The Oak

So… I’m new to Dublin. Ok, ok. I’m a tourist. A bonifide, tour-​bus riding, Guiness Storehouse-​visiting, picture taking, souvenir bag toting tourist. I came on a family vacation and my beautiful nieces and I managed to scheme our way out of the whole «family fun time» thing for a couple of hours. Our escape was coming to an end and out of desperation we ducked into the first bar we saw to get a pint before the evil eye of adulting came to find us (I dunno what I’m saying… I’m 37 an probably a bad influence. Whatever, pay attention). The bar was empty (on a Wednesday at 6 pm, cool)… and we met Sean… a most handsome, respectful young bartender who recommended some great beers as well as some amazing places to see that weren’t in our «Expensive Ass Things To Do In Ireland For Suckers» guidebook. His hospitality and humor seriously made our entire trip, the bar itself is beau.ti.ful… and we even invited the big bad adulting units to join us who also had an amazing (deadly) time. Thanks, Sean… you made us the happiest bunch of Mexicans in Dublin.

was okay, nothing really special, bar tender was polite but not to much ready to talk.

Wandered in here on a whim on a Tuesday while pub browsing through Dublin on our last night in Ireland. Great bartender, very friendly, very laid back atmosphere full of locals and a few random Americans. Apparently the décor was reconstituted from the sister ship of the Titanic when it was decommissioned. Much cheaper drinks than anything you will find in the Temple Bar district, which is what we were trying to escape from.

The Oak is a new favorite especially on a rainy day — which means I’ll be frequenting this place now that I live here …
I love the long oak bar and the richness in décor and history. Dark oak, amber lighting, red velvet curtains, ornate mirrors, embellished ceilings, and framed bits of history… enough to draw you in and get you to stay awhile.
And, if you’re wanting a change of scenery, this bar is also connected to the Thomas Read next door. Two very different bars but equally inviting depending on your mood.
We watched the Rugby game on a very wet day and it was just what we wanted in the way of comfort and coziness.

Great music! Underground style, but with higher prices. Nice pub and in a good location.

Man this place is great craic… two pubs… yea if you get too drunk you may get very confused. especially when you end up in the club downstairs. real nice feel tot he place and whether you like new/​trendy or old and fowl you will get it here.

For months i refused to go here untill i was dragged for a friends birthday about two years ago, kicking and screaming i may add!!! I was presuming that its was going your typical ‘über steamer nightclub’ with my chemical romance, killers and kings of leon being played to death as well as paying an extortionate amount of money for the choice of either a pint of fosters in a PLASTIC glass or a bottle of Bud.
I am pleased to admit i dont think i have ever been so far of the mark.
yes first impressions are not great, its dark, its dingy and theres a bit of a wiff as u walk down the stairs but all that is pretty much expected. The biggest suprise for me was the tunes or ‘anthems’ shall we say, from the 60’s-early 90’s… Another big bonus for me was that if you werent drinking spirits or bottles, you could go to the bar upstairs and get a real drink.
Although the biggest downer for me, is the lack of a smoking area, im not a snob, I dont mind smoking on the street, i really dont! but i am like a beggers ATM! as if smoking wasnt expensive enough.
lately i find myself drinking more and more in the bar upstairs, its really relaxed and laid-​back. Theres no music so even when its busy its a good place to go for a chat before making a night of it…
**just a note! came here a while ago for a pint with an italian friend one friday night, popped my head down stairs at about 12ish, there were only two people there and the music was meehh*** (dont know if this is the norm now, havent been down stairs in a while, hopefully it was just a one off)

The best way I can describe this place is like something from «Skins» with less lighting! Not a bad start for a good night out! I ignore the upstairs bar entirely in this review as it was merely a passageway to the good stuff I’d been told of.
Dark, Sweaty, Unreal mix of songs that probably shouldn’t work but do because the whole place is a mish mash of a pinch of this thrown over a bit of that mixed in a bowl of random! But it tastes so damn good you don’t care. Only sour aftertaste is the morning afters obligatory pounding drumbeat hangover. Although that just reminds you of the music thenight before so even thats not too bad most of the time!

True it is part of Thomas Reads and as a result the last thing you think of is old and comfy and quiet but in fact that is just what it was on Saturday eve — we stopped in for a pint before dining at the very excellent Les Freres Jacques (
). They have Kilkenny on tap — something I am finding increasingly difficult to get, a big plus for me!
No music and space to sit and chat — perfect.

Descending into the darkness blindly as the beats ascend into your ear canals. You take it all in as your eyes adjust.
Trunks and limbs swaying like trees to a gale force wind back set by flashing lights. Oh yes this place is messy. This place is sweaty.
You have the pissed farts that just are there to pull but they are in the minority, just leave them to grind against the chair legs and take pictures of themselves.
The majority are a mismatch oddity of everything. Just like the tunes. Kate Bush interspersed with LCD Soundsystem, oh yes.
A small black room. A small stage with folks strutting and moving badly to the beats and making love to the music badly, fantastic because it’s real and all embracing.
It’s free. It’s full of characters. Last time I was there, a bicycle courier held my beer as I shook it down with a Cure-​head. Oh yes my friends, oh yes.

Never spent much time in the upstairs, we usually head straight to the basement for a bit of dancing.
Downstairs has a decent bar and great music for dancing (thankfully for my tastes, this rarely includes hip hop or rap). Unlike clubs, there’s no cover, which adds to the appeal of this dance spot.

One half of the great two-​for-​one deal that is Thomas Reads and The Oak, you can’t really complain about this place and if you feel yourself on the verge of moaning, then just get up and go next door!
Unsurprisingly, The Oak is dominated by a long, polished oak bar with high stands and stools dotted around it. It’s narrower and less inviting for groups than Thomas Read’s — more for sitting at the bar than mingling. Still, it’s bumper to bumper at the weekend with people attempting to get their mingle-​on. When it gets too crammed, you can swoop next door to Thomas Read’s without even going outside or you can duck downstairs to the ‘rough and ready’ basement below for a boogie.
The crowd is mixed — from professionals to rockers to hipsters — and they all enjoy a bit of Metallica on the dance floor near closing time. Rock unites us all apparently!

I love the chandeliers, I love the back passageway into the unknown… I love that so many pubs in Dublin have mystery corridors and back rooms and dance floors you’d never even know existed if you sat at the front and didn’t need to find the loo (that’s when most of these discoveries occur for a non-​local).
I’ve had a fairly decent Guinness in this pub on a number of occasions… but for me it’s not really a destination pub, more somewhere you go because you’re passing by, or because you can’t get seats somewhere else.

Although its technically part of Thomas Reads, around the other side. I think the oak qulifies as a pub in its own right. I’m a big fan. Its a bit like the Globe and RiRa they are the same premises but two very different pubs.
The oak is a nice old fashioned boozer with very few seats and mostly stools. The place is pretty tiny and cosy. If your not in humour for next door or a super pub its a nice alternative.
Food served next door in Thomas Reads, which you can get to through the back of the Oak.

I have never been sure whether the Oak was part of Thomas Read’s or not, but I’ve certainly spent entire nights at ‘the Oak’ without venturing onto Thomas Read’s territory, so I count them as separate (despite the adjoining staircase).
The Oak is an interesting mixture of auld lad pub, and young persons’ venue. You enter on ground level, and it is a traditional small-​but-​cosy, warmly lit, wood panelled Dublin pub. The crowd is usually mostly local — not necessarily typical of the area, given its proximity to Temple Bar. Being small, it rarely feels empty, and indeed on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night it can get crowded enough that you will have to do the ‘Ooops… scuse me, pardon me’ through the crowd to get to the bathrooms if you’re towards the front. However, I’ve never felt jammed in against other groups or the wall any time I
have been there.
If you venture downstairs (which I believe is only open weekend night time?) it is quite a different kettle of fish altogether. It’s much darker and much starker, and genuinely pulls a younger crowd. This is, I suppose, the nightclub or dancing part of the bar, with a dancefloor & DJ as well as darkened enclaves to sit or at least rest your drink on a little shelf. The music isn’t your typical club stuff — it is quite broad ranging and probably caters more to a rock palate. It does tend to be dark enough to be fairly anonymous, if that’s what you’re into. The only real problem with this downstairs area seems to be ventilation. In winter, you don’t notice it so much, because it’s just cosy… but if the weather is leaning more mild-​to-​warm, it gets very stuffy and hot.
The Oak is not the greatest of pubs but it has a good ambience and isn’t ever a bother. Great for if you’re more interested in the company of your mates and having a drink and a laugh than if you want to do a whole lot of mingling or seeing-​and-​being-​seen. I’ve been there a number of times with friends and have had some fantastic nights, but I probably wouldn’t recommend this place to a tourist looking to party
really hard or meet a whole lot of new people.