What a Pint of Guinness Really Costs in Temple Bar, and Where to Drink for Less
10 minutes ago
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Every visitor to Dublin wants the same three things on their first evening: a pint of the creamy stuff, a bit of music, and a stroll down Temple Bar. The trouble is that the third one can make the first one surprisingly expensive. So I walked the strip from end to end, pub by pub, and asked the one question nobody puts on the menu board outside: how much is a pint of Guinness?
The answer, at the time of filming, ran from €6.90 to €10.95 for the same drink, poured a few hundred yards apart. Here is what I found, where the better value sits, and a little history to go with it.
Why it is called Temple Bar
It is better to be educated before one gets a little tipsy, so a short history lesson first. The name goes back to the early 1600s, when Sir William Temple had a house and gardens here, and the street first appears on a map in 1673. There was also a deliberate nod to London's own Temple Bar.
For most of its life this was not a glamorous corner of the city. It sat outside the old city walls, later became a red-light district, and by the 20th century was full of derelict buildings. In the 1980s it very nearly vanished altogether: the state transport company planned to demolish large parts of it for a huge central bus station.
Thankfully it never happened. Artists who had moved in because the rents were cheap fought the plan, the government stepped in, and in the early 1990s the area was deliberately turned into Dublin's cultural quarter. Much of the lively, music-filled atmosphere you see today was consciously created and packaged for visitors from the 1990s onwards. It worked, and I think we can all agree it beats a bus station.
Temple Bar's cobbles and painted pub fronts: the setting is what you are paying for.
How I checked the prices
I started in the early evening at the eastern end, on Fleet Street, which runs straight into Temple Bar, and worked west towards the far end of the strip, checking the price of a pint of Guinness in every pub along the way. These are the prices I was given at the time of filming. Pub prices in Dublin move, and one bar on this list had already gone up since I had last been in at the start of the year, so treat these as a guide rather than a promise and check at the bar before you order.
Pub by pub, east to west
The Palace: €7.50. Opened in 1823 and once the haunt of Patrick Kavanagh and other literary greats, it still has real Victorian magic. A very respectable price.
The Fleet: €7.70. Once home to the famous Bewley's café. It was €7 at the start of the year.
The Buskers Bar: €9.70. A big live music and sports bar, completely packed when I called in.
Hard Rock Cafe: €8.35. Classic rock memorabilia and American vibes.
The Morgan Hotel bar: €7. Stylish, right in the heart of it, and one of the better deals.
Thunder Road Cafe: €8.65. The big American diner with motorbikes on the walls, here since 1995.
Oliver St. John Gogarty's: €10.95. One of the big names on the street. Staff were not keen to confirm the price on the phone or in person, and it is not advertised on the website. Now you know why.
The Auld Dubliner: €9.50. A traditional feel on the main street; you will get a solid pint and 50 cents change from a €10 note.
The Old Mill: €8.40. A classic Irish food spot. Monday to Thursday before 5pm, a pint is €5.50 if you have lunch, which is a good deal if you need to eat anyway.
Keogh's Bar: €9.40. Another busy one on the strip.
The Temple Bar Pub: €10.95. The red-fronted icon everyone has heard of. Busy as ever, with great music inside, but that is what you are paying for.
The Norseman: €8.90. One of the older pubs in the area, with a nod to Dublin's Viking heritage.
Fitzsimons: €9.90. A multi-level party venue with a roof garden and live music every night.
Bad Bob's: €7.50. A lively spot, and not a bad price for Temple Bar, for now at least.
The Porterhouse: €7.50. The craft beer pioneer of Temple Bar, with some genuinely interesting pints of its own, but the Guinness is fairly priced too.
The Turk's Head: €6.90, and €6 from Monday to Wednesday. A distinctive mosaic interior and the best deal of the day.
The cheapest and the dearest
The cheapest pint I found was at The Turk's Head, at the western end and, to be honest, slightly off the main strip. At €6.90, and €6 early in the week, it is the place to consider if you want the Temple Bar atmosphere without the Temple Bar mark-up. The Morgan Hotel bar at €7, and The Palace, Bad Bob's and The Porterhouse at €7.50, are close behind.
At the other end, Oliver St. John Gogarty's and The Temple Bar Pub were both charging €10.95, with Fitzsimons at €9.90 and The Buskers Bar at €9.70. In practical terms, at the top end you hand over a €10 note and do not get much back, or need another coin.
How to drink for less in Temple Bar
Start at the edges. The best value I found sat at either end of the strip, around Fleet Street and the western end, rather than in the very middle.
Look for the weekday deals. The Turk's Head drops to €6 from Monday to Wednesday, and The Old Mill does a €5.50 pint with lunch from Monday to Thursday before 5pm.
Have your famous pint once, then move on. If you want a photo at The Temple Bar Pub, enjoy it, then walk a few doors along for the next round.
Ask before you order. If a bar will not tell you the price, that tells you something.
Remember Temple Bar is more than one street. It is a whole quarter of lanes, and there is plenty more to explore beyond the main strip.
Pub crawls and things to do
If you would rather have someone else lead the way, there is the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl and a traditional Irish music pub crawl. You can also browse Temple Bar tours and experiences or book the Guinness Storehouse to see where the black stuff comes from. For the rest of the city, my Essential Dublin Travel Guide covers the sights, getting around and where to eat.
Browse more Dublin tours and activities on Viator:
Sort your cash before you go
Ireland uses the euro, and it is handy to have a few notes for a round or a tip. Money Maps compares bureau de change and online exchange rates near you, free on the App Store.
Where to stay
Staying close to Temple Bar means you can walk home after the last pint. Compare hotels on Booking.com or Airbnb, or use the map below to see what is near the quarter.
Flights
Flying to Dublin? Compare fares below.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a pint of Guinness in Temple Bar?
When I filmed, prices ranged from €6.90 to €10.95 for a pint, depending on the pub.
Where is the cheapest Guinness in Temple Bar?
The Turk's Head, at €6.90, or €6 from Monday to Wednesday, was the cheapest I found.
Which Temple Bar pubs are the most expensive?
Oliver St. John Gogarty's and The Temple Bar Pub, both at €10.95 when I checked.
Are these prices fixed?
No. Prices change, and one pub had already gone up during the year, so check at the bar before you order.
The Wondering Englishman has visited over 90 countries so far, and Dublin remains one of the friendliest cities to raise a glass in.
Sources: prices and history as given in my film I Checked Guinness Prices in Temple Bar to Save You Money!. Prices were those quoted at the time of filming and may have changed.
Photo credit: cover image from my film; other images from The Wondering Englishman media library.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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Safe travels, The Wondering Englishman
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