Vintage Cocktail Club — Restaurant in Dublin

Ok, I'm guilty. I have a lot of 'my favorite ...' and 'best-...-in-town', lately.

But this one. THIS ONE.

If I only had to keep ONE speakeasy, or one cocktail bar, or even one bar: it would be the Vintage Cocktail Club.

This place is just perfect on every aspect. The atmosphere is outstanding. When you enter the bar, it's as if you just did a jump 70 years ago. The image turns to black and white around you, and you see your life on a cinema film. The place's decoration, the stylish music, the vintage furnitures and glassware, the clothes and the standing of staff: everything is thought through. The sophistication of the place and attention to detail is gorgeous, but never in a stilted fashion.

The cocktails are simply delicious. I mean 'delicious' like in 'deliiiiiiiiiiiiishhhhhhhhhhhouuuuuuuuus omagaaaaaad I'm dyiiiiiiing'. And ALL of them are incredible, not only a few. They must have hundreds of cocktails on their menu, and each one I tried were gorgeous (and I tried more than 10 now). The taste and their perfect technique only equals their creativity. My mouth is watering right now as I imagine just reading the menu: Dirty wizard, with chilli infused vodka, fresh raspberries and mint. The Mary Pickford, with white rum, sharp raspberry, sweet pineapple and maraschino. The Morning Glory, with whiskey, cognac, absinthe, bitters, curacao and citrus finish. The Tequila Mockingbird (I volunteer, as tribute!), with tequila, medium pear & citrus, floral violet & walnut. I don't have enough tastebuds to enjoy them at the level they deserve. But trust me, they are astonishing. extatic sound

The staff is also extremely knowledgeable and nice, knows the menu enough to give great recommendations. You don't find anything that makes you dream? Don't worry, the barman will know how to send you in another world.

I also tried the food, having pretty low expectations. And mamma mia, I was so stupid to ever think they would disappoint me there, too! The arrancini were to die for, the mini pork belly burgers one of the best I ate, and I'm still biting my lip when I think about their brie and prosciutto grilled cheese.

Finally, the location. Forget New York's speakeasies, just enter the magic of Vintage cocktails club. Here you go, in the middle of temple bars, where tourists are fighting to get a seat in another pub, in the middle of other tourists, listening to all the same touristy music, looking for THE Dubliner's experience in the-place-where-no-dubliner-would-ever-go-drinking. A small door with 3 letters, "VCC'. Squeezed between 2 shops, you would never expect such a place here. But you just knock on the door, and a bouncer opens the door, letting you in on the vintage carpet, opening these 3 stairs of pleasure, ready for your best bar experience.

It was pretty expensive overall, but everything was worth it: the cocktails are one of the best of my life, and the food is in enough quantity to fill you.

My recommendations, now : First, try the cocktails with two stars on the menu (their specialities!). And BOOK AHEAD, in order to get a nice table and not to be all squeezed in upstairs.

But please, please...

...Always keep me a seat!

Vintage Cocktail Club, I love you!

You are to the bars what Sleep no More...

A promising menu, but execution falls short: I found VCC on Google because it is consistently Dublin’s top-rated cocktail bar, so I hoping for a standout experience. While the menu is undeniably impressive and the flavors of the cocktails were consistently enjoyable, several aspects left me disappointed. Strengths: -The cocktail list is extensive and creative, with drinks that taste good and are well-balanced. -The atmosphere is wonderful and the bar staff are approachable. Areas for Improvement: -Presentation and Technique: I noticed several drinks served in mismatched glassware (e.g., a French 75 in a coupe, an absinthe cocktail served with a rock in a coupe). These choices detract from the overall experience and suggest a lack of attention to classic cocktail standards. -Ingredient Handling: It was surprising to see bottled juice used instead of fresh, and ingredients like vermouth, traditionally refrigerated or preserved with vacuum or inert gas, kept unrefrigerated. -Spirit Selection: The bar lacks choices in spirits, especially local selections, which is disappointing for a venue of this reputation. I was expecting a cocktail that highlights the base spirit, and instead I received a very fruity drink that masked the alcohol. -Service and Recommendations: While the staff were friendly, their recommendations felt cautious and sometimes missed the mark. For example, when a guest requested a specific cocktail, the bartender declined due to the lack of ingredients, despite having other ingredients that could have created a similar experience. The bartender should have been able to recommend a similar cocktail or make a cocktail with the ingredients available. -Consistency: Watching a martini diluted with water after being poured, and inconsistent glassware choices, suggests a need for more attention to detail from such a highly recommended cocktail bar. Final Thoughts: This bar has potential, especially with its creative menu and pleasant flavors. However, for a city as vibrant as Dublin, and for a bar with such high ratings, I expected more respect for cocktail traditions and better execution behind the bar. With some adjustments to technique, ingredient handling, and a broader selection of spirits, this venue could truly live up to its reputation. But then again, I am just a cocktail enthusiast and have never worked in...

Please see my first review below. After my review, the restaurant continued to be rude and called me literally a liar instead of apologising. Me arriving late has nothing to do with this and my friends were not planning to leave at all. We ordered lots of foods and drinks after my arrival. And we were aware of the allocated time, we just did not like the fact that the waitresses kept coming to our table all the time and made a reminder. If other party arrived early, it’s not our fault, we did not exceed our time. While we were preparing to leave, I just asked (I was not loud at all) where to finish my drink and the waitress did not say anything and just said we need the table back. After my frustration, other waitress came and helped and suggested terrace but we were already very unhappy and left. For some reason, whoever wrote a reply to my review, did the investigation fully in their favour :D This is just hilarious… But I am not surprised about the waitress behaviour now because if the person in charge dares to write such an incorrect and unprofessional reply, the rest of the crew would do only God knows what… They do not even hesitate to explicitly state that they are blacklisting customers who write negative feedback. I wish the entire restaurant luck because they would need it in hospitality industry with such customer unfriendly manners.

The waitresses were so rude unfortunately. They were literally counting the minutes allocated to our table and did not even let us finish our drinks. We paid 60+ euros per person for such overrated food and drinks and then were told to leave… The last 30 minutes of our experience were so unpleasant as the waitresses kept coming to our table every 2 minutes and reminded us how many minutes left, I have never seen such things in my life, especially in fine restaurants. There are tens of other restaurants in Dublin with much better service,...