Barfly: Slattery's
62 Upper Grand Canal Street, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, 01 6685481
You don't see too many suburban Dublin boozers stuffed to near-capacity on a cold Wednesday night nowadays but that was the scene that greeted us on a recent visit to Slattery's, an authentic Victorian pub in the shadow of the shiny, if vaguely ominous, new Lansdowne Road.
Maybe Leinster rugby fans were still celebrating their side's then recent demolition job of Munster -- Slattery's is a rugger pub to its boots, with huge Munster and Leinster banners visible from the street, and sepia pictures of the good old days lining the interior.
Outside, al fresco seating strikes a curiously Continental note -- curious because it's hard to think of anything less Continental than a faceless stretch of Dublin suburbia in late autumn.
Indoors, meanwhile, Slattery's is dimly lit and cosy. The stout -- which in Dublin inevitably means Guinness -- is as good as anywhere in the city, while the lagers and ciders are more than adequate by Irish standards (but then, compared to anywhere else in the Western world, the selection of beers available in your average pub is underwhelming).
In this stretch of Dublin, bars tend to all look the same, so it's a surprise to come across somewhere as individual as Slattery's -- even if it is a bit of a slog if you're coming from town.
IN THE GLASS: Pint of lager €5.20, pint of stout €4.70
ON THE STEREO: Rock muzak
AT THE BAR: Fresh faced 20-somethings
AND? For barfood, the house specialty is chicken curry
- Ed Power
Irish Independent
