The Dawson Lounge

God I love this pub. I came back here the other day after a two year hiatus and I really need to come back more. It’s a pure winter pub isn’t it. How much cosier can you get than a tiny shoebox underground bar? The Guinness is top notch too. Love it. I’ll be back lads, ain’t no doubt bout it.

I first visited the Dawson lounge for whiskey wednesday a Unilocal whiskey tasting event. If I had not been coming to the event i think I would have continued to walk by this little spot without noticing it. For the event i arrived a little early so i decided to have a pint of Guinness — WOW– i can honestly say one of the best pints of Guinness i have had in all my years here in Ireland
Its a tiny little place in a basement and is really a perfect cosy place for a pint on your own or with a few friends. If you’re out on the town with a big gang probably best to give this place a miss as you simply wont fit inside. If however you are planning a party you can book it out for the night and have up to 60 people.
On a street dominated by huge pubs and chains its great to see this little place and i surely will be making it a regular spot.

Great little hard to find pub. Cozy environment and the owner is a very friendly guy. Tip is to go early in the week the small space gets crowded on the weekend.

I can’t give more than one star here as its a nightmare on weekends. Emily says it might fit 60. Sure, try 200 on a Saturday. That’s what happens!
They don’t have a bouncer so as many try and squeeze in and do squeeze in.
It’s got out of control on weekends. Weekdays could be fine, but I have to mark it overall and you probably have 3 reasonable nights (weeknights) and 3 awful nights (Weekend) and 1 in between (Thursday)
As others have said, Barmen are rude, prices are expensive. Difficult to get a pint with ten mins to go also, not the queue, the bar staff are heavily reluctant to give you a drink at «1120 PM»

Let’s be original: This is soooooo tiny!
Well I really enjoyed my time and the atmosphere in this authentic pub.
It is nice to visit the place and have a drink but if you want to stay a bit longer, it becomes quite complicated to talk and hear your mates.
Definitely a place to visit (and to find) in Dublin!!!

Tiniest bar in Dublin.
Good service great beers what else is there?

If your goal is to visit the supposed smallest bar in Dublin, then go ahead and do it but perhaps do it at an off-​peak time. Our group of four visited around 11pm on a Saturday night and the place was packed. It felt claustrophobic and it was extremely hot in the bar — very little is spent in the way of utilities in this joint as human body heat is enough to keep the space warm, er, um, hot.
We stayed for one pint and half of that time was spent leaning up against the narrow wall at the end of the bar and the other half was spent near the back of the space where we were able to secure two stools. The time we spent in the corner with the stools was much more enjoyable than our time spent standing and getting knocked about by patrons who had had one too many pints.
And though I can now say that I visited the supposed smallest bar in Dublin, I can’t say that I would recommend it nor not recommend it. If you are at all claustrophobic, avoid this bar altogether. If you’re a bit tipsy or plan on being a bit tipsy when you visit, then I’m sure you’ll have no issues with the low ceiling and cramped quarters.

The Dawson Lounge beckons on a cooler day. It makes you want to cozy up in this small — supposedly THE smallest — pub in Ireland.
Find the stairs leading down to this gem. Take in the mirrored ceilings so you’ll feel less claustrophobic. Order a Guinness and speak in slightly hushed tones. The ambiance sucks you in and you may lose an entire day without realizing it.
Go. Just go. Tourists. Locals. One and all. Well there may not be room for ‘All’ actually. But grab a couple friends and find a corner and let time pass in the sweetest and simplest of pleasures right here in this lounge…

Dawson Street is my favourite street in Dublin, favourite cafes on this street and its around the corner from Stephens Green which is where my dad grew up so I love it. Even with the frequency I visit here I never noticed this bar, ever. It was an older couple originally from Dublin but now living in the states recommended it to me when I met them this year in Atlanta GA. So as soon as I got back I went to try it out. The beer is great value for Dublin, and an excellent pour, I’m a bartender yes Irish so very fussy about my Guinness and love when its poured correctly. You can order and not have to watch as they do it
. Size, smallest pub in Ireland so you wont fit more than 50 – 60 people in this pub but that’s the coolness of it. I love the place and toasted Sean and Pat Myler when I returned home to Ireland for sharing it with me. I said Id buy him a pint the next time he came home. Sadly he passed away suddenly 1 month after that and never did get to have that pint so every time I’m here I shall have a little tipple especially for him. Cheers Sean may you rest in peace and wherever it is, I hope the bartender knows how to pour Guinness like the Dawson Lounge.

It’s so easy, and a shame, to forget this place exists.
We nippe din here for a drinnk after the recent Unilocal Viking Splash event.
Yes it’s tiny, but intimate in it’s own way and definitely a real pub.
It’s cozy, comfortable and as I commented to S_​I could easily while away a winter (or more typical Irish summer) afternoon in here with a good book and a good pint.
Speaking of pints, like so much these days, in most establishments Guinness tends to come as mediocre, rather than the traditional range of great to dishwater. The Dawson Lounge sticks to the old rules, and serves a truly great pint of the Black Stuff.
I wish we could have stayed for longer, but I’ll certainly be back for more.

Every time I travel to Dublin (which is pretty often since I’m now married to an Irishman), I always stop into The Dawson Lounge. It is an iconic pub situated right in the heart of Dublin, and it’s claim to fame is that it is the smallest pub in Dublin. However, it’s more than just a teeny watering hole. It always has a fun and welcoming atmosphere, thanks mainly to the friendly bar staff and management. They really know how to take care of their customers and show them true Irish hospitality. Pints are around 5 euro as well, which is excellent value considering the pub is right in the city center. Trust me on this one — this pub is worth checking out. Come for a pint; stay for the craic (Irish for ‘good times’)!

Small and cramped. Bar tender was a creeper. Drinks were overpriced.
Just go somewhere else.

this little bar is like the living room of one of the Ewing family with it’s wood panelling. To get here you go down a narrow staircase and you are sure to find a spot to sit or stand as this place fills up then empties regularly. Conor the new owner was a great host to us for the evening at the end of our Easter pub crawl. The budweiser is good and the guiness too or so one of our group claimed. Well worth a visit and thankfully not an overly pretensious place unlike some other bars nearby. A relaxing attitude exists in this place.

Teeny Tiny pub in Dublin, down the rabbit hole, dark and fabulous. The bartender chatted with us and we watched some curling in here. Don’t expect to bring big groups in here though. I do mean, teeny tiny. Great for solo folks or a couple but I wouldn’t recommend more than that. It also helps not to be an obnoxious tourist if you are visiting.

Apparently this is the smallest pub in the world. Had a Guinness. Met some nice local businessmen drinking Coronas. Used their bathroom and my head almost touched the ceiling. Yep, it’s small.

This place is noted for being the smallest bar in dublin. Ilovedddd this place. if your ever in dublin you have to stop here, sit down and have a pint or two. Gonna feel weird at first but i promise you’ll make some new friends. and o yea they dont except american dollars. Some bloddy american went up to the bar and ordered a round then proceeded to pay with an american 20 dollar bill. being the only other american in the bar at the time, i was sooooooooo mortified. So my fellow american before you get here or soon there after exchange your american dollars for euros asap… Yea your gonna lose some money in the exchange but thats just life. move on…

Okay, after ten years of Dublin, and walking up and down Dawson Street nearly every single day of the last decade, I’m ashamed to say that I had never been in the Dawson Lounge until last night. I wasn’t even exactly sure where it was. All I knew is that it’s on Dawson Street, and is the smallest pub in Dublin.
Well so we went. Down a tiny staircase, into a little living room type place. I want to buy it and keep it as a secret haunt for my own friends. Pretty sure we were the only non-​tourists there, however. The barman was pleasant and the Guinness was good. It gets very warm very quickly! Worth it for the novelty value.

Feel bad for writing this because it is a bit of a local secret. It’s located on Dawson St not far from St Stephen’s Green and Grafton Street.
They say it’s the smallest pub in the world… I think I’ve been to one slightly smaller, but this one is definitely in the running. Seems like someone opened up their basement bar to the public. It is warm and cozy. Definitely a cool spot for a little Pint.

A Dublin institution, the Dawson Lounge.
I’ve been infrequently frequenting this place since I moved to Dublin and its never lost it’s charm.
The guy who used to own it was behind the bar this night, Ron Black. The Thomas Reid group bought the bar back in the day and Ron was employed to run it. Good move. I don’t know if they still own it now though. (They bought his name too, but thats another story.) Ron is a gem. My brother made the point of saying hello to Ron and while Ron probably didn’t remember my brother, he went out of his way to make conversation. Nice guy.
Regarding the Dawson and its amount of space, I find this lends to people going in here and only staying for two rounds. So while at one point the place is jammers, after about 30 mins it empties out again and you pounce on the available seats. This night when I arrive there are five free stools at the counter… FIVE! I only need three — woo hoo! But then after 30 mins a group descends on the place and its jam packed. But this is what I like about the place.
The ladies is funny too, the low ceiling requires padding on it so when you stand up after doing your business, you wont give yourself concussion.
Everybody living in Dublin needs to experience the Dawson Lounge at least once…

«Probably the smallest pub on the door» is what the sign outside says and it’s not far from the truth. This is definitely a place you could easily miss since the entire establishment is in the basement but it’s definitely worth stopping in if you get a chance. The location is killer and I’m adding the Dawson Lounge to my list of must see pubs in the Grafton St. area.
I can imagine this place getting too crowded that you’d decide to leave without ordering a drink but my friends are I were able to find a table on a Tuesday night pretty easily. Their selection of drinks is good and the novelty of being in such a small pub is entertaining.