On a recent trip to Dublin for Peoples Photography, we took a trip to the Porterhouse on Temple Bar’s Parliament street. The blurb says it’s “Irelands largest genuine Irish brewery”. This of course means that once inside, you can forget your Heinekens and Carlsbergs. Throw your Budweisers and alcopops out the window. It’s all their own tipple and what tipple it is.
I started the night in a rather sedate manner with a pint of ale, quickly moved on to a lager and then finally rested at something divinely pink; their very own strawberry flavoured beer! I stayed away from the beer referred to by some as “bananas and ham” but will no doubt get around to that one on my eventual return. As you’d expect from any place marketing itself as “Ireland’s largest genuine Irish brewery”, their selection of beers is varied. Mind boggling even. Perhaps only so mind boggling later on in the evening due to sampling one too many strawberry beers.
The pub itself is a labyrinth of brass and oak with stairs ascending to no fewer than 4 levels. Where there might not be large expanses as you’d normally get in ‘super pubs’, there is certainly a seat to be found somewhere if you climb high enough. On the top level, there was a rather impressive looking kitchen and some of the meals that were being served out of it on our arrival looked mouth wateringly good. Maybe I’ll get around to testing those the next time. As with many/all Dublin bars, once the night is in full swing and you’re sufficiently imbibed, the price of the beer goes up. Specifically, an extra 50c on a pint that cost €5. Oh how I love Dublin. Thankfully by that stage I already had a back pocket overflowing with change.
So for something different when in Dublin, definately try the porterhouse. Try that strawberry beer too. Just be wary of the hangover…
Our final stop was The Cousins Home Bar. What a great name for a pub! When we passed this pub i knew that i would have to go inside for a look. We walked into the bar and there was about 10 other people inside. I noticed the pool table and Juke box in the back area. It’s not a huge bar and appeared to attract an older crowd. I was served my pint of Murphy’s quickly. We went to the vacant pool table and set up a game. There is also a poker machine in this area. I would say that this bar has a good local trade. The pint of Murphy’s was fairly good. There is a lounge as well and i had a look inside. It is like a function room. There was a traditional band playing to a good crowd. There was people waltzing to the music.
I check out the toilets and they were ok except the urinal was open, in that there is no step or boundry. All in all our visit to this pub was a good experience. We got the opportunity to see 4 pubs that Carrigtwohill has to offer and the verdict in general was positive.
Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: The Cousins Home is a grand pub.
I was only recently talking about its name sake in Carrigaline. The Gaelic Bar is located on Main Street in Carrigtwohill. This was our third stop on Munsterpubs visit to the town. I was immediately impressed when i walked in the door. The wooden bar and and ceiling beams caught my attention. I felt at home from the moment i was inside. It appeared to be a long pub with seating across from the bar and an area at the back. I ordered the pint of Murphy’s and was served by the very pleasant young guy behind the bar. He even drew a shamrock on the top of my pint which was a nice touch. We sat across from the bar under a tv. It appeared to be a bar with a lot of character. There wasn’t a huge crowd but it was busy for a Sunday night. The pint was in keeping with the other pubs, a good quality pint.
The toilets were the only aspect of this pub that was disappointing. They weren’t in great condition. I really enjoyed the pint i had in the Gaelic Bar. Jen said that she liked the pub too. If i was to pick my favourite pub that we visited on the night, this would get my vote. It is worth visiting this bar if you are in the area.
Toilet rating: 5/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Final comment: The Gaelic Bar is a fine pub with great character.
Jack Spratts is just a short walk from Guilders in the town of Carrigtwohill. This was the second pub that we frequented last evening. When we walked into this pub we noticed a guy with a guitar was just about to start playing. I ordered a pint of Murphy’s and a glass of diet coke. Jack Spratts was busy but certainly not packed. We walked down through the pub and got a seat near the back of the pub. The music was entertaining and i have to say that i enjoyed the pint of Murphy’s. Even though i enjoyed the music i felt that this pub lacked atmosphere last night. I looked at all the pictures on the walls and again all the GAA memorabilia including an interesting team photo of the Imokilly hurling side that won back to back county senior hurling titles. There was also a signed Cork jersey on the wall. There is a smoking room available out the back.
The toilets are small but they were in fairly good condition when i checked. The music kept me singing for my time there but i wasn’t too sad leaving. It is another bar that Carrigtwohill has to offer.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 6.5/10
Final comment: I like the name of this pub and it is another that you can check out.
Off to Carrigtwohill last night for a new set of pub reviews. Myself and Jen hit the town to see what is on offer. The first pub we decided on was Guilders on the main street. Jen commented that she felt comfortable walking in as the door was open. It can sometimes be intimidating walking into a new pub especially if it is mostly regulars. If the door is closed you do not know what to expect but when open you can have a look in before actually going in. There was a good number of people in Guilders out for a few drinks on a Sunday night. I ordered a pint of Murphy’s and a glass of red wine and scanned the bar for a seat. There was no seats available so we walked behind the bar and found a place to sit. This is a small section with what appears to be a small stage and a little hatch that you can order your drinks through. There is GAA memorabilia on the walls which was interesting to look at. There was a good mixture of ages having a drink in this pub last night.
There is a smoking area available out the back and the toilets are also out here. The toilets are small with two cubicles available. They were in good condition in general. This is a small pub that appears to do well from what i saw last night. Carrigtwohill is a town where quite a lot of development is taking place and the pubs in the town should see reep the benefits of this.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: Guilders is an enjoyable pub for a pint or two.
The Gaelic bar in Carrigaline Co Cork was reviewed a long while ago. I have being going in more often in recent times and felt it deserved a re review. The smoking area and the beer garden appear to be one of the major reasons that this pub is so busy. The interior is as described previously and i think that it attracts a very mixed crowd at weekends. I have been here on the occasional mid week night as well as it was ticking over. There is never music here as far as i know but it doesn’t need it, there is always a good atmosphere from my experience. You have to head in early at the weekend to get a seat in the heated smoking area. I have always liked this pub but it is growing on me more and more after each visit.
I have discovered my new favourite tipple! I have always stuck with stout as the run of the mill beers never did anything for me. Recently i callled to the local off licence and while looking for something different i spotted ‘Tiger Beer’. I had heard good reviews of this so i bought two bottles at 2 euro 79 per bottle. I have to say that it was the most enjoyable beer i have had for a long time. I am going to check out what pubs stock it and what price they charge for it. It is a fine Asian brew.
We walked across the square to The Waterfront bar next. This is the second bar of the same name to be reviewed. The other is the bar of Actons hotel in Kinsale. When we went in we noticed that a good number of people were eating. It is quite a small bar and there wasn’t a seat to be had so after ordering out two pints of Murphy’s we went outside to the busy square and found some seats and a table. The good thing about this area is that you can get a drink from eithier pub and you can have it anywhere in the square. There are no reserved areas from what i could see. We sat and enjoyed the pints that were very good quality. We were glad that we brought our jumpers because anyone in a t-shirt didn’t look very happy! The bar in The Waterfront looked comfortable and the food that was being served looked very appetising.
I used the toilets in this bar and again they were quite small but they were in good condition. It was nice to sit outside the bar last night but if a seat was available we may have sat inside. We had a second pint from this pub as well which was consumed outside. As the name of the pub suggests there are nice views out over the harbour.
Toilet rating: 7/10
Pint rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: I liked all the pubs i visited in Baltimore. There wasn’t particularly one i liked over another. The Waterfront bar can’t be missed in the square.
Another milestone reached! We have now reviewed 250 pubs in the city and county area of Cork. Thats a lot of pubs!
We left The Algiers Inn and walked around the corner to the village square. This was packed with loads of people. This was at about 10pm and when i arrived down to Baltimore at around 4 it was just as busy. We walked into Bushes and took the door to the right but there was no seats available so we went through the door on the left hand side. This area was busy too but we managed to get another seat by the bar. Two pints of Murphys were ordered and were delivered by the bar lady. There was a very broad mixture of people in this bar and they all appeared to be having a good time. The pints were not as good a the previous bar but they were ok. A lot of the people sitting outside had got their pints in Bushes so the bar could have been a lot busier had the weather been worse.
It is a big pub overall but appeared to have a lot of character and some great views out over the harbour. The toilets were small and the condition wasn’t great on the night. It was very busy for a Sunday night and there seemed to be a good number of foreign visitors around. Bushes seems to be the busiest bar in Baltimore. Thats what i found from our visit last night. It would be a place i would head back to. Have a look at www.bushesbar.com
Toilet rating: 6/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Final comment: Bushes is a very decent pub and commands a good trade.
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