The Bankers Bar — Restaurant in Dublin

PLEASE READ and SHARE. On Saturday 28th of June Dublin was a night of celebration. Parties on the street and bars open the door to one and all, displaying the iconic rainbow as a gesture of solidarity. So we thought. On leaving Dame Lane I, my partner and our friend (who happens to be straight) decided to go to the Banker Bar of one drink and use the bathroom before leaving the area. On approaching the door the bouncer on duty refused me and my partner entry and told our friend that she could enter. On being questioned why, the bouncer said that the place was to full all the while allowing two others to enter who happened to have no rainbow items on display. We asked was it because we were gay and we were told the bar was not for our sort and that he was just following orders. Just to prove a point the three of us went around to the other door that was unmanned and went down to the bathroom. On going down the stairs a man who we found out was the owner of the bar told us to make sure we washed our hands properly as he didn’t ‘want anyone to catch anything’! Disgusted and feeling intimidated we told anyone also who was in the bathroom. When we returned upstairs we saw that there was a group of ladies (straight and lesbian) all around the man making complaints. We joined to hear his response to them but he basically smirked and told them that it was his bar and he didn’t want our kind there. With that a large group, including the three of us left. It was awful to have had this experience on Pride day especially in an establishment that is centrally located in a gay scene of Dublin. Please share this, our experience so that nobody else will...

Food and Guinness was great. Unfortunately that was it for the pleasantries. When we entered the pub the barman came to us and asked "table for 2?" and if we were eating (We weren't aware of the new €9 meal law as we were visiting from the north for the day). When we then got our pints and explained that we weren't actually going to eat the barman got extremely aggressive and rude with us, demanding that we ordered food. I'll take responsibility for the ignorance of not checking the policies but I can't excuse the horrendous "service" that we received. To twist the knife even more when another group came in, the extremely polite waitress (wish we got her) explained to her customers that they are required by law to order a meal costing at least €9. If this was explained to us it would have turned this 2* review into potentially a 5* review. #wontbeback [[edit here because I can't reply to your reply.: You have completely missed the point of the bad review. The point of the review is that the service we recieved was atrocious and honestly just made us feel so awkward. If the barman had explained to us in a calm and collective way what the deal was then we wouldn't be so miffed. Like I said we had traveled down from the North (as in Northern Ireland, a place where the same rules don't apply as the south) and that's why we were so confused when you started having a go at us. I also stated in the review that I accept responsibility for the ignorance on our part. You clearly can't accept responsibility for the ignorance...

Very disappointed experience!

My husband and me, we had a truly disappointing experience at this pub last night. We walked in hoping to grab a bite to eat, but what we encountered was beyond belief. We had an early professional meeting the next day and preferred not to drink alcohol while eating, that is why we politely requested two cups of tea. However, instead of a courteous (or at list neutral) response, we were met with derisive laughter that echoed throughout the entire pub. When we inquired about the reason for that, the server continued to mock us with sarcastic remarks like, "Tea in an Irish pub?" We then asked if it was considered disrespectful to drink tea in an Irish pub, as we were unfamiliar with the customs (this is our first time in Ireland), to which he dismissively replied, "Of course not," still chuckling under his breath. After that, he begrudgingly brought our food without so much as a glance or a word, still laughing. Despite the quality of the food, we couldn't fully enjoy it due to our upset mood. It's a shame that such excellent food was overshadowed by the unprofessionalism of the staff. We certainly won't be returning anytime soon.

Additionally, it appears that drinking tea in a Irish pub is permissible (like other soft drinks), and we're still puzzled as to what we might have done wrong, considering we maintained politeness...