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The Bernard Shaw
Categories: Nightlife Bars Pubs Arts & Entertainment Jazz & Blues Nightlife Jazz & Blues Pubs, Jazz & Blues [Edit]
11 - 12 S Richmond StPortobello
Dublin 2
(085) 7128342
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 8:30 - 23:30
Fri 8:30 - 1:00
Sat 12:00 - 1:00
Sun 12:00 - 23:00
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Price Range:
-
€€
- Good for Children:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- DJ, Live, Music Videos, Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
24 reviews for The Bernard Shaw
Review Highlights
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"...smoking area, with the Big Blue Bus serving fresh delicious..." In 6 reviews -
"...this place for a quick pint in afternoons or late night's..." In 6 reviews -
"Bottles of buckfast behind the bar." In 4 reviews
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Victoria C.
Dublin
8/2/2012
Being only 5 minutes from where I live I can crawl home after one too many pints.
I don't come here for just the pints though - the pizza they make in that big blue bus are DIVINE (they have a goat cheese one and it's yummy!!!) Better yet they have an early bird combo special a pizza + pint for 10 euro.
The mood here is amazing and they have a huge range of different people and I always find myself chatting to heaps of new friends. I am usually outside in the beer garden it just seems to be busier than the inside.
There are a lot of hipsters here but I kinda just laugh at them from a far. You will find some pretty cool people as well they are usually outside though (like me ;) ) -
Review from Clare M.
Dublin
10/5/2012
Went to The Bernard Shaw, Portobello, to see David Hope tonight (9/05/12) a truly fantastic performer, I wasn't disappointed. Hope is a really engaging and entertaining singer songwriter. His songs tell stories of his own experiences with warmth and wit and his showmanship if effortless. He was joined by Miss Paula Flynn whose quirky and sweet soulful voice belies a much darker lyrical content, fun to say the least, an almost gothic delight but tied up in a pretty country/folk/gospel bow.
The Shaw, a super cosy venue, had both good and bad points. The good was the delicate lighting with fairy-lights and candles that really set the tone, and a wonderful sound system that neither rumbled, fed back or hummed and was set perfectly for the room, bar one lead not working properly; a problem that was resolved quickly. And the bad was what has to be the most uncomfortable stool I've ever sat on and a very unpleasant Mojito.
Overall rating for the venue though is: good, as for the talent on show, they were superb. -
Review from Clive B.
28/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
The Bernard Shaw is probably the closest pub to where I live, so I have been there a few times now. Normally for just one more at the end of the night.
Its the sort of place I normally love, quirky and fun. But for some reason I never really get a feeling that I would go there for a night out.
Maybe I'm too old now at 40, but I normally like student / indie bars. But there is something about the Bernard Shaw that just doesn't click with me. There are bars I would much rather go to of a similar vein to be honest.
The wine (they have red or white) is apparently horrible though so avoid it if you can.
However its not that bad and if you are in your 20's I reckon you would probably like it more than me.Listed in: NICE PUB CRAWL IN DUBLIN
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Review from Conan B.
Dublin
11/5/2012
Savage place to have a pint and hear some lovely tunes. Nice people, wasn't too busy of a thursday night. Outdoor backyard is the business and the Big Blue Bus is great. Sadly my name is not Veronica so I could not avail of the "free pizza if your name is Veronica" offer.
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Review from Cristin L.
Dublin
30/11/2011 7 Check-ins Here
Hmmm, I was sure I wrote a review about this place and I was back to update it. But no.
We arrived in to the Bernard Shaw for a post dinner drink and I decided to go for wine as it was what I had with my meal. Upon asking what wine they had, I was told "We have both red and white" (I should have said what white wines did they have, really). This answer should have set the alarm bells off, but I persevered and found out the white was a sauv blanc and from a proper bottle, good stuff! Non of the small bottled wine.
But my gosh it was toxic muck. 11 odd EUR for this glass of wine and a G&T. It made us realise what great value the wine we ordered at dinner was.
Apart from bad wine experience,the place is a funky hipster heaven. I will be back I expect, but I will stick to bottled beer to be on the safe side. -
Review from Brian M.
18/11/2011
Leaving aside all the Bodytionic events, for the minute, this review is just about The Shaw as a boozer.
Where to start....well, the selection of drinks is quite good for a small enough bar and they even had Buckfast, which was a delightful throwback to Mrs BM who's from Galway (not so delightful the next morning). Personally, I can't stand the stuff but that's neither here nor there. They do some pretty good deals like the 3 beers for a tenner etc etc.
The Big Blue Bus is a winner! What an addition to the place. Tasty pizza for a few shekels and the pizza+pint deal before 9 is worth investing in...especially when you've come straight from work.
Never had a bad experience here and it's just got a few extras that elevate it above many a Dubalin pub. -
Review from Aoife K.
Dublin
3/8/2011
When it's good it's good but when it's bad it is horrid. I've had many a night in this place, often not through choice but letting other people make decisions for me.
Come on a Sunday to the long running 12 Sundays when a good DJ is playing, there is a decent sized crowd and it is a really great place to be. Come any other time and it is either empty or full of hipsters. Maybe the hipsters are always there but when I'm enjoying the tunes enough I manage to overlook it...
Some of the ideas the Bodytonic lads have come up with for this place have been great- The Big Blue Bus, bringing over of the likes of Theo Parrish for Easter Bank Holiday weekends, interesting art exhibitions and decent beers on tap but overall I just have never really warmed to the place. Staff are generally absolute soundos though. -
Review from Donal F.
Dublin
9/1/2011 ROTD 19/9/2011
"20/20 vision just a pair of empty frames..."
This pub gets a hard time. You have to start off by saying that. One of my favourite haunts in Dublin, during the Celtic Tiger this become a sort of 'hipster haunt' (apparently) and was frequently berated by pub purists on all sorts of grounds.
Had people taken the time to actually GO in, they'd find a spot quite removed from that entirely.
Two cocktails for a tenner, nice beats, turned off telly's, a pool table, some great art (ADW, Maser, ESPO come to mind straight away), a bus that sells pizzas and a stack of freebie papers normally by the door? Thumbs up.
It closes late but not late enough if you know what I mean, so a good spot to start in. Keep to the cocktails and you'll be fine. No doubt there are a few knobs, but come on! Been up South William Street lately? ;) -
Review from Daniel D.
8/8/2011
Dublin's hipster hangout. It would be a great place if it wasn't for it's vapid ridiculous clientele. Still a good place for a pint on a Saturday afternoon while they are still asleep.
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Review from Francesca A.
Dublin
23/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Stumbled upon Bernard on New Year's Eve for what we intended to be one drink, but stayed for the countdown! Yes, it's packed to the gills with hipsters. My friends and I could not believe some of the fabrics people were putting on their bodies. Atmosphere was hopping and the place was jammerino with different music on every floor. Make sure not to miss the mini dance room to the left before you get to the toilets; a separate DJ was hanging in there and the atmosphere was so steamy we could see the dewdrops trickle down the walls. The crowd was welcoming and all in all great craic.
They served me a bad mini-bottle of wine and when I went to the bar to complain, the barman unsympathetically but unquestioningly exchanged it for a Staropramen. The multiple drinks deals they have advertised look great but we didn't take advantage, stuff like 3 tequilas or 3 ciders or 2 cocktails for a tenner.
Then there's the smoking area out back, a huge partly-covered yard with pool tables and the big blue pizza bus that I've always seen at festivals and street fairs. I never knew that thing had a permanent home! What a great idea to cater to the buzzed without having to leave the comfort of the pub.
I've also heard they serve Buckfast by the glass, just in case anyone's longing for a low-commitment taste of the student experience.
But the best bit by far was the piece of art hanging behind the bar, in Keep Calm and Carry On style, saying Keep Going Sure it's Grand. -
Review from Annie L.
23/7/2010 9 Check-ins Here
Sometimes magic happens.
You pop out for a quiet one. Saddle up at the wooden stool that hosted many an arse and turn to your friend as he is regaling tales of last night and you smile at him, you smile behind him and you turn to your Guinness that is ready for your lips and you smile - life is good.
This spot always starts off as a quiet pint for me and each time something fantastic happens that reminds me that anything is possible in this world.
The Kings of Concrete happened to be having a launch night that night, lots of amazing art. Down to earth artists chatting away with me as I smiled deep. Then Giselle Scanlon joined me by my stool. She is the author of the Goddess Experience and now resident of London. She summed up all up to me,
"Giselle, why do you love Dublin?"
(To paraphrase her)
"Because sometimes you get nights like this where everything and anything is possible and you are surrounded by so much talent that has yet to be forced out of the country. Because there is no fake bullshit. Because it's real, genuine, not pretentious and that's when Dublin is at it's best."
The Bernard Shaw shows me that and reminds me we have a lot to be proud of, just don't let the government batter your soul! -
Review from Steinunn J.
Dublin
20/2/2010
The B-Shaw. Awesome place! Fun and free of pretentiousness. The bar has kept the good kids of Dublin entertained for years with diverse assortment of DJs and events. You can come here at any given day, drink, eat take-away food, play pool, chain-smoke while playing pool, act like a fool and jump like a fool to danceable tunes. No one will judge. Basically, you can come here any day just have a good time. The place does smell of spilled beer on Sundays, but that's the only downer.
Previous reviews have mentioned the Carboot sale, taking place in the port one Saturday per month. Lately, the Carboot sale has turned into more of an afternoon drinking session. Well, it's not new. People always came here for the pints, but it's even harder to shop now with the big blue pizza-bus taking up lots of the space outside. But the pizzas are delicious, and the market is always great craic, even though you spend most of your cash on drinks and snacks instead of hunting for second-hand bargains.
Great bar with a chilled-out atmo. Love it! -
Review from Mohan S.
Dublin
17/8/2011
I just love the music and people's vibe here n always good DJ's (mostly electronic thou - fyi). The outside smoking, blue food bus (seems to be closed last time i was thr), pool table, graffiti, screening area is getting better n better. I always enjoy this place for a quick pint in afternoons or late night's \ie until midnight.
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Review from Bridget R.
17/4/2010
After a sunny post-work session I made my first trip to The Big Blue Bus. And guys, it won't be my last.
At the back of this winding, noisy and very crowded student pub an old double-decker bus has been converted into the most unlikely (yet, well suited) pizza kitchen. The options all sounded delish, but I went for a "Get The Goat", a black olive, feta, goat's cheese and red pepper concoction that was late-night perfection.
I skipped the seating on the top deck of the bus (not in the mood to join the press-up competitions or get pinged by winging ice cubes), instead snagging a nearby picnic table to enjoy the crispy crust, delicious toppings and... is that rosemary in the sauce? Fabulous!
Overall, the experience was a throwback to my good and grubby times as a student, with drinks specials like 2 Mojitos for 10 euro, heavy drum n' bass vibrating my organs and a packed house of exuberant student types.
Looks like I'll be finding more reasons to meet at the Bernard Shaw when it's Pint Time!Listed in: Om Nom Nom
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Review from Katie-Ann M.
Dublin
Updated - 8/12/2009 4 photos
Once a month The Toejam Carboot Sale is held within The Bernard Shaw. Last Saturday the yard was awash with cars and stalls. The Big Blue Bus Pizza's from their Double Decker Pizza Kitchen were as delicious and charmingly dished up as ever. Other distinctive and very characteristic items available for purchase included Gammy Christmas Jumpers, Christmas Trees for sale handpicked from the Noble Farm in the Wicklow mountains as well as an abundance of Xmas Tree decoration kits. Ice Cream Van Djs, Warm Apple Cider and delicious Sweet and Savoury Crepes a plenty available for purchase alongside Bernard Shaw Coffee House coffee, the hilarious yet idiosyncratic Mulled Buckfast, Arabian pipes on the bus, Hooka Pipes positioned within the smoking area and last but not least Dutch hot tubs out the back are all laid out for your abiding enjoyment.
This distinctive set-up is very typical of The Bernard Shaw's general cool ambience that I spoke about in my previous review. It's vibrant without being intimidatingly hedonistic, dynamic minus any self-indulgence - and it is because of the way it implements such an otherwise tricky juxtaposition that I love this place so much. Befittingly, the celebrated DJs Nic James and Melodee putting down the electro boogie, b-more and bass into the wee hours, again contrasted the laid-back vibe radiated by the afternoon goings-on. This drinking hole is rapidly growing to claim the status of my favourite haunt in Dublin.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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30/11/2009
The Bernard Shaw is a wicked place. Cool and credible, this pub provides a ground floor of classy… Read more »
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Review from Louise R.
Dublin
11/4/2011
This is one of the few places that I fell in love with as soon as I walked in. The place was full of people but not so many that it was like being a sardine in a tin. They have a double decker blue bus out back that you can sit in, as well as a huge covered outdoor area with a pool table. I also saw them serving pizza. Everyone was so friendly! I cannot fault the place at all!!
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Review from Alison L.
5/9/2011
I love this pub though I recognize it is a bit ridiculous. It's hard to find a place in Dublin with such a big outdoor seating area! And the pizza's great, too.
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Review from Rónán C.
Dublin
1/7/2009 1 photo
The Bernard Shaw is a very divisive pub. You either love, hate or love to hate it. Of course, being the alternative trend setter that I am, I fall into none of these categories.
I love the balls of a pub to be so different. And I love the graf art inside and out. And I love cheap pints. But I hate the bitterly pretentious stench that hangs over the place, and the desperate need to be cool so shamelessly on display amongst some of the clientele. But that's the price of trying something new I suppose, not everything's going to work.
So there you have it, I'm thoroughly divided in how I feel about the place. Far from my first choice on a night out, I'd still hate to see it go.Listed in: The Camden Crawl
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Review from Alexandra M.
Dublin
Updated - 30/7/2009 2 photos
I take back some of my former criticism about this pub.
I went back to The Bernard Shaw to see my friend Danny's band play and I had an excellent night. Even before the band started, this girl DJ was playing a really interesting mix of records, some international sounds with African beats and classic oldies. The band Fandango played great reggae/ jazz/ funk music and people were dancing their pants off on the minuscule dance floor.
The bar staff were really easy going and gave away free lollies when you purchased a drink. Drinks were on special, 2 for 1 Mojitos!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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25/6/2009 First to Review
While I appreciate The Bernard Shaw for its no thrills decor and admire their desire to keep it… Read more »
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Review from Sarah T.
1/6/2011
This is a crazy place. Amazing out door smoking area, with the Big Blue Bus serving fresh delicious pizzas. Bottles of buckfast behind the bar. The crowd is quite alternative, and ranges from 30s to teenies. Dress is very relaxed and casual-anything and everything goes. Good music, mostly electro-ish. They have DJs most weekends. Always a good buzz to be had.
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Review from Cathal C.
Dublin
1/7/2009 1 photo
If you're tired of Crawdaddy, think that Wax has too many emo kids but still want somewhere achingly hip to hang out, why not take yourself along to The Bernard Shaw just off Camden St?
The Bernard Shaw was at one stage just another one of the many pubs between Dame St and the canal, but since Bodytonic have become involved with the place, it has become uber-trendy and prone to all sorts of hipster affectations. "What's the trendiest type of music around? Dubstep? Cool, let's start doing that then. A car-boot sale on Sunday so that everyone can buy vintage clothes and kitsch crap of every disctinction? Done."
All pretentious nonsense aside, The Bernard Shaw is a good place to go for a night out, or even just a few early evening drinks, what with their pitchers and €3.50 pints. Just don't play your Black Eyed Peas ringtone in there or they'll run you out of the place. -
Review from William C.
Dublin
7/12/2010
Cool place, very laid back atmosfere any time I've been there. Decent music when you can hear it. The high point of the place for me is the smoking area, I rarely venture back inside once I've gone out the back door. The pool table and regularly changing artwork make up for the more pretentious of the clientele, the blue bus serves pretty decent pizza too.
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Review from Dani B.
Dublin
30/1/2010
I'm wondering how I managed to ignore the Bernard Shaw for this long. It's a great spot no matter what your plans for the evening are: a quiet pint with friends or a mad night out dancing and drinking. The crowd is pretty mixed, I spotted a few suits as well as some tourists so it's not the kind of place you'd stick out at. The pints are pretty good, but the real draw are the Jaegerbombs for a fiver- or two for 10 Euro. The staff are great and know how to manage the crowd efficiently. I love this place, I think I'll head here from now on instead of Whelans.
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Review from Mary C.
14/9/2009
I know people love to hate on hipsters and all hipster-related things. I know that hipsters, especially, are good at this type of hating, which is just stupid. But I don't understand why people like to hate on a culture that, largely likes to let loose and have a good time. They may be flailing about, skinny legs all akimbo, shaggy hair matted with sweat, maybe not heeding the rhythm of the song but having a great time dancing to it. You won't see beefcakes at a huge club letting themselves dance the way hip kids do, and that's a shame. And by the way, not everyone here was a hipster. There were tons of girls all fancied up in heels and heavy make up, normal guys in their 30s, and various other "normal" people.
I went to the Bernard Shaw last Saturday and it was a delicious place, top to bottom. The drinks were cheap and you could get 2 jager bombs for 10 euros, not bad! The vibe was very fun and cool. Everyone was just having a great time! Upstairs people were standing at the bar chatting, just chilled out. Downstairs there was another bar, and a couple seating areas. A lot of people just randomly started talking to me, which I found really refreshing. There was a little dance floor that was sparsely populated when we arrived but totally packed by the time the place closed down. Which brings me to my only complaint. It closed at 1!! It was just getting good when the poor bouncer had to come yell at everyone to get out (what a terrible job). Lots of people were headed to the Twisted Pepper, sister establishment of the BS, but we opted not to that night. I have a feeling it would also have been a great time!
