Dublin Restaurants

Dublin Restaurant Reviews

With the Irish food revolution long over and won, Dublin now has a city full of fabulous, hip, and suavely sophisticated restaurants. Award-winning Euro-toques and their sous-chefs continue to come up with new and glorious ways to abuse your waistline. Roast scallop with spiced pork belly and au gratin cauliflower topped with a daring caper-and-raisin sauce? Sautéed rabbit loin with Clonakilty black pudding? Or another amazing entry in the New Irish Cuisine? Whatever choice, just get ready for some seriously delicious meals.

As for lunches or munches on the run, there are scores of independent cafés serving excellent coffee, and often good sandwiches. Other eateries, borrowing trends from all around the world, serve inexpensive pizzas, focaccia, pitas, tacos, and wraps (which are fast gaining in popularity over the sandwich). And, yes, alas, Starbucks long ago planted its ubiquitous flag in Dublin.

The Irish dine later than Americans. They stay up later, too, and reservations are usually not booked before 6:30 or 7 pm and up to around 10 pm. Lunch is generally served from 12:30 to 2:30. Pubs often serve food through the day—until 8:30 or 9 pm. Most pubs are family-friendly and welcome children until 7 pm. The Irish are an informal bunch, so smart-casual dress is typical. A few of the more formal restaurants, however, do expect you to wear a jacket and tie. And remember: shorts and sneakers are out except at the "eat-and-run" end of the spectrum.

It's worthwhile to see if the restaurant of your choice offers an early-bird or pre- or post-theater menu, with significantly lower set prices at specific times, usually up to 7:30 pm and after the show. Value-Added Tax (V.A.T.)—a 13.5% tax on food and a government excise tax on drinks—will automatically be added to your bill. Before paying, check to see whether a service charge has been included on your bill, which is often the case for groups of five or more. If so, you can pay the entire bill with a credit card; if not, it's customary to leave a tip in cash (10% to 15%) even if you're paying the main bill by credit card.

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