The graffitied exterior makes Drury Buildings hard to miss. The
old rag trade building, open since 2013, is a buzzy central spot
for a post-sightseeing tipple. Wines, cocktails and craft beers are
served up in New York-meets-Berlin surroundings. Reserve a seat out
back, in the heated walled garden, and tuck into bar bites – our
order’s the charcuterie platter – to really get things off to a
swinging start. For more substantial fare, venture upstairs for an
à la carte dinner with a Mediterranean influence.

A bar that goes by many names, but none of which is official,
the Bar With No Name/Snail Bar/No Name Bar – take your pick – is a
city institution. Positioned on Fade Street, the upmarket,
red-brick boozer – part of Kellys Hotel – is marked by a wooden
carving of a snail that hangs above the door. Sandwiched between
two A-grade restaurants, Fade Street Social and l’Gueuleton
(bookmark these for later), the first-floor bar is relaxed in
atmosphere, with punchy cocktails available alongside pints of
Guinness. On rainier Dublin days, cosy up by the open fireplace
until showers pass.

A cool dive bar with epic Mexican food, 777 is loved locally for
its strong pours and lip-smacking eats – the Taquitos and Tostadas
section of the menu peaks with the tuna sashimi and beef brisket.
Those in the know refer to this place as “triple seven”, and head
here early in the week for Margarita Mondays and/or Taco Tuesdays.
Weather permitting, the outdoor area, Afuera, is a “liquid homage
to Don Julio cocktails and tasty bites”.

Dublin’s literary elders were oft-to be found shoring themselves up with a dram or two, and a favourite watering hole of the 20th century’s best scribes was this mahogany-clad whiskey merchant. Under the patronage of a renowned Irish Times editor (the newspaper offices are a broadsheet’s width away), this grand old Victorian public house became a rendezvous point for the city’s whip-smart intellectual set. Today, the newspaper’s offices remain a quick walk away, and the pub, popular among its writers.