I know many Dubliners will disagree since the Porterhouse is not a classic Irish pub and is located in the touristy Temple Bar area, but it is one of the few places I keep going back to over and over again (the Mezz and Mulligans being my other two all-time Dublin favourites).

Porterhouse is actually a pub-micorbrewery (they brew their own beer) and is one of the very rare pubs in Ireland that doesn’t serve Guinness drought. They compensate this with their excellent brewed-in-house stout called simply “Plain Porter”, a “classic modern stout” as they describe it. For ale lovers there’s the “Red Porter” which is somewhat similar to London Pride, but much better . For the more courageous there’s the “Brain Blasta”, a strong beer with a magnificent taste (needless to say, it’s my favourite). For the adventureous there’s the “Oyster Stout”, brewed with fresh oysters, and for the common beer drinker there’s the “Temple Brau”, a pilsner. The Porterhouse is also one of the rare Irish pubs with a considerable selection of bottled foreign beers - Belgian, German, Czech, English, even Ukrainian, Indian and Kenyan. Once they get the “Nik” they will be perfect! Although I have to admit, they do have an empty bottle on one of the shelves on their walls.

Apart from having the best selection of beer in town, the pub features an eclectic combination of international cuisine. The restaurant sports a full menu of tasty food with a Caribbean, South American and African flavour. During late hours, after you’ve drank more than you should have, there’s a good fast food Persian restaurant just across the street (the famous Zaytoon) to absorb the excess alcohol. There is live music seven nights a week in the Porterhouse, usually blues or rock, and there are traditional Irish music sessions on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Even though the pub stretches over 4 floors, it gets very packed on weekend nights. The crowd is mostly composed of foreigners, with Spanish people being dominant, or at least the loudest (”Te digo, Españoles son los mejores!”). However, the afternoons are very relaxing and it is a great spot to have a nice chat with your buddies while enjoying a few quality pints.

So, the next time you’re in Dublin don’t miss it. Slàinte!

Tags: Porterhouse, Dublin, Pubs