No. 23

Address: The Merrion Hotel, (opp Government Buildings), Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland (Eire)
Tel: +353 16 030 600
Website: view No. 23’s website

Door: Open door/walk-ins
Style: Hotel bar
Food: Set menu

This bar lies within The Merrion five star hotel which itself occupies four meticulously restored Grade I Listed Georgian townhouses. No.23 is a reference to the number of the house in which this bar lies.

The houses were built in the 1760s for wealthy Irish merchants and nobility and No. 24 was the birthplace of Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington. The hotel's grand interior features restored intricate plasterwork, fine antiques and one of the most important private collections of 19th and 20th Century art in Ireland.

The bar itself serves a series of luxurious lounges with grand old armchairs and crackling peat fires. The friendly Irish save the atmosphere from feeling too old-school while delivering the attentive service one would expect of such an establishment.

A comprehensive wine list includes Krug by the glass while the range of spirits and liqueurs is equally impressive. There is a choice of over 30 cocktails, all listed with a short history including the Duke of Wellington cocktail at '45. I opted for a more affordable Bacardi Daiquiri which was superb.