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Abbey Theatre
Ireland's national theatre has had its fair share of trouble and strife in recent years, marking its 2004 centennial with virtual bankruptcy and the possibility of closure. Enter a new regime under director Fiach MacConghail, and the Abbey is alive and well once again, financially secure and equipped with a whole new seating rig that has transformed the old theatre from a venue that we endured to one we positively enjoy.
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Anseo
Unpretentious, unaffected and incredibly popular, this cosy alternative bar - which is pronounced 'an- shuh' , the Irish for 'here' - is a favourite with those who live by the credo that to try too hard is far worse than not trying at all. Wearing cool like a loose garment, the punters thrive on the mix of chat and terrific DJs, who dig into virtually every crate to provide the soundtrack, whether it be Peggy Lee or Lee Perry.
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Auld Dubliner
Predominantly patronised by tourists, 'the Auld Foreigner', as locals have dubbed it, has a carefully manicured 'old-world' charm that has been preserved - or refined - after a couple of renovations. It's a reliable place for a singsong and a laugh, as long as you don't mind taking 15 minutes to get to and from the jax (toilet).
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Avoca Handweavers
Sunday brunch has some live jazz accompaniment at this gorgeous department store. The restaurant is upstairs.
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Ba Mizu
Tucked away beside the grand entrance to Powerscourt Townhouse is one of the showiest feathers in South William St's well-plumed cap o' cool. Head downstairs to an intimate lobby dominated by a central square bar and surrounded by cosy nooks, perfect for ice breaking on first dates.
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Bailey
Perpetually popular with self-appointed shakers and movers - and a few frustrated office workers looking to shake and move - the Bailey has wall-mounted light boxes and comfortable seating, perfect for an evening schmooze, and outside gas braziers that allow you to sit on the pavement and observe the street life by day. It also does a mean trade in continental lunches.
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Bank
This architecturally dazzling bar occupies the site of a former Victorian bank and has opulent decoration, including a stained-glass ceiling, hand-carved plasterwork and mosaic-tiled floors to occupy your eyes while you wait for your pint of Guinness to settle. The atmosphere is conversational, and the bar staff are excellent.
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Bank Of Ireland Arts Centre
The arts centre hosts a regular Wednesday lunch-time recital at , usually featuring a soloist with accompaniment. The performers are excellent. It also hosts an irregular evening programme of concerts; call for details.
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Banker's
A Friday-night improv club takes place in the basement of this bar near Trinity College. It has yet to establish itself as a success, but it's a good spot to watch wet-behind-the-ears wannabe comics go through their (often terrified) paces. And who said Schadenfreude wasn't fun?
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Belvedere
Some of Dublin's best comic talents have grouped together to create a comedy troupe that takes to the stage Sunday nights in the Belvedere. Some of their stuff is hilarious.
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Bewley's Café Theatre
Fancy a bowl of soup and a sandwich with your theatre ticket? This marvellous space puts on interesting, experimental work by Irish playwrights in a suitably bohemian atmosphere. Mind your slurping.
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Bia Bar
In the last couple of years, this trendy watering hole has become massively popular. We thought at first it was to do with the excellent music policy that has brought in some of the city's best DJs. Sure, that helped, but it's the huge beer garden at the back that really brings them in, for not only does it allow some al fresco drinking, but it's one of the few bars where you don't have to stand on the street to have a smoke.
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Big Top
During the Point Depot's refit, the big gigs in Dublin will be held in a huge, 5000-capacity Big Top in Phoenix Park. We hope it's such a success that they keep it up even after the Point has reopened.
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Bleu Note
The self-proclaimed Dublin home of jazz and blues, the Bleu Note has performed a minor bit of syntactical trickery to ensure that it 'borrows' from the world-famous New York club without actually stealing from it, a balancing act it's in no danger of doing with the musical policy, which remains firmly on the safe side. Blues-infused New Orleans jazz is about as far out as this venue will go. There are two live gigs nightly on Friday and Saturday.
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Bob's
This used to be known as Bad Bob's, but after a 2000 renovation the owners went on the straight and narrow, which in this case meant chasing the new money. It's a typical Dublin superpub, with three floors, bland modern decor, young groups and shirty security staff.
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Boom Boom Room
Most people run for the hills when they hear the words 'avant garde' and 'music' in the same sentence, but this venue has done more to reflect the cultural diversity of the new Dublin - with its absolutely fabulous blend of folk, jazz, blues, electronica and more - than any other. Dubliners are always bemoaning the absence of somewhere they can listen to something genuinely new and different; that just means they haven't been here.
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Brazen Head
Reputed to be Dublin's oldest pub, the Brazen Head was founded in 1198, but the present building is a young thing, dating from only 1668. It's popular with foreign students, tourists and some grizzly locals - Robert Emmet was a regular, while in Ulysses, James Joyce reckoned 'you get a decent enough do in the Brazen Head'.
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Brogan's
Only a couple of doors down from the Olympia Theatre, this is a wonderful old-style bar where conversation - not loud music - is king. The beer is also pretty good.
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Bruxelles
Although it has largely shed its heavy metal and alternative skin, Bruxelles is still a raucous, fun place to hang out and there are different music areas. It's comparatively trendy on the ground floor, while downstairs is a great, loud and dingy rock bar with live music each weekend. Just outside, a bronze Phil Lynott is there to remind us of Bruxelles' impeccable rock credentials.
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Button Factory
Temple Bar's newest venue is a top-class joint for late-night clubbing (to ) that deserves a merit badge on two counts: firstly for offering something to the left of the usual Temple Bar cheese; and secondly for being swanky and carpeted. Great sound, big room, terrific spot.
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Café En Seine
A tidy jazz band for Sunday brunch and some Big Band Swing on Monday nights fill out the musical menu at one of Dublin's biggest and most wildly extravagant bars. The Belle Epoque decor make it easy to imagine that you're actually at one of F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald's decadent parties.
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Carnival
A party atmosphere and a candle-lit, down-at-heel room with lots of cosy corners makes Dermot Doran's latest venture, Carnival, a great place to meet people. Don't expect to chat though - the music from those DJs playing everything from Magic Numbers to Kraftwerk (Thursday to Sunday) will drown out those witticisms.
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Cineworld Multiplex
This 17-screen cinema replaced many smaller cinemas and shows only commercial releases. The seats are comfy, the concession stand is huge and the selection of pick 'n' mix could induce a sugar seizure. It lacks the style of the older-style cinema, but we like it anyway.
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Civic Theatre
This purpose-built 350-seat theatre is inconveniently located in the southern suburb of Tallaght, but its state-of-the-art facilities are top-notch and include an art gallery. The plays it puts on, an interesting mix of Irish and European works, are uniformly good. The easiest way to get here is by Luas: the theatre is at the terminus of the red line.
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Cobblestone
This pub in the heart of Smithfield has a great atmosphere in its cosy upstairs bar, where there are superb nightly music sessions from traditional (especially Thursday) and up-and-coming folk acts.
