Bia Bar

Just to let everyone know that Bia Bar has closed it’s doors for the last time… that’s the sad bit… The good news is, it has been taken over by the Mullingar lads who have Cassidy’s on West Moreland Street. It’s still very early days and the place is still being gutted but I think it’d be a safe bet that soon there will be a new magnificent dive bar in Dublin city and I can’t bloody wait to break in it’s bar stools.
WATCH THIS SPACE!

I’d arranged to meet a meditation group in here so I wandered in a few minutes early. Unsure of the organiser’s appearance (what does a spiritually-​minded person look like anyway?), I approached a lady sitting alone. «Are you Tracey,» I ventured. «No,» she snickered, probably wondering if I was on a blind date with a woman.
I went straight for the bar. «Better not drink alcohol before a meditation,» I decided at the last minute so I asked the barman what herbal teas they had. He showed me their impressive range and I ordered a chamomile. He gave me a lovely big pot on a wooden tray and a sample of chocolate brownies and sweetbread. I actually had to tell him, «That’s enough.» He still heaped on another few morsels.
The candles on every table set the mood for my evening ahead. By eight o’clock there were 10 of us in a circle having tea and soup and discussing the benefits of meditation. We then went into the Drury Court Hotel for the class.
Having only been to the Bia Bar years before, once at a cousins’ drunken reunion and another time at an international students’ night where I pulled a Swede (thought I’d get that in there), it was nice to see the place on a sober Monday.

Bia Bar kind of just happened by accident. We were wandering through Dublin headed generally towards Grafton Street in the rain and were on the hunt for a bite to eat. Bia Bar sort of caught our eye and we decided to give it a whirl. The décor felt very clubbish with plush booths in the rear and lots of promo posters on the wall. The front seating area felt more like a café. We opted to sit in the back in one of the plush booths to relax for a bit. The lunch menu is mostly small plates, salads, and open face sandwiches (Tartines).
I opted for the Fontina cheese and Parma ham sandwich and a big bowl of the Sweet Corn soup. The soup was alright, nothing special but it was hot and creamy which suited the rainy day well. The sandwich was nice with big strip of ham and gooey cheese. The portions were decent and their menu is nicely priced.
The service was generally friendly and quick. Our server was sweet and brought us fresh water pitches a couple of times. The place was only about a third full so the atmosphere was fairly quiet during our visit. However, the toilets are quite a hike down below with club red walls. Overall, we were pleased; a good value lunch with good service and cozy seating.

Firstly I did not eat here which already sets me off on the wrong note as Bia is Irish for food, I’ll leave the rest to you — go on use your brain ;)
Manga was playing on the TV, pretty cool. Tunes were good. Pretty chilled crowd, good drinks specials. Not really feeling the mix of furniture. Either go with couches or don’t, but that’s just my snobby ascetics. It just confuses me when I see proper tables and chairs as well as chill out couches. Bartender was very attentive, brought the drinks to the table.
What was not cool was my alcohol free beer was more expensive then my companion’s alcoholic drink. Seriously Ireland?! Really!
I’m really getting sick of being punished for opting to go to a pub and not drink. No tax or little on alcohol free drinks would be the socially progressive thing to do but have you seen the clowns that run the country?! Yeah it’s a really bad joke and I am still waiting for the punch line.
€ 5.30 = my non fun inducing chastity belt wearing prudish beer.
€ 4.80 = slut beer.

I’m with Cathal on this one. I got their two pizzas for 12 € recently and although it was only an alright pizza, I had a great meal with some friends.
There was an open mic night on, so we sat back and enjoyed a nice little bit of local culture and after that ended, had a couple of games of guess who. We’re wild.
The place wasn’t exactly hopping, but there was a nice, relaxed atmosphere and a general good buzz. Pizza still mediocre though.

Stylisches Pub/​Cocktailbar. Sehr geschmackvoll eingerichtet in Rot– und Brauntönen, was eine schöné Atmosphäre schafft. Am Wochenende wird hier abends House Musik aufgelegt und die Tanzfläche füllt sich schnell.