Dublin's Best Cocktail Bars

This is one of Dublin’s most unique cocktail experiences.

The French-inspired venue is styled like Madame de Pompadour’s ‘dirty den’ (ooh-er), with quilted red booths and seating, fringed bar tables, gilded gold portraits, red drapes, velvet furniture and dark wood – it’s a sight to behold, and one that may be a nice and cosy welcome after celebrating. The three-storey Georgian townhouse has a wood-panelled ground-floor bar and up the winding staircase is the ‘salon’, where delicious meals are served. The drinks menu is a throwback to the 1800s, and travels through time to today – particular favourites are the Tequila Mockingbird, Smells Like Teen Spirits and even Wrecking Ball, in honour of everyone’s favourite, angelic singer, Miley Cyrus…

Dublin’s burning (not really) thanks to the Fire Restaurant and Lounge.

Set in the St Stephen’s Green and Dawson Street vicinity – this is one of Dublin’s most rated restaurant and cocktail bars. The vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows provide the perfect backdrop to your weekend, and the lounge is a sleek, white and modern take on the traditional cocktail bar. The drinks menu is enough to make you hungry, with offerings like the Toast and Jam, Monk’s Milkshake and Organic Bloody Mary on the cards. Luckily enough, it’s also a fine-dining restaurant…

Funky Fish is Dublin’s all-new cocktail bar – it’s the plaice to be.

This eccentric and trendy concoction of alcohol meets seafood is located at 34 Dawson Street, and boasts a selection of rooms for your night in Ireland’s party capital. Starting with The Seafood Bar in the main room, serving up fresh tastes of the sea in inventive ways, moving onto the dedicated Gin Bar and finally the cocktail section – the possibilities are endless. You can enjoy signature drinks – Aquarium, The Black Pearl and The Nutcracker automatically jump off the page – as well as classic cocktails, including the ever-loved martinis and mojitos. It krills the competition…

There’s something in the waters in Dublin – and that’s vintage bars.

But, this isn’t just any late-night bar, this is 37 Dawson Street. This opulent space embraces all things old-school, and is a stylish and well thought-out mish mash of antiques, custom-made furniture, fireplaces and moose heads. If Moulin Rouge had gone to Dublin and got drunk – this would have been the result. Every one of the many bars has a spectacular cocktail list on their resume, and whiskey also plays a big part in the foundations. Just past the eclectic whirlwind and to the back of the building is the Whiskey Bar, a step back in time – it even has a fringed bar… The bar has a hand-picked list of 37 different whiskies to choose from, all served in crystal glass and under the expert advice of the bartenders.

Café en Seine, Jameson’s former Bar of the Year, has a history that would make your mother blush.

Well, the building’s history would… After the Irish Rebellion of 1798, French prisoners of war were kept here – one of those was a six foot tall Amazonian woman, the supposed inspiration of the Statue of Liberty. It then had its time as a brothel, dressmakers, surgery and home of the Irish government. The interior reflects its past (not as a brothel), and is styled on the turn-of-the-century France, with glass lanterns, cast-iron features, a Louis XIV bust, grand piano and French Hotel lift running through the building. We’ve not even touched on the signature cocktails – from the Chocolate Old Fashioned, to the Aviation and Ulysses – and the craft beers on tap. We’ll see you there.

Lillie’s Bordello is VIP personified.

In fact, it’s widely regarded as Dublin’s most exclusive bar and nightclub – a real Footballer’s Wives-style destination, near Grafton Street. The intimate and cosy setting is seriously plush, with deep red hues, boudoir-inspired booths, grand chandeliers and dark wood bookcases. The venue has four bars and boasts Ireland’s only micro-distillery, Lillie’s Laboratory – where every single distillation is unique and the cocktails will blow your mind. You’ve got seasonal specials, such as Ketel Cup Ice Tea and French Sour, alongside house cocktails – including the likes of the Choc-Tini, Blue Ivy (nope, not Beyoncé’s kid) and the lethal Zombie. Prior warning, ladies, this contains The Green Fairy, or Absinthe as it is more commonly known.

Before we get started, this isn’t your average drugstore – you can’t pick up an emergency pack of Paracetamol.

Set in George Street, this building has a huge history, once a pharmacy (would you believe) that was the first to research and sell the medicinal powers of cocoa. This place is now one of Dublin’s most exclusive cocktail bars, set in a dark and mysterious basement – it even has a touch of illegality to it – with exposed brickwork and atmospheric lighting. The cocktails are crafty and creative, some also pay homage to the venue’s past life – including Penicillin and Martin’s Pick Me Up (perfect for your weekend…) – and some to Ireland’s party capital, with drinks such as The Bon Vivant of Dublin 8 and Alcock & Browne. Maybe stop on the way and get that Paracetamol for the morning after…

The Liquor Rooms are a hen weekend’s best friend – dedicated to everything booze related.

This speakeasy/French-boudoir/underground bar is the only Dublin venue to be nominated in the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, and they are even award-winners in the Irish Craft Cocktail Awards. This place, set underneath the Clarence Hotel, is a secret den of delight, with the dark and narrow hallway leading you into a warren of stylish rooms, boasting various entertainment and DJs at the weekend. However, this is first and foremost a cutting edge, prohibition era cocktail bar. The extensive, 28 page drinks menu stretches from creative inventions, such as the Pistachio Moustachio, Fishwives Fancy, Quick Question and El Gringo Diablo, to beloved classics.

If this sort of thing is right up your sleeve, we've got even more info on our Dublin nightlife guide. Or, you can go straight to booking this awesome weekend and enquire on our hen weekends page.