From the outside, this pub brings to mind a Victorian medicine cabinet, all polished wood with a rich blue-and-gold sign. Its proximity to the political heart of the capital makes it a perennial hangout for politicos, lawyers, economists, and those who write about them—which can make for some spectacularly good eavesdropping. (Its name inspired a catchphrase, “the Doheny and Nesbitt School of Economics,” to describe the movers and shakers who used to shoot the breeze here during Ireland’s boom years of the 1990s and 2000s). To admire its cozy interior, a midweek daytime visit is best—this place gets packed in the evenings (especially summer weekends), even more so when a big sports match is on.