Porterhouse Central

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +9.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Visited Porterhouse Central on my trip to Dublin. This is a crazy, hopping place that is really, really BIG. 4 or 5 stories with bars on all floors. There was a traditional/rock band playing on a stage floating somewhere between the second and third floor.

The place was absolutely packed. Even with all the floors, I had to vulture around and wait for a seat to clear, before my girlfriend and I could grab a seat. Forget about a waiter coming up, I went up to the bar to grab drinks and a menu.

I had a good portion of their house beers and was satisfied with most of them. Beers were served in the proper glassware at the right temperature and there was only one they had run out of (Celebration Stout). Pints were between €4.50 and €5.00. They also had an extensive bottle list of foreign and Irish beers.

Food was truly delicious. We ordered the porter pie and the sticky bangers. The pie was delicious and the bangers never seemed to end. Just great, great food. The prices were about average for Dublin: €6 sides and €11 mains.

I have to say, there is nothing to really complain about. This is everything you could want from a microbrewery. I fail to see how any night that involves the Porterhouse could be a bad one. This place just has too much positive energy to turn anyone off, and I really like how you can't get any macro stuff on tap (including Guinness). Highly recommended!

03-18-2011 15:54:02 | More by JohnnyChicago

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

I went twice in the same night -- before and after a concert -- and the atmosphere was wildly different. From about 5-7PM, it was quite nice, a bit loud in spots, but quieter on the upper half (not actually up a flight of stairs, but up about three or four steps). Table service was sparse, but bar service was swift and very available. After the concert though (10:30-11:30) the pub turned into a club, and one could barely hear oneself think. Almost all the lights were off and people were screaming and dancing all over the floor.

The food was good, but not great. I had a smoked Mexican burger (bun, patty, guacamole, smoked bacon, and smoked cheese). The smoke cheese was VERY smoky, and the accompanying fries were chunky and warm, if underseasoned.

The selection, however, was grand. Not only were beers from more than a dozen countries represented (if only a token brew, like Brahma from Brazil), but Porterhouse offers about a dozen of their own concoctions. The US selections could have been better (mostly macrobrews) but offered a few niceties (Sierra Nevada, Goose Island IPA, et al.), while the Belgium selections were oddly heavy on lambics and fruit beers. All told, the range is perhaps unparalleled in Dublin.

Prices were fair, but still a bit dear. Still, a recommended stop for beer lovers in Ireland.

01-28-2011 00:24:54 | More by AgentMunky

DaveHS

California

4/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

A large, bustling hall with lots of tables off to the sides. Everyone was preoccupied with the ManUnited vs. Liverpool match. There is a beer menu at every table, which runs down the most impressive selection I've seen in Ireland. Also lots of educational info provided in a fun, easy to browse beer guide. Food is great. I got a rare burger that was delicious. My girlfriend had Irish stew that was very big and pretty nice. Beers are great (especially the oyster stout) but it's a bit pricey. Worth a stop if you're sick of Guinness.

01-18-2011 18:40:05 | More by DaveHS

whiterascal

Arizona

4.05/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

If you're in Dublin, I'd definitely rec checking this place out. It's in a hopping area of town and is enormous in the sneaky Irish pub kinda way, where you just keep discovering more stairwells and more seating. The food was tasty, I had a burger and chips. They also have a nice selection of their brews and some guest brews as well. The oyster stout was lovely on tap. Also GREAT glassware! I ended up visiting this pub twice in the week I was in Dublin, and will surely return on my next trip.

12-07-2010 04:43:46 | More by whiterascal

AWolfAtTheDoor

California

4.16/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

This review is from some ancient tasting notes from 2008. I reviewed the oyster stout, and the wrasslers (while in the bar nonetheless) but forgot to rate the bar itself.

Like others have said, multi level seating and it seems like seats are crammed everywhere. I came here twice during my 2 night and 3 day stay in Dublin. Gets pretty busy at night, but luckily it's on the outside edge of Templebar, incase you don't like crowds like me and need a quick escape to the Liffey.

I was in Ireland during St. Patrick's day (honest coincidence). I was in Limerick A.K.A. Stab City during St. Patrick's day proper, and Dublin was my last stop a few days later. For some reason that I do not recall (and I can't be arsed to look at a calendar to figure it out) this place was closed on my last day in Dublin, as were most other bars. Like in observance of St. Patrick's day? I thought it was ironic that a bar in Ireland would be closed on St. Patty's day, and I was pretty pissed off because practically everything else was closed too. Had I known this beforehand, I probably would have spent an extra day in one of the other cities I went to.

12-04-2010 21:32:27 | More by AWolfAtTheDoor

kojevergas

California

3.98/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

The Porterhouse is three levels and has an isolated smoking area. The place where the bands play is unobtrusive to customers and they tend to book decent music. There aren't as many toilets as there ought to be; you're limited to just the two gender-different ones on the bottom floor, which fill up quickly.

Services is generally pretty good early in the evening with the exception of the Porterhouse-brew-only bar on the first level, where it is often difficult to get noticed by the barstaff because they cater more to the main bar on the same level.

The food I saw looked good, but I didn't have any.

The selection is plain amazing, especially when you consider what is available on draught. Even the Bierhaus in Galway can't compare (their selection is nice but is limited to bottles). If you want a 14% ABV Austrian beer or a 3.7% Irish beer, they've got that and everything in between.

Their menu is artfully decorated and sorts beer by country, with a separate section for wine and champagne.

The prices are the worst part. The porterhouse's own beers run from about 4.30 Euro to over 5, which is terrible considering the quality of most of them (Brainblasta being the notable exception, though I haven't had their seasonal offerings). They have a "beer of the day" which can be had for 4 euro, which is an alright deal, but I still feel terrible paying that when the Porterhouse in Galway offers Guinness for 3 Euro Monday through Friday.

All in all, the selection justifies the price if you are serious about your beer. Casual publicans are best off hunting down better prices.

11-08-2010 17:24:52 | More by kojevergas

nickfl

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Right in the heart of Temple Bar, a block from the Lifey in downtown Dublin. We went for lunch and the place was pretty much deserted when we showed up, though a few other patrons had showed up by the time we finished. They scored pretty well on atmosphere in my book with the reasonably authentic pub decor and a massive collection of beer bottles on the walls, some of which were true antiques. They also had a bottle/draught menu that included a full two page explinination of why they hate Guinness and why you should too (which I thoroughly enjoyed and agreed with).

The beer itself was good. They had quite a bit on tap with something like ten house beers on tap. I had a sampler including the plain porter, Oyster stout, and Brainblasta, which made for a pretty pleasant lunch. All of the beers were served in good glassware and at appropriate temperature. The servers seemed to know the beer, though this is less impressive since it appears that they don't have much in the way of seasonal or rotating taps.

The food was good and pretty standard for a pub. I was getting tired of the local food and had a burger with Irish bacon. Unfortunately it didn't really remind me of a real American bacon cheese burger, but it was actually quite good for what it was.

This is, by any standard, a pretty high quality brewpub and considering the beer desert that most of Ireland represents, it is very much worth visiting on any trip to Dublin.

06-17-2010 04:57:25 | More by nickfl

jgasparine

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Atmosphere-
The first thing that strikes you is that they serve their own beer here, but also beer from other breweries, both on tap and in the bottle. The place is big and spacious, packed with breweriana, and a kicked firkin sitting on the bartop... very warm and comfortable pro-beer-geek atmosphere.

Quality- The place exuded quality here. They weren't big on appropriate glassware, but they made-up for it with the quality of their beer, the people, and the general vibe of the place. Their bartop firkin featured a liquid cooling jacket to keep the firkin at cellar temperature, which I found fascinating. Most importantly, their house beers were all top-quality and artisanal- something very rare to find in Ireland.

Service-
Good prompt service barside. Professional and courteous. Didn't get a lot of chit-chat from the bartender, which is fine. She did an above average job overall.

Selection-
Occassional firkin beer, a good range of draft beers, and a very nice selection of bottles from around the world. This was probably the most diverse selection I came aross in all of Ireland.

03-25-2010 18:54:48 | More by jgasparine

Graeme24

Ireland

4.18/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I have frequented The Porterhouse for many years since being introduced to the world of craft beer. It is definitely a cornerstone of the craft beer scene here in Ireland. It is very centrally located on Nassau street which is just off Grafton Street. The bar begins upon entry and stretches right the way down just short of the food area. It's quite dimly lit with a couple of alcoves here and there and large pillars going right the way across the room. It's quite a typical Dublin bar interior.

On draft they boast an impressive selection of their own beers. Year round you will find 3 lagers (Hersbrucker, Templebrau, & Chiller), 3 stouts (Plain Porter, Oyster Stout, & Wrasslers Stout) a barleywine style ale (Brainblasta), an american style pale ale (Hop Head) and 1 cask ale (TSB). It is also worth mentioning that they have started to feature some of the beers I named above on cask from time to time also. Sample trays are available at a reasonable price. Good selection of bottles mainly from England, Belgium, & Germany. The usual suspects. There is also a number of US bottled beers available such as Sierra Nevada, Anchor, Sam Adams etc. Again nothing really unusual.

Service is generally quite good given the fact the bar is very large, however there have been a few times where I've stepped in for a pint mid afternoon when it was quite busy with just the one barman on. In terms of food there is a selection of burgers, pizzas, chicken wings, etc. Nothing fancy, just good substantial pub grub at very reasonable prices.

With all that good there has to be a few criticisms. First off I think they really need to do something with their bottled menu. It's way outdated. There are beers on it that you will not find there, and there are also allot of beers they are stocking that aren't on the menu. They have reprinted this menu again over the last few years with a new face, but the same list of beers. I know certain beers come and go particularly American beers which seem to come in spurts and can be once off's, but all it would take is a board above the bar listing what is in the fridges, this would avoid confusion and disappointment. This in a way goes hand in hand with the lack of real passion and knowledge of beer from staff. They are always helpful, but I've often started up a conversation with the barman about one beer or another only for it to be met with a blank expression! Also know this, this place gets busy! Sometimes ridiculously so especially on Friday & Saturday nights. Arriving after 8 is always a gamble as you could very well be standing most of the night cramped in to a corner somewhere. Music can also be very loud on such nights.

Overall a real must visit for craft beer lovers in Ireland, and those visiting Ireland alike. I think their stouts are absolutely fantastic, try all three! They have a little way to go in some respects, but given the large numbers of people pouring in here week in week out it's hard to have that personal touch that I like so much. It's hard to say too much bad about the Porterhouse. Go and drink!

03-02-2010 14:30:52 | More by Graeme24

Mandrake

Nova Scotia (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Decent sized bar with a good number of tables. Dim lighting, dark wood, and the usual run of the mill for a pub. Staff are decent if unexceptional, and I never had to wait long for a beer. Great selection of their both own beers on tap and a large number of bottles from elsewhere, including a large number of real stars. Food was pretty good, but nothing to write home about. Music was loud for my taste and there are a number of TVs. It's a good spot to go for a few pints and watch the football, and their beer's the best in Dublin.

02-06-2010 05:22:36 | More by Mandrake