Words: Ellen Kenny
It might be time to head over to Stoneybatter and investigate this “unbeatable vibe” that Time Out are raving about.
I’m starting to think someone in Time Out has a crush on us. First Capel Street is named the 22nd coolest street in the world, beating out streets in New York and Barcelona. Now, Time Out is telling us Dublin also holds one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world.
Stoneybatter was declared the 49th coolest neighbourhood in the world in a recent Time Out review. According to the review, Time Out chose neighbourhoods that are “simply put, incredible places to be right now. They’re areas with accessible, cutting-edge culture and nightlife; brilliant and affordable food and drink; lively street life and big community vibes. They’re distinctive districts that you can walk across in half an hour or less, but could spend a whole day or more exploring.”
That’s Stoneybatter for you, then. According to Time Out, you can “ask any Dubliner where they want to live in the city and there’s a good chance you’ll heard the word Stoneybatter.” (I would’ve thought the answer for where you want to live in Dublin would be “in peace”.)
Stoneybatter is allgedly a “hip enclave, awash with funky pubs, idyllic cafés and some of the best eats in Dublin.” Spots like The Glimmerman, Frank Ryan’s and Slice Café got some shoutouts, as well as the best-named food stop in Dublin, Vietnom.
Being one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world imply that Stoneybatter is the coolest neighbourhood in Dublin, and honestly, I think that’s fair enough. When you ask someone to imagine an idyllic version of Dublin, most things that would come to mind are in Stoneybatter: quaint brick houses, quirky coffee shops, street art. And how many other spots in Dublin can boast a haunted Tesco on Prussia Street? It’s Fáilte Ireland run by baristas and Dublin creatives.
Honestly, Stoneybatter is more of a state of mind than a place to live (especially when rent in Stoneybatter is anywhere between 1,400 and 2,800 euro a month. That’s some rich baristas.)
Being ranked 49 out 51 neighbourhoods obviously isn’t a huge victory and Stoneybatter actually droped from 15th coolest neighbourhood last year. But considering there over approximately over 4 million towns and cities in the whole world, being in the top 50 is quite impressive.
Elsewhere on District: New 24 hour buses are coming to Dublin this Sunday