Molly Malone

With no competitors in this roundup having staked their claim yet, what sets Molly Malone apart is worth naming precisely: its position on place d'Austerlitz gives it a gravity the others don't have. People arrange to meet here — they don't just wander in.

The Irish pub format is executed without irony and without cutting corners. When a match is on — football, rugby, take your pick — this place fills up fast and the staff keeps pace. Dorian has earned something of a local reputation for knowing how to look after a table without making a production of it. That kind of service is harder to find than it should be.

The drinks menu covers serious ground: a solid beer selection, wines, spirits, and enough range that the group with mixed tastes won't have a problem. Food sits comfortably in bar-meal territory — nothing that rewrites the rules, but consistently a step above what you'd expect from a pub kitchen. Snacks hold up against a pint. Actual meals hold up against hunger.

The outdoor seating on the square is worth planning around in warmer months — it's proper terrace drinking, not a couple of tables shoved onto a pavement. Groups are well catered for, and they take reservations, which matters when you're coordinating six people for a Saturday kick-off.

Service has occasionally drawn criticism on busy holiday nights — one rough interaction made the rounds in reviews. Worth noting, not worth overweighting. Every pub in Krutenau has those nights.