Afternoon drinks in The Old Stand, Dublin 2

dav

I’ve walked past this pub many times but have never ventured in. Today we strolled into town to see the Christmas lights in the Brown Thomas window and decided to have a drink to top off the afternoon. The area around South William Street and Exchequer Street in Dublin is one of my favourites for food and drinks– there’s always a great buzz around the bars and restaurants here and there’s a few nice shops to browse in. We thought this city centre haunt would be a good shout.

The Old Stand, on the corner of Exchequer Street and St. Andrew Street, has been there for over 300 years. The pub has various rugby memorabilia dotted around an
d is named after the Old Stand in Lansdowne Road. There dav was a good crowd in the bar– groups of girls after a day’s shopping, couples having food and others watching sport on the big screen. I rarely drink red wine but the sign saying “fine wines” grabbed my attention and the description of the Argentinian Malbec seemed perfect for the cold afternoon (Dark fruit scents with notes of vanilla and chocolate. Velvety, sweet tannins, with a long fruity aftertaste!). It was delicious. Mark went for a Guinness and was handed up his pint before it had time to settle. He thought the pint was average at best.

A good few people around us were eating food. I had a peak at the menu which had a selection of standard pub grub options: Chicken dav Maryland, Steak, Beef and Guinness Casserole, Fish of the Day and a daily special. Portions looked generous. I thought €4.50 for a scone was a bit dear, however!

We stayed for about an hour sipping over our drinks on the comfy red couches and enjoying the chilled atmosphere! The website of the Old Stand describes the bar as warm, chatty and convivial – all true! We’ll definitely return here!

sdr