Just back from Ireland, and Yelp suggested I post a review. I've selected my favorite tavern, The…read moreAbbey. Only got there once, but of the many, many bars I stumbled out of on this trip, I recall this as the one I'd most want to see again. The photos cannot do it justice. It's in Houth, a gorgeous coastal village just a short train ride from Dublin. The exterior photo is actually the rear entrance, while the street entrance is down the stairs. Like a secret path to a private lair. Fantastic bar! Stone and ancient wood floors. Built in 1042, I'm told. 24 taps, and all the Irish whiskey there is. A few of the better bottles showed prices by the glass, €15 and up. Sorely tempted to try one, but we had a long day ahead. Normally, an $18 glass of whiskey is just fine with me, but as I had moderated my intake, I had found myself less able to drink all day. Plus, it was about 10 am. Great service from a young bartender, who assured me NO hour was too early to drink in Ireland. Pro tip: Fly into Dublin Airport, skip that town, and head to Houth. Seafood galore, and The Abbey. Bonus review: Five minutes away is Ann's Ice Cream just off the Irish Sea. Worth it for the view. My child, a very particular eater, just loved a huge waffle cone with "Double Cream Vanilla" which is apparently quite tasty. Most notable for the "No Toilet's" door. Grammar be damned.

AWESOME spot. Staff was great. Wonderful conversation and perfect ambiance. Not touristy in any way…read moreand easily walkable from the marina. We're going back when we go back.

I had a 6 hour layover in Dublin and I wanted to pop into an authentic Irish pub for a pint of…read moreGuinness.I took a cab to the Swords Village about 8-10 minutes from the airport. I was dropped off in a lovely little village and happened upon The Lord Mayors during my walk. My friends and I were greeted by a very friendly waitress. I had my pint of Guinness and a yummy order of BBQ wings. My friends ordered Irish Creams and bar food as well. The service was excellent and the bar was quite cozy.

For an American traveling to Ireland this was "exactly" what we wanted from a stop at a pub…read more Friendly service, while the menu was strictly pub/bar fare, it was excellent, good portions, tasty and served hot. I got a kick out of seeing what appeared to be 1/2 liter beer/ale glasses but then it WAS a pub in Ireland. The prices were what I considered excellent as well. A bonus was the table full of what I would guess to be local musicians playing "traditional" Irish music, accordions, lots of guitar, a guy with 8-10 various flutes, tin whistles etc, another gentleman had various harmonica's, a drum (Bodhran) player and one of the guitar players had an Irish bouzouki - mandolin - lute kinda thingy that sounded beautiful. In all there were at various times from 9-12 players in all. The session was wonderful, playing the typical goodbye to love forever mixed with foot tapping let's be happy variety of tunes. Growing up listening to Irish music, I felt very much at home sitting there and it fit perfectly with the overall atmosphere of the pub, more like a gathering of friends not seen in a long time verses the euro-centric chic feeling of other places we happened across. If in Swords you could do a lot worse I'm sure, while not an expert on the Irish Pub scene, as I mentioned earlier this was an Irish American's mental image of of a night in Dublin.

Horrible service, the staff were extremely racist towards me and my son (african american and…read morechinesee) They assumed my son would want watermelon, fried chicken and koolade and they assumed i would want egg rolls and cat

What an amazing atmosphere and tasty food! We came here for a work outing and had the set menu. I…read morehonestly had a hard time deciding because everything looked so good. The winners were the beet and goat cheese starter, the fish entree (with such crispy delicious skin), and the chocolate mousse. Everything cam with such beautiful presentation, and the waiters gave us enough time to chat between courses, not hurrying us at all, and always making sure our wine glasses were full. Overall terrific service and food!!

The manager of our bed and breakfast recommended this place as a good place to get food and I am…read moreglad he did. Ambiance and decor are spot on what you'd expect from a Dublin-based pub. We came into live music on Tuesday night, a friendly staff, and most importantly good food and drinks. The open faced Roast Beef sandwich was incredibly tender with juices that soak into the bread and make it a delightful meal. The Guinness Stew featured braised Irish meat and potatoes with mushrooms and was delightful surprise! I had actually ordered than one based on the bartender's recommendation and am again glad I listened. The only odd bit was the crazy amount of ice they put into their Irish Mules. I know it's a mixed drink and typically not what you go for in places like this, but it was a good flavor, with just an exorbitant amount of ice.. Overall, I'd come back and I'd definitely recommend to anyone staying in the area.

Very cool and sprawling location with plenty of alcoves and nooks to seat yourself in and take in…read morethe ambiance. Food was good and I found the seafood chowder to be tasty and filling. They were unable to make a couple of their advertised drinks which was odd. Beer list, on the other hand, was extensive. Servers were super friendly. Music, sadly, was all US covers.

Food, service and ambiance is great. Had a delicious burger,…read morecooked very well and served without delay

Bar downstairs and full restaurant upstairs. They are…read morelocated right across the street from the Guinness Storehouse which is convenient since the restaurants at the Storehouse close at 6 and they close down the kitchens prior, just after 5pm. The menu was great here with soup, stew, wings, salads, and burgers as is usual with pubs. The milkshakes were definitely unique and over the top. The servers and bartenders were helpful and very nice.

The first thing I should mention is that I spent €415.00 on a failed celebration in Fagans…read moreDrumcondra. Having booked dinner for 11 people well in advance of our visit, I arrived at 7.04pm on 21st March to find the tables were occupied by a large group of people with their meal in progress. The waitress did not seem surprised, and left quickly to see what could be done. Another waitress came along a few minutes later, advising that they were setting up another area. The manager then arrived and apologised, confirming it was totally their fault and a table would be ready soon. We were then led to two tables that would normally seat 4 on each table. 11 settings were squashed together and when we asked for another little table for more space, a small round table at a lower level arrived, which I refused (it was inserted between the two rectangular tables and did not solve the problem). I pointed to another suitable small table but that was refused, and a few minutes later, while not marked as reserved, it was given to other diners. The head waitress was unfriendly and made no effort to make up for the complete-let down with Fagans ignoring the booking I had carefully planned for my 60th birthday. When I wasn't ready to order wine as I was still upset with our table arrangement, she did not return to follow through on looking after us. The white haired manager was even worse, as he visited the other diners in that area and did not check in on us once in the whole evening to see that the rearrangements were satisfactory. We weren't offered the option of dessert and were not granted as much as one complimentary drink to compensate for ruining my night. Having been a local in Drumcondra for years before I moved to the UK, and my family still living there, I chose Fagans to support local business. The staff who death with my booking seemed very accommodating so I trusted I had made a good choice.

Recommend to me by the owner of the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at. On my trip I wanted to…read moreexperience real Irish pub food. This place does not disappoint. The pub atmosphere looked exactly as you would expect. A cozy bar that was extremely welcoming like you've lived there you whole life and visit daily after work. The service was wonderful. The staff were very pleasant and helpful. The food was delicious! I had roast beef and vegetables. The sauce it came with was perfect! The portions were huge too! Definitely would recommend if you're in Dublin!

Quaint little pub, ordered the beef and Guinness Pie. Out of this world!…read moreTender pieces of beef and vegetables with wonderful gravy. You will be slurping it out of the cast iron skillet. Topped off with an Ambush Juicy pale ale. Which was great if you like fruity beer! Caroline was our server and was great!

I think this was some of the best fish and chips we had. The beef and Guinness pie was SO good. The…read moregravy was rich and savory. Everyone had a great lunch. It was packed, but the kitchen and front of house were turning tables!

Although a beautiful venue, we had two very different experiences within a few days as we visited…read moretwice since we were staying nearby. The scampi and the Mediterranean salad were both outstanding on our first visit. The service was slow and not very attentive but the place was very busy. On our last day of our holiday, we decided to go back for fish and chips because the scampi had been so good. This time the service varied from indifferent to downright rude (2 different servers) and my husband's fish and chops were fine but mine was mostly batter. Not what we expected at all.

Fantastic meal, ambiance and service!…read more We had reservations for 7 people at 7pm and were greeted and directed to our seats before the last of us had even entered the restaurant! Lots of drinks and buffalo wings were the highlight for me. I had a beef pie that was very good though the pastry was a little tough. The buffalo potatoes were well undercooked but still nice. Those buffalo wings though!! Full transparency I am American so I have eaten a LOT of wings in my life. At least once a week. These were better than those. Than all of em! Just amazing! (As I prepare for a beating from US wing nerds). I love this place. Going on my list of "when in Dublin" (which is often) spots to eat!