Favourite pubs in Cork City?

Ankhyu

I'm new to Cork and haven't really dipped my toe into the pub scene very much so far. I've only really been to Crane Lane and BDSM. I'm a bigger fan of the former than the latter.

Hoping for recommendations of other similar pubs that have a nice smoking area/beer garden and where the music isn't so loud that you wouldn't be able to have a chat?

Have a friend visiting me tomorrow night and we might be heading out. I imagine it would be nigh on impossible to find a pub we could get a seat in of a bank holiday Sunday?! Not asking for much am I

DontThankMe

I'd recommend Fionnbarras on Douglas street nice pub with some independent beers from local brewerys and it has a good beer garden too. I'd check the weather though if I was you think it is meant to rain tomorrow so beer garden might not be an option unless it's covered.
http://m.accuweather.com/en/ie/cork/207697/hourly-weather-forecast/207697?day=2

sozbox

Love The Oval, Callanans and the Mutton Lane if I'm going for stout.

Tom Barry's too.

If your'e looking for good beer gardens though, you can't go wrong with Deep South on Grand Parade, The Sextant or the Franciscan Well.

The court yard on sober lane (part of the flying enterprise) is another good beer garden. They have a massive outdoor projector also for sport.

newbee22

I really like Brick Lane for food and a few drinks. I also would recommend Courtyard on Sober Lane, it's fab for when the weather is nice.

whisky_galore

Starting to tire of pubs in the Benny Empire (the so-called Cork Heritage Pubs), so Fran Well and Tom Barry's get my vote.

TB's has better pizza, the FW seem to cremate theirs.

valoren

Favorite is the Corner House on Coburg Street.

Reputable Rog

The Outpost, great spot.

pa990

Great pub trail.

Franciscan well, > bier house > abbots ale house > sin è > corner house > Gallagher > stop for soakage > continue on McCurtain st, or wobble into town .

Repeat weekly

jimgoose

Reputable Rog wrote: »

The Outpost, great spot.

In Bishopstown? Bit of a sleepy little suburban watering-hole though, no? :pac:

the beer revolu

pa990 wrote: »

Great pub trail.

Franciscan well, > bier house > abbots ale house > sin è > corner house > Gallagher > stop for soakage > continue on McCurtain st, or wobble into town .

Repeat weekly

Friary between Fran Well and Bierhaus, too.

mikeecho

the beer revolu wrote: »

Friary between Fran Well and Bierhaus, too.

I'm not familiar with the firary.. admittedly.. it's been many years since I've been on a pub crawl.

the beer revolu

mikeecho wrote: »

I'm not familiar with the firary.. admittedly.. it's been many years since I've been on a pub crawl.

It's the pub at North Gate Bridge

Gamb!t

whisky_galore wrote: »

Starting to tire of pubs in the Benny Empire (the so-called Cork Heritage Pubs), so Fran Well and Tom Barry's get my vote.

TB's has better pizza, the FW seem to cremate theirs.

Yeah they were really good at first but the quality of pizza got really poor in the last year or so.
I gave up eating pizza there.

Zico !

pa990 wrote: »

Great pub trail.

Franciscan well, > bier house > abbots ale house > sin è > corner house > Gallagher > stop for soakage > continue on McCurtain st, or wobble into town .

Repeat weekly

that sounds crap

Pablo Escobar

Zico ! wrote: »

pa990 wrote: »

Great pub trail.

Franciscan well, > bier house > abbots ale house > sin è > corner house > Gallagher > stop for soakage > continue on McCurtain st, or wobble into town .

Repeat weekly

that sounds crap

Personally, I think that's a great plan. There's some brilliant bars in there.

Apt8

Pablo Escobar wrote: »

Personally, I think that's a great plan. There's some brilliant bars in there.

Not that any of those pubs are bad, but the thought of hitting 6+ pubs in one evening just doesn't do anything for me.

As for the 'repeat weekly', that's the grim part for me. To each their own, but if that's a weekly routine I'd say get a hobby!

Lia_lia

Gamb!t wrote: »

Yeah they were really good at first but the quality of pizza got really poor in the last year or so.
I gave up eating pizza there.

I live next door to the Fran Well and still love their pizzas, best in Cork! The smell of them lures me in a lot.. I think it's the base that I like. Tried Rising Sons Pizza the other day...horrible. Never tried Tom Barry's pizzas, heard they are good.

Anyway my favourite bars would be: Fran Well, Fionbarra's, Vicarstown and Tom Barry's. Mutton Lane is good and handy in the centre of town. Can get very busy though. They play good music. I like the Corner House too. Deep South has a great beer garden, inside is a bit dull though.

Subpopulus

Two years now since I last lived in Cork city but here's a root into the old memory banks. As an auld Corkonian long exiled in Dublin I have to say that the pubs in Cork are superb - small, intimate, not overcrowded, great buzz (usually). I know 'authentic' is a desperate marketeering buzzword, but the pubs in Cork have a great vibe. They're edgy and aren't trying too hard to be cool, so they attract a wonderful varied crowd. Imagine Galway pubs without the gimmicky Irishness and hoards of tourists. Here's a selection of my favourites.

The Oval (South Main Street)
A Benny McCabe pub but an excellent one, lovely cosy Edwardian interior

Fionn Barras (Douglas Street)
Good spot. Fairly large pub with a small-pub feel. Nice pizzas, big smoking area.

Callanan's Pub (Georges Quay)
Great aul man's pub. Again, it's odd opening hours makes it more like a country crossroads pub than a city pub.

The Castle Inn (North Main Street)
Feels like a village pub from the 1950s. A real treat. No fakery or bull**** about the place at all. The jacks is basically open-air.

The High B Oliver Plunkett Street
Old pub with a great living-room vibe. Also has the novelty of being a first-floor pub with no street-level shopfront. No TV and no phones so very old-skool.

Tom Barry's (Barrack Street)
A bit like Fionn Barras in that you have a small old-fashioned bar up the front with a large smoking area/back room that will take a good crowd. Manages to be an bohemian young-person's pub without sacrificing it's auld-man feel too much. Great pizza.

The Idle Hour (Albert Quay)
Bar in the docks that maintains it's working-man feel. Had many a pleasant solitary pint here. Slightly epic location with ships unloading on Kennedy Quay just opposite the door.

Bierhaus (Pope's Quay)
As the name suggests, a craft-beer orientated pub that attracts a good crowd. Nice south-facing location on the quays. Gorgeous on a sunny summer evening when the crowd spills out on the road.

Mr Bradley's (Barrack Street)
Auld man pub converted into a metal-oriented music venue. One of the city's more idiosyncratic pubs.

The Roundy (Daunt Square)
European style cafe-bar where more people sit outside than inside. Nice upstairs room that has a lot of events on.

Dennehy's (Coal Quay)
Great pub for a quite chat. Looks ancient from the outside, but a little bit more scrubbed up on the inside than I'd expected.

Abbot Ale House (Leitrim Street)
Unpretentious pub with a huge beer selection and an offie downstairs.

The Franciscan Well (North Mall)
Big pub with a lovely quirky intimate location down an alley in a quiet part of town. A gem.

Preachers (Washington Street)
Havn't been there since about 2008 but remember it as a small atmospheric pub with a studenty vibe

BSDM (North Main Street)
Modern edgy rock-orientated pub. Great with a crowd in it.

Getting all nostalgic now...

Ankhyu

These are great, thanks! Didn't go out in the end, my friend was looking to save on cash, but I have a nice catalogue of recommendations to check out for future outings, can't wait

penovine

whisky_galore wrote: »

Starting to tire of pubs in the Benny Empire (the so-called Cork Heritage Pubs), so Fran Well and Tom Barry's get my vote.

TB's has better pizza, the FW seem to cremate theirs.

had pizza in TB's and it was terrible - scanty on the toppings and the mushrooms were from a tin!! I kid you not. That is sacrilege.

Maybe i got it on a bad day?
My benchmark for pizza is Novecento - v had to heat

kcb

penovine wrote: »

had pizza in TB's and it was terrible - scanty on the toppings and the mushrooms were from a tin!! I kid you not. That is sacrilege.

Maybe i got it on a bad day?
My benchmark for pizza is Novecento - v had to heat

Personally I think Novecento is miles ahead if you want an authentic Italian pizza with crispy base. But some people prefer other types.

I found Tom Barry's pizza very poor also. Was so soggy it was hard to eat. Also I think the kitchen set up they have out the back now spoiled the look of the beer garden. It looks more like a refrigerated room.

penovine

kcb wrote: »

Personally I think Novecento is miles ahead if you want an authentic Italian pizza with crispy base. But some people prefer other types.

I found Tom Barry's pizza very poor also. Was so soggy it was hard to eat. Also I think the kitchen set up they have out the back now spoiled the look of the beer garden. It looks more like a refrigerated room.

not been there since the revamp? what did they do? and do they make the pizzas for La Pigalle too?

Aglomerado

I'm a big fan of Dan Lowrey's on Maccurtain Street. Lovely spot for a pint and a cosy chat.

I'd second Dennehys and the Castle Inn also.

kcb

Costigans is one of the nicest pubs in the city and a great pint of Guinness in there too.

kcb wrote: »

Personally I think Novecento is miles ahead if you want an authentic Italian pizza with crispy base. But some people prefer other types.

I found Tom Barry's pizza very poor also. Was so soggy it was hard to eat. Also I think the kitchen set up they have out the back now spoiled the look of the beer garden. It looks more like a refrigerated room.

According to my Italian friends the fran well is the best pizza they have had in Ireland, really close to what they get back home (not just talking one or two people here, double figures).

kcb

Howard Ambitious Veal wrote: »

Costigans is one of the nicest pubs in the city and a great pint of Guinness in there too.



According to my Italian friends the fran well is the best pizza they have had in Ireland, really close to what they get back home (not just talking one or two people here, double figures).

Ask them if they've been to Novecento.

kcb

kcb wrote: »

Ask them if they've been to Novecento.

They have, in fact I've had novecento a number of times with them. They do consider it very good (though I and they agree that it can be too oily) but consier fran well pizza to be nicer and more authentic.

The only complaint I have personally with the fran well pizza is it lacks choice of toppings.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

La tana is the nicest pizza in the city!

Coughlans on Douglas Street is a good pub I haven't seen mentioned. Nice, decent sized beer garden, good beer and spirit range, always been really friendly efficient service when I've been in and a great spot for good local music.

Fecking love the oval as well.

Aglomerado

Kaydence Some Ranch wrote: »

La tana is the nicest pizza in the city!

Coughlans on Douglas Street is a good pub I haven't seen mentioned. Nice, decent sized beer garden, good beer and spirit range, always been really friendly efficient service when I've been in and a great spot for good local music.

+1, Lovely pub. I feel bad for forgetting it... :o:o

baldtooyoung

Idle hour,the welcome Inn,coughlans and the courthouse. Great pubs.

limnam

It's not really in the vein of the other pubs you mentioned but it's a cracking "old mans pub" The castle on south main st.

Creamiest pint o Murphys in Cark bai.