12 Of The Best Cocktail Bars In Dublin (For Food + Drinks Tonight)

When it comes to Dublin cocktail bars are a plenty.

But which ones pack a punch and which are best given a wide berth?! In this guide, we’re going to help guide you’re tastebuds to the best cocktail bars in Dublin.

They deserve it, after all! The capital has seen an influx of trendy cocktail bars in recent years, with many racking up rave reviews online.

In the guide below, you’ll find bars and restaurants knocking up the best cocktails in Dublin, with a mix of exclusive eateries and dive bars on offer.

Where we think does the best cocktails in Dublin

The first section of our guide is packed with where we think knock up the best cocktails in Dublin. These are places that one of The Irish Road Trip Team have visited, and loved.

Below, you’ll find everywhere from the brilliant Stella Cocktail Club and BAR 1661 to The Sitting Room at Delahunt and more.

1. BAR 1661

Bar 1661 (Green Street) is, in our opinion, the best of the many Dublin cocktail bars. When it opened in 2019, it won five awards at the Irish Craft Cocktail Awards, including Ireland’s Best Cocktail Bar.

Bar 1661 prides itself in paying homage to all Ireland’s native drinks, especially Poitín, the Irish distilled spirit traditionally made from mashed barley, but which can also be made from other cereals and grain, whey, sugar beet, molasses or potatoes.

The drinks on offer include Irish coffee made from whiskey, coffee, cream and nutmeg, and the fizzy Halston St made from Blueberry Poitín, lychee, lemon verbena and Amaro. 

2. The Sitting Room at Delahunt

Delahunt is famous for its mention in James Joyce’s Ulysses. “Lashings of stuff we put up: port wine and sherry and curacao to which we did ample justice. Fast and furious it was.”

The Sitting Room is the cocktail bar at Delahunt, which has a real mid-century feel to it with the striking bay window that overlooks Camden Street, the retro furniture and custom wood panelling.

There are also craft cocktail materials keeping with that 1950s/60s vibe. Why not try the Whiskey Punch with Slane Whiskey, Rooibos and fermented pineapple, or an Apple Fashioned with Longueville Irish Apple Brandy, maple syrup and chocolate?

Related read: Check out our guide to 13 pubs pouring the best Guinness in Dublin (well known spots and hidden gems)

3. Peruke & Periwig

You’ll find Peruke & Periwig at 31 Dawson Street in Dublin 2. This is one of the better-known cocktail bars in Dublin, and it gets busy at the weekend.

It’s open seven nights a week, a ground floor bar that has an extensive selection of wonderful cocktails alongside draught pints, bottled craft beer, whiskeys and wines.

Classic cocktails have been given a makeover, such as the Smells Like Teen Spirits Appletini that combines Ketel One Citreon Vodka, Creme de Mure, caramel, lemon, apple and pineapple juice.

4. Stella Cocktail Club

The Stella Cocktail Club is one of the most unique cocktail bars in Dublin. Party of the Stella Cinema in Rathmines, it has the same décor, vibe and luxury feel of its sister, The Vintage Cocktail Club.

The room was once the ballroom in the 1920s and Stella and has hosted many nights out for Dubliners in the years since. The glass atrium and large, front-facing window allow in plenty of natural light and there’s an outdoor terrace where you can sip your cocktail.

As you might imagine, the cocktails are movie-inspired, such as the French Martini (Absolut Vodka, Chambord, strawberry and pineapple) and the Hemmingway. This is a great option if you’re looking for date ideas in Dublin.

Excellent options for food and cocktails in Dublin

Now that we have our favourite cocktail bars in Dublin out of the way, it’s time to see what else the capital has to offer.

Below, you’ll find some excellent options for cocktails and food in Dublin, for those of you that fancy making an evening of it.

1. The Mint Bar

The Mint Bar is part of the Westin Dublin hotel and is within the former vaults of an original bank where mixologists now blend vintage techniques with modern innovation to create awe-inspiring drinks.

Jazz musicians play there, and the surroundings are so amazing, you’ll find it a difficult place to leave… The hotel has lots of special offers, so you could combine a long weekend with your visit to the cocktail bar.

If you’re looking for food and cocktails in Dublin, the Westin has several dining options where you can enjoy a fancy feed before continuing down to the Mint Bar.

2. Vintage Cocktail Club

The Vintage Cocktail Club, sister to the Stella Cocktail Club above, is an oasis of calm and cocktails to be found in the heart of Dublin’s buzzing Temple Bar.

It’s set over three floors, including a roof terrace and embodies 1920s chic—trinkets, the antique furniture, the roaring fire and the artwork on the walls, and has been recognised as one of the best cocktail bars in the country.

If you truly love cocktails, why not book in for one of the venue’s cocktail masterclasses where you will sip and savour the drinks as the expert mixologists teach you all you need to know to create your own versions at home. Just the thing for a hen party or a night out with a difference with friends.

3. Sophie’s

Sophie’s is arguably one of the most popular places for food and cocktails in Dublin, and for good reason – this is one of a handful of rooftop bars in Dublin offering stunning city views.

The bar makes its cocktails from the very best liquors mixed with home-made tinctures and cordials. Dining options include breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch at the weekends.

The Mad Ting cocktail is Havana rum, lime, passionfruit and Ting grapefruit soda and there are also non-alcoholic options such as the Cosmo Petal made from Cedar’s Rose, cranberry juice, lime juice, lychee and cranberry bitters.

4. Pichet

Pichet is a restaurant and cocktail bar. The modern cocktails served here have a classic twist, such as the Negroni (Tanqueray Gin, Campari, Carpano Antica Formula) and the Aperol Spritz (Aperol, Prosecco, soda water).

The restaurant has a Michelin Bib Gourmand award, and combines French influence with modern Irish cuisine, with mains such as lamb loin accompanied by lamb fat potatoes and charred Baby Gem lettuce, or suckling pig served with black pudding, cauliflower and endive.

If you’re looking for Dublin cocktail bars to mark a special occasion, you won’t go wrong with an evening in Pichet.

Other popular Dublin cocktail bars with rave reviews online

The final section of our Dublin cocktail bars guide is filled with some other spots that have racked up rave reviews online.

Below, you’ll find hidden gems, like 9 Below, to some more popular places for food and cocktails in Dublin, like Bow Lane Social Club and Farrier & Draper.

1. No.5 Piano & Cocktail Bar

No. 5 Piano & Cocktail Bar can be found close to St Stephen’s Green (Merrion Row) and offers live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

As well as cocktails, there are Spanish wines and cava, and tapas for anyone fancying some food with their beverage. Customers rave about the atmosphere and the friendliness of the staff. 

2. Bow Lane Social Club

The Bow Lane Social Club dishes up some of the most popular bottomless brunch in Dublin, and both the food and cocktails pack a punch.

The bottomless brunch runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and costs €25 for bottomless drinks, such as the Bow Lane fizz, sweet melon and tart apple topped with Prosecco.

To accompany your drinks you can choose from options such as huevos rancheros, fried eggs with black-eyed beans, chorizo, guacamole and corn tortillas.

If you’re looking for Dublin cocktail bars for an afternoon out with friends, Bow Lane is well worth considering.

3. Farrier & Draper

You’ll find Farrier & Draper on South William Street. The two Georgian rooms are filled with Art Deco furnishings and are open until 2.30am every weekend, when a resident DJ takes to the decks to entertain everyone.

They specialise in cocktails and craft beers and have a selection of both house and classic cocktails for you to sample. The Spice Bag Margarita is a chili tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and sugar syrup.

If you want to take part in a cocktail masterclass, the package includes a personal lesson from one of the bar’s experienced mixologists and you can add in Italian tapas style canapes or book in for a meal to follow in the La Cucina restaurant.

Related read: Check out our guide to 7 of the oldest pubs in Dublin (or, for something fancier, our guide to the top wine bars in Dublin)

4. 9 Below

9 Below is arguably one of the most overlooked cocktail bars in Dublin, and you’ll find it in the former basement of the historical Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club, offering four small rooms where you can kick-back with a tasty tipple.

The Showstopper cocktails include the Apple Bottom (Ketal One Peach & Orange Blossom, sour apple liqueur, clarified apple and elderflower) and The Samantha (Ketal One Grapefruit & Rose, Cointreau, clarified orange and cranberry).

Dublin cocktail bars: Where have we missed?

I’ve no doubt that we’ve unintentionally left out some brilliant places for food and cocktails in Dublin from the guide above.

If you have a place that you’d like to recommend, let me know in the comments below and I’ll check it out!

FAQs about the best spots for food and cocktails in Dublin

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘What are the fanciest cocktails bars in Dublin?’ to ‘What are the most unique spots for food and cocktails in Dublin?’.

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.

What are the best Dublin cocktail bars?

In our opinion, Peruke & Periwig, The Sitting Room at Delahunt and BAR 1661 are the best Dublin cocktail bars.

Where are the coolest spots for food and cocktails in Dublin?

Sophie’s, No.5 Piano & Cocktail Bar, The Sitting Room and Pichet are arguably the coolest places for food and cocktails in Dublin.