Forest Avenue

After 12 years the stars finally align in Dublin 4

Posted:

10 Mar 2026

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Written by:

Lisa Cope

What's happening with Forest Avenue?

Well they've only gone and done it. Twelve and a half years after opening Forest Avenue on Sussex Terrace in Dublin 4, Michelin finally awarded John and Sandy Wyer the star that so many of the city's chefs and diners have been screaming they should have gotten a long time ago.

Forest Avenue was one of the many Phoenixes that rose out of Dublin's recessionary ashes, carving out a new path for modern Irish cooking. This new era was marked by chefs with their own distinctive style, a strong focus on Irish produce, and a genuine desire (not just marketing bluff) to work with whatever the season brought. There was a bit of Scandi influence, a bit of French, some Japanese techniques, but it's always been about technical perfection - hold the fuss.

In case it's all somehow passed over your head... John's from Cork, Sandy's from Queens, New York. The restaurant's named after the street she grew up in. They met while working in restaurants in Germany, before moving back to Cork, then Spain, then Dublin where Sandy worked in Chapter One, and they both worked at L'Ecrivain (him as head chef, her as head pastry chef). They had a stint as full time tutors at the Dublin Cookery School, before experimenting with supper club style pop ups around 2011, building a buzzy, insider fan base. When they opened the doors on Sussex Terrace in 2013, things blew up instantly.

One of the biggest talking points about this couple is how far they're able to spread themselves without quality taking a hit. They currently run this Michelin-starred restaurant, modern French bistro Forêt next door, neighbourhood Italian Little Forest in Blackrock, and bakery Una in Ranelagh, all considered to be operating on the top rungs of their respective ladders. They make it all look very easy, when in reality we know it's very, very hard.

Where should we sit?

We have bad memories of being festooned up on the mezzanine here for a special occasion a long time ago, but that area above the restaurant thankfully now seems to be kept for storage. We've always liked the bar and counter seats in here, and they make solo Michelin-starred dining that much easier without the stress of taking up a table for two.

Otherwise you'll want a table further in with a bird's eye view of the large, open kitchen, where owner John Wyer gets up to all kinds of magic with a small chef team rowing in behind him.

What's the menu like?

There's the expected Michelin-starred tasting menu (€95), but also a three course menu at a lower price (€78), available on Wednesdays and Thursdays only for tables of five or less. It's a good way to get the starry experience with a bit less food and wallet damage, but we're only ever going all in somewhere like this (and recommend you do the same).

The tasting menu was a thrilling experience from start to end, with that technical precision that's finally won them the star slapping you in the face with every bite from every plate, and some unexpected surprises that pushed the excitement factor further. There was nothing sloppy, ill-cooked, added to a dish without good reason, and it's the type of cooking, assembly and flavour development that makes your own kitchen efforts look like they belong in the bin. Here's what we had.

Yellow carrot and Dublin Bay Prawn shell bisque: A wildly good, wildly intense seafood opener, showing the levels of flavour that can be achieved with two of the most beautiful ingredients from Dublin soils and sea right now — **Yellow carrot and Dublin Bay Prawn shell bisque:** A wildly good, wildly intense seafood opener, showing the levels of flavour that can be achieved with two of the most beautiful ingredients from Dublin soils and sea right now

Coolea cheese, onion and thyme tart: Bury us with five of these in each hand. Short pastry, sweet onion, herby thyme, creamy gouda-like mousse. Could we have topped out at snack #2? — **Coolea cheese, onion and thyme tart:** Bury us with five of these in each hand. Short pastry, sweet onion, herby thyme, creamy gouda-like mousse. Could we have topped out at snack #2?

Beetroot, smoked yoghurt and tamarind: A shatteringly crisp beetroot roll, filled with a tangy tamarind beetroot paste on one end, and smoked yoghurt on the other (mother of God), all of it leading to a smoky, tangy, crispy palate explosion

Cod belly, barbecued leek, Vadouvan: Diving deep into a creamy, curried sauce for juicy chunks of cod and burnished strands of leek, we genuinely worried that they were peaking too early, and nothing was going to top these snacks

Yellow fin tuna, blood orange and Japanese spinach: A surprise snack, as seen on their Instagram feed the previous week. A palate cleansing beauty we'd take over a sorbet any day — **Yellow fin tuna, blood orange and Japanese spinach:** A surprise snack, as seen on their Instagram feed the previous week. A palate cleansing beauty we'd take over a sorbet any day

The one and only Forest Avenue sourdough with whipped butter: Never fails to emit all the ooohs and aaaahs and "why can't I get this crust at home" — **The one and only Forest Avenue sourdough with whipped butter:** Never fails to emit all the ooohs and aaaahs and "why can't I get this crust at home"

Parsnip soup: Another surprise, sweet and earthy with pine nuts coming up like hidden jewels with each spoon. Unanimously voted "the nicest parsnip soup I've ever tasted", and ideally timed for finishing off that last speck of sourdough you told yourself you were too restrained to finish

Hand-dived scallop crudo, apple, smoked cashew nut, horseradish granita: A light, refreshing start to the larger plates, full of zingy apple, crunchy nuts and a kick of heat from the horseradish — **Hand-dived scallop crudo, apple, smoked cashew nut, horseradish granita:** A light, refreshing start to the larger plates, full of zingy apple, crunchy nuts and a kick of heat from the horseradish

Cod, white asparagus, sauce of fermented rice, almond, trout roe: A snow white piece of fish flaking into a creamy, tangy sauce, almond paste adding depth and richness, the white asparagus bringing a mild bitterness, although we didn't think the sliced mushrooms on top added anything — **Cod, white asparagus, sauce of fermented rice, almond, trout roe:** A snow white piece of fish flaking into a creamy, tangy sauce, almond paste adding depth and richness, the white asparagus bringing a mild bitterness, although we didn't think the sliced mushrooms on top added anything

Duck boudin with prune and jus noisette: A pre-cursor to the next duck course, and presumably a way to make the most of the bird. A very rich duck sausage made from duck livers and prunes, with an equally rich brown butter sauce, lifted by shallots and lemon juice. Into belt opening territory now — **Duck boudin with prune and jus noisette:** A pre-cursor to the next duck course, and presumably a way to make the most of the bird. A very rich duck sausage made from duck livers and prunes, with an equally rich brown butter sauce, lifted by shallots and lemon juice. Into belt opening territory now

Thornhill duck, yeasted parsnip, sauce charcuterie: If you think of duck as chewy and fatty, this is the antidote. Butter soft flesh served pink, crispy skin that looks like it was barbecued, exceptionally rendered fat, and the sauce game here is biting at Chapter One's heels — **Thornhill duck, yeasted parsnip, sauce charcuterie:** If you think of duck as chewy and fatty, this is the antidote. Butter soft flesh served pink, crispy skin that looks like it was barbecued, exceptionally rendered fat, and the sauce game here is biting at Chapter One's heels

Chocolate cremeux, celeriac ice-cream, manzanilla: Anyone who can make vegetable ice-cream this sweet and delicious deserves a star for that alone. A simple enough construction, but all of the elements sang solo and together — **Chocolate cremeux, celeriac ice-cream, manzanilla:** Anyone who can make vegetable ice-cream this sweet and delicious deserves a star for that alone. A simple enough construction, but all of the elements sang solo and together

Croissant pudding with chestnut butter: These little bites on the side completely stole the show. You knew when they hit someone's table as the yummy noises because audibly louder. A very clever use of old croissants from their bakery Una — **Croissant pudding with chestnut butter:** These little bites on the side completely stole the show. You knew when they hit someone's table as the yummy noises because audibly louder. A very clever use of old croissants from their bakery Una

A surprise petit four of a carrot and vanilla choux bun to end: Technically perfect (of course), more vegetables in dessert (we love), did not need another bite at this point (but when has that stopped us) — **A surprise petit four of a carrot and vanilla choux bun to end:** Technically perfect (of course), more vegetables in dessert (we love), did not need another bite at this point (but when has that stopped us)

There's a common complaint about Michelin starred restaurants (that mainly seems to emanate from men) that there's never enough food, that they had to stop at the chipper on the way home or make themselves a sandwich when they got in. This will not be a problem here. We absolutely, completely, undoubtedly overate, our stomachs left us in no doubt of that, so if that's a sticking point for you or someone in your life, don't worry - no chipper will be needed.

What should we drink?

Forest Avenue doesn't have the longest wine list in the world - good news if your dining companions are fed up of you taking 30 minutes to decide on a bottle while their lips remain parched - but there's a nice variety of carefully chosen styles and countries, with prices starting at €39. There's also an optional wine pairing at a peak price of €90. They would want to be some nice bottles for that price, and they are, with Champagne and high end Californian Pinot Noir among the pours.

We think their own-bottled, gamay-based Burgundy (also available in Forêt next door) is super value at €48 - a nicely acidic, medium bodied red to see you through multiple dishes without much jarring. We also enjoyed a crémant from Alsace producer Albert Mann (€17 btg), and a bone-dry, golden-hued Austrian Riesling from Weinrieder (€18 btg).

How was the service?

Pleasant, but at times lacking in warmth. Service felt quite subdued, and sometimes dishes landed without introductions and descriptions of what exactly they were - "this is your duck", before walking off being the most memorable. Each time we called someone back they were able to give us detailed descriptions of each sauce, crumb, cream and general culinary flourish, but it became a mild tension point when waiting for the next dish to arrive that we might have to lasso the person who brought it back to the table to pepper them with questions all over again. It would have been a nice touch to have the main man occasionally leave the kitchen to deliver a dish too.

What was the bill?

Since gaining that all important star, prices have unsurprisingly risen. The evening tasting menu has gone from €85 to €95, and the three course has gone from €60 - €78 (maybe with more Michelin flourishes included?). €95 still makes this the cheapest Michelin-starred tasting menu in Dublin, with Variety Jones coming in next at €100, and Bastible after that at €110. We spent just shy of €160pp for food, wine and an optional service charge.

What's the verdict on Forest Avenue?

Fervent fans might disagree, but for us, the food at Forest Avenue is the best it's ever been - maybe those Michelin lads do know something? There's no denying this star was hard fought and well deserved, and to let the continued overlook push you on instead of beating you down is something to be commended on. The new award and resulting price tag has pushed it out of the neighbourhood restaurant realm and into the special occasion one, but the food was there anyway so this is just the last piece of the puzzle.