Deep South

Beautiful bar and fabulous beer garden! The menu leaves a lot to be desired with only salad as a vegetarian main option. I ordered the salad and there were stray bits of black pudding in it. Everyone I ate with enjoyed the food but didn’t rave about it… It was fine. Getting served took forever, even for a simple pint. If you want a cocktail, prepare to wait. Nice venue but I’d rather go elsewhere and just get a simple meal and a pint

In terms of interior design, lay out and beer garden, you can’t fault this place. The chairs are old swingdowns from a retired cinema, it’s nicely lit, the beer garden is large with plenty of seating. A cocktail menu is provided, which thankfully isn’t pre mixes, the crowd is a lovely early to mid twenties, urban vibe. This place should be heaven, not over pretentious cocktail loungy (won’t name names) but not cold, old manish, lack of range kinda haunt (also won’t name names)
However…
Best of luck getting served here.
As a former bar supervisor, this place broke my heart.
I went there on a very quiet night, less than 35/​40% capacity really. There were 4 bartenders behind the bar, yet waiting to be served was a nightmare. I ordered a vodka and white and a pint of larger at one stage and felt like jumping across the bar to throttle the guy who was taking so long to get it. (No the keg didn’t need changing, no he wasn’t out of anything or missing glasses) He was just slow. The staff took one order at a time, painfully taking their time in filing it. Rather than the rule of «If it’s busy take 2 – 3 orders and fill them in order of stout, shorts, wine, bottles, pints» It’s kind of bartending 101.
Regarding the cocktail menu, I asked rather politely (I despise people who bark at barstaff) if a substitute for one ingredient was allowed (offered a suggestion on the substitute something of the same price even) If the bartender had said «I’m sorry we don’t allow substitutions» I wouldn’t have minded at all. I’d have totally understood that some bars don’t and it wasn’t his fault, he was just doing his job.
Instead he gave me a rather condescending lecture on how my substitution wouldn’t work with a pretty smirky smirky face,(later a friend commented he thought he was doing some sort of lads lad, banter thing, but seriously? feck off) The substitution I asked for is actually extremely common and is served as a cocktail in it’s own right in a wealth of bars. (Side note: asked for the same substitute in another bar later on in the evening and was told absolutely no problem, with a smile I may add)
Friends would disappear from our table for up to ten minutes ordering drinks. Even straight forward Heinekens and bottles of coke seemed to take forever.
I’ve lived in Dublin for a year and a half and to be honest, always preferred the Cork night life (4 years of college there helped) But this and a few other minor experiences with slow staff in other bars lee side, really put it into perspective how superior bar staff in Dublin are, in terms of speed and efficiency, not all Cork bars of course, but Deep South didn’t help.
I also noted the bar closed and called last call before the legal closing times. (half an hour early) I got the impression the whole time I was there, that there was no senior member of barstaff on duty because it was quiet and as a result the part time or casual staff. didn’t feel like making an effort.
To test my theory I decided to go in there this Friday and the I was efficiently served, greeted with a friendly smile and even had a member of staff approach my table checking that everyone was ok.
Deep South isn’t a bad bar, it’s not, it’s got a nice vibe and on Friday/​Saturday they’re on the ball. The problem is in the hospitality sector pubs/​clubs/​cafes/​restaurants/​hotels. you’re only as strong as your weakest day. You can’t let your standards slip because it’s quiet or no manager is on! A sit down with the staff is needed, in my opinion

Best beer garden in the city… has really taken off in the last few months, good world cup deals and always seems to be busy. a great addition to the corner of grand parade that had been idle for a good while.