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Cheesecake perfection, savoury Japanese doughnuts, and a bread and butter pudding to make you feel warm whatever the weather. Saddle up for the five (sweet) things we most want to eat in Dublin this week... 1) Basque cheesecake, Elliot's It's been on the menu since day one in Elliot's , but this slice of Basque cheesecake is looking as luxuriously wobbly as ever. It could be enjoyed on their outdoor seating if the temperamental Autumn weather holds up, but bringing it home is a worthy alternative - although that could lead to looking at flights to San Sebastián. 2) Bread and butter pudding, Minetta Deli Minetta Deli is situated at Sutton Cross, making it the perfect stop off if you're heading back from Howth towards anywhere else in the city. This bread and butter pudding looks like exactly the kind of comforting, homely treat you'd want after a walk on the Howth cliffs, being battered and frozen by those Irish Autumn winds. 3) Apple and cinnamon cake, Bread 41 Autumn in Ireland means a number of things - we've already complained about the weather twice, but the arrival of autumnal produce is one of the things we look forward to every September. Using apples garnered from their brilliant barter program, Bread 41 have come up with this cosy apple and cinnamon loaf cake with a maple glaze, brown sugar cinnamon streusel and orange zest. Yum. 4) Blackberry & plum umeboshi doughnut, Woodruff We had to look up umeboshi, but the idea of sour and salty pickled plums, tart blackberries, sweet white chocolate and indulgent crème pâtissière in a doughnut sounds like a spectacular, yet perfectly balanced mouthful. We need more 'out there' doughnut fillings in Dublin, and kudos to Woodruff for hopefully kicking off a trend. 5) Nectarine and burrata salad, Happy Out This salad from Happy Out x Together Academy at the Dun Laoghaire Baths looks perfect for a lunch when you're on a health kick after getting out of the freezing cold environs of the Irish sea. The combination of nectarine, tomato, burrata, basil and pine nuts sounds and looks beautifully fresh, and like the perfect reward/antidote after a bracing sea swim.

What should we know about The Saucy Cow? 2022 saw The Saucy Cow move into more permanent pastures, after three years at Eatyard in The Bernard Shaw. Down the cobbled Crane Lane in Temple Bar - you know the one that has the permanent Merry Christmas signage - you’ll find this vegan junk food mecca. With the closure of so many great vegan spots lately, we were relieved to see its bright orange doors still open when we showed up for an impromptu weekend bite. Inside is pretty funky - industrial vibes with a Robyn Carey mural on the wall and a DJ booth to one side. Who said vegans didn’t like to party?! However we made the rookie mistake of arriving 45 minutes before closing time, which they weren’t overly enamoured with, and informed us that the toilets would be shutting soon. The service is very casual. It was unclear if it was table service or not, so we just went to the counter every time we needed something. What should we have? If we see a Buckfast BBQ burger on a menu, we’re going to order it. Known in the plant-based community as one of the best burgers in the city, the smashed beyond-meat patty topped with baby gem, onion rings, crispy jalapeños, and vegan gouda, was a smoky delight. You will not need to be vegan to enjoy this beaut of a burger. Their chick* burger - The Space Cowboy, made with a seitan patty - slightly missed the mark however, with the spicy BBQ sauce being overly sweet. Next time we would ditch the BBQ sauce and let the chipotle mayo do the talking. We couldn't resist the McDaddy loaded fries - a deconstructed Big Mac on waffle fries, vegano style. The burger sauce was on point, and the zingy pickles throughout made this one a great choice. The mushroom popcorn chick bites were winking at us, but other vegan junk food enthusiasts beat us to it. They told us that these tend to sell out - another reason to go earlier. Instead we went for the salt and chilli hash browns and the salt and chilli tofu. Both were €9, and considering you get six pieces of tofu and four pieces of hash brown, the tofu is the straight up steal. The winner of the meal however was the hash browns. If you ever felt like being punched in the face with flavour via some crispy potato, this is the place to go. The seasoning was a perfect balance of spicy and salty, with a hint of sweetness. Spice bag who? The smothering of sriracha mayo complimented it perfectly, and it wouldn’t be a Saucy Cow dish without lashings of sauce. What is there to drink? There’s an interesting selection of Karma soft drinks and kombuchas, as well as craft beer. Sadly there's no wine, but staff had no problem with us bringing our own bottle in and giving us glasses. Why should I go? If you’re feeling the need for fast food, with no animals harmed in the process, The Saucy Cow is your man. With a fully plant-based menu, vegans can relax with no worries about what to order, and their non-vegan friends should leave satisfied too. Just learn from our mistakes and go before 8pm. The Saucy Cow 19 Crane Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin, D02 R891 thesaucycow.com

Septembers's ATF Insider giveaways are here! And this month we've got a night in a city centre hotel, tickets to a Champagne supper club, restaurant vouchers for some of the city's best and loads more. Our ATF Insider subscription service is how we operate independently, ad and invite free, with everything featured on ATF paid for by us, so if you're not already signed up and get value from our content, we would love your support. Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight on Sunday 17th September will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Monday 18th September. Here's what's up for grabs... 1) An overnight stay in The Hendrick, Smithfield with breakfast, antipasti, and a bottle of wine worth €350 The Hendrick in Smithfield, Ireland's first street art hotel, is giving one lucky ATF Insider a night away in one of the city's most vibrant neighbourhoods. You'll enjoy bed and breakfast, with an antipasti board and a bottle of house wine the night before, amongst some of the hotel's 270 works of Irish and international art. The Hendrick is near The Lighthouse Cinema and The Cobblestone Pub if you fancy live music, or the countless restaurants, bars and bakeries of Smithfield - which we're always happy to provide recommendations for. (Excludes September, Bank Holiday weekends and key seasonal holidays) 2) €100 voucher for Pickle and a copy of Spice Box Sunil Ghai of Pickle has been at the forefront of Indian cuisine in Dublin for over a decade and has just released his first cook book, Spice Box - easy, everyday Indian food to cook at home. We know how many of you are big time Pickle fans so we're delighted to have a copy of the book to give away this month, along with a €100 voucher for Pickle, so you can get your fill of venison samosas, goat keema and masala cheese chilli naan, and get fired up for trying your hand at home. 3) A €120 voucher for the reopened Legal Eagle The Legal Eagle is reopening after an extended hiatus taken post-covid, while Underdog , the craft beer Mecca, slung their wares and kept the lights on. Their beloved gastropub tradition is still being honoured with their signature pickles, homemade crisps and treacle tarts, and the nose-to-tail vibes are still there with PX-braised ox cheek in bone marrow sauce, and Pigs on the Green chorizo with cider-braised onions. Feasting also takes pride of place with roast lamb, whole fish, wood-fired chicken and a host of sharing courses, and we've got a €120 voucher to give away this month so one of our Insiders can head in to take full advantage of their brand new bag. 4) Two tickets for a Champagne supper club at The Conrad The Coburg 's supper club is back with a Champagne and oyster instalment featuring one of our favs - Henriot . On Thursday 21st September, diners will enjoy four Champagnes from the Henriot catalogue, paired with oysters; goats cheese and beetroot; halibut in a Champagne and oyster sauce, and dessert, with tickets priced at €79. We've got two tickets for what sounds like a great night to give away, but if you can't wait to see if you're a winner you can reserve your place here . 5) A €150 voucher to spend at Cluck Chicken Cluck Chicken have been brightening up Walkinstown with their free-range, buttermilk-fried chicken burgers, tenders and wings since 2020, and now Tallaght has in on the action as they've just opened their first bricks and mortar site in The Square . To celebrate we've got a €150 voucher to give away to one ATF Insider this month, which will let you work your way through most of their menu, including the famous 'Mother Clucker hun bun', truffle parmesan tenders, and 'Banging Buffalo' loaded fries. See the menu here . 6) €100 to spend at Blossom Artisan Bakery & Buddy's Farmer's Market We found two excellent reasons to make a trip to Dublin 11 this month, with our discovery of new bakery Blossom , and not so new indoor farmer's market Buddy's , which sit in the same building in Ballymun Industrial Park. We thought Blossom's morning buns, almond croissants and fruit and nut danishes could go head to head with Dublin's best (there's Imbibe coffee too), and Buddy's is a treasure chest of Irish (mainly Dublin) produce which we've seen nowhere else. A necessary detour if you're taking a trip to IKEA or Decathlon, and a very welcome addition to the northside. We've got a €50 voucher for Blossom to give away and another €50 for Buddy's, so one of you will be heading over to fill your boots with bread, pastries, eggs, fruit, veg and whatever else you want to throw in your basket. 7) A Hamper of Wicklow's best produce to celebrate Irish Food & Drink Month Irish Food & Drink Month returns this October with a set of events aimed at celebrating all of the brilliant food and drink being produced in Wicklow. On Thursday 19th and Friday 20th, a Beár Bia (Irish for Food Bar) pop up is happening in Hen’s Teeth in Dublin 8, with a four-course menu featuring Wicklow’s finest food & drink producers. Tickets are €65 each (plus booking fee) including drink pairings, and you can get them here . We have an amazing hamper to give away this month so one of you can enjoy some of Wicklow's best at home, including Fercullen Single Malt Whiskey, Wicklow Way blackberry wine, Nibbed Cacao, Chocolate Garden of Ireland chocolates, Olly's Honey, Wicklow Rapeseed Oil, Mic's Chilli, Janet's Country Fayre relish and Le Paysan paté. 8) €100 voucher for Iciar's new cheese and wine bar in Blackrock Iciar Cheese Bar , in the Frascati Centre in Blackrock, have gone full on Paris in Dublin with the opening of their new cheese and wine bar , complete with hanging plants and Eiffel Tower doodles. They're serving cheese boards, salads, French patisserie and other treats, as well as that all important French wine, and they're open Tuesday - Sunday. To celebrate Blackrock's newest hangout for cheese and wine, we've got a €100 voucher for Iciar to give away, so one lucky Insider will be heading over for a belly-full of France's finest. 9) Two tickets to the launch of Urban Brewing's Oyster Festival, plus a €50 voucher for more food and drinks Urban Brewing in the CHQ building are running an Oyster Festival from Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd of September pairing garnished oysters with their signature stouts. Head Chef Dan will be taking attendees through sourcing, shucking, garnishing & pairing with Irish Stouts on a special launch night guided experience on Tuesday 19th, and we've got two tickets to give away (or for another night of you choice), plus a €50 voucher to try other food and drinks after you've had your oysters and stout. They'll be open for walk-ins throughout the weekend if you fancy trying oysters with calamansi & shallot; pomegranate and lemon thyme; or buttermilk, dill oil & picked onion. Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for September (new and old) will be automatically entered into the prize draw - you don't need to do anything. If you're not signed up yet join here by midnight on Sunday 17th September. You'll be supporting independent content in Dublin and beyond, and be able to get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out, here and abroad, directly from us.

A nostalgic sandwich, a classic pastry from the Eternal City, and a polished plate highlighting an under-appreciated piece of meat. Here are the five dishes we want to eat in Dublin this week... 1) Pig's head, pickled shiitake and radish, Note The basis for classics like brawn and a regular in terrine but often overlooked in modern cuisine, pigs head can be polarising, but for us it's the crème de la crème. Note are doing their bit to make the poor man's cut beautifully refined, with piquant pickled shiitakes and crisp radish. 2) Caesar salad, Benjamin's Hot Chicken Sounding Roman in name but from Mexico in practice, there have been thousands of iterations of the Caesar salad but this one stopped us scrolling. If you want the joy of Benjamin's signature fried chicken without the burden of the bun in this heat, this would be the perfect accompaniment to a creamy pint in The Vintage Inn . 3) Fish and chip butty, The Seafood Café Evoking childhood memories of a chipper dinner sandwiched between two slices of batch bread, but taken up a level with the distinct tang of tartar sauce, this fish and chip butty from The Seafood Café in Temple Bar looks like the type of nostalgia we couldn't say no to. 4) The Dublin Lawyer, Hawksmoor A dish fit for a king (or a stressed member of the legal profession), no expense has been spared with the treatment of this crustacean. Baked with Micil whiskey, leeks, cream and Cáis na Tíre cheese, it looks perfect for an evening where you need something indulgent to put the stresses of the office behind you - although at €75 a plate, ideally you'd be eating on someone else's tab. 5) Blackcurrant Maritozzo, The Morning Bakery Ushering in the season of autumnal produce based pastries in Dublin bakeries, this blackcurrant crème diplomat filled maritozzo is starting the month off spectacularly. One of these should ideally be enjoyed with a coffee and plenty of sun if you can grab one of the few seats outside the cafe.

What should we know about Blossom Artisan Bakery? Tucked away inside Buddy’s Farmer’s Market in Ballymun Industrial Park, is a brand new bakery - Blossom . Run by Xenia and Peter, pastry school sweethearts, everything is made in-house and from scratch. Blossom opened a little over two months ago, and they are currently open Wednesday to Saturday from 09:00-15:00. They've been having issues with Google Maps so please use the eircode D11 RPC9 to find them rather than letting Google take you somewhere you really shouldn't be going. What should we have? Previously known as @that_sourdough_guy , Peter has been perfecting his craft for years. In their bread lineup, you’ll find country sourdough (made with organic wholemeal spelt flour from Oak Forest Mills), seeded malt sourdough (his signature loaf), French baguette, and a weekly special. When we visited they had zopf - a Swiss braided bread similar to challah. The malt sourdough could go head to head with the city's best bakes, and their baguette is also in the big leagues, with its benchmark chew hard to stop chewing. A brie and walnut ciabatta was less impressive, with the brie imperceptible - they might perhaps be using a brie made with pasteurised milk as opposed to a Brie de Meaux - but the bread made for a lovely egg salad sandwich the next day. From the pastries, they recommended the chocolate knot, and it was a buttery and flaky with chocolate woven throughout. Top knotch stuff. A pain suisse on the other hand was under-baked with the custard a touch too thick, but look at those layers - a few more minutes in the oven and there would have been no problem. Their almond croissant was faultless, with that ultra buttery crunch and crumble outside, and a sweet generous filling inside, and a white chocolate, pistachio and raspberry Danish was another of our favourite things - the tart raspberries and nuts managing to avoid it tasting too sweet. The cinnamon morning bun is the lightest, fluffiest little buttery cinnamon bun there was, and at €2, it's a steal. The cinnamon-to-sugar ratio was spot on, it was gone in seconds, and we’ve been thinking about it every day since. We were told they've been getting great feedback on their sausage rolls, and we can see why. The crunchy pastry topped with toasted sesame seeds, encloses a meaty, well seasoned filling, spliced with sweet red onion jam and spring onions, and it all felt very gourmet, and very juicy. Is there seating? They have a small indoor seating area, and a few picnic tables outside if the weather is good. What is there to drink? Their coffee is from Imbibe , was brewed perfectly, and it’s one of the best cups around until you hit Driftwood in Finglas. Anything else I should know? Bring your shopping bags and stock up on Dublin-grown fruit and veg from Buddy's (which we can't believe we didn't know about until now). Ballyboughal strawberries, Lusk tomatoes, plums from Swords - this is our version of a sweet shop. Why should I go? Blossom is without a doubt the best bakery for miles, which is good news for the locals. Not a local? Go here if you have a trip to IKEA or Decathlon planned, or even on the way to/from the airport. Just remember to use the eircode… Blossom Artisan Bakery Unit D, 2 Ballymun Industrial Park, 16 Carton Rd, Ballymun, D11 RPC9 instagram.com/blossom_artisan_bakery

What should we know about Yumgrub? Previously located in Ballybrack’s Village Yard before its sudden closure scuppered things, plant-based fast food “filth” purveyors Yumgrub have now set up shop in Grand Canal Dock’s The Place , alongside fellow food trucks Pastiamo , Tacoman , Dosa Dosa and The Drunken Cookie . The all-vegan menu is packed with Beyond Meat burgers, chick*n rolls, tofu bacon and loaded fries, and we’d heard just enough positive word to want to get down to check it out for ourselves. What should we have? We might have expected to walk away from Yumgrub raving about one burger or another, but actually it’s the nachos we can’t shut up about: slathered in a rich and creamy vegan queso, these well-loaded tortilla chips happily hold their own with the standard competition. Where meat alternatives have come along in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years, plant-based cheeses are often lagging far behind. Yumgrub’s concoction gets it spot-on with a sharp, tangy tastiness that’s nigh-on impossible to distinguish from the real thing. Well-seasoned guac and a piquant pico de gallo have just the right acidic kick to balance out the gooey, cheesy goodness. Had we known in advance just how moreish that queso was going to be we’d have gone for a helping of cheeze-loaded fries too – we make these mistakes so you don’t have to. Instead we went for the little-bit-of-everything Grub Box to give us a few little tasters. It’s a substantial serving of food anchored in the perfectly crispy skin-on fries, but we found the overly thin chick*n strips a little disappointingly bland in isolation – it’s easy to imagine one of the sauce-laden chick*n burgers being a more well-rounded vehicle for the breaded Seitan, with other ingredients giving it a chance to work in concert. We’d been really curious to try the “Mac ‘n’ Cheeni”, suspect though the pun may be, and while the textural contrast of crispy breadcrumbs, oozing cheeze and al dente pasta makes for a mighty mouthful, the filling was just a touch too under-seasoned to really resonate beyond that initial bite. We rounded things out with a Cowboi burger, and there’s no doubting the Beyond Meat patty looks the part, slathered with melted cheeze and topped with a messy mound of caramelised onion and BBQ sauce – that’s no complaint. Texture and flavour is on-point too, with crisped edges and a juicy interior making this a spot-on replica: vegan converts craving the nostalgia value of a dirty burger will be well-served here. The only slight drawback is the tofu “bacon”, too subtly flavoured and softly textured to stand out from the crowd in this busy stack. Why should I go? Dublin’s still a bit short-changed when it comes to decent vegan fast food – especially since the late lamented Vegan Sandwich Co. shut up shop – so those craving just that will be happy to discover Yumgrub. The slot at The Place also makes it a perfect compromise pick for mixed groups of vegans and carnivores unwilling to go without, though they might well be tempted to try it once they see how good it all looks. Yumgrub The Place, Grand Canal Street Lower, Dublin 2 instagram.com/yumgrubdub

While we’ve definitely noticed a slowdown in pace throughout the summer where new openings are concerned, slimming margins haven’t totally stopped the arrival of new options in the city’s restaurant scene. From Turkish delight to Japanese omakase, longsilog to tostadotas, our latest new arrivals have a little something for everyone... Matsukawa, Smithfield The former Woke Cup Café space in Smithfield has been catching our eye of late, between an ongoing refitting and a couple of what looked like late night menu tests. It was all in service of new Japanese restaurant Matsukawa , which quietly opened last week to largely positive early word. The €90, 18-dish omakase menu – a non-choice tradition that’s all about trusting the chef, who Matsukawa have termed a “sushi artist” – includes starters, sashimi, a hot dish, soup, and dessert as well as 12 pieces of edomae-style cured or marinated fish sushi. Could this be the Japanese restaurant Dublin has been waiting for? We’ll have the a verdict for you very soon. Rumi, Francis Street We’ve been keeping an interested eye on the long-idle 28 Francis Street as it started to get spruced up in recent weeks, and the end result is even more exciting than we’d hoped for. Family-run Turkish café Rumi joins the rapidly-diversifying Liberties streetscape with a breakfast, lunch, and light bite menu from 08:00 - 20:00, seven days a week. Expect a host of Turkish pastries, paninis, salads and Imbibe coffee on offer, as well as a square of the genuine-article Turkish delight free with every purchase. Early word from the immigrant community in Dublin is glowing, not least with the news that gözleme, a stuffed Turkish flatbread beloved by many, will be joining the menu soon. Brighton Road, Foxrock After a two year stint as Pala Pizza & Trattoria , the site in Foxrock that played host to Bistro One for over 20 years returns to the hands of ex-chef Alan Wang and his partner Elaine Long, whose new Brighton Road is promising a blend of old favourites and new directions - even if the debut menu’s raviolo and roast beef looks to be playing it a little more safe. Seasonal Irish ingredients and quality suppliers are top priorities here across the evening and Sunday lunch menus – at €39 for three courses, we can see that latter option doing well with old and new customers alike. A wine specials board of €40 bottles is a nice touch. First Craic, Cabra A new coffee spot for Cabra in the form of First Craic , which has taken over the café space below the local Lidl and opens Monday through Saturday from 08:00 - 17:00 – an ideal stop-off before the stress of the weekly shop. Their six sandwich options come courtesy of the ever-excellent Greenville Deli , while coffee is supplied by Latitude. It’s a bright and airy industrial chic space bedecked with hanging greens, so likely to be a lively escape as those darker days close in. They’re also very vocally dog-friendly with puppacinos on hand for your furry friends to lap up. Little Lemon, Duke Lane A smaller sibling to Lemon & Duke across the way, Little Lemon comes to us from the consortium of retired rugby players behind that bar and The Bridge 1859, keen to fill the “gap in the market” that exists for the Mediterranean dining experience in Dublin – apparently. The all day menu’s mix of small plates including antipasti, chorizo, croquettes and calamari is definitely not something we’ve never seen around before, but why let that stand in the way of a bold pitch. The drinks menu leans heavily on the spritzes while promising a bespoke cocktail offering that delivers “tantalizing elixirs”. Right you are. Orani, Blanchardstown Describing its fare as modern European cuisine with an Asian touch, Orani first turned heads with its pandemic-era takeaway sushi bake , a dish it’s carried through to its new bricks-and-mortar space in Blanchardstown. That’s one among many plates that have grabbed our attention, from the breakfast longsilog (the owners are Filipino) and miso hollandaise eggs benedict, through the lunch and dinner offerings including katsu curry and chicken karaage - an early favourite if customer reviews are anything to go by. Cakes and pastries seriously look the part too, with the matcha red bean cheesecake one that’ll draw us out D15 way before long. El Grito, Rathmines Returning south of the Liffey after its original Temple Bar location shut up shop a few years back, the ever-popular El Grito has opened a second outlet in Rathmines, taking over the site that was previously home to sandwich shop Hush. The Mexican taqueria has kitted out the space in similarly bold, colourful style to their Mountjoy Square site and are serving up the same street food mix of al pastor tacos, tostadotas, chimichangas and more alongside their unique cocktail menu. It’s a long way they’ve come from that tiny five seater that first put their name on the map back in 2015. Coming soon... Hakkahan, UCD You read that right – Stoneybatter’s beloved Chinese restaurant Hakkahan , operated by the same people as the equally good Nan Chinese , are opening a new venture in UCD. Campus food was never so good in our day, but don’t worry, regular punters will be welcome to pop in too. Firebyrd, Dun Laoghaire Good news for lovers of Ranelagh’s Nashville-style fried chicken joint Firebyrd as they announce a second opening down south in Dun Laoghaire. No word yet on when, but it’s tipped to open before the end of the year. Scéal, Greystones Is Greystones set to become the bakery capital of the country? Following Bread 41 out thataway is Scéal , previously operating on Thursday and Saturday mornings out of the Fumbally Stables. We can only hope the new space gives them the capacity to cope with the queues upon queues their exceptional baking always produces. Surge, Grand Canal Dock Going from strength to strength after opening a weekend wine bar in its Clontarf location last summer, specialty coffee shop Surge is expanding to a second site in Grand Canal Dock. Whether their regular stock of Greenville Deli sandwiches and Old Street charcuterie will follow remains to be seen. Oakberry, Anne Street South Already pitching itself as the only authentic Brazilian açai in Ireland – we can think of a few places that might take issue with that – Oakberry arrives soon to Anne Street South on a promise of healthy fast food. With north of 600 outlets already open worldwide, plenty of people out there must be buying it. Cluck Chicken, Tallaght Moving across the M50 from Walkinstown to The Square Shopping Centre in Tallaght, Cluck Chicken Truck finally has a permanent home, opening this Thursday at 12pm, with their Mother Clucker hun bun just €2.40 from 12:00 - 16:00. Their free-range fried chicken burgers are up there with the best in the city, and owner Ian Ussher has a good track record of keeping price points affordable in Ian's Kitchen .

Our 30 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 four new entries for September... * This list doesn't include cafés or lunch only options, everywhere here is open for dinner at a minimum

A NYC Jewish deli classic, seasonal pasta with sea views, and a tangy salad to cut through the bad weather and inspire hopes of an Indian summer. Here are five things we want on our plates in Dublin this week... 1) Courgette and ricotta agnolotti with piquillo peppers, Oliveto Courgette season is drawing to a close but there's still a bit of life left in summer 2023 (hopefully). We reckon this Piedmontese classic with sweet piquillo peppers and fiery Calabrian chillies would be the perfect accompaniment to the view from Oliveto ’s window seats overlooking Dun Laoghaire’s East Pier. 2) Chicken karaage bowl, Orani Orani have opened up in the last few weeks in Blanchardstown and we're itching to get out there after seeing some of their recent Instagram posts. The Filipino-owned, European/Asian café has been doing a lot of specials, but this chicken karaage bowl jumped out at us. Karaage uses potato starch instead of flour, treating you to the taste of both fried chicken and French fries in one bite. 3) "Be Tangy" summer salad, Big Fan The chefs in Big Fan are providing a much needed public service with their new "Be Tangy" salad. The tang and zip seem designed to perk up even the dullest Dublin diner and give them hope that a few more weeks of sunshine are just around the corner. 4) Pastrami sandwich, Fairmental Perhaps slightly heavy fare given the temperatures at the moment, but New Yorkers have never let that get in the way of consuming the sandwich synonymous with the city, so why should we. It comes with the signature Fairmental flourish, with the addition of their own sauerkraut and the traditional pickles on the side. 5) Tuna tartar, The Pierhouse This light yet punchy dish of tuna tartar, cut with the unusual addition of pickled melon, is the excuse you need for a trip to The Pierhouse on Howth's West Pier. Sometimes traditional fish and chips is the path you want to take, but this looks like exactly what a dreary (or sunny) August day needs.

If not the very best thing about being on holidays, the hotel breakfast isn’t far from the top. The ill-disciplined indulgence of going back for seconds and thirds, the so-wrong-it's-right alternating plates of sweet and savoury, the excitement of arriving just as a piping hot top-up is wheeled in - we refuse to believe there’s a single soul out there who doesn’t love it. If you’ve ever found yourself craving that hotel experience without a holiday on the horizon, have we got good news for you. We've found over a dozen Dublin hotels that welcome walk-ins for breakfast – you’re welcome... The Garden Room at The Merrion, Dublin 2 They don’t come fancier than The Merrion’s Garden Room , nor pricier either – the continental buffet here will set you back €29.50, with the fully-cooked Irish array an eye-watering €35.50. Expect homemade muesli and granola alongside premium supplier meats and cheeses. The tofu turmeric scramble makes for a solid vegan option, though the less said about a potato scone where a hash brown ought to be, the better. To book email dining@merrionhotel.com . The Coburg at The Conrad, Dublin 2 Another one on the higher end of things is The Conrad’s Coburg brasserie, where you can take a seat for the continental buffet and something cooked for €25. The surrounds are lush and cosy even if provenance isn’t as prominent as you might expect for that price tag – “Limerick ham” and “Dublin cheddar cheese” notwithstanding. The Westin, Dublin 2 It’s five star prices at the five-star The Westin , with walk-in breakfast going for a not-insubstantial €27.95. Their full hot and cold spread covers all the bases, with homemade fruit smoothies and chocolate muffins proving the reliable high point, if customer reviews are to be trusted. They close it off at 10am, so be sure to get in early. Halo at The Morrison, Dublin 1 Halo restaurant in Ormond Quay’s The Morrison charges €23 for your choice of their à la carte options, though we’re pleased to report you can take the full buffet option for that price too. Meat provenance has been put front and centre with suppliers like Quigley’s and O‘Neill’s, so you should be in pretty safe hands. Check out the menu here . Citron at The Fitzwilliam Definitely among the pricier options on our list is Citron at The Fitzwilliam , with the full Irish going for €32.50 and the continental at a remarkably specific €28.80. We will say that items like honey poached pear with Greek yoghurt and granola, and goat cheese and caramelised onion omelette piqued our interest, and while homemade Irish potato cakes are not hash browns, they might do. Staunton's on the Green, Dublin 2 The central Staunton’s on the Green welcomes walk-ins at a very reasonable rate of €17.50 for the full Irish buffet or just €12.50 for the continental choices. Detail is slim but they’ve described it as hearty and boast about a Georgina Campbell best breakfast commendation – this might well be an ideal choice if yer Da is tagging along with you. The Iveagh at Camden Court Hotel, Dublin 2 The Camden Court Hotel’s restaurant The Iveagh makes a serious effort to cater to vegan needs with a plant-based pastry section, which makes it one of the most vegan-friendly options on this list. With a broad range of buffet options and a relatively low €18 price tag, this one’s a great all-rounder for a gang. They’ve got those all-important hash browns, too. The Eddison at The Dylan, Dublin 2 Very little on this list lit up our eyes as much as the Ballinwillin Wild Boar black and white pudding to be found at The Eddison at The Dylan . That comes as part of the €18 full Irish plate, but other à la carte options including porridge, pancake stacks, and loaded omelettes are available if for some strange reason you aren’t as keen as we are to get that into you. See the menu here . Alt at Wren Urban Nest, Dublin 2 Wren Urban Nest ’s €19.95 per person buffet breakfast stands out first and foremost for the quality of its vegan breakfast, cooked to order and featuring peanut rayu-laced scrambled tofu – a far more considered option than you get in most places. Otherwise their gourmet charcuterie board with artisan Irish cheeses and a homemade cake platter elevate them above the usual fare. See the menu here . The Samuel Hotel, Dublin 1 We have to take issue with The Samuel naming its offering 'the Vitality Breakfast', given it’s missing the most vital item of all (yes, hash browns are the hill we will die on), but with its health-led hydration station and fruit and nut-laden porridges, we appreciate the angle. All that and the usual hot food selection can be yours for €17. See the menu here . Seasons at The Intercontinental, Dublin 4 Looking to really indulge? Seasons restaurant in Ballsbridge’s Intercontinental Hotel is the breakfast option for you. At €30 for the full Irish buffet spread and €23 for the (inter?)continental it’s among the priciest picks here, but with a host of namechecked suppliers and luxurious options like fresh honeycomb and a champagne mimosa (€25, if you’ve really lost the plot) this is the place to really go all out. See the menu here (we love the fairly-priced €10 kids menu too) Haddington House, Dun Laoghaire We've been known to spin off into a daydream on occasion thinking about an overnight stay in boutique hotel Haddington House . We love their restaurant Oliveto , we adore their Parlour bar and the award-worthy cocktails served within, so we feel very confident that we would very much enjoy their breakfast, served from 07:00 - 10:30. Their à la carte menu features all the favourites, as well as some off piste hotel options like a smoothie bowl with coconut, berries and granola. You can book online (where you can also see the menu) or walk in. Layla’s at The Devlin, Ranelagh If you’re lucky enough to catch a spell of sunshine, Layla’s Rooftop Restaurant at The Devlin in Ranelagh welcomes walk-in breakfasters – though booking is recommended. It’s an à la carte rather than buffet option here so perfect if you want something made to order. Options are expectedly heavy on eggs but never fear, they’ve got the all-important full Irish too, as well as a broad kids menu if you’ve got little ones in tow. See the menu here . Whitty’s at the Sandymount Hotel, Sandymount We’re low-key startled at how few of the options on this list mention the humble hash brown, whether just wrongly thinking it doesn’t merit mention or (whisper it) not doing them at all. So we’ll give Whitty’s at the Sandymount in D4 some credit for calling out theirs, alongside a pretty expansive coeliac selection – always good to see. They’re happy to have walk-ins for €17.95. See the menu here . Chesterfields at the Ashling Hotel, Dublin 8 With an eye-catching claim of offering a buffet menu with in excess of 100 options, the Ashling Hotel’s Chesterfields restaurant are talking a big game. Sadly their website or customer reviews don’t shed a lot of light on what left-field choices they might have included to reach that milestone number, but you could find out for yourself for €18.50. See more information here .

What should we know about Joli in Stoneybatter? It was a bleak day when Love Supreme announced its closure after eight years of waking up the hipsters in the ‘batter, but when Neil and Bud of Drumcondra coffee truck Bua decided to take over, we knew we'd be in good hands. Joli is almost like a new and improved version of Love Supreme, keeping the same Roasted Brown coffee and friendly staff, who sling out toasties by day and Mexican fare by night. El Milagro are on the tacos - the mother/son combo behind one of our favourite moving taquerias . What should we have? Their antojitos (snacks) are perfect little bites to start with. The totopos (house-made corn tortilla chips) are an ideal crunchy vessel for the guacamole and pico de gallo, but for €7.50 a pop we would have liked a bit more guac. The chicharron pork belly was full of flavour, served on a chipotle black bean puree, with a side of guacamole - a salty fat bomb that paired perfectly with the orange wine we were drinking, and definitely better value at €8. We finished snacks with papas el milagro - perfectly cooked potato cubes topped with mozzarella, roasted green peppers and slow cooked onion. We’ve had these a few times and they always hit the table lukewarm, meaning the cheese never gets as melty as we'd like - we keep ordering it though. The birria tacos are always a (messy) highlight, bursting with juicy slow-cooked beef brisket, topped with diced onion and coriander. These are some of the best tacos in the city if you ask us, but we forced ourselves to try others this time. Gobernador (king prawn) tacos were a little too greasy, despite the prawns being fresh and bouncy, and the veggie taco with potato, cactus & poblano chilli was very generous, but tasted quite similar to the papas el Milagro, so maybe don't order both. What about the wine? The night we went happened to be a by-the-glass collab with Veraison , the folks who supply the likes of Fish Shop, Loose Canon, and Chapter One (and much of the Grower Champagne in the country). Their selection really made the night special, so keep your eyes peeled for their next one in October. Veraison 's ultra-knowledgeable Luke Byrne told us that the Panda Party pet nat from Mosel was produced by one of the oldest wineries in the world, and we loved its bone-dryness and tiny delicate bubbles. The standout for us was the Jura Chardonnay, aged for 12 months in old oak, with flavours of brioche and lemon curd on the palette. Joli’s wine list generally is well varied, with a focus on organic and biodynamic varieties, and options on tap if more sustainable wine is your jam. We’re a fan of their Austrian Gewurztraminer, which we've found to be a great pairing for the robust, meaty tacos. Why should I go? Joli nails the whole day-to-night vibe. Bingo on Wednesdays is hilarious, and the chances of winning are high, while jazz evenings on Thursdays are very chill - perfect for date nights. Joli is a local treat, and there's nothing more special than seeing Maribel, the Mexican Mama of the mother/son combo cooking and serving her homemade dishes. Definitely book in advance. Nights @ Joli (Wednesday - Saturday) 57 Manor Street, Dublin 7 jolistoneybatter.com

Since eating in Amuri a couple of months ago we've wanted everyone we've come into contact with to experience this little slice of Sicily near St Stephen's Green, so we're deeeelighted to be taking over the restaurant on Tuesday 29th August for an ATF Insider takeover, and to get a chance to eat it all again (read our Amuri once over here ). They'll be serving all the dishes we loved, including the sweet and sour caponata we went back twice in one week for, the pasta alla sarde which was as good as the one we had in a small Sicilian fishing village on the east coast, and those triple-cooked rosemary potatoes that, well, just look at them . They've also given us a very special menu price of €45, which makes this one of the best value events we've done yet. Sicilian wine and cocktails will be available on the night, and you can see the full menu below. Bookings for the ATF takeover of Amuri on Tuesday 29th August will open at 12pm on Saturday 19th August. Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders will receive a booking link in their inbox, and each Insider can book for them plus a guest. Please set an alarm now if you want to be there, as this is guaranteed to book out straight away. Sign up to ATF Insiders here .

Choosing where to eat is hard. So many options, so many conflicting opinions, so little money - thanks 6% inflation. So each month we're going to narrow down the options for you. These are places that are particularly good right now - whether it's because the food has never been better, or it's the perfect vibe for the time of year. Here's where we think should be on your August eating list... For the last of the summer vibes: Happy Out x Together Academy, Dun Laoghaire Everyone's favourite Clontarf coffee spot Happy Out , on Bull Island, has expanded to Dun Laoghaire in a collaboration with Together Academy, who train young adults with Down Syndrome so they can find paid employment after leaving school. Happy Out x Together Café opened in the old Dún Laoghaire Baths a couple of weeks ago, and how about these end of summer views with your coffee and granola pot, post sunrise-swim. Read more about the project here . For summer seafood: The Seafood Bar, Dublin 7 There are only so many weeks (days?) of the year that we can stand around a barrel drinking cold white wine and popping native Irish shrimp into our mouths, so get into Spanish-feeling The Seafood Bar before those Autumn winds whip into town. Newly opened on the corner of Dorset and Blessington Street, we had one of our favourite meals of the past year in here, and the tiny 10-seater is worth rocking up without a reservation for. Don't you dare leave without ordering the clams with salsa verde. Read our once over here . For a special occasion: Volpe Nera, Blackrock Some restaurants make their kitchen magic feel effortless, and since opening at the end of 2019, Barry Sun's Volpe Nera hasn't seemed to have an off night. After we took it over for an ATF Insider event in June, we could think of little else but returning as soon as the calendar allowed it, and despite the always-growing to-visit list of new and old restaurants, we were back the following month to do it all again. There wasn't a dud dish, ingredient or stumble throughout the entire menu, and this really is one of the capital's best restaurants right now. Even if you're not Blackrock adjacent it's worth the effort to get there, particularly for a special occasion. For a quick bite in town: Okky, Aungier Street It's all too easy to find yourself in town with limited time to eat and no reservation, in need of fast food that's made fresh and won't blow your monthly eating budget. That's when you should head for Okky on Aungier Street, who specialise in Okonomiyaki - the Japanese, cabbage-based pancake that can be customised with toppings of your choice. They start at €12.50 before add-ons, and you would be very well sated in here for around €20 - you'll also probably leave with an okky obsession like us, and if you want to try it at home we recommend this recipe . Read our two minute review of Okky here . For something different: Ella's Heaven, Talbot Street From our first Khachapuri at Ella's Heaven to our last apple-stuffed doughnut, we're now faced with the problem of being unable to pass their door on Talbot Street without stopping in to try another Georgian speciality. From freshly made Georgian dumplings (Khinkali) to their window of filled sultan Turkish delight, there's always something new and different to order, although since trying their cheese perashki it's an ongoing struggle to order anything else. For when the wine and food are equally important: Fish Shop, Smithfield When Fish Shop owners Jumoke Akintola and Peter Hogan closed their more formal restaurant on Queen Street and headed to Tramore to open Beach House , we (and everyone else) wondered if the high standards in their more casual wine bar on Benburb Street would be maintained, but there was nothing to worry about. Fish Shop's star keeps on rising, appearing in every "where to eat in Dublin" guide, and that might explain the steady stream of (well-researched) tourists trying to get a high stool on a recent rainy afternoon midweek. We felt very smug with our booking, and every plate of flawless food that we laboured over, and to not go big on wine here would be a big mistake - the list is one of the best and most exciting around. For an advance reservation to look forward to: Host, Ranelagh It's no secret that getting a table in Host can be a pain in the face. Trying to book for any time soon generally throws up a 5pm or 9pm table - if you're lucky - so get planning a special night out and book now so future you can have something to look forward to. Even with advance booking your best chance at getting a prime time table is midweek, but we'd go here any time, on any day for those seasonal small plates, freshly made pasta, and generous slabs of meat cooked with care and precision. There's a reason their last post on social media was almost a year ago - who needs it when word of mouth is this good. For a drive out of Dublin: The Square, Dundalk The Square in Dundalk has been on our restaurant wish list for a few years now, with time and circumstances transpiring against us again and again. Chef Conor Halpenny's bistro-style menu has plate after plate of things we want to eat, like homemade cheese and onion crisps; warm Coolea biscuits with whipped ricotta and walnut; and Dunany crab with smoked mackerel, fennel, apple and buttermilk. The train to Dundalk takes around an hour from Connolly, then it's a 15 minute walk to the restaurant - the perfect excuse for a daytrip.

August's ATF Insider giveaways are here! And this month we're giving away pop-up restaurant passes, vouchers for some of our favourite food and drinks, foraging tours, wine tastings and more! Our ATF Insider subscription service is what allows us to operate independently, ad and invite free, with everything featured on ATF paid for by us, and experienced in our time, and on our terms, so if you're not already signed up and value our content, we would really appreciate your support. Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight on Thursday 17th August will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Friday 18th August. Here's what's up for grabs this month... 1) A €150 voucher for Amuri The sweet and sour, bursting with sunshine caponata; the crispy, oozing arancino; those roast potatoes which nearly sent the kitchen into meltdown after we wrote about them - up a flight of stairs on Chatham Street is a Sicilian sanctum that everyone needs to know about. Amuri means 'love', and we guarantee that whoever wins this month's €150 voucher to go big on pasta alla sarde, caserecce con crema di pistachio, and whatever else you want from their straight outta Sicily menu, will leave a devoted follower. 2) Two tickets for the Grano pop-up restaurant @ House of Peroni The House of Peroni Nastro Azzurro has taken over Central Plaza on Dame Street, b ringing a slice of Italy to Dublin until Sunday 20th August, and who better to rock up for a pop up restaurant than Grano . Tickets for the set menu are €40 and already sold out for the last weekend, but we've got a table for two to give away for the last night at 6pm, including a two-course meal, gelato, two drinks, and two more drinks tokens that you can redeem downstairs after your meal. You'll also find Mani serving Roman pizza slices, mixologist Federico Riezzo on cocktails, and music by DJ-in-Residence, Kelly-Anne Byrne. Tickets for The House of Peroni Nastro Azzuro are €12 including two drinks, and can be booked here with limited walk-ins available daily. Over 18s only . 3) Dinner for two with cocktail pairings at Rossi's @ Seasons There's an Italian cucina coming to the Intercontinental Hotel in Ballsbridge this September, as Executive Chef Alberto Rossi will turn Seasons Restaurant into Rossi's for three weeks, serving dishes from Lombardia, Veneto, Campania, Sardinia and Lazio. Born in Milan, Rossi apprenticed in local restaurants before moving to Ireland, and with a number of Italian chefs on his kitchen team, and access to the best Italian produce from suppliers, they want to offer diners an unforgettable Italian dining experience. Expect dishes like octopus carpaccio, risotto with Italian sausage, and there's also going to be a slicing station where you can choose your own Italian meats and cheeses. We've got a three-course meal for two to give away with matching Italian cocktails, on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday of your choice, between the 7th and 30th September. Contact reservations@icdublin.com for more information or to book a table. 4) €100 worth of Dash Burger and Clonakilty Pudding One of the things we love most about Dash Burger is the simplicity of the menu, but if you've had them all 20 times (and who would judge you), there's a brand new, limited-edition burger available right now. The 'Double Clonakilty Black Pudding Smash' sees aged beef patties topped with American cheese, Clonakilty Black Pudding, spicy fig jam, smoked onion mayo, onions and house pickles, and if you don't get in to try it, were you really in Dublin this summer? We've got a €50 voucher for Dash Burger and a Clonakilty hamper worth over €50 to give away this month, and you've got until mid-September to get into Capel or Kevin Street to see what all the fuss is about. 5) A €100 voucher for Lisboa Pastelaria on Deliveroo Lisboa Pastelaria has just gone live on Deliveroo from their Andrew Street location, so pastéis de natas, massive sandwiches and Portuguese pastries can now be delivered to your home or office door seven days a week. Breakfast is on from 08.30 – 12.30, with sandwiches including the famous Francesinha (dubbed “the hangover cure of the century”) served all day, alongside Bifanas, Frango Piri Piri sandwiches, and vegetarian options like mushroom and brie toasties. To celebrate they've given us a €100 voucher for Lisboa delivery redeemable over three months, so your Portugese food party's on them. Check them out on Deliveroo here . 6) A €100 voucher for Whiplash Beer Whiplash Beer , the independent Dublin microbrewery founded in 2016, started as a weekend project making one-off beers, but quickly went full time to keep up with demand. They built their own custom designed brewery in 2019 in Ballyfermot, and have since released over 100 different beers, from modern double IPAs and hazy pales, to traditional stouts and porters. In December 2022 Whiplash opened their first bar, Fidelity , along with The Big Romance , in Smithfield, which instantly became one of Dublin's coolest beer bars. If you've yet to try your way through the range, their ' create your own mixtape ' 6, 12 and 24 packs are a great way to go, and we've got a €100 voucher to give away this month which will go a long way on your beer voyage of discovery. 7) Two gift packs from West of Dingle Sea Salt Ireland’s first Black Garlic Sea Salt is the latest addition to the West of Dingle range, created by husband-and-wife Brian Farrell and Marie Holden. It's produced in tiny batches taking 12 weeks to make, from fermentation, to paste, to dehydration, before being finely blend to a punchy powder, hand mixed into natural sea salt and left to infuse. Their salts are harvested by hand from the wild Atlantic ocean, from a rocky cove only accessible by foot, and the new Black Garlic salt joins the other four in the range - Lemon & Rosemary; Smokehouse Rub; Whiskey Smoked, and Natural. We've got two West of Dingle gift packs to give away this month, featuring the full range and a terracotta salt pot - one for you, and one for a very lucky friend or family member - if you're generous. Find them online or at nationwide stockists . 8) Two tickets to go wine tasting with A Wine Idea One of the most common questions we get in ATF HQ is "where can I start to learn about wine?" We get it - you want something fun but not fussy, informative but with no exam at the end. Enter Sevgi Tüzel-Conghaile's A Wine Idea . She's been a winemaker, wine educator and wine consultant, and was named one of the 50 People to Watch in 2023 by The Irish Times, and her wine tastings are designed to have you laughing while learning, sipping while expanding your horizons. The next tasting takes place in Baraza on Ormond Quay Lower on Friday 25th August, with bubbles on arrival, four glasses of wine, and cheese and charcuterie to accompany it all, and we've got two tickets to give away to one lucky Insider this month. 9) A foraging tour for two with Howth Foraging Nicole Dunne's Howth Foraging have just released their September foraging dates, and they're all about fungi and berries. Tours take place in Howth and are priced at €50-60, including a light vegetarian foraged snack, herbal tea and cordials, foraging packs and follow up files. We've got a tour for two to give away this month for either " An introduction to wild mushrooms, summer edible plants and blackberries " on Saturday 2nd September, or " An introduction to Fungi with a mushroom hunt " on Sunday 17th September. See the full schedule here , and book by emailing howthforaging@outlook.ie . Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for August (new and old) will be automatically entered into the prize draw - you don't need to do anything. If you're not signed up yet join here by midnight on Thursday 17th August. You'll be supporting independent content in Dublin and beyond, and be able to get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out, here and abroad, directly from us.

There’s a serious main character energy buzz about dining solo. Who’s that mysterious person perched at the bar living their best life? Perhaps a high powered business person on business? An international solo diner of mystery? Sometimes it’s a necessity, other times it’s a break out of your comfort zone move. Either way, it’s hella liberating, and we urge you to give it a whirl - how else are you going to get through all the amazing restaurants this city has to offer? We’ve rounded up the best places in the city to dine alone, because who needs pals when you’ve got food this good... A Fianco, Stoneybatter Grano ’s sister wine bar in Stoneybatter is the perfect place to dine alone. A large section of the small restaurant is dedicated to counter seating, and the window seats are people-watching perfection. Generally the downside to dining solo is that you can’t try more of the menu by sharing dishes with your comrades. This isn't a big problem at A Fianco , where the menu consists of mainly small plates, meaning you can get through a good chunk of it by yourself. Bar Pez, Dublin 8 A new edition to Dublin’s dining scene, Bar Pez just off Aungier street is the sister restaurant to Fish Shop in Smithfield. Currently walk-in only, we recommend getting there early to secure a seat at the counter in front of the chef so you can get a prime view of the action. We loved the lobster toast, and the courgette, crab and basil, and similar to Fish Shop, they take their wine very seriously in here. The list is as comprehensive as we've seen anywhere, and they have an impressive Coravin selection with options starting from €20 a glass. Read our once over here . La Gordita, Dublin 2 With plenty of cantina-style bar seating, the buzzy La Gordita is a great shout for a solo meal. They have a varied selection of nibbles, small and larger plates, along with an interesting sherry and wine by the glass list, and the bar staff are happy to shoot the breeze if you want some company. Read our once over here . Pearl Brasserie, Dublin 2 Pearl Brasserie might have one of the best tables for solo diners in the city. Tucked behind the bar is a small counter section that's the perfect perch for a party of one. Hidden from most of the restaurant, it’s a great spot to spend time enjoying a meal, rather than rushing in and out. We recommend their squab pigeon rossini which has been on the menu since they opened in 2000, and we would literally get into bed with their truffle mash. It’s spennier than most on the list, but you’re worth it. Duck, Dublin 2 Hong Kong-style BBQ joint Duck is perfect for a casual bite, with plenty of facing the wall counter seating. Duck serve Silverhill Farm birds from Monaghan, which has been described by many as the best duck in the world , and it’s cooked in a 'bullet oven', where it's hung upright letting the heat circulate around it. Their menu ranges from duck spice bags to traditional roasted char siu pork. A great spot for a swift solo pick me up. Good World, Dublin 2 Dip into Good World on George's Street for some of the best dim sum in the city. Often overlooked by locals, probably because it’s been around for so long, Good World is the perfect place to hide for the not so confident solo diners. Make sure to ask for the dim sum menu as it’s not always automatically given. Their har gow, soup dumplings and char siu cheung fun are *chef’s kiss*. Loretta's, Phibsboro If you're new to dipping your toe in the world of solo dining, hide in the suburbs to be sure to not bump into anyone you know. Formerly a bank that did money, Loretta’s is a restaurant that does food, and has some of the best north of the Liffey - we’ve never had a bad dish here. Read our once over here . Forest Avenue, Dublin 4 Forest Avenue is a real treat, and who said you need company to enjoy the finer things in life. Tasting menu only, this special occasion menu comes in at €84 a head, but it's an experience. Sit at the bar downstairs and enjoy an expertly prepared meal, with the casual feel of dining at a bar. The contrast is just as interesting as their shiitake mushroom ice cream. Etto, Dublin 2 One of the most solid restaurants on Dublin’s dining scene, Etto is ideal for a solo meal. The back of the cosy restaurant is exclusively bar seating, with seats either at the bar, or facing the wall. The perfect place to hide away to enjoy one of the best menus in the city, with no one talking to you. Uno Mas, Dublin 2 Taking the lead from their sister restaurant, Etto, owners Liz Matthews and Simon Barrett installed a bar as one of the main seating areas in its Spanish-inspired sibling, Uno Mas . Somehow they've also managed to replicate the convivial feel of the Etto dining room, keeping the service casual and friendly while serving top quality food and wine. We’re not the only ones who think so – the Michelin guide bestowed them with a Bib Gourmand award in 2021, which is presented to restaurants with good quality, good value cooking. Mamó, Howth Make a day of your solo excursion and head for the hill(s) of Howth to Mamó - arguably Howth’s best restaurant. They have the perfect quaint bar seating downstairs for a solo soirée by the sea, and their famous cod chip is a must, but honestly, everything here is great. We can’t think of a better way to spend a lunchtime or evening alone. Host, Ranelagh Host is another hide in the suburbs spot, with lots of counter seating. The chef’s menu features the restaurant’s most-loved dishes, like the now infamous pumpkin cappellacci, which they wouldn't dare take off the menu. Sitting at the bar enables you to watch the chefs work away creating their Italian-inspired dishes while sipping on a glass of natural wine and some freshly made focaccia. They also have a counter facing out onto Ranelagh's main street. Spitalfields, Dublin 8 When converting Spitalfields in the Coombe into a restaurant, the owners kept the cosy pub vibe intact, including the beautiful big dark wood bar, flanked by traditional bar stools which have been reupholstered in bottle green. The bar offers a direct view to the open kitchen, making it the clear choice as you tuck into the clever takes on old school classics, like devilled eggs and cock-a-leekie pie. Their smoked Ballymakenny potato side is up there with the best side dishes in the city. Note, Dublin 2 One to note (so sorry) for you solo diners. Upon entry to uber cool wine bar Note , you're greeted with a long, welcoming bar where you can base yourself as you get the scoop on what wines are open that evening. Their shelves are stacked with natural bottles from the best producers so take a seat and let their knowledgeable staff guide you through their recommendations, while you work your way through the snack menu. Fish Shop, Smithfield Fish Shop is counter seating only - perfect for a party of one, and although their bread and butter is fish and chips, this is not your standard chipper. Their fish is local, fresh and sustainably sourced and is lightly beer battered before being fried in rapeseed oil. All of their fish is served with chips and tartare sauce, and the menu is rounded out with a whole baked fish and some shellfish dishes if you’re not in the mood for the fried stuff. Their wine list is very impressive, and this is where you’ll find all the industry heads on a Monday evening when they open special bottles to be served by the glass at lower than normal prices. Amy Austin, Dublin 2 Wedged into a little space beside Drury Street car park, Amy Austin have maximised their space using all counters, with some facing onto the bar and others out onto the street. A great option for spontaneous small plates and wine on tap on your tod. The Seafood Café, Temple Bar Something that we find lacking in Dublin, despite our obvious proximity to the sea, are restaurants devoted totally to seafood. Sure, every menu might have some mussels or prawns or a decent whole fish option, but there are only a few establishments really championing fish, and they’re mostly run by Niall Sabongi. As the man behind wholesale business Sustainable Seafood Ireland, he supplies only the best, so when you visit The Seafood Café in Temple Bar you know you’re in for a treat. Their long counter seating is made for enjoying oysters and Bloody Marys, with or without company. Clanbrassil House, Dublin 8 Ever so slightly out of the city centre core, sister restaurant to Bastible, Clanbrassil House , has plenty of snacks and starters (aka small plates) to get through while on a solo dining venture. Grab a spot by the window for top tier people watching, or sit in the back to observe the kitchen if that’s more your thing. Loose Canon, Dublin 2 You’re never alone when you have cheese, and adding a glass of wine makes it a party. Eating for one means you’re more likely to elbow some space at Loose Canon ’s window, or grab the lovely bench outside on warmer days and watch Dublin stroll by. The vibes in here make it very conducive to making new friends. Mister S, Dublin 2 We love Mister S and would take any opportunity to go there and down a Fred Flintstone-sized portion of the Angus shortrib without any help. The window seats are perfect if you're a party of one, and the ones here are some nicest in town. Yes you can eat a portion of fried potatoes with onion salt and aioli on your own. We insist on it. Did we miss your favourite place for eating on your own? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

Scallop crudo, summer mousse, and a final chance to eat some of Dublin 8's finest small plates before they're gone forever. Here's the 5 things we most want to eat in Dublin this week... 1) Scallop crudo with tiger milk, Amy Austin Nothing says summer like ceviche, and right now we need all the summer we can get. Amy Austin 's scallop crudo with tiger milk, burnt corn & wasabi eggs is best eaten outside while the Drury Street passers by look on enviously, but failing that an inside seat looking out at the pouring rain is a close second. 2) Coconut and pineapple mousse, Il Valentino Il Valentino near Grand Canal Dock aren't giving up on summer yet, and have just put this August special of coconut and pineapple mousse on the menu. Finding a window of sunshine to enjoy it at their outside water-facing seats would be one remedy to the most rubbish July on record. 3) Empanadas, Bakeology In answer to Bakeology 's question, yes we have tried your empanadas, but it's been too long since we held a golden, freshly baked pastry stuffed with lightly spiced mince, chimichurri dripping down our hands as we obliterate it in three bites. This post is the sign we needed to rectify that. 4) Small plates, Hen's Teeth Hen's Teeth dropped a bit of a bombshell last week with the news that their café and restaurant are closing from September, when they'll become a full time events space. Sad news for many, but you've still got a few weeks to visit for ramen Scotch eggs, goat's cheese bon bons and miso glazed aubergines, so hop to it. 5) Bangers & Mash, Juno Not exactly the quintessential summer food, but it hasn't exactly been the quintessential summer. We didn't try the sausages and mash during our Juno once over , but based on how good every other dish was, we can't see it letting the side down.

What should we know about Dash Burger? You know about Dash Burger , don't you? Since opening in 2020 in the former Pang site on Kevin Street Lower, owner Barry Wallace's ' George Motz inspired ' smash burgers have not only cemented their place on every "Dublin's best burgers" list, they're more often than not in the top spot. Wallace says he spent months in lockdown trying different cuts of meat, with different fat content, with the aim of creating a crispy edge that wasn't burnt, before revealing his recipe to the public in September 2020 (check the technique below). Dublin did not need another burger place, so the instant frenzy for Dash's smash burgers took a lot of people by surprise, and by the end of 2021 they had a second location on Capel Street (which was the one we visited). We've featured them multiple times, but never actually brought you along on a meal there, so consider that wrong now righted. What should we have? As you'd expect from a burger shop, it's a short menu that shouldn't cause too much pain trying to make a choice. Burgers come in double or triple smash cheeseburgers, or there's a chipotle double smash with adobo, and a bacon double cheese. Fries come in regular, cajun spiced, parmesan truffle or chipotle cheese, and there's sides of panko chicken 'tendies' and jalapeño poppers, as well as extra sauces. Keep it simple with the double smash cheeseburger if it's your first time here, to appreciate the crispy, craggy edges of the two smashed down, ultra thin patties, the grilled onions fused into the meat, American cheese, and buttered, toasted potato rolls. Fries were skin on, hot and crisp, but quite chewy. They're good, but we've had better. The bacon double cheese comes with properly crisp, streaky bacon and satisfyingly rendered fat (hallelujah), and the chipotle has a spicy sauce that ups the moisture/mess quotient. It really is a case of going for what you usually like on a burger, as they're all champions in their fields. Parmesan truffle fries were more interesting than the original, with umami-flecked salt and just melting cheese stretching as you pull. Jalapeño poppers were crisp, breaded, spicy shells stuffed with cream cheese, made even better by their sidekick of chipotle sauce. If you like a bit of heat you'll love them. When it came to extra sauces, we couldn't resist the intrigue of Dash Burger's "secret sauce". It was spicier than we'd imagined, a bit Thousand Island-esque, with chopped up gherkins, and while nice, we wouldn't call it a must order. Drinks consist of standard softs and beer - with Irish breweries Whiplash in cans and O'Hara's on draft. Why should I go? Is this the best burger in Dublin? We can't claim to have tried every one, but it's got to be hovering around the top spot. Sometimes burgers leave us in need of a lie down, bloated and unable to face food for the rest of the day, but Dash's felt more digestible than most - the thin patties and light potato rolls giving all of the savoury joy, less of the swollen stomach afterwards. Whether burgers are or aren't your thing, we don't think you'll regret a stop at Dash Burger. Dash Burger 159 Capel Street, Dublin 1 and 6-11 Kevin Street Lower, Dublin 8 dashburger.ie

New pastries, fried chicken salads, and a famous sandwich you can eat in real life Here's what's on our must-eat list in Dublin this week... 1) Spicy-fried chicken sambal salad, Chimac Fried chicken, but make it summer. Chimac 's spicy fried-chicken sambal salad looks ideal for when you want all the flavour, with none of the bun. Twice fried free-range Irish chicken; house made sambal; turmeric pickled vegetables; and shallot, chilli and cucumber pickle are all topped with toasted peanuts, and it's available now in Terenure & Aungier Street for a limited time. 2) Hot beef sandwich, Crudo Calling all fans of The Bear (and sandwiches). Crudo in Sandymount are now serving their version of the famous hot beef sandwich from the series. There's slow-braised, shaved beef; Cashel Blue fondue; balsamic pickled Tropea onions; gremolata; and Kylemore Cheese 24 month Kilnahalan reserve, all served on a sourdough baguette with a pot of braising jus for dipping. 3) Arroz Negro, La Gordita On Saturdays and Sundays in La Gordita it's all about huge sharing dishes of rice, and this arroz negro with fresh squid and aioli looks like the perfect combination of summer flavours, with a bit of stodge for the cold July weather... 4) Peach, roast almond and brown butter crumb babka, Milo's Milo’s are mixing things up with a new babka this week - peach, roast almond and brown butter crumb. They're baked fresh each morning and this plus a coffee looks like a pretty great start to the day. 5) Pistachio swirl, The Morning Bakery The Morning Bakery seems to bring us new goodness every day, and the latest addition to the roster is this ultra crispy pistachio swirl. Check out the sound it makes when you pull it apart, then get in there pronto.

At just under an hour away by plane, with frequent cheap flight on Aer Lingus and Ryanair, Bohemian Bristol is ideal for a food-hopping weekend away, and a gateway to the Cotswolds if you feel like some R&R afterwards. It's only 17 minutes by train from beautiful Bath (complete with its must-visit Thermae Spa ), and 30 minutes by car to the Welsh border. It's safe to say you won't be stuck for things to do in the vicinity, but if you just want to eat yourself silly for a few days, it's ideal for that too. Here's nine great places we discovered on a recent weekend away there... Hart's Bakery There's a reason that posts about Hart's Bakery have gone global. Situated conveniently in a railway arch outside Temple Meads train station, we ran into two high profile food writers when we popped in, soaked from the lovely July weather, and a trip to Bristol without a visit here isn't really a trip to Bristol. Go early if it's breakfast pastries you want (they were all gone by 10am), but there's a never-ending conveyor belt of savouries, cakes and sweet solutions that just keep on coming out of their ovens. Lunch expands further to sandwiches, salads and hot plates, and we really don't know how they churn out so much variety every hour of the day. The sausage rolls here must some of the best in the UK, but we loved the apricot and almond bostock, the jalapeño corn bread muffins, the blueberry and sour cream flapjacks - basically every bite we put in our mouths. Wilson's Farm to table neighbourhood restaurant Wilson's has been awarded a Michelin Green Star for sustainability, with menus ranging from £30 for three courses, to £68 for a six-course set, and while it's definitely worth a lunch or dinner booking, this time we headed to their ' Bread Shop ' a few doors down for elevenses. It's home to their preserving, curing and fermenting operation (all served at the restaurant), and everything is made on site, including breads, pickles, tarts and cakes. Their Eccles cakes (served with Lancashire cheese) are a nod to St. John who put them on the London map, and they're every bit as gratifying as the original. Canele are as good as it gets, and the Smørrebrød with ricotta and pickled cucumber tasted possibly even better than it looked (a tall order). Coffee is reliably good, staff are charming, and seating is minimal. Sonny Stores On a corner in a housing estate, somewhere between Temple Meads train station and Bristol airport, Sonny Stores describe themselves as "an Italian-influenced neighbourhood spot serving a daily changing seasonal menu", and the reality trumps the already appealing description. Owner/chef Pegs Quinn cooked at The River Café for four years, and during lockdown he and wife Mary Glynn (whose background is in hospitality and events) started selling pizzas as 'The Lockdown Pizza Company'. As things started to reopen, Sonny Stores was born (named after their son, Sonny), and it's all so perfect and joyous that on several occasions since eating there we wonder did we dream some of it. The pizzetta with Gorgonzola dolce, rosemary, pickled onions and honey caused diners across the small room to lose control of their vocals, the panzanella was so dazzling we found ourselves accosting staff on the way to the bathroom to find out exactly what type of vinegar was in there, and the handmade pastas are doused and filled with the most striking sauces, that will make not licking the plate an impossibility. Staff are the loveliest and most welcoming we've encountered in an age, the short wine list is full of thoughtfully chosen bottles, and securing yourself a table in this small room will make you feel incredibly grateful for that day's life choices. Little French Ask a gaggle (the correct term) of food writers where to eat in Bristol, and Little French will be top of everyone's recommendation list. The neighbourhood bistro in Bristol's Westbury Park is open seven days a week, serving "unpretentious French food" and bar snacks from chef Freddy Bird and team, in a space that's designed to merge 'classic French bistro' with 'contemporary Bohemian Bristol'. On our visit there were some serious high points (the steak frites, the stuffed courgette flower, the chocolate mousse), and some letdowns (the flat fizz before we asked for a fresh bottle, the overly salty sweet breads, the too pink duck), but we didn't see the chef in the kitchen that day so think that might have had something to do with it. Lunch is the same price as dinner so you can spend a pretty penny, and the wine list will make you want to dig deep into the coffers. Bristol Beer Factory Called "the home of independent beer in Bristol", Bristol Beer Factory 's tap room is where to go if you're interested in tasting through the current range on tap and in cans. The cheerful staff are only too happy to talk customers through the different IPAs, ambers and stouts, letting you taste what you'd like before deciding on a pint or a flight, and there's a big screen in the back showing whatever live sport is on that week. There's a kitchen serving typical bar food, and don't miss the 'Clear Head' if someone's on the N/A - it's one of the best we've tried. Root, Whapping Wharf Vegetable-focused Root in Wapping Wharf serves small plates out of shipping containers, and is another restaurant on every Bristol food-lovers must visit list. It has a Michelin Bib Gourmand for good quality, good value cooking, and dishes like homewood ewes curd with fig, aged balsamic, toasted seeds; tropea onion, tarragon butter, peas, sugar snaps and agretti; and Sims Hill cucumber with homewood feta, dill and mint, have veggies and non-veggies joining the queue. There's always a token fish and meat dish, and an impressive list of sherries and vermouths, Gambas, Wapping Wharf Inspired by Mercado Central in Valencia, Gambas focuses on Spanish tapas and fresh seafood, from a husband and wife team with several other Bristol restaurants. Their speciality unsurprisingly is prawns, cooked in various ways, but the menu ranges from tortillas to Galician octopus to Presa Iberica de Bellota. They open seven days a week and the best seats are at the bar. Dogtown, Whapping Wharf Hotdogs and slushies (some boozy) facing the water. What more could you want? Dogtown' s hotdogs come drowning in toppings like cola caramelised onions, tomato and chilli kachcumber salad, and shallot crunchies, and food writer Elly Curshen said the vegan version of their dogs are the best she's tried. We're very much sold. St Nicholas Markets If you find yourself in the city looking for a quick lunch, head for St Nick's Market in a Georgian Arcade with its shabby chic independent stalls and indoor avenue of food traders. We planned to eat here but ended up only having a walk through, and top of our list based on research was Matina for their Middle Eastern wraps, Eatchu for gyoza and soy eggs, and Portugese Taste for salt cod with potatoes, pork ribs, and pasteis de nata.

What should we know about Breadman Walking? Like an alternate history insight into what might have been if our lockdown flirtations with baking had blossomed into something more,, Breadman Walking is a unique pearl in Dublin’s food scene - a home-based micro-bakery serving up so much more than bread. What should we have? Everything your greedy hands can carry. This is not some neighbour’s cutesy hobby worth throwing a few bob at - Gerry Godley’s bread is celestial , the product of deep study, long practice and - as his insightful Instagram will occasionally attest - some aggravating learning experiences. Great baking is bloody hard, and reaping such rich rewards from it a rare skill we’re lucky to see shared. At the menu's heart are the loaves - mounds of cold-fermented sourdough lovingly coaxed into shape and baked to a beautiful brown crust. The finished products are as much a sight to behold as a flavour to savour, testament to innate skill carefully honed. The Country Boi is the most fundamental expression of the baker’s craft, but we opted for the malt loaf. Allowing the wheat to germinate before milling and baking gives it a rich, sweet, nutty, complex character we could not get enough of. Do not leave without focaccia. Godley’s rich, chewy, glutenous dough is as good a take on the Italian classic as we’ve had in Dublin, and paired with chicken thigh, scallions, hot sauce and a Cashel Blue crema in the form of his Buffalo Gal it’s the most satisfying lunch we’ve had in some time. Straddling the savoury/sweet divide is the baked Basque cheesecake, a tangy treat of creamy goodness. These individually wrapped parcels emerge burnt-topped from the oven, served with a spiced fruit sauce and crying out for a little sherry on the side. A brioche tasting box is essential to sample the varied sweet treats on offer. The dough itself is superb - soft and sweet and airy enough to feel like you’re not over-indulging. The Cinna-man bun is simplicity incarnate, with subtle spicing and unrefined sugar; the chocolate babka a taste of luxury with ganache, streusel and cacao nibs; the Ottoman bun a tangy hit of sour cherry and pomegranate; and the gooseberry crumble a bracing blast of super-seasonal tartness. Why should I go? Seasonality, come to mention it, is one of the things that’s drawn our eye to Breadman Walking, now a regular feature in our roundups of the city’s best in-season offerings. Take that humble gooseberry, now in the height of its tantalisingly short season. When we mentioned we’ve struggled to track any down, he revealed he’d had the same problem and sourced them from customers, traded for bread and baked goods, then promptly produced a bag for us to take home - a cycle of primal barter and generosity that sums up the spirit of this suburban sparkler. No more so than in the supernal frangipane tart we couldn’t but grab from the impulse-buy “centre aisle”, Godley treats these little fruits like he does his own skills at the counter - as a gift to be shared and passed on. Come for the bread and stay for the warm, fuzzy feeling of great food as a conduit to culture and community. This is the best of baking - and the best of Dublin too. Breadman Walking Rialto, Dublin 8 (address on ordering) instagram.com/bread_man_walking

What should we know about Slice of Naples? The second pizza truck to grace the grounds of The Quarry House pub in Ballygall, (which is in Finglas or Glasnevin, no one seems to know - let’s call it Fin-glasnevin) and boy are we happy they rolled in. The former spot of Murphy’s Pizza Shack, Slice of Naples is fronted by Sicilian Head chef Barbaro, who's killing it in what’s essentially a car park between a doctor’s office and a local boozer. They’ve had a successful eight months since opening, and have become a bit of a viral sensation on TikTok and Instagram , collaborating with FM104 and comedian Darren Conway. As the name suggests, they're cooking Neapolitan-style pizzas from Wednesday to Sunday, using ingredients like Gubbeen chorizo, Toonsbridge Fior di latte, Levoni pancetta, and Guastalla pepperoni. Their dough is made on-site daily using mother yeast (think back to the Panny D when we were all making our sourdough starters) and ‘00’ flour all the way from Naples. It’s proofed for over 48 hours and cooked at over 400°C in their wood-fired oven. Is there seating? There’s outdoor seating in front which would be bliss on a sunny day, or you can take the pizza into the pub. As local pubs go, it’s pretty grim, but if needs must we’d probably avoid the lounge part. It’s very bright inside and the music is unnecessarily loud. Not our ideal setting to chow down in. What did you have? Ranging from €10 - €14, their pizza menu plays it pretty safe, with a strong focus on meat. Of the 10 options, the 'Nduja Corn' looked the most interesting, and it ended up being a fan fave. The sweet and salty combo of the Nduja and creamed corn was a flavour bomb, and the dough was light and fluffy, with that perfect chewy resistance. The straight up “Nduja” was a deliciously salty meat feast, topped with fresh basil, chilli honey, scamorza, nduja, parmigiano reggiano & pancetta, with a nice kick from the chilli honey/nduja combo. The Chorizo pizza felt a bit lack lustre in comparison. From the list of many toppings (fresh basil, Gubbeen chorizo, roasted red peppers, fresh chilli, Toonsbridge fior di latte, parmigiano reggiano), it just felt like a standard chorizo and red pepper pizza. Back to better stuff with the 'Veggie', which was very generous with the roasted mushrooms, roasted red peppers, courgette, olives and red onion, and all the smoky flavours. Dips are interesting enough, with garlic pretty standard, and the Nduja mayo not having quite the kick it should. The pesto mayo was our fave. bringing a bright but creamy zing for our crust dipping needs. What is there to drink? Nothing to write home about. They offer the usual Coke/7UP/Club Orange, as well as flavoured San Pellegrino, because, you know, Italy. If you dine in the pub you can order wine, but don't expect anything other than a hangover. Why should I go? The staff are great craic and it's a super addition to the area. The pizza is a step above the likes of The Back Page and Knead at the Cat and Cage , and we think it’s the best slice around until you hit Bonobo . It’s just a shame The Quarry House isn't a nicer setting to enjoy it indoors. Slice of Naples 68 Ballygall Road East, Glasnevin, Dublin 11 sliceofnaples.com