The worst bar in Dublin?

Knightsbridge on Bachelor’s Walk is a bit tacky…..the new make-over on Slattery’s of Capel Street is not bad

it would seem to me that any bar which has a renovation that tries too hard to be cutting edge/ new/ contemporary right now is almost guaranteed to look tacky within ten years.
Those that dont try so hard (visually at least) somehow seem to sustain their appeal.

Any of the old style bars in new buildings. McTurkels springs to mind, its like being back in the south-east of England where I lived for several years, pubs in the south of England are almost all awful because they have too clear an idea of who they want to appeal to and so you can’t relax. The old pubs here are nice because they are attractive without being prescriptive. Some of the new bars are fun because they are so cool, but in my opinion there is only one bar I’ve been to that manages to be nice in the old-fashioned way of begin comfortable and relaxed and that is Forum on Parnell Street.

the voodoo bar on the quays (sorry i do not know which ones) nr. smithfield square has to be one of the worst bars to open its doors in some time. i do not know what they aspired to but it is very tacky (but maybe not tacky enough) and very cheaply done, despite its famous popstar proprieter.

the renovation of slattery’s is tragic. it looks very cheap and alot of its spaces are poorly conceived. check out the lantern on top, its detailing junction with the ceiling look like a nice concept gone horribly wrong.

………but compared to what was there before (Piss oozing out of the men’s Jacks…..Slatterys is’nt bad………too bad it’s not an early house anymore!

piss oozing out of the mens jacks is a distinct rarity in dublin these days, just as trendy bars such as cocoon, gubu, the morrisson etc. were ten years ago. there is few genuine ‘dive’ bars in dublin, and those that are left are being colonised by yuppies, students and every other person, sick of dealing with ignorant bouncers and exorbitant prices. pubs like the cobblestone in smithfield and the welcome inn on parnell st. are great and are discovering a whole new generation and type of punter, but the influx of this new type of clientele may eventually turn these pubs around too.

As far as ignorant yuppie owners and staff are concerned I have to say Shooters is fairly unsurpassed. The complete lack of ambience is not exactly helping them either.
As for Slatterys,their bathrooms are the single most ridiculous example of over-production and lack of aesthetic restraint that I have so far come across in Dublin. I thought we were moving past this visual pontificating.

So the bar design is directly related with the type of people who goes there, not matter the localization?… In that case onwers and architects are achiving their goals, concerning the control of public, prices, social representations, etc.? What would say a yuppie on this board?

[This message has been edited by Rita Ochoa (edited 30 November 2001).]

The worst bars in Dublin without a doubt have been inflicted upon the inhabitants of Tallaght. Tallaght with the same population as Limerick has what only can be described as 10 or so huge drinking ferry type “pubs” / troughs. They cannot in any sense of the word be described as locals- they are purely designed to print money at the expense of a captive audience. Pints still settling are flung at the customers and it’s a take it or leave it attitude from a barman that you might not see twice in a month.

Take the Belgard Inn – note the word Inn. This huge drinking trough applied to Dublin South Council to build a 5 storey car park adjacent to the mothership “pub”. It is a huge dark dank hole and one would have to phone a friend in the place if you had no choice but to meet there. One would need a map to find the toilets and it becomes a huge balling creche (coke and crisps all over the shop) all of Sunday and more TVs than a DID showroom – (with focused heads beaming in different directions depending on which team they follow). And as punters make their way back from the bar through the gauntlet of football supporters its “sorry, sorry excuse me for blocking the view”.

These super subs exist only because of the total publican self interest monopoly on licences and lack of government will to change a so wrong system. You don’t see these drinking ferries along with huge car-parks up North or in Britain because in the UK all one needs to open a pub / obtain a licence is planning permission – thereby every local area has at least a small local or two. I know lads in Tallaght and they cannot wait for the Luas Tram to arrive and swift them away to Dublin 8 and further afield so as to experience a short walk between one pub and the next and enjoy a genuine drinking experience in the remaining fast disappearing genuine Dublin locals.

[This message has been edited by John Callery (edited 03 December 2001).]

Yes the “megapub”(super is far too close to superb to even be funny) is one of the most bum clenchingly hideous expressions of the inverse WALMART sales policy of Irelands services sector, where the customer is piled high and where the only thing cheap is human comfort. One of the original city centre ones to my limited memory is my least favourite is O’Neills of Suffolk Street. The mix of the rancid mock “Tudor/Victoriana/Englsih country inn” and chauvanistic surly service, in particular some of the barman in the downstairs bar makes it one of the least pleasurable drinking experiences in Dublin.

According to the Irish Times property section today ‘ Two former landmark buildings are amongst properties which will become pubs. They are the former AIB at College Green, and the former AIB branch on the corner of O’Connell and Abbey Street’. No doubt there interiors will be gutted and another part of established building history lost.

[This message has been edited by GregF (edited 05 December 2001).]

shooters, shooters and shooters again. just in case you didn’t get that. staff being the worst addendum.