Man, the band these guys had on a Wednesday...! They brought us in for one and their energy was contagious. Once there, the bartenders were quick and friendly, well dressed as all have been in this city thus far. As any Irish pub, this one too is a tad confusing, but folks were friendly and getting a beverage or a seat was not hard. I believe they do food in the other room but we did not partake that night. Perhaps on a return trip... read more

This is a great place to go for good food, live music and super friendly staff. We all enjoyed our meals and had a great evening with the talented musician and waiters who took good care of us! The restaurant is located across the street from the historic bridge. read more

Here from Philly, PA. Loved it here !!!! Music was excellent , beer was cold & service was top notch!!!

Great food try the Guinea's Stew. Great ambiance and great live music. It was a fun place to be for dinner

The location and ambience of this place can't be beat!

This is such a lovely place. Frank Shannon is wonderful and gave us a tour of the whole bar. I hope tourism improves so they can open the whole bar again. I have never eaten here, but come here almost every trip to see Frank, have some beer and feel very comfortable in this cozy and unique bar! read more

This is another new business to the city which is great. I remember it when it was Abrakebabra and my friends and I would go here after a concert to wait for our bus - ah innocent times. The building is beautiful so it's wonderful to see it open again. I did not drink in here but I noted that a reviewer for the Irish Independent gave out about the drink prices saying that they were in lieu with that dreaded phrase "Celtic Tiger" times. We don't have roaming tigers here whatever genius came up with that phrase, you should of said "Celtic Cow" and boy have we sacrificed it. Anyho political rant aside... I got the Guinness stew which had beef shank in it and dumplings - absolutely delicious and exactly what I needed on a cold January day. My business date had the fish and chips which got a big thumbs up. Also both were only €10 each. The menu is very Irish centred, coddle, bacon & cabbage etc. Most of the mains were just €10. There is a restaurant upstairs which is not open on a Monday we were told so I have no idea the pricing there. Service was a bit of country in the city - so very friendly. The music was very Irish, not any of that diddle iddle do stuff but more like Irish country music, the type of stuff my Mam subjected me to every summer in Galway... We do really bad country music. So all in all a solid experience. It's very obvious that they are aiming for the tourist flow from Temple Bar, there was a few Americans in there when we were there so here's hoping that they don't use tourist prices. I can't give it a full assessment till I drink in there to get an idea of prices and crowd. read more

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Merchant's Arch is one of my favorite bars in Dublin. They have great food - highly recommend their shepherds pie - and drink options. The best part is their amazing live music. read more

Love this place, I went two times already and we ate the smoked salmon with bread, the chicken wings, the calamaries, and the vegan pasta. Everything was really great. A perfect place to enjoy good company, good food and good music always read more

Merchant's Arch Bar - The space is just the best, with 4 floors to sit in - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

Holy Shit! I loved the Guinness Beef Pie! I wanted to just eat a second one, and a third one, and a fourth one!!! But alas, my stomach would only accomodate one serving that night..... She ordered the Irish Stew, and THAT was quite amazing too!! Everything in this place was delicious.... I admit that I was cautious coming in here because it exhibits all the signals of a tourist only location..... Well, if it is, I don't care. The food was amazing, the musical entertainment was engaging, and of course the Guinness went down like water... Two Thumbs up!!! read more

Touristy? Yes. Add in loud with music everyone wants to sing to. This is a place for good food and good fun. The lamb was grand and I found my beef stew to be especially tender and tasty. Boisterous. Highly recommended if you're visiting or looking for a night out with friends. read more

Merchant's Arch Bar - Music covers of songs you grew up with + beer. How bad could it be? - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

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Great pub that pours a perfect Guinness. Excellent selection of whiskey and knowledge of tastes. Tasty restaurant with great views on the third floor. read more

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I realize that this may be one of the more touristy places in one of the more touristy areas. Despite the fact, I had an overall good experience. I stopped in for late lunch on a Saturday, and we were seated on the upstairs balcony. The downstairs was a bit crowded, but there was plenty of seating upstairs. There was a live acoustic musician, and I've read bad reports from other reviewers, but I loved the music we heard. I didn't catch his name, but it was wonderful. When we came in, he was playing a few Irish folk songs. I figured that was his schtick in this part of town in order to please the tourists. I was pleasantly surprised when he put his twist on covers of classic rock tunes, including some Pink Floyd. I couldn't help but sing along. The menu is what you'd expect to find in an Irish pub setting. I had a hard time choosing an entree from the "Traditional Irish Mains" part of the menu, as they all looked appetizing. I settled on the "Pork and Leek Sausages" (others in my party had the "Beef and Guinness Pie" and the "Cottage Pie"). I enjoyed my dish, and heard from my friends that it was better than either of theirs, though it wasn't the best I've ever had. Plus, it was slightly underseasoned for my salty American palate and. Pretty darn good, just not the best. Music was great, though a bit loud. Food was okay. Service was just okay, as our waitress mysteriously disappeared and was then reincarnated some time later as a completely different girl. Oh, but they do have free wifi! All in all, not a bad spot for lunch in the middle of tourist district. read more

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Pros: - This place has some weird charm but if you're on the bus you'll love the experience. - Live music at night, delicious fish and chips, tall pints of Guinness; what's not to like? - The dinner area has really cool high ceilings and classic Irish decor. Cons: - It gets loud, real loud. - You have to climb a long staircase from the cramped bathroom to dinner area. read more

Merchant's Arch Bar - Fish and chips - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

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Rude doorman for no good reason - not checking covid passes properly and being generally ignorant and unfriendly. There are so many friendly and welcoming bars that it's not worth having to put up with rudeness at a door because someone can't do their job effectively read more

On a dark night in Dublin, i was walking in the temple bar neighborhood. My friends and I scoped out several restaurants and bars, yet many had the aspect of over priced, expensive tourist traps. Additionally, it was late, and we were hungry. A man carrying a board for merchant's arch bar pointed us in the direction of the merchant's arch that served food late. So, we walked down the alleyway, and in the door was a spacious bar. Framed pictures dotted the walls, and a live band occupied the stage (they played wonder-wall once, which was one too many times). It was a great introductory experience to Ireland. Had my first beef and Guinness stew & first Guinness in the homeland! Also the waitress started Irish dancing to the band, even demonstrating how to do it to some customers. Really great atmosphere, good food and drinks, and not too crowded on second floor. read more

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Such a cool place! First of all the atmosphere is very nice and cozy. The selection of drinks is good and varied, especially the whiskeys. Now the food, the definition of comfort food; the Irish Stew was awesome. The music was also great. This place is a 5-star through and through, I'll surely come back many times. read more

My wife and I frequent this pub every time we visit Dublin. Located along the Liffey near the Ha' Penny Bridge, this establishment looks small from the outside but has 3 floors of dining room space. The food and service is consistently very good and live music starts early in the afternoon daily. read more

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As touristy Temple Bar bars go, tis alright the Merchant Arch. We stopped off here as part of a mini impromptu pub crawl on Easter Monday. The loos are a tad far away and down a bit of a rabbit hole. But the decor a long the way is great and the loos themselves quite new and very clean. The interior itself is full of character and the history behind the building itself very interesting. Worth looking it up when you are there. The Guinness was grand. The staff were pleasant enough too. The one man band was surprisingly listenable to as well. All in all, not too painful for a touristy Temple Bar bar. read more

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I love everything about this place. The look and style is just so beautiful. The food was superb! I order a hamburger and my friend got a Chicken burger. We also ordered a pint of Guinness. The was live music playing the whole time we were there & let me tell you, he is such an amazing singer! He was kind of young and sang a lot of oldies. He had a really nice and soulful voice. He was also taking requests that some people had asked about. It was just such a nice environment to be in. I really loved it! read more

Merchant's Arch Bar - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

This pub's decor is pretty fantastic, the spiral staircase up to the restaurant is magnificent! It can get out of hand though, the toilets are so far away and in a maze-like path to get to them! Haha We came here with Aussie relatives, they were impressed with how authentic it looked inside and the dramatic high ceiling in the restaurant upstairs. Good view of the ha'penny bridge too! Ordered a chicken carbonara, was glad to see a garlic bread on top but disappointed as I bit into it as it was soggy rather than crunchy. Carbonara was lovely though, not too rich so I was able to finish it. My mother ordered the plaice (fish) completely plain with nothing on it... And out it cane with paprika all over it! The waitress Fiona was great, changed the dish with no fuss and really friendly and apologetic about it. Had banoffee pie for dessert. Crumbly biscuit base, toffee/caramel layer, banana layer and cream. It was good, not too sweet, but a bit too much whipped cream for my liking. My relatives really liked the apple pie. Nice place for food, ideal for tourists! read more

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Stumbled upon this cozy pub in Dublin last summer and enjoyed the lamb & Guinness casserole dish. read more

Merchant's Arch Bar - The best lamb & Guinness! - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

Hands down the worst breakfast I've ever had. Omg. I had the eggs Benedict and the hollandaise had no lemon, or flavor, at all. The eggs were cold. Thick slab of fatty ham. My mother had the the English breakfast and everything tasted...off. My sister and children are there the night before and said that their dinner was adequate. The building itself, however, is fantastic. Very worthwhile if you're just going for a pint ( which is 8.50 euros, btw) read more

This place is located at the foot of the Ha'penny Bridge as you enter the Temple Bar area. It was my first stop once in Dublin, as I was drawn here by the music playing. Once inside, I found a nice place filled with people, but not too crowded where it was uncomfortable. The bartender was friendly and he reviewed the local IPA options. By the way, in Ireland, IPA stands for Ireland Pale Ale, not India! For a food selection, I tried the Irish Stew. This was the only area that I was disappointed with. The stew was weak tasting with too few pieces of meat. I had an opportunity to meet the owner, Mike, who was very friendly and reviewed choices of Irish Whiskey for me. They have music every night. Both current and also Irish music read more

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Just finished the full Irish breakfast.. might be best breakfast I've ever had.. massive amt of food.. you won't be hungry for a long time if you somehow finish it all..2 people could share it and be satisfied.. really cool bar/ pub/ restaurant. Great friendly service.. the Irish are pretty much all super friendly, helpful and great people. May come back for their live music and a beer later. read more

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Food was decent, service was mediocre, door staff ruined the evening. We stopped by to eat and drink on Saturday, October 8, 2022. On our way in (American group), the doorman pulled me aside, and yelled at me (over the loud music) that I wasn't allowed to drink. I asked for clarification (did I understand him correctly?), and then if he was serious (maybe some jokes don't translate well?). He puffed up as if he wanted to fight, reiterating that I was "cut off" before entering the restaurant. Perhaps he doesn't like Americans, perhaps he was bored, but we did as he demanded and spent no money on alcohol, wondering if this was common treatment for tourists, men taller than the diminutive doorman, or some other category we fell in to. read more

Quite the place! We came here for dinner and drinks on a Saturday night. They had live music which was phenomenal. The bar was very lively. We ordered the mussels and the banger sausage. Both were good but I highly recommend the banger. Great place to come hang out. They also have a quiet side if you don't want the loud music. The place overlooks the river too. I will absolutely tel my friends to come here when in Dublin read more

I would give 0 stars if I could, I visited this pub a few times over the past few years never had a problem until now. The new staff aren't well suited for the job. Had a young lad serve me was very rude and seemed to be hungover or on dr!gs. Absolutely disgusted. I don't recommend this pub. read more

This was one of my favorite bars with great music and drinks in the area. It isn't very big but people are always coming and going so if you're lucky you can snag a table. I saw many artists perform with I visited and they were all excellent. I was happy to make great memories here for my first visit to Ireland and on my birthday. read more

On the evening of September 20th, I visited the Merchants Arch pub for dinner and drinks, and as I was sitting at the bar with a new friend, she and I were first verbally harassed and then verbally assaulted and physically threatened by a fellow patron, Ray Earle. Mr. Earle had given his business card to my new friend while chatting her up earlier in the evening, which is why I know his name. He grew more aggressive as my friend and I declined his requests to buy us drinks and to take our photo. He finally got off his barstool, clearly grossly inebriated, and tried to take our photo with his phone, standing inches from us and putting his phone in our faces. He circled around us as we told him to get away from us. He grabbed my hip, put himself in between the two of us, and yelled at us so the entire bar could hear, "YOU IGNORANT BITCHES! I GOT WHAT I WANTED ANYWAY!" proceeding to then stumble back to his barstool. My friend and I made sure the bartenders had seen this, but rather than throw Mr. Earle out, they decided to try and talk him down. Moments later, Mr. Earle lunged across the bar in an attempt to tip over a beer on the bar in our direction. At that point one of the bartenders came around and physically picked up Mr. Earle and deposited him outside the establishment, blocking the door as Mr. Earle tried to regain entry, repeatedly physically assaulting the bartender. Although I appreciate the staff throwing Mr. Earle out, It's clear that they do not feel this behavior warrants a zero tolerance policy. This kind of violence and aggression is absolutely unacceptable, and Mr. Earle should have been thrown out at the first sign of verbal harassment instead of a "talking down." Not only did the staff not stop Mr. Earle as he first harassed us from the corner of the bar, they allowed him to remain and to drink after he got in our physical space and verbally assaulted us. I urge everyone who visits Dublin, especially women, to stay very far away from this pub. I hope that the culture and policies of this establishment can evolve to reflect a higher standard of respect and peace conducive to what Dublin is known for; warm-hearted people, the best folk music on the planet, and great craic. read more

I must say that dinner at the Merchant Arch last night well exceded my expectations. I don't know why I expected it to be mediocre but I did. However I was delighted to see a lovely dining area at the top of the stone staircase. We were early so we have our choice of tables and were able to grab a seat with a view. They have a really great offer at the moment - 3 courses for two people and a bottle of wine for 50 euro. The meal was pretty good. I must speak up for the fish and chips though. It was bulmers battered cod and it was the best tasting batter I've had in a long time. It was light and crispy and I ate it all!! Service was good, but they were a little understaffed and we almost disappeared from sight when a large group came in read more

Great music, Irish beer and stew. Even if I was just a tourist alone, I really enjoyed the time at Arch Bar. I had Irish Stew, it was so tasty and good for my chilled body with vegetables and beef. The live music was not so loud, so I could enjoyed both music and dinner. I like the atmosphere in the bar with typical Irish furnitures and interior. Absolutely I'm gonna this bar next visit to Dublin :) read more

Merchant's Arch Bar - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

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I heard about Merchant's Arch from a friend of mine who owns the Gypsy Rose and he advised me to visit this new venue 'just to experience the building's beauty' and oh what beauty it is. I entered through the main Liffey-facing side which leads into a delightful little Dublin pub that feels like its been there for decades. On enquiring about the early bird menu, the bartender said I could dine in the bar but I should go up the stairs because it's 'lovely'. He directed me through a large door at the back and that's when the experience began. In front was a wall-hugging stone spiral staircase that stank of upper-class Dublin of yesteryear. At the top, I was greeted by a huge smile and directed to a table in the corner, the perfect place to take in the Glorious room that is the restaurant. It's one big open plan room that screams at you about how listed it is. There's a handsome mezzanine level which I may try one day but sitting by the window looking over sweet Anna Livia is highly recommended. Service was lovely and quite swift. I ordered off the early bird menu (€15 for two courses or €19 for four). The market veg soup was a bit lacklustre but the coddle......jesus! Now if you have read my other reviews, you'd know I'm partial to two things being coddle and stout. At merchant's arch, both were amazing. The coddle was cooked in a way I hadn't had before where instead of rashers, they put big dirty lumps of bacon into the mix complimented by barley. Absolutely delicious! And as for Annie saying the music wasn't idlly diddly but the sort of music her mother subjected her to every summer in Galway, I was listening to early 90's dance classics and the Happy Mondays, playing ambiently from somewhere in the rafters..... I'll be back and it'll be a treat! PS, they played EMF's 'Unbelievable' as well...classic! read more

Probably the most authentic pub in dublin. Live music at any time ! Just love this place read more

Merchant's Arch Bar - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

I popped into the bar on Sunday morning with brekkie in mind. Ten minutes later I got a meal fit for three hungry people. The quantities were enormous, so much so that the barman laughed at the shocked expression on my face. It was more of a brunch than a breakfast I guess. There were two sausages, two rashers, black and white pudding, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and fried spuds plus toast and butter. Whew. Tea had to be ordered separately. The sausages were the salty type I don't really like but everything else was spot-on, and I was fed for the day. The brekkie was €9.95 and the tea was €2.60. Nearly €13 for a breakfast, huge though it was? Good service though. read more

Merchant's Arch Bar - Irish breakfast brunch in the pub section of the Merchant's Arch. - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

Fantastic music venue right along the River Liffey. Perfect for warm summer days with a breeze coming in off the river cooling things off. Ask them to open the back door and you'll enjoy your music and Irish fare in cool comfort. I had the beef & mash which melted in my mouth along with the tasty sauce. We saw two bands playing, the first played Classic rockin tunes with an Irish flair and just the right amount of acapella sing along moments. Fantastic Van Morrison, U2, Beatles and John Denver. The second band was traditional Irish with a brilliant fiddler and accordion player. My only suggestion is for the owner. Our outstanding waiter/waitress couldn't advise accordingly because he/she ( I'm not saying which) has not had the opportunity to sample the food they serve! Feed your people man and they'll become your best advocates! read more

Merchant's Arch Bar - The ol' meat and mash! Good bread too! - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

Great spot for some good pub chow and a pint of that magical Guinness ale which somehow just tastes better in Ireland! We had the beef stew with Guinness of course and the classic tasty fish and chips. With some great local music hard to go wrong. Great location off the canal near Temple Bar. Sure it's a tourist spot but it's a fun joint read more

We were in Dublin for a week, and this ended up being our "home pub". No matter where we ended the day in Dublin, we made our way back to The Merchant's Arch. Why? Great food, excellent staff, wonderful traditional Irish music, and the best Atmosphere of Fun in the city. Here's the scenario: my friend and I stumbled in mid-afternoon on our first Sunday there. There were a few locals watching the horse races. Tom, the owner, immediately made us feel at home. He pours us each a perfect pint of Guinness and invites me behind the bar to inspect the Irish Whiskey selection. We were treated as regulars from the word Go. As I mentioned before, we always seemed to end up there, and always left at the end of the night with a belly full of Guinness, a smile on our faces, and the knowledge that we were leaving the company of true friends. read more

Really good experience. Super service. Great live music. Would recommend. But not if you need a quick meal. Try the Bangers and Mash. read more

Went here for an early dinner on a weeknight. We sat upstairs and had the place all to ourselves for most of the meal. Windows overlooking the river in a beautiful old building. There's a huge screen so you can watch and listen to the musician playing downstairs in the bar. He was amazing . The food was excellent. I had a burger and fries. Juicy burger, perfect fries. My husband had the irish stew and said it was great as well. I highly recommend this place. My one complaint is minor: it was pretty cold upstairs. read more