As patrons are increasingly desiring to sit outside and have a drink, every publican with a tiny amount of outdoor space is scrambling to make use of it. There’s new tables being put into car parks and on-street seating has been increased around the city. As outside space is becoming more and more desirable, it may interest you to know about a Upper Baggot Street, Pembroke Road bar that has lots and lots of outdoor space.
The Den bar in The Lansdowne Hotel is known for big match day BBQ’s for fans on the way to the Aviva stadium. These days the crowds aren’t walking by in the direction of the stadium in such numbers, but the ample space at the front of the bar is still there and being put to excellent use. The front courtyard area is open, spacious, and it even gets a lot of sun for the days when it’s out. During the day they have a coffee dock if you want to sit out with the paper and have a read. In the evening the bar is open and serving drinks and food.
The rugby season is still going ahead in The Den. On big match days you can sit outside and watch the match on a big screen and get your drinks from an open air Guinness tent. They’ll be showing Leinster v Ulster on Saturday and Munster v Connacht on Sunday with a pint and food platter special on offer.
It’s quite a nice ambience in the courtyard, with the seating set well back from the road and enclosed by trees, hanging baskets, and flower boxes. If you’re looking for open and airy, this is a great shout.
One new addition to the bar and hotel since lockdown has been their new Willow Gardens, which is another open-air setting. The area was purpose-built for small functions like wedding receptions, ceremonies, and family gatherings. There’s even a portico that would provide a nice backdrop to a ceremony or speech. There’s several tables and seats in the fully outdoor section and there’s another covered semi-outdoor area where tables could be put to provide cover should the elements not be agreeable on the day.
If you’re not too fussed with being outside but still want a bit of space, the Den Bar itself hasn’t really required many tweaks to give you comfort and privacy given that the bar was by design sectioned off into various nooks, snugs, and cut-off areas. There’s a particularly cool area under the stairs where your small group can gather away from others.
This is a good example of a bar making use of the outdoor areas and spaciousness of their indoors to host people in a safe and enjoyable setting for food, drinks, coffee, and maybe even a bit of sunshine.
