Dublin Restaurant News

- Irish Times restaurant critic Corinna Hardgrave sadly passed last week after a battle with cancer. Her funeral in Templeogue on Saturday was standing room only, with no dry eyes left by the end, and you can read a lovely obituary of her here. If you have any spare cash this month you might make a donation in her name to Breast Cancer Ireland - New opening Banba took a lot of people by surprise this week, but we're told head chef Ross Bryans has been working on it for the

Something very exciting is coming to Dublin next week, and this one's been kept very well under wraps. ATF Insiders are getting the chance to try Chef Ross Bryans' new Irish-produce focused restaurant before anyone else, with a huge 50% off the bill for one night only on Wednesday 14th October. Banba opens on Harcourt Street next Friday 16th October, in a Georgian townhouse behind The Dean (its parent company), with a double-height dining room, an open kitchen, and serious pe

There are some dishes that are just iconically Dublin right now, whose images need no accompanying description, so well are they recognised as part of the food fabric of the city. The ones that diners go back for again and again, and that restaurants are too afraid to take off the menu in case customers start a revolt. We've compiled what we think are Dubin's 32 most iconic dishes, in need of no introduction, with help from you guys, and want to see how many you've had the pl

From a parting glance at one season to a fully-fledged embrace of another; a hero ingredient served up eight ways in one dish; to another inspiring a whole menu; there’s a lot to get your teeth around in Dublin this week... 1) Pear, vanilla and pecan tuille, Volumes Mother. Of. Mercy. We liked Volumes plenty on our initial recon at the start of the year but their strength-to-strength surge on the patisserie front especially has us plotting a return visit. Landing ex-Ellio

Even if the temperature hasn’t told us yet, the stacks of pumpkins showing up all over town have - autumn is upon us. And as summery courgettes give way to their orange cousins in the seasonal squash relay race, we’re seeing a sudden glut on Dublin menus. If pumpkin sucks up a lot of the attention, the humble apple is just as much an autumnal MVP – here’s where to go to get the best of both, plus plenty more of the season’s best bounties... Pumpkin benedict, Urbanity You ca

A Two Pups wine bar? Is this Notions on the Northside? Not quite. The tiny Two Pups Fairview is trying a weekend pivot into wine and snacks, with a limited menu and no bookings, so it'll only really appeal to spontaneous locals with no fear of being turned away. Is there much seating? Again, no. There are five tables outside (no heaters may become problematic when temperatures fall), and one counter in the window inside, sitting four-five at a push. Is it just wine? W

- Irish farmers showed up outside Sole on Friday afternoon to protest the restaurant's use of non free-range, Dutch chicken in their €35 chicken supreme. Here's hoping owner Larry Murrin finally gets the boot from his chairman position at Bord Bia - City centre wine bar Piglet is closing after 11 years in Temple Bar. They didn't give details about what led to the decision, but owner Thibaut Harang has been spending a lot of time in his partner's bakery, Baked & Bottled in A

- In case you miss this week's cheese gate, here's a recap. We went to the new Sano Pasta and were taken aback to find a €1 charge on the bill for grated cheese on our pasta. We published our review on Tuesday and much conversation was had on the topic, then on Thursday the Irish Independent published Katy McGuinness' review with similar gripes to ours, but she was charged €1.50 per plate for grated cheese! A reader then contacted us saying she'd visited and was charged 50c.

Our 35 hottest list features the most talked about restaurants in Dublin right now, based on column inches, Insta love and the general pain involved in getting a booking. There are the restaurants with all the buzz, in alphabetical order, with SIX new entries for Autumn 2026... (It might also be useful to read our guide on how to tables in the top ten hardest to book restaurants in Dublin) * This list doesn't include cafés or lunch-only options, everywhere here is open for di

In recent years we’ve sometimes struggled to scrape together enough new openings of interest to fill a roundup every few months. Now we could nearly work one up for Capel Street alone. The Northside hub has no fewer than five new arrivals, all at once, but fret not if that's not your usual hood – there’s plenty more opening across the city and suburbs to stick on your autumn hitlist... Chongqing Noodles, Capel Street Let’s start our stroll along Capel Street from the sout

What’s with all the Italian sandwiches? They’re getting to be like Dublin buses – you wait around for one for ages and then they all appear at once (or drop off the screen like you hallucinated their existence). Given the queues still snaking out of Morso on Drury Street and Stoneybatter’s Banco months on from opening, there seems to be more than enough market to support yet more sammidges all’italiana. Are they just hopping on the bandwagon? To be fair – despite the “N

We've got beef sandwiches on the brain, humita in our hearts, and caramel brûlée croobes on the most wanted list. Strap yourself in for five reasons to get out there and eat this week... 1) Sunday roast schiacciata, Morso After groaning our way through the porchetta sandwich at Morso last week (seriously, have you tasted it?), we have an admittedly unhealthy obsession going on. So did we need another reason to visit? Absolutely not. But the sight of their Sunday roast schiacc

- Hey Annie, the third opening from the Mister S/Featherblade guys is taking shape on Suffolk Street! - Malahide's Town Yard is gearing up for its Blackrock opening - Chef Adrian has risen from the dead once again... - Corinna Hardgrave asks the question we've been asking for years this week in the Irish Times - how can Howth's Mamó not have a Michelin star? - Harry's Nutbutter have won €50,000 to produce a TV ad and a national campaign! - Nevin Maguire's MacNean Ho

A five-star hotel stay with a Michelin-starred tasting menu; four new openings to experience on us, and tickets to a very exciting Stoneybatter supper club - here's the nine prizes you're going in the draw for in September if you're an ATF Insider (i.e. the best people). As an ad and invite-free website, ATF Insiders is how we operate autonomously, ensuring every recommendation is made without bias, and that reviews are honest and not bought via gifts from external forces. Ev

- ATF Insiders had a preview of Fuoco in Ranelagh tonight and it was goooood. That room! Those skewers! Some easy pre-opening tweaks to be made but we think this one is gona fly. Take our advice and book in asap before it gets even harder to get a table - Sano's new pasta place totally caught us on the hop this week. With freshly made pasta from €9 - €15 a plate we're praying to all the Gods that this isn't a let down - Malahide's please all bistro Town Yard is filling th

Where did this new opening come from? A few weeks ago a new noodle restaurant with a permanent queue opened on Capel Street, in the old Soup Dragon site. There's nothing more intriguing than a line for food, and you know we're getting into that line asap. With just 14 seats inside, and one small table outside sitting two-three, they told us we could wait outside for 20-25 minutes until a table came free, but eventually agreed to call us so we could wander Capel Street. Is i

Please, not another matcha café That’s not quite the pitch here, even if it is likely to prove part of the draw. A bigger trend in the city that Nippon-Kan is riding is multi-purpose usage – all the better to meet the crippling rent costs that put paid to previous tenant, booze-free bar The Virgin Mary. This new don’t-call-it-a-café from the folks behind Daruma boasts big things to come across the three distinct spaces that make up the site, and a much more sensible plan th

Autumn has officially arrived, or at least the clouds have, but we’re still holding out for those brief flashes of Dublin sunshine. Thankfully September’s specials are giving us plenty of reasons to embrace the new season. Here are the fab five we can’t stop thinking about this week... 1) Blackberry medovyk sour cream croissant, Elliot’s Elliot’s has several September specials, but the blackberry medovyk sour cream croissant had our eyes feeling bigger than our stomachs. Laye

- Glovers Alley by Adam Nevin opens this Friday, with ATF Insiders getting a preview on Friday night. The Irish Times published a first look here too - Goats Gruff have lost their two year battle with Fingal County Council to keep their coffee, sandwich and pizza truck alive in the Strawberry Beds. We have no words... - Hanoi Hanoi, the rarely spoken about Vietnamese on Capel Street, has closed after 11 years - Couple Katie and David Bradshaw handed over the reins of Fr

Fuoco, the new Italian-inspired opening in Ranelagh from the same people behind Michelin-listed Parrilla and Mak, opens on Tuesday 15th September, but we've got an exclusive preview for ATF Insiders on Sunday 13th September with 30% off the bill! While the guys settle into their dark and cosy dining room, Mediterranean-style cooking and great drinks, you can be the guinea pigs to test out dishes like crispy polenta chips with crab, mortadella skewers with pistachio crumb, and

- Vegan and vegetarian Belfast restaurant Jumon has opened its first pop up Dublin location on South William Street in the old Mercado 52 site (which we hear is plagued with problems). They're initially open until early 2027 and opening weekend reports sound promising - Bread 41 are coming back to Blackrock! And the Northside screams on... - Sushi & Go have opened their third location in Dundrum TC - the Sushisa/Zakura guys are not hanging around with this brand - Tacos

Why is a Dublin restaurant guide talking about a pub and restaurant in Wicklow? Because GLENDALOUGH. We all talk about doing it, suggest doing it, mean to do it more regularly, but without a food-based carrot at the end of an activity stick we struggle to commit to just about anything. Well consider this a carrot of titanic proportions, and the best excuse for an 8km hike since you trekked from the Electric Picnic carpark to the campsite. What are the essential must-knows

What’s the lowdown on Lulu’s? We should have believed them when they said they’re “not a restaurant”. We’d taken it in the sense that it's more trattoria as the storefront announces, but on our first Friday visit there’s very little food at all - just pizzette. It was aperitivo hour’s €2 cicchetti more than wine that lured us to Lulu’s, but no harm. A glass in hand, the world passing by a people-watching perch up front -we enjoy the atmosphere and plot a return.

Steak frites but make it bigger and better; spenny chocolate cake but make it sexier; sandwiches but make them sunnier - the colour, flavour and imagination dials are turned to the top in Dublin this week. Here's what made our hit list... 1) Ribeye steak frites, Hera If you imagine steak frites as a simple bistro-style slip of a thing with some crunchy fries on the side, prepared to be dazzled and amazed by the one at Hera. A 9oz, aged ribeye comes swimming in green peppercor

Glovers Alley reopens this September with one of Ireland's most exciting young chefs at the helm, and we've managed to secure a very special preview for ATF Insiders on Friday 4th September, before doors officially open on Wednesday 9th September. Adam Nevin is taking over following Andy McFadden's departure, and if you've been following him over the last few years, you'll know this is a big deal for Dublin. He took over The Morrison Room at Carton House in September 2023,

- The brothers behind Coppinger and Row Wines are opening a new all-day restaurant, Onóra, in new aparthotel The July on Capel Street this October. They're promising Irish produce “through a European lens" so we're expecting similar food to their other restaurants - Goat's Gruff have opened their much anticipated restaurant in Castleknock, and the snippets of menu and plates we've seen so far look even more exciting than we were expecting - Fade Street Social have launched a

A five-star stay in Dublin city centre, multiple meals out across Dublin, and luxury food deliveries - here's the nine prizes you're going in the draw for this August if you're one of our premium subscribers (i.e. our favourite people). As an ad and invite-free website, ATF Insiders is how we operate autonomously, ensuring every recommendation is made without bias, and that reviews are honest and not bought via gifts from external forces. Everyone who signs up for ATF Insider

Scallop tartare; barbecued tomatillos; peach on pizza - you don't even need to go outside to tell you what season it is, the plates this week are screaming it... 1) Scallop tartare, Mister S Mister S are sporadic Instagrammers, but their announcements are always worth waiting for. They're seeing summer out in lip-smacking style with this scallop tartare with charred piquillo pepper, shallot and cucumber brunoise (tiny dice), tarragon, smoked Chardonnay vinaigrette and grated

What’s the story with La La Burger? There isn’t much worth queueing for around the IFSC, so we weren’t the only ones shocked to see a snaking line of salivating punters packing the footpaths outside the Harbourmaster in March. It wasn’t €7.70 pints of Guinness they were out the door for, but a peculiarly placed In-N-Out Burger popup. The California chain’s milkshakes might have brought all the boys to the yard, but this was less a market toe-dipping than planting a flag les

We play favourites with the seasons every time the latest one comes round, but it’s hard to claim summer doesn’t have an in-built advantage. Pop into any farmer’s market about town and you’ll see heaving shelves of stone fruit alongside crates of courgettes, all kinds of currants competing for your eye with ten types of tomatoes. So broad’s the bounty that we compiled this best-in-season list without once repeating a single star ingredient. Now how will autumn top that? Car

- Damange control was enacted this week after last week's PR disaster for the group behind China Hunan, China Song and Little Canton (among others). The group released an "open letter" from their staff on social media which was later deleted from Instagram (you can still find it on Facebook here), and director Ian Keegan went on RTE Radio to defend the housing situation and say the group would no longer be renting transitional housing for new recruits. He said that staff memb

- A PR nightmare today for the owners of China Hunan, Hakkahan and Little Canton, who've been discovered housing 34 staff members in a four bedroom house in Killiney, suffering from damp and mould. The owners are blaming "a perfect storm" and an inability to find other accommodation, but this one is going to be hard to recover from - The opening of new café Supp in Finglas has been delayed due to a €2000 chair mistake among others - Do you stalk fishmonger Sebastian Skill

Dublin has just never smashed brunch the way other cities like London or Melbourne do, with menu after menu featuring the same eggs/hash/pancakes combo that's tried and tested and just plain 'oul safe. But those times are a changing, and these seven new-ish brunches have entered the chat to shake things up. From pizza brunch to crème brûlée porridge, crab rolls to congee, here's some options for when you've had your fill of eggs benedict and avo toast... Cora, Lucan Cora

Expansions, second sites, and summer popups gone permanent – if there’s a theme to thread in the latest batch of new openings around town, it’s established names stepping up and striking out to big(ger) new things... Nippon-Kan, Capel Street Are we at peak matcha yet? Not if the opening crowds at Nippon-Kan are anything to go by. The new Capel Street café has slipped into the space previously occupied by ill-fated booze-free bar The Virgin Mary, and comes from the folks b

Seafood is for life, not just for summer, but it definitely shines in these sunnier months when meaty mains and richer dishes feel like a bit too much in those warmer temperatures. From palate-livening combos like gildas and sherry, to fresh-as-it-gets seaside spots, to everywhere leaning into lobster season, here's where we're going in Dublin to get the best seafood now and all year round... The Seafood Café, Fownes Street Niall Sabongi’s Temple Bar mainstay The Seafood Café

Our first sighting of blackcurrants; crab cannoli; and a chicken caesar slice are just some of the thing enticing us out of the house and into that muggy air this week. Here's the top five things we want to eat in Dublin this week... 1) Blackcurrant and honey twist, Scéal Bakery Scéal have released this month's seasonal Danish and it's a summertime cracker. They've been playing around with the shape of their pastries and came up with this twist, brushed it with a tart Irish b

- Lulu's, a new Italian wine bar from the former restaurant director of Allta has opened on Aungier Street. There's wine, "foldies" and "sexy tunes" apparently -Those crazy cats over at the unfortunately named "Foxy Lounge" have rebranded as "Foxy Bistro" under apparent "new ownership", but would a new owner keep that terrible name? Our money's on the Insta-drama loving couple in question splitting and one of them taking it forward - we'll have our eyes peeled for more - Afte

Mark Moriarty's new restaurant and events space Mark Moriarty Studio opens on Friday 7th August, but we've secured 40 seats across two exclusive preview dinners for ATF Insiders, at a reduced price, AND there's Champagne on the house. Hidden beneath Wilton Park Studios in Dublin 2, this isn't your traditional restaurant. It's part creative studio, part test kitchen, part event space, and every Friday night it turns into what's going to be one of Dublin's most intimate dinin

- The Instagram page for Host's new restaurant Okela has gone live! And excitement is at World Cup final levels. In Basque it means "meat" or "beef" and we're expecting big things. HUGE - Asian-inspired, Belfast-based restaurant Jumon is opening location number two in Dublin, on South William Street where Mercado 52 used to be. The menu looks like all kinds of delish so we're excited for this one - Lala Burger has opened in Kimmage - Very sad news in Dublin 8 that The W

A new speakeasy experience for two; Korean fried chicken and cocktails; food festival tickets, and so much more! And everyone with an active ATF Insiders subscription will go automatically into the draw. You just need to sit back and wait for one of our "you've won!" emails. As an ad and invite-free website, ATF Insiders is how we operate independently, ensuring every recommendation is made without bias, and that reviews are honest and not bought by dark forces. Everyone who

What’s the story with Banco? The queues speak for themselves – not since 2008 have we seen such a run on a Banco around here. The new Italian bakery from Roberto Mungo is the third tricolour he’s planted on Stoneybatter’s main street, and one rallied to by locals and blow-ins alike with the same fervour as his still-packed Grano and neighbouring wine bar A Fianco. What should we get? Planning, for one – arrive at the wrong time and you’ll spend half your day in a hangry

We all know that salad and sunshine go together like… well, tasty cold food and hot weather. We’re officially at that time of the year where eating salad for at least one meal a day stops being an unchecked item on your to-do list, and turns into an activity to plan your day, and Insta stories, around. Here's where to head for when you can't possibly face a hot meal... Sprout, various locations in Dublin We think it's safe to say that the most loved place in Dublin for a sala

Make like you're in Rome with some fritti, in the Middle East with lamb Arayes, or get your feet back on homegrown with an all-Ireland all-star sandwich line up. And don't get us started on those July bakery specials or we'll be going for a good 10 minutes. Here's what we really really want to eat in Dublin this week... 1) Charred lamb arayes, Chubby's We've lost count of how many times Clontarf's Chubby's has appeared on the list of things we most want to eat that week - don

- Cúán Greene's new guesthouse and restaurant Ómós opened this week, with a flurry of breathless press and influencer posts after the great and good were invited to a preview lunch in Abbeyleix. Rooms start at €450 a night going up to €820, and dinner will set you back €175pp so you're looking at a minimum €1k spend per night if you're planning a trip. Most declared it as a press event, but it was disappointing to see mainstream publication The Gloss sharing their visit as "a

Summer sun means seafood spectaculars all round, and all we want this week are seafood crudo, sparkling cod, and lobster rolls. If you're similarly minded, read on for the five things we most want to eat in Dublin this week... 1) Seabass crudo with cucumber aguachile, Mister S This seabass crudo with cucumber aguachile and dill oil hit the Mister S menu a few weeks ago, beautifully timed with last week's heatwave. There's another hot spell en route later this week if you want

What’s the story with Nino's? Endless ingenuity came out of the Covid 19 pandemic, and that's how Nino's started life. Originally food truck Doughbox, opened by former dental clinic manager Anthony Power, they migrated into a full restaurant attached to The Brook Pub in Portrane in 2024. The same team are also behind Pronto on Pearse Street, serving handmade pasta and Neapolitan pizza out of Moss Lane. North Co Dub isn't exactly overflowing with inspiring restaurants, so we

From a glut of homegrown seasonal ingredients to the best gelato for keeping the next heatwave at bay; suntrap seats to seaside strolls; summer spritzes to beers and birria; here's all the best things to have on your eating and drinking to-do list for summer 2026 in Dublin... For your best shot at getting into what’s still the hottest space in town: Chubby’s, Clontarf Advance plans at Barry and Jen Stephens’ instantly-iconic space in Clontarf have gotten a little less har

- A restaurant bombshell dropped this week with the news that Allta is closing at the end of the year. Chef Niall Davidson is putting on a brave face, but they've long been plagued with question marks over whether their out of the way location would work, as well as a few too many accusations of poor customer service in their online reviews - Chef Mark Moriarty's new restaurant and private dining space "Studio" opens at Wilton Park in August. They'll be doing private events

- It was a banger of a week for Parrilla in Ranelagh who woke up on Wednesday to the news they'd been added to the Michelin Guide. They were called "Lively, loud and simply wonderful fun", with inspectors praising the "lightning-fast transport to Mexico". The Station House in Meath were also added to the guide - Little Canton opened this week on Stephen Street where Nan Chinese used to be. Their free food for the first 50 people through the door had the desired effect of cr

Last year an off the cuff Instagram story on supermarket pricing turned into a deluge of recommendations from our readers on their all time favourite products from Dunnes, Supervalu, Tesco, Aldi and Lidl. We've asked again for 2026 and got a whole host of new recommendations of products we never knew existed, and have put them all into updated spreadsheets for your shopping pleasure. This week we've got your can't leave there without products from Lidl and Aldi. Find our read