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With the Irish food revolution long over and won, Dublin now has a city full of fabulous, hip, and suavely sophisticated restaurants. More realistic rents have seen a new cohort of experimental eateries crop up alongside award-winning Euro-toques and their sous-chefs who continue to come up with new and glorious ways to abuse your waistline. Instead of just spuds, glorious spuds, you’ll find delicious new entries to New Irish cuisine like roast scallops with spiced pork belly and cauliflower au gratin topped with a daring caper-and-raisin sauce or sautéed rabbit loin with Clonakilty black pudding. Okay, there’s a good chance spuds will still appear on your menu—and most likely offered in several different ways.
As for lunches or munchies 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).
Dubliners dine later than the rest of Ireland. 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.
Its name is the Gaelic word for green, and all things local and natural are at the heart of Dublin's first high-end vegetarian restaurant. The brash, luxurious interior matches the daring menu, which includes barbecue celeriac with roast potato puree, cucumber, mint, and potato paper. Try the carrot sponge with spiced cream and pear and hay sorbet for dessert.
When Dublin's growing Chinese population wants a big, uptown night out, they come here. The surroundings are modest, with large round tables (ideal for groups) in a somewhat dark but comfortable room. The food is authentic and inspired—ask for the black-cover Chinese menu, not the standard, dumbed-down one. The dim sum selection is nonpareil in Ireland, the scallop dumplings are a standout, and the chili-salt squid melts in the mouth. It's the perfect spot to order a load of dishes to be shared by an adventurous group.
Recently voted the best café in the city, this busy little breakfast and lunch spot is the brainchild of former Avoca head chef Eimer Rainsford. Salads dominate the menu, with wonderful combinations to choose from for your salad box. Try the beetroot, apple, and quinoa or spiced potatoes with giant couscous and roasted peppers. Dressings or dips are equally creative like the yogurt with cumin and lemon. Other popular dishes include Asian noodles with broccoli, lime and chili. All that healthy eating probably earns you one of the killer chocolate brownies with raspberry and blackberry.
Foodie and fashionista couple Chloe Kearney and Niall McDermott returned from London to open this standout addition to the flourishing Ranelagh dining scene. Behind the minimalist white exterior lies a small but buzzing ambience and some inventive food with a Mediterranean twist. The menu is short but very adventurous: the lobster, crab, and kohlrabi is a stylish starter and the shiitake mushroom tagliolini a favorite main. Add delicious sides like broccoli with pomegranate and yogurt then finish with a dessert of ricotta cheesecake with black currant.
éThis buzzing café bar is a pleasant place for a lunchtime break. Sandwiches are large and delicious, with plenty of vegetarian choices, and the people-watching is unmatched.
Located in a nondescript building in Grand Canal Harbour, this stylish café is gaining a reputation for its impressive baked goods. Nearby tech workers flock here in hordes for the inventive salads, sandwiches, handmade pasta and focaccia romana, but it's the stunning array of cakes, tarts, and buns that really entice. Try the outrageous strawberry Charlotte or the explosion of color and taste that is the mango bavaroise.
Joan and Aidan MacManus's well-known seafood bar down by the harbor attracts many contemporary visitors to the old town. It's in a Georgian house, with the yacht marina and port on one side and sea views from which you can watch the boats land the very fish that might be tomorrow's special. A house specialty is the smoked haddock smokies, but lobster, caught just yards away in Balscadden Bay, is the big treat—it's best at its simplest, in butter sauce. Sitric was an 11th-century Norse king of Dublin who seemed to be very fond of Howth.
Don't let the down-at-heels canteen decor put you off—this place has been around for a long time and is a master of the art of fish-and-chips. Their menu is full of seafood surprises like such Dublin favorites as cod and ray (or more unusual choices like mackerel) and you can even order a whole sea bass and rainbow trout. Kingfisher's huge Irish breakfasts have won awards, with all the meats sourced fresh from the owners' own farm. The Northside locals love this place and give it a lively community atmosphere.
This exceptional eatery just off George's Street lost a little of its intimacy when it expanded, but the crowds still come for authentic French food at a fair price. Start with 12 snails, fresh herbs, garlic, and pastis butter. For a main course, the slow-roasted pork belly with black pudding manages to be hearty and adventurous at the same time. Desserts have a devilishly childish touch to them—passion-fruit cake with white chocolate sauce is a typical example. Pop next door to Hogan's bar while you're waiting.
This Breton-inspired, unpretentious eatery has one of the most inviting and good-value menus in the city. The look is very much casual bistro, a satisfying backdrop for starters like the beet risotto with winter truffles, and such mouthwatering mains as the loin of venison with red cabbage and celeriac paste.
Old man Burdock has moved on and the place hasn't been the same since, but the hordes still join the inevitable queue at Dublin's famous 100-year-old takeout fish-and-chips shop. You can't eat here, but why would you anyway, when you can sit in the gardens of St. Patrick's Cathedral a few minutes away. Fresh cod is a classic, and the battered sausage a particular Dublin favorite, but the real stars here are the long, thick, freshly cut chips, which have a slightly smoky aftertaste.
Look like a local and ask to season your chips with "crispy bits."
This unassuming little shop on Francis Street conjures up some of the best pastries in town. There's no seating in this powerhouse patisserie, but long counters allow space for perching your coffee and tucking into the finest sweet and savory treats. Try the tomato, basil, aubergine, and goat cheese quiche or the hearty duck pie; or simply take afternoon tea with a pear tartlet or scone. Expect queues at lunchtime, and buy in bulk for the tastiest of take-out picnics.
You might not expect to come to Dublin for fabulous Nepalese cuisine, but this place is a real standout. The decor is nothing to write home about, but the food at this little eatery in the middle of bustling Temple Bar is as authentic as it is unique. Kachela, raw minced lamb with garlic, ginger, herbs, and spices, served with roti bread (a delicacy among the Newars of Kathmandu) or a shot of whiskey, is a more adventurous starter. For a main course try momos, dumplings served with momo chutney, a favorite street dish in Kathmandu.
The stuffed fox on the wall with the pistol in his hand inspired the name of this warm, gamy, stylish new eatery in a Georgian basement conveniently located near the Gate Theatre. The chef-owner graduated from a Michelin-star kitchen and he brings that elevated standard to the seasonal, fixed-price menu, with dishes like venison with parsnip, black pudding, chestnut, and blackberries. Lighter choices include a roast barley risotto, with pickled mushrooms and smoked ricotta. The staff at Mr Fox know their wines and love nothing more than to match a bottle to your meal choice. The cozy little bar is perfect for a predinner tipple.
There's a fine line between re-creating tradition and looking like a theme bar, but Nancy Hands just about pulls it off. A galleylike room juxtaposes old wood, raw brick, and antiques with contemporary art to create a convivial, cozy dining area. The quality is high for bar food, with the rib-eye steak a standout. Other popular mains include the schnitzel with seasonal veg and a pie of the week with hand-cut fries and house salad. Numerous wines are served by the glass, and the selection of spirits is one of the most impressive in the country.
The hodgepodge collection of old tablecloths, cutlery, and cups creates a warm, family atmosphere in this sweet little café on the balcony level of the Powerscourt Town House Centre. Weary shoppers resuscitate with the simple menu, fresh-baked goods, TLC, and wonderful people-watching. The soups and sandwiches are top-notch but the salads have a cult following. Tarts are seasonal and cakes are old-school; the Victoria sponge and lemon and poppy seed are two standouts.
While the bistro food at this Ballsbridge stalwart is always top-class, it's the jovial atmosphere and superb service that keep locals coming back. It's famed for the wine list, with great options by the glass, and that certainly helps to explain the wonderful buzz that always seems to be about this popular neighborhood place. For a starter try the Dublin Bay prawn bisque. The grilled hake with linguine, wild mushrooms, artichokes, and tarragon cream is a standout main course.
Sitting atop the stylish Mayson Hotel, this rooftop steak house is all about the views, with walls of floor-to-ceiling windows offering vistas of Dublin Bay and the mountains beyond. Decked out in dark wood and leather booths, the sleek interior is contemporary-cool meets 1930s saloon. Meat is the star of the menu, with quality steaks complemented with delicious sides like Parmesan and tarragon fries. Alternative mains include grilled sea bream with caper lemon dressing. The pear and almond ricotta cake is the perfect cap to a great meal.
A great-value, Middle Eastern delight hidden away in the Chester Beatty Library, the Silk Road Café has a buffet-style menu always full of exotic surprises. The light-filled atrium (Tuesday–Friday 10 am–4:45 pm, Saturday 11 am–4:45 pm, and Sunday 1–4:45 pm) and serene atmosphere make you want to linger longer than you should.
This tiny café and takeout shop serves an astonishing array of fresh soups daily. They come in three sizes, and you can get vegetarian soup or soups with meat- or fish-based broth; best bets include pumpkin chili and coconut; fragrant Thai chicken; beef chili; and hearty mussel, potato, and leek. The friendly staff make fine coffee and delicious smoothies. The cost of soup includes bread and a piece of fruit for dessert—an excellent value—and there's also a decent grab-and-go breakfast.
A genuine trattoria in the heart of crazy Temple Bar, Toscana buzzes with chatter all evening long and offers a popular pre-theater menu. A Mediterranean slant to the simple dining room includes plenty of Italian landscapes, cream tones, and wood. A typical starter is the traditional Tuscan bean soup. For a main try the seafood risotto with copious fresh mussels, prawns, and clams. The meat and pizza dishes are also always reliable, and the sticky toffee pudding is a dessert that will send you home with a smile on your face.
Once Dublin's favorite secondhand bookshop–café, the Winding Stair now houses an atmospheric, buzzing little restaurant, with old wooden floors, simple decor, a downstairs bookshop, and grand views of the Ha'penny Bridge and the river Liffey. Hearty portions of upscale traditional Irish food rely on Irish-only ingredients; the pork chop with crispy pigs’ ears and hispi cabbage is a standout. Upstairs, former habitués will enjoy seeing the old bookcases around the walls (some of which are now stacked with wine). An inventive wine list and a wonderful Irish farmhouse-cheese selection are two more treats on offer, and your sweet tooth insists that you try the rice pudding with melted plums.
The open plan and family-style tables have kept Yamamori popular with noodle addicts and the younger, hipster crowd. The meals-in-a-bowl are a splendid slurping experience, and although you'll be supplied with a small Chinese-style soup spoon, the best approach is with chopsticks. The bento box combo meal is the best value in town. The seafood yaki soba, stir-fried egg noodles with a combination of fresh seafood and seasonal vegetables with wakame (an edible seaweed), is a favorite example. You can also get sushi and sashimi, delicious chicken teriyaki, or house specials like baked lobster.
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