McGrattan’s In The Lane

On an awful evening with the rain soaking me and the wind freezing me, the warm inviting McGrattans was a lovely treat.
Quietly tucked down a little alleyway, it was only upon chance that I noticed the sign and decided to venture in. Straight away I was charmed by the roaring log fire and the homecooked smell of pub grub. A good start.
A small choice of ales on the bar, I settled for a good old pint of Francisan Well and settled down into the small snug area behind the bar. A fab peek hole between the snug and the bar meant no running between the two areas to order, not that this would have mattered given the friendly service and attention of the waitress. I fully intended on having one and going one for food, but in the end I couldn’t resist the trusty cheese toastie and chips. Not the best one I’ve had in Dublin but alongside the pint of beer a nice treat for the evening. Definitely worth a visit

Awesome pub with great craic! The bar men always make you feel welcomed here and it’s easy to find a place to sit a spell and enjoy a pint. I love the pool table and fire. Very cozy. I haven’t eaten here yet, but a pint is reasonable and the mixed drinks aren’t too bad. I want to try the outdoor patio in the nicer weather but until then I’ll stay warm by the nice fireplace!

Just a bit off the beaten path and worth every extra step. (Actually just around the corner from the two nicest hotels in city center). In four days we came to McGrattans three times. Three different bartenders helped us explore the Irish whiskey canon. What a friendly and helpful staff. Saturday night was a fun, lively evening with a rugby game on the screen and lots of neighbors. All welcomed a couple travelers. Sunday and Tuesday was quiet with a trad quartet. Couldn’t have felt more authentic. I preferred the quieter nights, but it depends on your mood.
Explore the back rooms and the photos of famous guests. Clearly we aren’t the first to discover this gem!

Enjoyed the atmosphere in this pub. They have pool tables and lots of local color. I saw some great food go by in this place. Didn’t try them, but the burgers looked fantastic!

Really friendly pub with a real good steak and ditto fish and chips for a democratic price. The steak I ordered rare came out well done but, after inquiry, was replaced with a properly cooked model.

Herself and I had a voucher for a cheeseboard and bottle of wine at McGrattans which we duly used today.
First impressions were very good. Really liked the look of the place, two pool tables and all! Offered red or white and so plummed for the pinot grigio which was just the ticket.
Unfortunately, the cheeseboard was a bit of a letdown for both of us. A combination of blandness and a slight feeling of maybe the cheese not having the best spend plus the lack of a relish left us both unsatisfied.
I’d come back again, for a pint sand not the food though!

Good solid pub food, good drinks and the nicest waitstaff you’ll ever meet. I had the fish & chips, chocolate cake dessert and some Redbreast 12 neat to drink. All in all a fine evening.

This is one of my favorites in Dublin. Take cozy, familiar, friendly pub, add well prepared food, a great sport scene, and the after-​work connected but not aloof crowd from the government and solicitor offices in the area and you have it here. Family friendly on weekends. Easy going all around.

Good spot for a drink after work! I’d definitely come back. I love the fireplace, pool tables, and ‘saloon’ décor and atmosphere. Comfortable seating areas can accommodate small or large groups.
I can’t speak to the food, but it smells and looks great. Looking forward to trying it soon!

I picked McGrattan’s off Baggot St. to organise a work function for about 40 people recently mainly because it’s a central and relaxed space and I’ve previously had only positive experiences here. 2 bars, 2 lovely smoking areas, a great DJ that doesn’t cost any extra and 2 pool tables to keep everyone entertained if the conversation gets stuck (which does happen with a work crowd). Marc the owner look after us very well, gave us a hand with deco prep, looked after us with finger food and was just generally always around and very hands-​on. Overall we had a great night and I would choose this place over and over again.

Lovely pub down a laneway off Baggot Street and a lot bigger than you would think. Mix of a crowd but mostly business men for lunch. Had the cheese platter which was huge and definitely not a one or even 2 person dish. Heaven for cheese junkies like myself.
Bonus of the day… seeing your wan off the telly Anne Doyle floating around. My mam will be very jealous.

Went here with a mate on living social voucher. Food amazing, pub amazing! We had bottle of wine and meat/​cheese platter. Not sure of regular prices. But the platter was massive… we didn’t finish it! We sat outside, they had put tables in the empty car park, which was great. The inside was also really nice. First time ive seen pool tables in Dublin, so be heading back for a match i think! They also have an outdoor room that you can smoke in with comfy couches. But you wouldn’t think lookin at it down an alley way that it is anything much. But quite big and nicely decorated. Only downer, appeared to be 2 people working, so poor lass was really stressed and complaining to everyone that there was no one working. So u felt a bit hesitant to ask for anything. But overall will be going back

I go to Dublin quite often. I will usually end up here at some point. The staff are so great and they poor a beautiful Pint of Guinness. I have eaten here a few times and have never been disappointed. The Fish & Chips are fresh and HUGE. There is outside, inside, front bar, back bar. Just a great spot.
All I can say is ENJOY.

Located off the beaten path down a small lane. Great location in Dublin 2.
The small looking front hides a larger interior, including pool tables.
Enjoyable pint. Had Tiger prawns with chips. Tasty.
Good service, good crowd, not too loud, nice atmosphere — good place

The environment is comfortable an very clean. The bar area is very nice with an assorted collection of locals and maybe not so locals. If you are looking to have a nice relaxing dinner at a pub without the hollering 20 somethings this may be your place. I had an awesome steak dinner cooked to perfection and a pint of Bulmers. The barkeep was attentive enough to acknowledge me walking through the door and get me set up at a table. My food order was taken in a timely manner and delivered promptly. Overall a pleasant dinner. There is a selection of pool tables in the adjoining room if billiards are your thing and the groups I witnessed using the tables seemed friendly enough. The music was at a comfortable level to hold a conversation at normal speaking volumes.
Just a really nice place to hang out and have a few pints.

We actually stopped in the nearby Toner’s Pub to get a late afternoon bite and was told the kitchen was closed but to go here instead as they would «look after us». Wow what a cool place. The whole vibe had this «Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels» sort of vibe to it with the music and young lads shooting pool while we were there. The bartender was a real character and the food was super authentic, homemade and very good. We had the Irish lamb stew and the sausages and mash. No idea how anyone finds this place unless they know where they are going. Very much off the beaten tourist path although it’s right in the middle of it all. Worth going to for sure.

I’ve only ever been to McGrattan’s for functions — it’s a welcoming enough place, rather large, with two levels. The outdoor area as I remember it is quite nice too and there’s a sort of conservatory leading to it. A traditional pub with good pool tables.

Had a tour dinner there. Atmosphere good but tour dinner poor. Don’t think I could recommend it without checking it outside of a tour.

There a some nights out where the journey there is just as memorable as the place you were going to. Saying this place is down a lane being polite. It’s down a dark and slightly off-​putting alleyway. Also, the first thing I noticed about the place was the rediculous sign on the building. Sorry guys, but Lucida Handwriting is not a good font for a pub sign. From the other end of the alley I thought it was either a bad Italian restaurant or a furniture shop.
That said, once I was there it was awesome. The staff are friendly and amazing at their job. The girl at the front bar managed to look after about 7 orders at once and didn’t spill a single drop yet handled everything with a speed that can only be described as «impressive».
It’s not somewhere that I’d be going to regularly, purely because it’s in such a god-​awful location. That said, I know that if I’m in the area, I’ll be there.

Why had nobody told me about the wonder that is McGrattans? I’m not one to indulge in cliché but it really is Dublin pubbings best kept secret. And, don’t tell Anseo, but it might just be my new favourite.
McGrattans is located centrally, just off Merrion Square to be precise, but you’d never find it unless you deliberately sought it out. You’ll here shouts from the smoking area as you navigate your way down a very long, dark, and scary laneway. In back alley terms, one might refer to it as a bit ‘rapy’ looking. I expected to find hookers, junkies and men who wear multiple watches as I inched my way down it for the first time. And unlike most scary laneway navigation, McGrattans location denies you the small, triumphant pleasure that is; leaving said alley. This is because McGrattan’s sits as a beacon of light, smack bang in the middle of it.
Courage is rewarded handsomely though. The inside is drop dead trendy, yes I’m under forty and said trendy, purple walls and black tables. However, unlike a lot of ‘trendy’ pubs McGrattan’s have had the wisdom to keep the properly shaped pub furniture-​heaven forbid an Irish pub where you can still talk to people! It’s dark with some nice nooks and cranny’s, including an enviable snug. There’s also a few pool tables, dancefloor and a more than decent smoking area. It’s very apparent that someone actually sat down and thought about how a pub should work when designing this place. I love it.
Owed, probably, to it’s obscure location there are some really good deals at the bar. Including a bucket of miller bottles for just twenty blips. This deal has an obvious financial benefit, but the main attraction is in walking up to a bar with a bucket and saying ‘Filler up’. It looks well manly.
Tunes are good, but not quite deserving of a ‘ch’ spelling. Lots of solid hip hop and, bizzarely, ‘90s R’n’B. I think I heard TLC at some point. But a good DJ let’s you enjoy songs you don’t even like by putting them in the right order, and that’s what happened.
So there you have it, my new favourite pub. Well, one of them at least. Camden Street will always be home, but if you’re around Merrion Square you won’t do better than McGrattans.