Foam Cafe

Foam Cafe
24 Great Strand Street, Dublin 1
facebook.com/foamcafe

Foam Cafe is perhaps one of Dublin's quirkiest cafes. Every wall is adorned with something different, be it pink flamingoes, topless photos of Maroon 5's Adam Levine or portraits of the Virgin Mary. While it may not be to everyone's taste, it's a grand spot to whittle away an afternoon.



What has it got?

Seating: Other than the chaise longue under the stairs, all of the tables have moveable chairs. 

Doors: The front door can be a little heavy to push open but it swings both ways (heh) so if you're coming or going, you have enough space. 

Ground: It's a mix of lino and carpet. 

Stairs: The entrance is flat and there is extra seating upstairs but everything you need is on the ground level. 

Bathrooms: The ladies and gents are downstairs but they have a wheelchair bathroom/babychanging bathroom on the ground level. The wheelchair bathroom hosts the Adam Levine photo which is a major plus but the babychanging table - an actual desk table - takes up a lot of room which makes it quite tough for a wheelchair to fit. 

Spaciousness: They have a number of tables that are easy to access but some might be tucked away, making it difficult to get to. 

Helpfulness of Staff: The staff were good at clearing the way for my chair but if they made extra space in the wheelchair bathroom - that would be superb. 

Parking: There is a wheelchair parking spot across the way from it as well as a few more further down the road and other onstreet parking spot. 

Rating: 9/10

Why did it lose points? Foam Cafe lost one point simply because they made a perfectly spacious wheelchair bathroom cluttered with the babychanging table. If they found a way to neaten that up, it would be a perfect 10. 

The Black Sheep

The Black Sheep
61 Capel Street, Dublin 1
galwaybaybrewery.com/blacksheep

In my humble opinion, The Black Sheep is one of the most perfect pubs in Dublin. Although it closes circa 1am, up until that point you can enjoy a gigantic range of craft beers, tasty food and a fine selection of board games. Its sister pusb, Against The Grain on Wexford Street and The 108 in Rathgar, are heavy in the deliverance of delicious booze and food. Take note of these venues if ever you've got the hankering for a solid platter and a ice cold pint of heaven.


What has it got?

Seating: The chairs are all moveable (other than the low-slung couches that are perfect for hiding away in) and the tables are a good height for a wheelchair. 

Doors: The front entrance has double doors and can be a bit tricky to navigate but their side doors are wider and much easier to use. 

Ground: A lovely wooden surface that has a bit of grip to it. 

Stairs: Not a step in sight. 

Bathrooms: They have a wheelchair bathroom at the back of the bar (next to the board game table). It requires a reverse job in as the door opens inwards but it is big.  

Spaciousness: The only thing that can delay your way to a pint would be the crowds. It gets quite busy at the weekends but it's a nice crowd. 

Helpfulness of Staff: Sound as a pound. They'll give you a hand choosing which beer you want and any other help you may need. 

Parking: Capel Street has a number of wheelchair parking spots to avail of. 

Rating: 10/10

Why did it lose points? You can spend an evening here without any wheelchair hassle whilst dining like a king. 

Pho Viet

Pho Viet
162 Parnell Street, Dublin 1


Parnell Street is a haven of affordable and tasty Asian food but Vietnamese restaurant Pho Viet really hits the nail on the head for all of that and more. Main courses come in at around €8.50 and they have very decent servings. You can bring your own wine and beer, with wine corkage at €5 per bottle and beer at €1 per bottle, you can have a delicious meal and an even tastier price.


What has it got?

Seating: All of the chairs are moveable and the tables fit a wheelchair nicely. 

Doors: The doors are a little bit heavy but they are wide. 

Ground: It's a tiled white surface, possibly a little slippy when wet. 

Stairs: The entrance is flat and there is more seating upstairs. 

Bathrooms: They have a wheelchair bathroom on the ground level. It is big and has a lot of hand rails in place. It is home to a Hoover and some old stereos but that is certainly better than a manky smelling mop. 

Spaciousness: The tables are all quite close together which means that when it's busy, you will have to ask people to shimmy aside.

Helpfulness of Staff: The staff are very helpful here. They rearranged tables for me and cleared a path so I could get to the bathroom. They're also great at recommending which dishes to get. 

Parking: There is a wheelchair parking spot across the road outside Fibbers pub. 

Rating: 9.5/10

Why did it lose points? It lost half a point simply because it's a small space and could get tough to move a wheelchair through. Otherwise, it's a great spot to grab dinner with some mates. 

The O2, Dublin

The O2 (but The Point forever in our hearts)
Northwall Quay, Dublin 1
theo2.ie


For a long time, Dublin's biggest concert venue was The Point. It was a large warehouse with the mystique of a large, red velvet curtain separating us from the toilets and popcorn stands. In 2008, it reopened as The O2, the exact venue that you can find across the UK. For every complaint you can make about poor sound quality, remember, you're never more than a mere skip and a jump from one of their 14 bars.


What has it got?

Seating: There is an assigned wheelchair area (limited space so be sure to buy a ticket for the wheelchair area if you need it) with fold-up chairs provided for you, your friend or your carer. 

Doors: The doors are all very wide and easy to open. 

Ground: It's a type of lino which means that it doesn't become a complete ice rink when drinks spill. 

Stairs: There's lifts to every floor and at the end of the concert, all wheelchair users are brought to a larger, industrial lift to skip the queues for the main lifts. 

Bathrooms: To every ladies and gents with dozens upon dozens of cubicles, there is one wheelchair bathroom which is very large. You will often have to queue up for these. 

Spaciousness: Plenty of room here. 

Helpfulness of Staff: The O2 "angels" will direct you to your seats and help with the lift. Inside the venue, the staff in blue shirts are very helpful with getting to and from your seats. 

Parking: There is wheelchair parking available in the Gibson Hotel car park beside The O2. There is onstreet wheelchair parking but these are rarely free. 

Rating: 9/10

Why did it lose points? I docked The O2 one point because you will always have the same view at a concert here. The wheelchair viewing area has a decent view but if you go there regularly, if you could shake it up a little, that would be great. 

At least the silver lining here is that if you buy a wheelchair ticket a lot of the time, you will get a free ticket for your carer/assistant/friend. 

The Bakehouse

The Bakehouse
6 Bachelor's Walk, Dublin 1/CHQ Building, IFSC, Dublin 1
the-bakehouse.ie

Here's a bold statement: The Bakehouse make the best sandwiches in Dublin. That's all I have on the matter.


What has it got?

Seating: All of the tables - out on the pavement and inside - have moveable chairs

Doors: The doors are wide and not too heavy.

Ground: Inside, the floors are tiled. 

Stairs: In the Bachelor's Walk shop, there is one large step in the front door but with one hoosh from a friend, you should be ok. There's also a bar at the door which is good to hold onto. In the CHQ, it is all flat. 

Bathrooms: In Bachelor's Walk, their wheelchair bathroom is not only large, but it has a mirror and it's not a storage cupboard. Hurrah. Over at the CHQ, the wheelchair bathroom is found in the mall area. 

Spaciousness: It can be a little tight between the tables in the Bachelor's Walk shop when it's packed but if people move their chairs in slightly, you'll be ok. In the CHQ, it's very roomy. 

Helpfulness of Staff: The staff here are amazing. Very chatty and helpful. 

Parking: There is a wheelchair parking spot right at the door on the Quays. Because I drive, if I park there, I'll be unloading on the road so I normally park on Great Strand Street to avoid any clashes with buses or bikes. There is a car park beside the CHQ that has wheelchair parking and there is also street parking on Commons Street. 

Rating: 9.5/10

Why did it lose points? The Bakehouse only lost half a point because of the step in at Bachelor's Walk. However, they did their best with this by placing a bar beside it so if you are getting a hand in, you can hold onto it. The CHQ venue is perfect but it is full of suits so stick to Bachelor's Walk if you want to leave the office vibes behind. 

Twisted Pepper/Vice Coffee Inc./Elastic Witch/Boxcutter Barbershop

Twisted Pepper/Vice Coffee/Elastic Witch/Boxcutter Barbershop
54 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1
bodytonicmusic.com/thetwistedpepper/


By day, Twisted Pepper houses Vice Coffee Inc., Elastic Witch and Boxcutter Barbershop. By night, you can gorge on cocktails and watch a wide array of DJs from all genres. If you want some of the best coffee in Dublin, want to peruse a decent collection of records collected by a man with a thorough knowledge of music, get a cleancut shave or want to get your groove on, stop by here. I mean, you'd never have to leave this place with the amount of things going on.


What has it got?

Seating: There are booths a-plenty here with moveable chairs and stools. 

Doors: The doors are easy enough to push open and a wheelchair fits through all of them without any problems. 

Ground: They have wooden flooring and tiling here and there's a sort of black lino thing going on in the music venue. 

Stairs: There are no steps in and out of the ground level but to get to the music venue and barbers downstairs, you have about 15-20 steps. The smoking area is upstairs and there's around 15 steps to get up there. There is no lift. 

Bathrooms: There is a wheelchair bathroom on the ground level, just past the stage area. You will need to ask at the bar for the key. The other bathrooms are located upstairs and downstairs and these are all regular sized cubicles. 

Spaciousness: There is plenty of room here as the chairs and tables are to the side and there's a clear walkway. There will be a bit of human traffic to deal with as it gets busier at night. 

Helpfulness of Staff: Super helpful here. The Vice staff can bring your coffee right over to your table and in at Elastic Witch, you'll be blushing by how helpful there are. At night, it can get very packed so if you need a hand at any stage, ask the bouncers or bar staff and you should be ok. 

Parking: There is wheelchair parking on Great Stand Street (map here). 

Rating: 8/10

Why did it lose points? Twisted Pepper lost two points simply because if there is a DJ on downstairs or if you want to go to the barbers, it would be very difficult to get down those stairs. On the ground level, you have a lot of space and the wheelchair bathroom is located there too. So if all you need is on that floor, you should have no problems. 

Forever 21

Forever 21
Ground Floor and First Floor, Jervis Shopping Centre, Dublin 1
forever21.com

Forever 21 is responsible for draining my finances every few months with its mahoosive selection of lovely clothes at a reasonable price. I have often gotten lost there as it is a bit like a maze between the rails.


What has it got?

Seating: The only seating here is at the shoe rails and there was also a chair in my dressing room, which would be handy for someone on crutches or less nimble on their toes. Also worth noting, at the cash registers, they had a lower till with a wheelchair sign on it which is very good indeed. 

Doors: I didn't have to open any doors here.

Ground: White marble tiles adorn this haven which are a bit of a hazard when it rains. Which it did today. A lot. 

Stairs: There is a lift to bring you to all floors here and there is a sloped entrance. 

Bathrooms: --

Spaciousness: Plenty of room to get around here and I didn't have any problems browsing the rails. 

Helpfulness of Staff: I didn't require much help here but any interactions I had with the staff were positive. 

Parking: There is wheelchair parking available in the Jervis car park and there is more onstreet wheelchair parking available beside it on Jervis Street and Wolfe Tone Street (map here). 

Rating: 10/10

Why did it lose points? It lost nothing. It has it all. And foolishly, I lose it all when I go there. 

The Grand Social

The Grand Social
35 Lower Liffey Street, Dublin 1
thegrandsocial.ie


The Grand Social is a very laid back and easy-going bar and they have bands playing very regularly in their upstairs venue. It's one of my staple bars.


What has it got?

Seating: The majority of the chairs here are moveable and will fit a wheelchair. They also have couches. 

Doors: The doors are easy enough to open. The front doors are manned by bouncers almost all of the time and they will grab them for you. 

Ground: The floor here is lino, I believe, so when drinks are spilled, you won't go sliding too far. 

Stairs: There are no steps at the entrance and on the ground level you have a bar and a wheelchair bathroom. There are about three steps down to the second bar and, unfortunately, their music venue and lovely smoking area are up a flight of stairs. 

Bathrooms: They have a decent sized wheelchair bathroom here and it has a mirror. You'd be surprised how many wheelchair bathrooms don't have mirrors. You need a code to open the door for the bathroom but ask at the bar and you'll be looked after. I would put the code here but I don't want to be the reason behind any bathroom babies. 

Spaciousness: This place can get pretty busy. The front bar is a bit of a bottle neck with people coming and going. I normally sit at the far end of the bar and I have enough room to get to and from the bathroom but I send my mates up to get my drinks. 

Helpfulness of Staff: The staff here are very helpful and have often leant an arm and some muscle when I want to go upstairs. 

Parking: There's wheelchair parking on Bachelors Walk and on Great Strand Street (map here). 

Rating: The rating will be funny here.

As a bar: 9/10

As a music venue: 1/10

Why did it lose points? As a bar, it only loses one point because it is quite tight to move around but you have everything you need on the ground level. 

As a music venue, it lost 9 points because you can only get up there via piggyback. I personally have no problem being lifted up but it is not ideal, probably not very safe and basically a pain in the ass. It got one point because the upstairs is totally flat, so if you make it up there, you can go between the venue and smoking area with ease. However, the bathrooms up there are small cubicles. 

The Gin Palace

The Gin Palace
42 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1
twitter.com/Ginpalacedublin


This bar. I love this bar. I love gin so, of course, a palace erected in its name is going to be special. Other than their amazing selection of gin (they have sloe gin!), they always play great music. Last time I was there for a liquid lunch, we had The National and Divine Comedy playing.


What has it got?

Seating: All of the tables have moveable chairs. 

Doors: The doors are a little tight here but they do fit a wheelchair. I needed someone to keep the door open for me so I could get in. 

Ground: Tiled flooring. 

Stairs: There are no steps in and out of The Gin Palace on the Abbey St. side but there is one step in the Lower Liffey St. side. Everything you need is on the ground floor but there is a flight of stairs up to the other toilets. 

Bathrooms: We have one wheelchair bathroom here tucked away under the stairs and I had no problems with getting in and out of it. 

Spaciousness: The busier this place gets (it gets pretty busy), the harder it is to get around as bodies, stools, chairs and tables take up a lot of the walking room. I find if you sit at the back, you will have decent access to the bar and the bathroom. 

Helpfulness of Staff: Really helpful, super sound and table service is frequent here. 

Parking: There is wheelchair parking on Strand Street and on Bachelors Walk (map here).

Rating: 9/10

Why did it lose points? This is a really great bar and due to its greatness, it gets packed which makes it difficult to get around because the walking space is pretty tight even when it's empty.

Cineworld, Parnell Street

Cineworld
Parnell Centre, Parnell Street, Dublin 1
cineworld.ie


This is my cinema in that it is always the cinema that I make people go to. Mostly because of my Unlimited Cinema card but it's also a nifty city centre location.


What has it got?

Seating: There are plenty of spots for wheelchair users in all screens, mostly in the front row, but there are a couple of screens where you can have a back row seat. 

Doors: The doors aren't too heavy here. 

Ground: In the foyer, it's marble tiles so it is slippy when it's wet but elsewhere, it's carpet galore. 

Stairs: There is a lift here that brings you to all floors and where there are a few steps, there is a specific wheelchair lift that will bring you up and down. 

Bathrooms: Wherever there are toilets here, there is a wheelchair toilet right beside them. I have had no problems sizewise with these bathrooms. 

Spaciousness: There are very few obstacles that will get in your way here.

Helpfulness of Staff: You will need a member of staff to operate the wheelchair lift with a key. They will normally see you coming and will be there waiting before and after your film but you may need to ask for assistance. 

Parking: There is one wheelchair parking spot on King's Inn Street and there is a car park on Jervis Lane. There is also loads of street parking on Jervis Lane and I have very easily gotten my wheelchair in and out of those spots. (Map here)

Rating: 10/10

Why did it lose points? I have never had any issues going here and the staff are very on the ball with the wheelchair lift. 

Eddie Rocket's, Parnell Street

Eddie Rocket's
Parnell Centre, Parnell St., Dublin 1
www.eddierockets.ie

Eddie Rocket's is one of Ireland's greatest fast food joints. Even if the size and quality of their chicken goujons has sadly decreased in recent years, you can always rely on their chocolate malt.


What has it got?

Seating: It mostly has booths but there are a number of tables with moveable chairs that are easy to use.

Doors: The doors are wide and slightly heavy but give a good push and you can make a dramatic entrance.

Ground: It's a tiled surface so is a little Slippery When Wet.

Stairs: There are two entrances (front entrance from Parnell St. and back entrance from King's Inn St.) to this Eddie's and they both have a flat entrance. In the middle, there are two or three steps that split it. At the front part is the cashier and at the back part, there is the wheelchair bathroom.

Bathrooms: There is one wheelchair bathroom here. It's best to reverse into it as it is a little bit tight.

Spaciousness: If you sit at the back of this Eddie's, you will have more room. However, the pay desk is at the front so you're on your Tobler, you'll need to ask for help.

Helpfulness of Staff: They're very helpful here. Just ask for a hand if you need it and they will deliver.

Parking: There's is a wheelchair parking spot on King's Inn St., as well as plenty of street parking. There is also a car park, accessible by a lift, on Jervis Lane with a number of wheelchair spots. (Map here)


Rating: 8/10
Why did it lose points? The bathroom is tight and even though they have all their facilities in check, the split level is a nuisance but at least the staff will help you out.