Summer 2024 is nearly here and with the lovely weather recently hopefully a sign of things to come, Dubliners and those visiting the capital will be looking for spots to drink outdoors.

And luckily the city is filled with options for a pint outdoors, especially after Covid when the conditions forced many publicans to set up outdoor areas.

This guide, which solely concentrates on the city itself – check out our other guides like this one for Howth if you’re outside the city – will give you the best options for beer gardens and outdoor drinking this summer.

Dublin’s beer gardens and outdoor pub areas

Best streets and areas

Temple Bar

When you’re in Temple Bar you might be thinking that their couldn’t possibly be a large beer garden area in such a concrete jungle, but thankfully you’re wrong.

Fitzsimons bar is home to a beautiful rooftop beer garden that many people probably don’t even realise is there – it’s a spacious sun trap where you can enjoy a drink amongst a mix of tourists and locals – you can read more about that here.

And while that may be the only beer garden in the area, the majority of the pubs have small outdoor areas so while not really a beer garden, you can enjoy a pint in the sun.

The Auld Dubliner, The Temple Bar itself and Bad Bobs all have little areas outside where you can catch some rays – Anne’s Bar similarly has a little outdoor area although you can’t catch too much sun there.

The Vintage Cocktail Club here is home to a little rooftop sun trap too and as the name suggests, it’s a great option if you are looking for a cocktail.

Camden Street

One of Dublin’s most popular streets for pubs and one with a few good options for pints in the outdoors.

At the very top of the street you have The Bleeding Horse which has smoking area outside with plenty seating as well as around 6 or 7 tables out the Rathmines side of the pub which soaks up the sun at certain times of the day.

A bit further down the road in Jimmy Rabbitte’s you’ll find a cosy beer garden, it’s not so much a sun trap with little sunshine but you will get plenty of fresh air and it’s usually very busy on a weekend.

Devitts pub is just a little further down the road and with tables set-up alongside the iconic spot, it can be a superb place to drink in the sun, especially with it usually drawing such a crowd.

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Flannery’s Bar likely holds the biggest beer garden in the Camden Street area with their post-pandemic offering extremely spacious, great for working on your tan and watching a match or catching up with friends. Very lively on big GAA weekends.

Another traditional pub sits across the road in Ryans and after an extensive refurbishment in recent years, the proud GAA pub now boasts a lovely heated outdoor area – again a great place to watch a match or congregate to afterwards.

South William Street and nearby

Just above South William Street, P Macs, on of Dublin’s very best pubs, has a number of benches outside where the sun does shine, albeit not for too long given the big buildings around it – but with great food and such a great selection of drinks it can be a good option.

Then as you head in the South William Street direction you’ll be blessed with so many options for pints outdoors – starting with Peter’s Pub, a small traditional spot with no more than five or six tables or barrels outside for your drink.

While space is limited, when it comes to people watching it’s a prime spot so if you see an opening, throw yourself down for a pint.

Just around the corner towards Grafton Street you’ll have Bar Rua with a nice little outdoor area and further along is Sheehan’s Pub.

Sheehan’s is a legendary city pub with a throwback interior, but after keeping the city going with takeaway pints during Covid, they still have plenty room outdoor to stand in the sun and drink.

If you get yourself back onto South William Street you’ll find Grogans a little bit further down, it’s well regarded for its Guinness and has a very big outdoor area for a pub in the city – you’ll find it very busy on a sunny evening.

Across the road is Pyg, the place to go if you’re looking for a cocktail in the sun.

Down a bit further at the bottom of the street there’s The Old Stand and the International Bar, while they aren’t blessed with big outdoor areas, they do get a great bit of sun in the late afternoon and groups tend to hug the footpath to enjoy a few drinks.

Portobello

Drinking along the Canal is a feature of a Dublin summer and the famous Barge pub is the most well-known pub when it comes to offering this.

On a sunny evening this tends to be the place-to-be in Dublin with massive crowds sitting along the canal with their drinks.

Many people bring their own cans or bottles and enjoy the sunshine but of course it’s always good to support the pub itself.

Baggot Street

Toners bar is the star of the show when it comes to beer gardens around here, there’s plenty of seating, you can grab a good spot in either the shade or the sunlight and there’s usually a great atmosphere to go with all of that.

If you’re nearby and looking for a few drinks in the sun, look no further.

Plenty of other bars along the street offer outdoor seating, and while not quite as spacious as Toners, you could nab an spot in the sun if you head in this direction.

The best beer gardens in the city

Blackbird – Rathmines

A little trip up the road but Blackbird in Rathmines have a lovely little beer garden area that adds greatly to an already lovely establishment.

Rathmines itself on a sunny day is a lovely place to be and with good pints, pizzas and a screen outside if there is sport on, the Blackbird is the place to go.

Toners – Baggot Street

Located on the lovely Baggot Street, Toners beer garden is one of the city’s most popular, especially on a sunny midweek evening when work crowds flood in.

There’s plenty of seating, you can grab a good seat in either the shade or the sunlight and there’s usually a great atmosphere to go with all of that.

The Living Room – Cathal Brugha Street

The ultimate outdoor location for watching a match or any kind of sporting occasion, The Living Room is a buzzing amalgamation of multiple bars and gets the perfect amount of sun during the day.

During big occasions like the World Cup, before a match in Croke Park or for just a sunny day, this is the place to go – it’s also massive so there’s plenty room to sit or stand.

Where else?

As mentioned this is only a guide to pubs in the city centre or very nearby, the Irish Pub Guide will be doing features on all the best summer areas in the rest of Dublin and around the country so make sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for updates.