like it.

Elizabeth - Do you know about Fancyapint.com. This site reviews pubs in London. I found the Bag-o-Nails to be ok. It was a little crowded while commuters waited for the trains to thin out.

Hi Elizabeth, The Swan Pub at 66 Bayswater across the street from Kensington Gardens. Take the Central Tube line to Lancaster Gate station, as you exit the station turn to your right. Walk to the corner (just a few steps) cross over and walk a minute or two and the pub will be on your right. They have great food. The pub was built in the 1600's.

Our favorite on our 2002 trip was O'Shea's Merchant Pub. It is just across the Liffy river from the Four Courts area on Bridge Street. It has both a restaurant and a pub. The restaurant had excellent food (we ate there twice) and the pub had traditional music and many locals come there for "set" dancing. (I'm pretty sure our clogging dances are derived from set dancing.) The owner is a well known trad musician. We also spent some time in the Temple Bar area- lots of good music but a lot more crowded and touristy. Please note that this information is 6 years old. Go check it out and let me know if it is still as good as it was in 2002. Have a great trip.

I second O'Shea's in Dublin. 12 Lower Bridge Street. Excellent food and live music at least some evenings. I ate there in 2004 and again this last September (so it's still there and still tasty).

In London, asking someone for a pub they recommend in whatever area you happen to be in is an excellent idea.
I enjoyed the food at the Rugby Tavern in the Holborn area, 19 Great James St, London, WC1N 3ES. And I liked Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street for cheap but good cider and beer, I didn't eat here so I don't know what the food's like. 145 Fleet St, London, EC4A 2BU.

I didn't like the Temple Bar area. It was too busy, loud and the bars were more like any big city bars in America. I would have said I didn't like Dublin's pubs at all except a couple of locals took me on a crawl to some of their favorites that were indeed nice, quiet pubs.

I would join a literary or music pub crawl to get some good ideas.

Hi Elizabeth,
I was in London last autumn, and I found that the Ol' Cheshire Cheese was an excellent pub. It's one of London's oldest pub, dating back several hundred years, and you can tell by walking through it. The doorways are short, the stairwells are tight, and the layout is shotgunned. It consists of several floors, each floor having tables/chairs shoehorned into corners and inglenooks. My advice is to go straight to the cellar (open seating on large oaken tables and benches), order a pint at the bar (I was told by a local that this is the cheapest place to get a pint in London) and grab a table near some locals and learn about London. Of my three weeks in England, that night was one of the most memorable.

Cheers,
Darren

We had lunch at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and it was just OK, not great. The prices were not great either. We enjoyed The Princess of Wales Pub on Villiers Street down the sidewalk from Gordon's Wine Bar (which we walked down into but it was packed at 6pm). Prices at the Princess Of Wales were excellent and the pints were super. A must stop!

Elizabeth,

I didn't visit a lot of Pubs in London, but enjoyed the Ebury Wine Bar in the Victoria Station neighborhood. Not exactly a "Pub" but they served Beers and Wines, and the food was good also.

There were a few in Dublin that I enjoyed.....

Oliver St. John Gogarty's (which is in the Temple Bar district - there seems to be a difference of opinons on the area, but I enjoyed it).

Darkey Kelley's Bar (which is in the lower floors of the Harding Hotel. Bit of a story behind the name)

The Arlington Hotel / Knightsbridge Bar (very lively Bar, especially the one on the lower floor!)

You won't have to go far to find a Pub in either city. Your Hotel or other travellers will no doubt provide lots of recommendations.

Happy travels!