Generator Dublin
by the TopOfHotel team
Generator Dublin is a sharp-looking design hostel in the middle of Smithfield where the downstairs bar buzzes every night, making it easy to meet other travelers and walk into the old city — but quiet is not what it sells.
Generator Dublin is a sharp-looking design hostel in the middle of Smithfield where the downstairs bar buzzes every night, making it easy to meet other travelers and walk into the old city — but quiet is not what it sells.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Worth knowing up front: Generator Dublin wasn't built from scratch. It's a century-old red-brick warehouse on Smithfield Square that once stored the oak whiskey casks of the Jameson distillery in the 1800s, before MacGabhann Architects reworked it and the Generator brand opened here in 2011. Walk in and the lobby pairs the raw look of bare brick and old steel beams with bright pop-industrial colour — the check-in desk is built as a multi-coloured stack like whiskey crates, and big murals on the walls reference the area's whiskey history and the people who worked it. There's a work zone with group sofas and the all-day Generator bar-café. The rooms follow the same idea: private rooms in warm grey with a punch of accent colour, comfortable beds and clean en-suite bathrooms, with more sensible luggage space than most hostels manage. Dorms are pods with a personal reading light and a locker big enough for a 24-inch case. The overall feel is closer to a working art gallery than a traditional backpacker bunkhouse.
Food and amenities
The heart of the place is the ground-floor bar. The Generator bar is open to locals as well as guests, so it never feels dead. There's a rotating event most evenings — a pub quiz on Tuesdays where backpackers from half the planet team up, live trad Irish music midweek, DJ sets on Friday and Saturday, and a movie night on Sunday. The drinks lean local — a poured Guinness, a Jameson highball, Dublin craft beer — and run cheaper than the pubs over in Temple Bar. If you're hungry there are light plates like pizza, toasties and Irish stew served late. By day the café works as a quiet spot to get some work done, and the common areas — group sofas, shared tables, a board-game corner — are laid out to make people mix. Solo travelers say much the same thing in reviews: you meet other people here without even trying, often within the first hour.
Location and getting there
Smithfield Square is a long cobbled plaza on the Northside of the Liffey, a short hop from the tourist core but noticeably cheaper than the south side. Step out the door and the Jameson Distillery, the famous whiskey tour, is right next door. Cross the river on Father Mathew Bridge — about 10 minutes on foot — and you're in Temple Bar, the city's busiest pub and arts quarter, with Trinity College, Dublin Castle and St Patrick's Cathedral all walkable beyond it. The Luas Red Line tram stops at Smithfield right outside; from there it's about 5 minutes to Heuston station for trains to Galway or Cork, and only a few stops into the centre at O'Connell Street. Coming from the airport, the Airlink 747 bus drops at Wolfe Tone Quay, a 5-minute walk away, for roughly a 30-minute trip in total. For a traveler who wants to be central without paying for it, this works well — close to everything, with the room rates still kept down.
Things to know before booking
To keep it honest, the complaint that comes up most in reviews is noise. The downstairs bar runs late, especially Thursday to Saturday when there's a DJ, and the music and chatter can drift up to the lower-floor rooms. If you sleep lightly, ask for the 4th floor or above in the rear wing away from the bar, and pack earplugs to be safe. The next thing people mention is breakfast — it's a plain continental setup of bread, cereal, fruit, tea and coffee, not a full Irish breakfast, so if you were hoping for sausage, bacon, beans and mushrooms you'll be let down; walk out to the cafés around Smithfield Square, where several good spots do a full fry cheaply. Wi-Fi is generally fine, but reviewers note the signal on the top floors drops in and out at times, so for an important video call you may need to head down to the lobby. Finally, privacy: dorms and common areas are busy at all hours, and the shared bathrooms, clean as they are, mean a short wait at peak times. If you want real quiet or hotel-grade comfort, this isn't the answer.
Our take
After reading through hundreds of real reviews, Generator Dublin sells a central Smithfield address next to the Jameson Distillery, a bar with an event every night that makes it easy to find people to travel around with, and value that's hard to beat against central Dublin hotels. If your mental picture of the trip is walking back from Temple Bar to sleep, waking up to tour the Jameson distillery next door, and sharing a Guinness at the downstairs bar with new friends from Australia, Mexico and Korea in one night, it delivers more than you'd expect. But if you're traveling as a romantic couple, a family with young kids, or a luxury guest who needs quiet and 5-star service, look elsewhere. Overall we give it 8.1/10 — best for backpackers, solo travelers and budget-minded younger couples who want to soak up Dublin after dark without leaving town.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Central spot on Smithfield Square, right beside the Jameson Distillery and the old Smithfield market, with the Luas Red Line tram a 1-minute walk away — it runs you to Heuston station or the city centre in a few stops.
- Pop-industrial interior that reviewers consistently praise — bare red brick, big murals, a colour-blocked check-in desk, and common areas photogenic enough that people happily linger all day.
- The ground-floor Generator bar-café is busy every night with pub quizzes, live trad Irish music, DJ sets and group sofa corners, so meeting fellow travelers is effortless — ideal for solo trips and backpackers.
- Strong value for the location — dorms start around $34 and private rooms come in under $100 in a city where room rates run at Western-European levels.
- Private rooms are cleaner and roomier than you'd expect from a hostel, with en-suite bathrooms and comfortable bedding, while dorms are pods with a large locker that swallows a 24-inch suitcase and a personal reading light.
- The ground-floor bar runs late, and music and chatter leak into the lower-floor rooms. If you're a light sleeper, ask for a higher floor and bring earplugs, or take a private room in the rear wing away from the bar.
- Breakfast and Wi-Fi draw middling reviews — the morning spread is a plain continental one of bread, cereal and fruit rather than a full Irish breakfast, and the signal on the top floors can drop in and out at times.
- Dorms and common areas are busy at all hours, and shared bathrooms, while clean, mean a short wait at peak times. If you want quiet or genuine hotel-grade comfort, this place won't suit you.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
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Insider Tips
- Ask for a private room on the 4th floor or above in the wing away from the bar — it's quieter and gives you a nicer view over Smithfield Square.
- Thursday and Friday are the biggest event nights at the bar; if you're not in party mode, head up to your room before 11pm or book a weekday stay instead.
- Walk 10 minutes across the Liffey on Father Mathew Bridge to reach Temple Bar — it beats a taxi on the way back late at night and saves you a fair bit of money.