Where to Smoke?: Pt 1 (Maybe)

After the Shenanigans of last weeks Whiskeys tasting I have had a relatively quiet week. I could fill you in on my grueling two weekends on the door. The first involved long hours and little sleep, the second involved a lot of rain.

I'm not going to do that though. Instead, by popular demand, I am going to give a brief outline on the best (but limited) spots to smoke a cigar in Dublin. I am only going to list five to start with and I may revisit this topic as time goes on.

My choices will incorporate the typical Irish weather, day/night smoking. comfort, space etc... They are in no particular order and I will (hopefully) keep the descriptions brief. It is a pet project of mine to, at some stage, have detailed descriptions on every smoking area in Dublin. So if you have your own favorite or a hidden gem please comment and let me know.

I must also point out that most bars in Dublin have made the effort to incorporate a smoking area but I will only outline bars in which I feel I could comfortably spend an hour enjoying my cigar.


1. The Market Bar (Fade St.):
The Market bar was always an "OK" place for a cigar. The outside area wasn't very comfortable and there was the chance of beggars annoying you for money. This has now changed due to The Market Bar converting their upstairs function area into a (almost) fully covered smoking area. Comfy seats, Great heaters and a fully stocked bar. It is a new addition so I cant judge how busy it would be.

2. The Morgan (Fleet St):
A lovely bar during the day with a Semi-Covered smoking area. A mix of wood and iron seats with a couple of bed-seats thrown in. Nice on a warm day but lacks the sunshine. On a cold day try to get under a heater. This area is average size and can get very busy at times. Cocktails are great though. Avoid at Night!!

3. The Church (Mary St/Jervis St):
The biggest and possibly the best smoking area in Dublin when the sun shines. If your not in VERY early, your not getting a seat. A mix of high tables with comfy stools and low tables with not so comfortable seats. If you mange to get a low seat when the sun is shining you wont care and you wont be giving it up easily. In the event of rain, there is a covered area with very strong heaters.

4. No Name Bar (Fleet St.):
I was only in this bar recently. It has a very large smoking area covered in what appears to be a circus tent. Wooden benches that are not too uncomfortable. Sparsely thrown about heaters. A very quirky spot and almost hidden which leads to it being very popular. Bar staff are lovely from my experience. I asked for a Cuba Libra, they said they would charge me for a Rum and Coke because it was cheaper. I liked that.

5. Flannerys (Camden St.)
In my opinion the best smoking area for a wet night. The have a natural turf (peat) fire on the go. I personally love the smell (of the fire). Almost fully covered. If its raining it wont take too long to figure out the wet spots. A mix of high tables and low tables. Comfortable enough I suppose. The downside is this place gets very, very busy and the crowd late at night border on annoying. The will sneer at you for smoking a cigar instead of a Johnny Blue. Oh and then there is the boxing machine!!!