TP Smith's Bar and Restaurant

Just what Dublin needs - another pub-slash-restaurant with an apostrophe in its name. TP Smith's Bar and Restaurant sits there on the edge of Temple Bar, practically begging tourists to mistake it for an "authentic Irish experience." I'll admit, I walked in with my critic's notebook ready to eviscerate yet another mediocre Dublin establishment trading on location alone.

The first red flag was how suspiciously clean everything looked. Where was the centuries-old grime that usually authenticates these places? The worn-smooth bar top actually gleamed, and not a single beer mat looked like it had survived the Celtic Tiger. I almost turned around right there, but duty called, and my editor's deadline loomed.

Then something strange happened. The staff didn't immediately pounce on me with forced céad míle fáilte cheeriness. Instead, I got a casual nod from behind the bar - the kind that suggests they're confident enough in their offerings to let you settle in properly. Irritatingly professional, really.

The menu at TP Smith's reads like a greatest hits of pub grub, which usually sets my eyes rolling straight to the back of my head. But here's where they got sneaky - they actually know how to cook. The Beef and Guinness stew (because of course they serve that) arrived with meat that didn't require dentures to chew, in a gravy that tasted like someone's grandmother had been stirring it since sunrise. It was... annoyingly good.

Let's talk about the Guinness itself, because you can't review a Dublin pub without mentioning the black stuff. They pour it properly here - no rushed two-part nightmare that makes Arthur Guinness spin in his grave. The wait is exactly long enough to make you appreciate what's coming, and not so long that you consider ordering a Heineken instead (though they'd probably serve that with equal care, the versatile devils).

The lunch crowd is a fascinating mix of suited professionals who clearly know their way around the menu, tourists who stumbled in by accident and look pleasantly surprised, and locals who pretend they're just there for a quick pint but somehow always end up ordering food. The dinner service transforms the space into something almost resembling a proper restaurant, though they maintain enough pub atmosphere to keep it from feeling pretentious.

Their pricing sits squarely in the "fair enough" category - not cheap enough to make you suspicious, not expensive enough to make you resentful. The portion sizes suggest they actually want you to leave satisfied rather than just Instagram your meal and leave hungry.

The outdoor seating area, when Dublin's weather permits its use (approximately 3.5 days per year), offers prime people-watching opportunities. Inside, the layout somehow manages to create both cozy nooks for quiet conversations and open spaces for larger groups without making either feel like an afterthought.

They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus that peculiarly Irish institution of "let's stretch lunch into dinner and call it a day." The full Irish breakfast isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't have to - they've mastered the classics well enough to make you forget about that trendy brunch place charging twice as much for half the portion.

What really gets under my skin is how they've managed to maintain quality across their entire menu. It would be so much easier to write this review if they'd just phone in the vegetarian options or treat the kids' menu as an afterthought, but no - they had to go and make everything consistently good, didn't they?

Here's the truly infuriating part about TP Smith's Bar and Restaurant in Dublin: it's actually worth your time. Whether you're a local looking for a reliable lunch spot, a tourist seeking something between a pub and a restaurant, or just someone who appreciates competent cooking and proper pints, you'll find something to like here. The staff knows their stuff, the kitchen delivers, and the atmosphere strikes that elusive balance between traditional and welcoming.

Go on then, book a table. Just don't tell them I sent you - I have a reputation as a cynic to maintain.