Leeson Lounge

Lovely bar. The awesome bartender let us take snaps behind the bar. Talk about Irish hospitality!

This is my go-​to pub for a casual pint or two. I usually come around after work (4−6pm) but I’ve occasionally stopped by later in the evening. It’s never been especially crowded and the ambiance is casual and laid back. They do have live music some nights, but I’ve never been there for it.
So why the five stars? The staff. Just great bartenders to have a chat with, very friendly and helpful. As an American living in Dublin, got some great advice from Rory on where to go and what to see. I’m sure the other bartenders are great too, but for whatever reason I kept showing up when he was working.
As other users have noted — and I will confirm — this pub has the loyalty of some local regulars. You’ll get tourists as well due to the nearby hotel, but enough regulars who know each other that give this a nice authentic feel to it.
So if you want the experience of a casual pub with regular Irish locals and a friendly staff willing to talk it up, this is the pub for you. In my opinion, that’s what Ireland’s all about honestly, but I suppose that’s not for an American to judge.

The bar staff are great: Rory, Hugh, Laura from Manchester and Paul the manager really know how to look after their punters. Especially the regulars. If you need a stool say from Hugh, he’ll go round the back and get one for you if there’s none left in the bar itself. Every now and then they’ll go round with platters of toasted sambos or cocktails sausages, because that’s just the kind of people they are. I always enjoy the banter with the bar staff and they’re always glad to see regulars showing up.
it’s great for watching the big matches and for sticking around for the music afterwards which is always top notch. Sometimes it’s jazz, sometimes it’s blues rock or just plain rock.
It’s not really a young crowd that goes there although you will see a few groups of 20 somethings, but it’s mainly for the 30 to 40 something (and beyond) crowd. It’s just outside the madness of the city centre, but close enough to get a quick taxi to Whelan’s or wherever it is you’re going.
A bit of a classic Dublin pub if you ask me.

Respectable beer selection, great outdoor area, and ample, cute indoor seating. Great live music venue on the nights when they have it. We stayed in Dublin for a week and made this our nightly stop on the way to our hotel at the end of each day. The bartenders are friendly, cheeky, and wonderful. We’ll miss them when we leave!

I love this place. It’s pretty much everything I want in a neighbourhood pub– comfortable, cosy, relaxed with nice staff and clientele. It also has a dart board, if you’re that way inclined.
€ 3.70 for a pint of Beamish? Go on so!

Get Rory the barman to feed you pints of a Saturday afternoon, stay for the Rugby and hang around for the live music…
Do try the toasties, but have a drink first, they aren’t that bad!

These things I know for certain:
1) Leeson Lounge is a decent Irish pub with a very comfortable, relaxed atmosphere
2) the service at Leeson Lounge is acceptable, but nothing noteworthy
3) people who think the toasties at Leeson Lounge are the best in town are either a) the owner’s friends or b) partial to trickery or c) drunkards or d) possibly deranged.
4) € 5 for a shrink-​wrapped, microwaved, vending machine quality toastie is ridiculous.
Still, I give Leeson Lounge a solid «meh» because they do not misrepresent what they are. They are an average pub in a city full of pubs, and they pour an adequate pint. Just avoid the toasties.

A real favourite on match days and has gotten a bit too quite recently but that’s no fault of theirs. Good service by my favourite barman Eddie and a great place to start your weekend nights.

Have to agree with Steinunn on this one– fantastic toasties! And they do help mopping up the alcohol when you’re out drinking or were out drinking the night before.
The Leeson Lounge is a great spot to relax, enjoy a pint and watch the sport on the screen. It’s one of those great pubs which have a local feel about them and which make you feel welcome from the moment you walk in through the doors. Great staff, good pints, fab location, great atmopshere and outstanding toasties. This is the place you want to head to with a group of friends for a good night out.

If there would be a competition what pub makes the best toasties in town and I would be the judge, Leeson Lounge would be in the top two, holding hands with Grogans as they were two pieces of bread, with melted cheese dripping down on the loosers. Guinness and toastie is the best combo in the world, and here they pour a great pint with award-​winning crispy bread.
Leeson Lounge also provides a very lively atmosphere. The pub has a good bunch of regulars who don’t mind if you and your friends are a bit noisy. Last time I was here was for my friend’s b-​day drinks, no-​one seemed to care that we had sprayed cake all over the table while repeatedly singing the birthday song. An extra bonus that night was the live band playing in the corner, serving up some pure rock’n’roll that got everyone moving.

I really love this bar. It’s been around since as long as I’ve lived in Dublin and longer, and many a night I’ve had in here. It used to be a great spot to hang out in after work for all the companies that were based in the area, especially advertising agencies. But I’ve been in both week and weekend nights and I’ve always had a ball. There’s a relaxed atmosphere where nobody is trying too hard to look or be cool and it’s particularly good on rugby weekends — most likely ’cause of its close proximity to Lansdowne Road. It’s definitely worth a visit for a pint or two. I defy anyone not to enjoy the old style feel to the place.

Packed full on match days, the Leeson Lounge is a great Dublin pub. It’s right next door to O’Brien’s (I often confuse them) and they both share a similar gang. The Leeson Lounge definitely has a bit of a younger crew and it’s a great spot on a Friday.
They do food at lunchtime too and have been known to be quite laid back about bringing your own food from the pizza place across the road! Good pints and good banter.

Used to be a regular haunt of mine & was there at least once a week! The staff are very friendly and helpful. Bar food is served but this is limited to toasted sandwiches. The pub is about a 10 minute walk from Grafton Street so is a little way off the tourist trail. It is close to the Burlington hotel just off Leeson Street