Neighbourhood restaurant from the same team as the The Woollen Mills and The Winding Stair. Varied menu focusing on Irish food and provenance, with an all day brunch from 12pm on weekends. The Washerwoman Website thewasherwoman.ie Address 60 Glasnevin Hill, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Neighbourhood restaurant from the same team as the The Woollen Mills and The Winding Stair. Varied menu focusing on Irish food and provenance, with an all day brunch from 12pm on weekends. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Did we even smash before Dash? Get into a heated debate about Dublin's best burger with anyone in the city and Dash will top the list again and again. Double and triple smash burgers, chicken tendies, fries and sauces make up a simple menu that needs nothing else. Dash Burger Aungier Street Website dashburger.ie Address Unit 2, College Court, 6-11 Kevin Street Lower, Portobello, Dublin 8 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Did we even smash before Dash? Get into a heated debate about Dublin's best burger with anyone in the city and Dash will top the list again and again. Double and triple smash burgers, chicken tendies, fries and sauces make up a simple menu that needs nothing else. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Hand-pulled noodles and homemade dumplings draw the crowds to Lee's on Parnell Street, where dishes come from various regions in China including Sichuan & Chongqing. It's a big hospitality favourite so expect to find it packed on Sunday and Monday with chefs, restaurant managers and FOH on their days off. Lee's Charming Noodles Website @leescharmingnoodles Address 105 Parnell Street, Dublin 1 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Hand-pulled noodles and homemade dumplings draw the crowds to Lee's on Parnell Street, where dishes come from various regions in China including Sichuan & Chongqing. It's a big hospitality favourite so expect to find it packed on Sunday and Monday with chefs, restaurant managers and FOH on their days off. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Couple Valentin and Mihaela Ivancenco are very fond of fermentation. Growing up in Romania fermented foods were part of daily life, and they spent years seeking them out on travels through Asia and Europe. Being out of work during the pandemic, chef Val had a chance to start experimenting, and was soon selling his krauts and hot sauces to cafés and restaurants. The Fairmental food brand was born, and the couple opened their first café near Grand Canal Dock in 2023. The simple menu consists of rice bowls, broths, wraps and toasties, and you're guaranteed to feel super-charged after a visit. Fairmental Website fairmental.ie Address Fairmental, 10 Grand Canal Street Upper, Dublin 4 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Couple Valentin and Mihaela Ivancenco are very fond of fermentation. Growing up in Romania fermented foods were part of daily life, and they spent years seeking them out on travels through Asia and Europe. Being out of work during the pandemic, chef Val had a chance to start experimenting, and was soon selling his krauts and hot sauces to cafés and restaurants. The Fairmental food brand was born, and the couple opened their first café near Grand Canal Dock in 2023. The simple menu consists of rice bowls, broths, wraps and toasties, and you're guaranteed to feel super-charged after a visit. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

What started as a specialty food and wine shop has morphed into a café and wine bar, from the same owners as Mamó a few doors up. The most perfect place to enjoy a Croque Monsieur and a glass of Jura Chardonnay looking out at Howth's harbour. Margadh Howth Website margadh-howth.ie Address Islandview, Harbour Road, Howth, Dublin 13 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story What started as a specialty food and wine shop has morphed into a café and wine bar, from the same owners as Mamó a few doors up. The most perfect place to enjoy a Croque Monsieur and a glass of Jura Chardonnay looking out at Howth's harbour. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Chongqing Hotpot Dinner and a show (of yourself) for €20 a head Posted: 21 Apr 2026 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What’s the story with Chongqing Hotpot? Restaurateurs Ryon Wen and Ian Keegan’s well-established knack for landing Chinese concepts on the Dublin dining scene is best summed up as plugging gaps in the market—ing. They may not be the first to do it, but you can bet they’ll be the sleekest. So where pastel pink Hakkahan gave Sichuan spice a Stoneybatter lease of life, and an impending rebrand of the genuinely novel Nan ’s Huaiyang cuisine in Hong Kong café-style looks set to poach poky Hong Kong Wonton ’s customers from down the road, now here’s Chongqing Hotpot ’s bubbling broth to fill your feed – and no doubt their seats too. The cutesy panda mascot and “ how to eat like a local ” branding speak to the drive, key to this group’s ongoing success, to broaden the appeal from a nostalgic diaspora market to a wider public with minds and wallets equally open. Hotpot is nothing new here - as ever with Chinese cuisine in the city, Parnell Street’s been at it for years - but this bright, branded take is a clear effort to free it from IYKYK turf. Should we order anything other than hotpot? That’d be like stopping by a steakhouse for the salad. There’s really no need, especially knowing most appetisers are transplants from the group’s other outlets, including new arrival Chuna Hunan next door. Not having been yet we were tempted by the century egg but let down to hear it wasn’t on that night (a few years still to go maybe). Typhoon shelter squid (€12) was no consolation, with none of the distinctive dish’s garlic or crunch present half as much as the sodden sensation of under-drained oil. Just get straight into the action. Alright, how do we do this? Start with the broth (€11.90 - €14.90). Sichuan-style spice with beef tallow is traditional, and it’s hard to beat the sights, scents and eventual savour of a chunk of fat dissolving amongst dried chillies and peppercorns. Most will be okay going straight down the middle on medium spicy - level up and lean hard on the cooling sesame oil side bowls if you’re feeling braver. The traditional nine-grid shape grew out of a culture of communal hotpots and individual items zealously guarded – there’s no faux pas fouler than nicking a nugget of someone else's good stuff. If you’re not here to share they can do it for you, but then what are you doing here at all? Another advantage is less chance for ingredients to go AWOL, but then you forfeit the fun of dragging each other’s dire chopstick skillz. As well as an S-shape that leaves more room for fishing fun, double- and triple-pot options give the chance to try pork bone, mushroom, or tomato broths alongside the classic. We’re all for the inclusivity on half-veggie crowds, but we reccomend pork if you’re doubling down on seafood or more delicate vegetables – the mild, rich, sweetness is a welcome balm to benumbed lips. Be warned - the handy menu card you might have studied in advance only partly matches the bilingual listings on the tabletop tablet you order from. Friendly staff are on hand to aid navigation, and to send the order through (oddly you’re asked for a table number when none are in sight). https://video.wixstatic.com/video/79af6f_63433c21f1a54f8d989c08fca6d888bd/720p/mp4/file.mp4 Versus this group’s usual focus on provenance (next door they proudly tout Buckley’s meat, Silverhill Duck and Andarl Farm pork), the “premium” and “organic” labels here go unattested (and our questions about them unanswered). In terms of meat, it’s more cut than provider they mean - premium beef slices (€8.90) are wafer-thin rolls, only needing the barest broth-blanching to bring out their best. The quick-cook effect is a great first intro to the alchemy ahead. Ultimately, the shared joy of hotpot is in the sense of a communal cooking lesson – trial and error as much as anything else. Wouldn’t spicy beef (€8.90) flavours get lost in an already-spicy broth, you might rightly wonder. On the surface, sure, less so the marinated depths of these thicker cuts. In the back-and-forth fishing for every possible permutation, in the wide-eyed and full-mouthed signs of a winning combination, there is the contagious fun of shared discovery. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/79af6f_f75e61093952457897e4098ba152db60/720p/mp4/file.mp4 That’s truer and truer the more adventurous you are – ample offal is where you can really take the plunge. Hotpot has its roots in cash-strapped fishermen looking for flavourful ways to spice up cheap cuts. Cast yourself in their boat and go all-in on iron-rich pork liver (€6.90), or slices of duck blood (€6.90), amplified or overrode to taste by the endless combinations you can make up at the dipping sauce station (€1.98pp, go big on black vinegar). Queasier customers can dip their toes with a thousand-layer tripe (€6.90). Free of the metallic tang, its crunchy layers come alive with a short swim in the tallow. There wasn’t a plate we finished faster. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/79af6f_ff9b3172fa8c461baeabfab057adbc93/720p/mp4/file.mp4 The mushroom averse may erupt in hives at the sight of black fungus (€3.50), but they're a non-negotiable where hotpot’s concerned. Also known as wood ear, they plump up in the furious heat of the broth and yield to the bite with an elastic snap so satisfying it might tempt some braver fungiphobes to give it a go. Save such spongier stuff for the final stretch, when the broth has bubbled down to a concentrated sauce. That’s where the likes of Chongqing dry potato (€3.50) step to the fore, sun-dried slices that survive a simmering with delicious bite. Few options better showcase the tableside theatre than sweet potato noodles (€5.80), whose pale palor on the way into the broth couldn’t be further from the glassy glory that emerges after – expect oohing and aahing all round. Tofu puffs (€3.50) are marvels of spongy structure ripe for lapping it all up as greedily as we’d like to – just let them cool a little before spraying it all out again. Stodgier still are glutinous rice noodles (€4.90), very much the final boss of the meal with an elusive form to put even the most chopstick-cocky among us right back in our place. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/79af6f_ec1e36f6afc64bc6b81989f0c5d36d02/720p/mp4/file.mp4 Should we save room for dessert? Everyone but curious completists and nostalgists need not. Appealing as the price point of the classic ice jelly (€2) is, its simple soft and subtle sweet sensations are solely there to soothe tongues numbed by all that málà mouthfeel – if you’re not suffering, no need. Only the chalky candy consistency of haw flakes sprinkled over gives this anything of note. It’s a similar story for the glutinous cake (€6.90), little fingers of rice flour that cool to a gentle chew. Roasted pear (€6.90), another Chinese classic, lacks any hint of either word in its insistently aquatic flavour – this is one sad spoonful, and one only. The efforts of floating goji berries and red dates to add a hint of intrigue are valiant but in vain, leaving this sorry syrup akin to the dregs of a tin can, and not half as tasty. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/79af6f_17b001b684474a1494c4226787e3cad8/720p/mp4/file.mp4 What’s good to drink? Cocktails, like appetisers, are available from next door, and in the same vein they aren’t quite the right fit. On any other day, the sour-sweet sharpness of a passionfruit saketini (€14.50) is something we’d sip with just about anything, but when you’re talking hotpot it’s beer or bust. Stick to a Tsingtao (€5.50) to cool the taste buds. How was the service? By definition you’re on your own here. Save a helping hand on the initial order and intermittent offers of a hot drop (say no unless you’re running low; concentrating the flavour is part of the fun), staff stay out of your way unless you flag one down to add to the order. Given the size of the place, that rarely proves a challenge. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/79af6f_8e1c60fccacf44c88087bf47ef1c6782/720p/mp4/file.mp4 What should we budget? True to hotpot’s humble roots, you’re in for a cheap night out. Our underwhelming appetiser and desserts still landed us at less than €30 a head before drinks - cut that faff and keep to fewer rice or noodle items and you’d easily come in at €20. Ribeye, scallops, prawns and the likes will swing things the other way if you’re so inclined. What’s the verdict on Chongqing Hotpot? Some restaurants rely on the prowess of kitchen craft to offer a two in one deal - dinner and a show. At Chonqing Hotpot , the only show is the one you'll make of yourself, fishing stray chunks from bubbling broth like a blind angler. Bring some friends and be brave with what you order – it’s a lot of fun. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Grano The pasta place we've been waiting for Posted: 22 Jan 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? December 2018 was quite the month for restaurant openings in Dublin ( Variety Jones , Gertrude , Uno Mas scraping in on the last day of November), and one that we were really intrigued by was Grano in Stoneybatter, where owner Roberto Mungo's Italian mamma had flown over and was in the kitchen making pasta. Mamma Roma quickly gained cult Instagram status , and social media was alight with talk that Dublin had itself an authentic Italian restaurant to eat fresh pasta in. Roberto is originally from Calabria in Southern Italy, and says he wanted to open a place that reminded him of home. A lot of the ingredients come from producers and farmers who are family friends, and he wanted the restaurant to be in Stoneybatter because of its sense of community - it's also where he lives. Before opening Grano, Roberto worked as a sommelier for Wallace Wine Bars , and a look online at the wine list made it obvious the wine was as important as the food. There are no flashy names, just small producers with loads of organic, biodynamic and natural options, and refreshingly reasonable mark ups. So far all was sounding a bit too good to be true. Where should we go for a drink first? There are loads of great pubs in Stoneybatter, including L. Mulligan Grocer for one of the best craft beer selections in the city, The Cobblestone for traditional Irish music, and Walshs which was voted best pub in Ireland at last year's Irish Restaurant Awards. Part of the reason for this (apart from the unfalteringly lovely staff) must be the price of the drinks - they sell sherry cask-aged Red Breast whiskey for €10 a measure, when it's more like €18 around town, and Aspall's cider for €5.80, when we've only ever seen it at €8+. Where should we sit? It's a really cosy, intimate room, with mostly two tops and some fours, but they will obviously move them together if there's more of you. We were probably at the worst table in front of the door so had an occasional blast of wind when people came in, but we booked late and were just happy to get in at all. If we have another summer like 2018, the one in the path of a breeze will be the one to bag. Otherwise we'd advise sitting as close to the pasta making action as you can get. What's good to eat? The format of the menu with nibbles, starters, pasta and secondi makes it way too easy to order all the food, but this is the only way to go if you want the full Grano experience (and you do). Portions aren't huge and prices very reasonable so you can get away with ordering from every section. From the nibbles we had the Capocollo ham cured in Primitivo wine, from a family friend's farm in Italy, which had incredible flavour, especially with the Calabrian red wine we were drinking. Marinated anchovies with frigatelli peppers, sourdough and tomato and basil cream were also demolished, and the nduja with crostini (which melts at your table in what looks like an oil diffuser) is the proper Calabrian real deal - which means super spicy. Enter with caution if you're heat-averse. If not you'll love it. From the starters, we had to go for Mamma Roma's stuffed artichoke special with caciocavallo cheese, which was as perfect as we'd hoped it would be. Another of Frisella de Farro (spelt rusk bread that's brushed with water to soften it and topped with cherry tomatoes, oregano, garlic and olive oil) was a bit too soggy for us, and they explained that it's been difficult to get the soakage level right - when it was harder they had people complaining that they were going to break a tooth. They're debating letting people brush their own water on at the table so they can determine their own level of softness, which we think is a great idea. For mains we obviously had to stick to pasta, but there are a couple of meat/fish dishes on there too. Only certain pastas are made in house, others need machinery and the space is too small, so they bring them over from Italy - look for the ones saying 'homemade' on the menu if you want to know what's what. One that is always made in house is the traditional Calabrian pasta fileja, made using a knitting needle. We had that night's special which was described as a cacio e pepe with artichoke and mint. It wasn't what we know as cacio e pepe, which is just made with pecornio cheese and loads of black pepper, but it was delicious nonetheless, and had a layer of slightly hardening cheese at the bottom that we took great pleasure in scraping off at the end. Another of Amatriciana with mezzamaniche pasta (imported), black pig guanciale (from the cheek), tomato sauce and pecorino was faultless, and if any dish was going to make us feel like we were eating in Roberto's Calabrian village this was it. So simple but with such explicitly excellent ingredients, there was practically no conversation while eating this. Continuing the pig fest they brought us a half portion of Italian cheeses with chutneys and a little bit of orangey fruit cake, which is surprisingly good in place of a cracker. We finished with tiramisu, which we thought was perfect except for needing more Marsala, until Roberto told us they don't put any in so that children can eat it too, and he has great memories of his mother making an alcohol free one for him and his siblings when they were small - it's hard to argue with that. What about the drinks? It's rare (although thankfully less so) to find restaurants in Dublin that think about their wine list as carefully as their food, and this is one of those places. Everything is Italian and most are organic, and the mark ups are on the low side in comparison to most places in the city which makes it pretty good value. We were recommended a red Cirò, one of Calabria's most famous wines made from the Gaglioppo grape, which was a bit like Nebbiolo - light and fresh but with good structure and soft tannins - and it was a perfect match for all of the tomatoes and cheese. They don't have dessert wines on the menu but they do have them so ask, and a white (or more like orange) one made from the grape Zibibbo (Muscat) was particularly good. And the service? Roberto is the ultimate host, and constantly has an eye on everybody whilst never being obtrusive. He happily doled out recommendations over the evening, all of which were spot on, and all around us echoed 'Ciao!' and 'Buona sera!' as customers (a lot of whom were Italian) came and left. All of the staff were lovely, and the whole place had a really laid back, neighbourhood vibe. The verdict? We were trying not to get our hopes up about Grano in case our instinct about it was wrong, but we can happily tell you it's as good as (if not better than) we hoped. Almost overnight this has become the place to go in Dublin for rustic Italian cooking and homemade pasta, and if they can keep these standards up it's going to be somewhere you'll need to book well in advance. We're always a bit wary when we hear a restaurant is importing all of their ingredients from another country, when we have so much fantastic produce on our door step, but it's really difficult to argue with food that tastes this good, and we've never tasted an Irish tomato with Calabrian flavour. We've already booked to go back. Grano 5 Norseman Court, Manor Street, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 grano.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

The original opening in the Kinara group is still going strong on Clontarf's seafront, with the best tables at the window. Pakistani food is at Kinara's core, but there's plenty you'll recognise from your favourite Indian. Kinara Kitchen Clontarf Website kinara.ie Address 318 Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3, Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The original opening in the Kinara group is still going strong on Clontarf's seafront, with the best tables at the window. Pakistani food is at Kinara's core, but there's plenty you'll recognise from your favourite Indian. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

All The Food is an independent guide to eating and drinking in Dublin. About Us Behind the Food All The Food is an independent guide to eating and drinking in Dublin. ATF was started in 2018, to help readers experience the best food Dublin has to offer, and not waste time or money on mediocre meals. Eating in Dublin has never been more exciting than it is at this very moment, especially when you know which places you should run to (and which you should sidestep). Every meal written about here has been paid for us. We don’t accept invites or free meals in exchange for content. We think that the only way to judge a meal involves handing over money at the end and seeing if it stings. Editor - Lisa Cope What We're About 01 We're Indie We visit cafés, restaurants, and bars on our own terms. We don't do invites, publicity events, or sponsored visits. All the meals and featured content have been paid for by us - that means we can be as thoughtful, honest, and real as we need to be. 02 We're Ad-free We are ad-free on all of our platforms, and fully reader-funded through our ATF Insiders service. This means we are the only people influencing our content. Well, us and our readers. 03 We're Hungry We think about nothing but food and are capable of talking about little else. It consumes every minute of our days, and we’re putting it to use digging out the best places you’ve never heard of, giving you the honest lowdown on headline hoggers, and telling you where your money is best spent. What's New News and recommendations. More >>

Neighbourhood pizza as it should be: equal parts authentic and eccentric. Named after the nondescript little Smithfield alley out behind Frank Ryan’s pub where it originally set up stall in 2017, Coke Lane has steadily progressed to bigger and better things since opening in 2017, now serving up its wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas in two D8 sites: The Circular in Rialto and Lucky’s in the Liberties. Founder Dave Holmes brings vocational zeal to his work with irresistibly airy sourdough crusts, delicious home-made chilli honey and sophisticatedly simple flavour pairings designed to appeal to all palates. It's a particular hit with vegetarians, with half the menu meat-free. Coke Lane at The Circular Website cokelanepizza.ie Address 536–538 South Circular Road, Rialto, Dublin 8 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Neighbourhood pizza as it should be: equal parts authentic and eccentric. Named after the nondescript little Smithfield alley out behind Frank Ryan’s pub where it originally set up stall in 2017, Coke Lane has steadily progressed to bigger and better things since opening in 2017, now serving up its wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas in two D8 sites: The Circular in Rialto and Lucky’s in the Liberties. Founder Dave Holmes brings vocational zeal to his work with irresistibly airy sourdough crusts, delicious home-made chilli honey and sophisticatedly simple flavour pairings designed to appeal to all palates. It's a particular hit with vegetarians, with half the menu meat-free. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

This local’s favourite coffee shop has two joints in South County Dublin – the original in Glasthule which serves 3fe coffee and homemade pastries only, and a larger shop in Blackrock which is offering a broader brunch menu alongside their usual fare. Their cinnamon swirl won silver at the 2021 Blas na hEireann awards and is exclusive to the Blackrock shop so make sure to save room for one of these. Hatch Coffee Website @hatchcoffee Address 4 Glasthule Road, Sandycove, Co. Dublin Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story This local’s favourite coffee shop has two joints in South County Dublin – the original in Glasthule which serves 3fe coffee and homemade pastries only, and a larger shop in Blackrock which is offering a broader brunch menu alongside their usual fare. Their cinnamon swirl won silver at the 2021 Blas na hEireann awards and is exclusive to the Blackrock shop so make sure to save room for one of these. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

An ambitious menu at the foot of the Dublin mountains, taking foraging, fermenting and curing to a different level than most. A lovingly put together wine list worth diving into, and friendly service from people who care. In a world of "crowd-pleasing" menus aimed at maximum return and little purpose, Woodruff sits in the top tier of restaurants, doing what they love, and hoping the rest of us will do. Stepaside is lucky to have them. Woodruff Website woodruff.ie Address Unit 7, The Village, Enniskerry Road, Dublin 18 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story An ambitious menu at the foot of the Dublin mountains, taking foraging, fermenting and curing to a different level than most. A lovingly put together wine list worth diving into, and friendly service from people who care. In a world of "crowd-pleasing" menus aimed at maximum return and little purpose, Woodruff sits in the top tier of restaurants, doing what they love, and hoping the rest of us will do. Stepaside is lucky to have them. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

September Seaside sharing plates show big ambition at this natural wine café in Blackrock Posted: 9 Jul 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What should we know about September? Now finally taking bookings after opening on a walk-in only basis back in April, September quickly slid into the space previously occupied for 14 years by Blackrock institution The Wooden Spoon café. A sit-down spin-off sister venture to Ballsbridge coffee truck Leroy’s – which just this week announced its closure – it’s a café-by-day, natural-wine-bar-by-night space, whose wide-reaching sea views and candlelit distressed interiors caught our eye as much as their impeccably pretty plating. Where should we sit? It's a space to savour. Arrive as the evening breaks over Dublin Bay and the fading light hitting September’s carefully-curated vintage furniture feels more Riviera than ‘rock. A large communal table anchors the room with a smaller trio set against the seafront window. We’re guessing the delay in rolling out a pre-book option was down to figuring out how to divvy up the seating. If you nab a place – you'll need to be quick – you’re almost certainly sharing a table. While the seating works well with the warm decor for casual intimacy from the go, the forced proximity and lack of soft furnishings mean that the space can get pretty loud – expect to be inching your chair forward and turning your ear towards your dinner companion when it's at its buzziest. A few stools along the bar are kept free for walk-ins, while the smaller tables on the little outside terrace are the ideal spot for a summer evening sip. What’s on the menu? There’s fierce competition on the Gilda index these days, and September comes in on par with best-in-class Row Wines and Yves at two for €5, even if the menu confusingly prices them solo at €3.50 a pop. They tick all the boxes with a mouth-puckering pop of pickled pepper, olive and anchovy - an essential intro over a first glass. The fennel salami with sour-sweet cornichons serves the same function - big flavours for appetite-whetting as the bigger plates are prepped. Corndale Farm have won a rake of prizes for this one and you won’t be left wondering why - the sharp seasoning and light, air-dried texture make for a snack you won't tired of, and some of the best Irish-made charcuterie on the market. Whether it’s the contrast with that peak pork produce that made the ham hock arancini pale a little in comparison, or just their oversaturation on the city’s menus we’re not sure - these staple Sicilian snacks are (sadly not literally) a dime a dozen in Dublin these days so it takes a lot to stand out from the increasingly packed crowd. For all the crisp crunch of the fried breadcrumb exterior and flavour kick of the smoked paprika aioli, there’s nothing here to pull ahead of the competition. This kitchen crew is well capable of leaving others in the dust though, and shows it off with a pair of small plates. The burrata and peach belongs on our list of the city’s best summer dishes , a rich symphony of creamy cheese and subdued sweet fruit flavours teased out by well-deployed dollops and drizzles of chilli jam and basil oil. Those same stronger notes tie together mackerel and pickled fennel in a sea of creamy ajo blanco. If those gildas suggest a San Sebastian influence, this dish makes it clear with a superb quality riff on a classic dish at Arzak – those without the budget for a flight to a three-star table will find a Dart ticket a steal in comparison for these bright bursts of flavour. Pasta plates are stauncher stuff, if a little less exciting. There clear craft in the home-rolled tortellini stuffed with ricotta, nestled in squash purée and bathed in sage butter, with plenty of well-balanced flavour, it does feel odd to enjoy such an autumnal combo over the smell of a summer sea breeze. Gnocchi studded through an nduja sauce pass the texture test, adding body and working with fast-dissolving dollops of stracciatella to moderate the sharp spice. Like the tortellini (indeed like almost everything that came before it), this is a showcase in confident cooking, putting quality produce to the fore without pretence or excess. We’ll blame the ease we took things in that we were too late to try any dessert, though a quick word of warning in our ear before the kitchen closed up wouldn’t have gone astray. The tiramisu looked terrific. What are the drinks like? The wine list, big on natural and organic producers has some really excellent choices, though those less thirsty might find the one-of-each-kind BTG options very lacking. Go in with a plan to share by the bottle and you’ll have your pick of producers like Claus Preisinger and Christian Tschida, with very well-invested staff on hand to help you pick. We struck a balance with the Koppitsch Rozsa rosé and found its light, versatile cherry and cranberry notes a great match for a range of flavours. How was the service? The lovely casual vibe of September is all down to the staff, wide smiles and quick check-ins putting everyone at immediate ease. In helping spec out and whittle down the menu options they are superb, offering to tee up the flow of food however you’d like. We weren’t remotely hurried as we neared the end of our allotted two hours, though it was the last seating so don’t bank on the same treatment if you’re in first thing. And the damage? All that and two small bottles of water – why they didn’t have bigger sharing sizes we can’t fathom – came to €150. If you skipped the pasta and stuck to one glass you could have a lovely light supper for a very solid €40. On a blow-out occasion you could pop a fancier bottle and not miss out on dessert for about €120 a head. What’s the verdict on September? There’s a touch of the previous tenant’s community café vibe to September, which does a good daytime business slinging coffee and Leroy’s-style sandwiches to passing commuter trade and locals alike. Its evening incarnation preserves that neighbourhood air while serving a menu worth travelling for. It has the few small hiccups and holdbacks any restaurant still finding its feet generally will, but we saw in that Arzak-esque mackerel dish a small glimpse of the future. There's huge ambition and ability in this little kitchen, and with time and more of the innovation and originality it allows for, we might come to have something very special here. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Ristorante Romano Old-school Italian that's so satisfying Posted: 18 Apr 2018 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Romano's has been on Capel Street (in its current form) since the 1980's, but you don't see much of it on social media, or hear it mentioned when people talk about the 'must-try' restaurants in Dublin. Until Tom Doorley reviewed it in the Daily Mail a few weeks ago we hadn't heard the name for a long time, but suddenly it seems to be having a revival, with people remembering how good it was. Armed with warnings that it might be more 'Irish-Italian' than nuanced Tuscan or Venetian, we went with empty stomachs, eager to taste some homemade egg pasta. Where’s good for a drink beforehand? Panti Bar is a few doors down if you feel like a Cosmopolitan and some Girls Aloud. For a pint, Slattery's , McNeill's or The Boar's Head are all good options on Capel Street. For wine your best bet is probably Bagots Hutton around the corner on Ormond Quay. What’s the room like? There's a fine line between unattractively old-fashioned and quaint, and Romano's is on the right side of it. It feels like stepping into one of those family-run Tavernas off a square in a little Italian town, when you know the room is exactly as it was 30 years ago. Paper napkins, paper tablecloths, candles dripping with wax, an electric fan on the counter - it all just screams holidays, and you forgive a lot on holidays. What's good to eat? The menu is pretty simple, which in this case made things easier. Starters of bruschetta and garlic bread (that non-Italian favourite) were both excellent, the bruschetta toppings fresh and flavoursome, and the generous, oozing garlic bread, the most comforting thing we've eaten in ages (maybe not one for first dates). Pasta is hand-made each day, and all three that we tried were hard to fault, with the fresh, perfectly chewy pasta the star of each dish. Spaghetti Bolognese was one of those rare examples that doesn't disappoint, the type you try to perfect at home by letting it simmer for 58 hours but it's still never quite as good as you wanted. This one is. Pasta Amatriciana with chilli and bacon was beautifully simple, with a really good tomato sauce, a generous amount of bacon and a perfectly balanced chilli kick. The standout dish, the one that's calling us back, was the pasta with prawns, garlic and basil. A dish of few ingredients but bags of flavour. The kind of simple perfection you might expect for dinner if you went to the house of an Italian friend who takes their food seriously. Pizza is the kind your Dad would like - thin and crispy with none of this sourdough, blistered-crust type nonsense. More Roman than Neapolitan, but there's definitely a place for thin-based pizza and the 'Romano's Special' was light, generous and highly enjoyable. There are places to go for more interesting toppings or fresh oregano rather than dried, but if you know what you're getting you won't be disappointed, because the food is just so satisfying. There's a bit of the Irish-Italian about it, but it reminded us of going to Italian restaurants as a child, being knocked out by the smell of garlic and thinking it was the best meal you'd ever had in your whole entire life and when can we go back please. Guttingly, the Tiramisu had sold out by the time we got to dessert. When we got there the place was full of people taking advantage of the ridiculously good value early-bird (€14.95 for three courses), and they'd nabbed it all - at least we know it's made fresh every morning. We tried the pavlova with fresh fruit instead, which was fine if forgettable, and another retro childhood throwback. That could be one of the reasons why we felt so warm and content all night - memories of happy times. What about the drinks? The most expensive wine on the list is €23, and you can get a 500ml carafe of house for €10, but like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Neither of the two whites we tried (both Trebbiano) were up to much (make sure they are very chilled, it helps), and the red, a Chianto Classico, was fine with food, less so without. We all had headaches the next day, which after 3 glasses of wine is not a good sign, and usually results from drinking more industrially made, mass produced wines. And the service? Very pleasant, but basic - no-one's going to offer you a taste of the wine to make sure it's not faulty. Saying that, we're pretty sure that if you did have a complaint it would be whipped away quick-smart. Romano himself was on the floor taking orders, and every other staff member we encountered had nothing but smiles and a helpful demeanour. Time ran away with us towards the end of the night, but rather than asking us to leave they just started hoovering around us, which seemed to further reinforce the feeling of being in a little Italian town rather than on Capel Street. The verdict? This is simple, incredibly comforting Italian food. Wild boar and truffles it is not, and some parts of the menu may be designed to appeal to the Irish palate (garlic bread, we're looking at you) rather than focusing on authentic Italian cooking, but the pasta is faultless and the flavours are big. We might not be picking it for a special occasion meal, but for something inexpensive that feels like a giant hug it's a very solid choice. So much focus these days goes into new openings and new, young chefs on the scene. It's nice to find someone who's been quietly doing the same things day in day out for years, and doing a great job of it. Just make sure you get a piece of that tiramisu before the early birds nab it all. Risorante Romano 12 Capel St, Dublin 1 ristoranteromano New Openings & Discoveries More >>

The 'Osteria Locale' from the guys behind Hera and Crudo exploded onto the scene at the end of summer 2025, with Phibsboro locals leading the demand. The menu is so full of snacks, antipasti and pasta that you'll struggle to choose, and the Italian-leaning dishes are cooked with the best Irish produce. The old bank setting feels grand, but everything else about Borgo, from the drinks to the prices, has its feet firmly on the ground. Borgo Website borgodublin.ie Address 162-165 Phibsborough Rd, Phibsborough, Dublin 7, D07 RX3P, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The 'Osteria Locale' from the guys behind Hera and Crudo exploded onto the scene at the end of summer 2025, with Phibsboro locals leading the demand. The menu is so full of snacks, antipasti and pasta that you'll struggle to choose, and the Italian-leaning dishes are cooked with the best Irish produce. The old bank setting feels grand, but everything else about Borgo, from the drinks to the prices, has its feet firmly on the ground. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Hawker Street food and Shanghai cocktails at Hang Dai's little sibling Posted: 15 Jun 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? A summer of outdoor dining you say? We may have collectively raised our eyebrows when it was announced that the despite the likelihood of this summer being like almost every other summer, we'd be spending most of it eating and drinking outdoors. We pictured rain in our risotto, wind blowing our wontons down Wicklow Street, but walking around town at the weekend, tables and chairs lining what felt like every street, pavement and car park space, we thought why didn't we do this years ago? Yes the Santorini-style weather helped things, but after the past 15 months we'd take a wonky table on the Maumturk Mountains with a monsoon fast approaching. Adding nicely to the city centre's holiday feeling and general "we can't believe we're allowed out of the house again" vibes is Hawker, the new street food and cocktail set up outside Hang Dai on Camden Street. They've taken out the window, applied to take over part of the footpath and car parking spaces (the latter still pending), and put together a menu of Asian street food, inspired by markets in China, Hong Kong and Thailand. Where should we sit? First things first, there's no reservations - see "typical Irish summer" and "uncovered footpath dining" - so you'll take what you can get. At the moment there's three tables and a few more seats at the window, but if that permission to use the car parking spaces comes through there's going to be more steel-top tables on beer crates and plastic stools for all of us, so come on Dublin City Council. If there's nothing available when you get there you can bum a drink wherever you can find space and they'll call when they have seats for you. What's the food like? There are few things we like more than menus that make you want to order one everything, but one of those things is when the prices and numbers of diners and dishes perfectly aligns so that we actually get to say "one of everything please", which is what we did here. It's such good value that you'll easily cover it between three or four, but even if you're a two we recommend it - if there's anything left you can take it home for the next day. There's an obligatory salty edamame order (got to get those greens), perfect for warding off any building hanger, and the Buddha's delight salad was the only other vegetarian/vegan option when we visited, but you can order off the main menu inside too. Said vegan salad had interest swinging at every taste bud, with vermicelli noodles, veggies, nuts, seeds, herbs, chilli and a tangy sweet soy and black vinegar dressing. They've been going back and forth between pork dumplings in sweet soy and chilli oil and pork dumpling soup depending on the weather, but they brought us both, and while soup in 20c might not sound ideal, whatever way they're on the menu when you visit order them. The ones in soy and chilli sauce were so good we summoned a second portion, but both were generously filled and flavour-packed. Cod and crab wontons could have tasted of non-descript fish, but Hang Dai don't roll like that. Both cod and crab were discernible in their shatteringly crispy coats, with a (homemade tasting) sweet chilli sauce for dipping. Stir-fried noodles with prawn and XO was another one of those dishes it was just hard to stop eating, even though egg noodles aren't our favourite of the noodles. It was smoky and savoury with crunchy vegetables and just the right amount of heat. Two dishes in particular have been playing on repeat in our brains since we visited. The BBQ beef skewers with satay were perfection on a stick. Beef so tender it was almost falling off the skewer, finished on the barbecue for that smoky char, then lovingly drowned in satay sauce and topped with peanuts, spring onions, sesame seeds and chilli. We're talking last supper territory. The other is the cheeseburger spring rolls, not a dish we ever thought would grace the pages of ATF. Being the unapologetic food snobs that we are, Maccy Ds is not somewhere we frequent these days, but some kind of kitchen witchcraft here has made these taste EXACTLY like a Big Mac (okay better), with none of the corporate fast food ick factor, or the concern about exactly what part of the cow went into your "100% Irish beef" burger. Even if you're passing Hawker on the way to somewhere else, just grab a portion on the go. You'll thank us. Dessert of deep-fried ice-cream with butterscotch sauce was the only thing we didn't love, but it was probably a victim of its impressive size. The deep-fried ball of ice-cream was still ice hard in the centre, with the inside of the batter under-cooked, so something had gone amiss with cooking times/temperatures. A smaller (albeit less-Instagrammable) ball might have solved the problem and allowed us to savour that buttery sweet sauce a bit more. What about the drinks? Cocktails are the draw here, and something Hang Dai have always done very well. While a lot of takeaway cocktails in Dublin over the last few months have been unforgiveable (lest we forget the Pornstar Martini that tasted like watered-down vodka with cheap orange juice), the ones at Hawker are worth your time and money, and you can even get a Fat Frog to go with your Big Mac for the ultimate in early noughties nostalgia. Unlike the ones of our youth, this is a step more sophisticated, with vodka, limoncello, kiwi, bergamot, spiced cloudy apple and ginger, and we also loved the Shanghai spritz with gin, rose, pomegranate and prosecco. The wine list has also had a step up in interesting options from the last time we visited - we even spotted a rosé txakoli by the glass. And the service? So warm and welcoming, with everyone seeming buzzed to be back serving actual humans instead of answering the phone and packing food into boxes. We'd asked for the food to be paced which they might not have heard as it all came out very quickly, so if you want to enjoy a few dishes before moving onto the next ones, it might be worth ordering in stages, rather than excitedly insisting you need every dish from the get go. The verdict? Hawker is exactly what we want to see more of in Dublin right now. Fun, fresh, phenomenal value and reminding us why we love going out to eat so much. We'd like to see the menu play with some more unusual Hong Kong/Singapore street food dishes (like curry fishballs), but this is a kitchen that's doing everything so well that whatever's on the menu we're quietly confident that you'll enjoy it. Our summer of outdoor dining is off to a bright start. Hawker 20 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2 www.instagram.com/hawker_dublin New Openings & Discoveries More >>

All The Food's travel itineraries - how to eat well in Malaga, Rome, Turin and more Explore ATF Travel Itineraries BOOK THE FLIGHTS. WE'LL PLAN THE FOOD. Our how to eat brilliantly guides are designed to answer one question: if you only had a few days in a new city, where should you eat and drink? All you need to do is book your flights and accommodation - we'll take care of the rest. Every time we travel, we get the same question: "How do you find these places ?" It's not luck. It's weeks of research, trawling newspaper reviews, food guides, Google reviews, chef recommendations, Reddit threads, Instagram rabbit holes and countless menus, then narrowing hundreds of possibilities down to a handful that are worth getting on the plane for. In each guide you'll find a carefully planned four-day itinerary, the restaurants we'd go to, what to order, where to drink coffee, wine and cocktails, where to buy the best local produce, and the practical tips that make a trip run smoothly. Life's too short for mediocre holidays, and your time is too precious to spend hours agonising over this tapas bar or that one, the cacio e pepe here or there. How much would you pay to not have to do 20+ hours of research for one city break? If you're the kind of traveller who plans their trips around what they're going to eat and drink, these guides aren't just inspiration - they're the reason to book the trip in the first place. We're starting with Rome, Malaga and Turin. More coming soon... Four-day itineraries, restaurant recommendations, booking strategy, must-order dishes, coffee, wine, food shopping and a private Google Map. We've done the research so you don't have to. Travel blogs • Hundreds of recommendations • Generic "Top 20" lists • Hours deciding where to go • Guess what to order How to Eat Brilliantly ✓ One carefully planned itinerary ✓ Every recommendation tested ✓ Exactly what to order ✓ Private Google Map ✓ Every meal already planned 4-day Itinerary How to eat brilliantly in Rome - 2026 edition €29.99 Price View Details 4-day Itinerary How to eat brilliantly in Málaga - 2026 edition €29.99 Price View Details 4-day Itinerary How to eat brilliantly in Turin - 2026 edition €29.99 Price View Details 3 for 2 The Eat Brilliantly Collection €59.99 Price View Details Travel features More travel features More >>

Sultan's Grill A Turkish mecca for behemoth breakfasts, crackling lahmacun, and homemade doners Posted: 20 Aug 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What should we know about Sultan’s Grill? One of the great gifts of immigration is the real cultural understanding it brings with it – ask a Berliner and a Dubliner for their impressions of Turkish food and you’re likely, at least until lately, to get very different responses. Germany’s two million Turks have ensured the country’s culinary subculture is steeped in real tradition, where Ireland’s equivalent has always been more tailored to an after-hours Irish demand for drunken d ö ners. But the times they are a-changing, just as much as our evolving palates, and the threefold increase in Ireland’s Turkish population between the last two censuses has ensured an emerging market for more sophisticated stuff. From Reyna to Rumi , a spate of recent arrivals is broadening our blinkered view of what Turkish food can be. We’d kept a curious eye on this North Lott’s space ever since a brief popup previously due for Dame Street showed up for a few nights only – now it’s become Sultan’s Grill , with a wood-fired flatbread grill the centrepiece. Where should we sit? The lengthy, luxuriously-kitted space is smartly set up for a variety of visit types, from the hard-backed two-tops to the rear that lend themselves best to quicker evening snacking, to the comfy banquet booths whose wider tables are tailor-made for the endless breakfast plates – more on those anon. A pair of tables flanked by easy chairs in the back corner are great for groups looking for a low-key catch-up – the first indication that this is a world apart from the fast food iteration of Turkish food that’s largely all we’ve seen in the city before. Things were quiet on both our Friday evening and Sunday morning visits, so we had our pick of the place. For the perfect balance of comfort and a close-to-the-action vantage point near the wood-fired grill, you can’t beat a booth. What should we order? We needed two visits to get through all we wanted to try at Sultan’s Grill , with an early evening visit to test out their all-day flatbreads leaving us sufficiently impressed to come back for their flagship breakfast, served Friday to Sunday. Those pide and lahmacun are still novel enough in Ireland to have turned the Turkish heads we consulted, but it’s the traditional breakfast that has really raised the excitement. It's not hard to understand why when you see the full expanse of the spread – this bumper breakfast was as difficult to fit on the table as it was to cram into one shot. It’s billed as a meal for two people but three or even four could be happily sated here; the breads, meats and cheeses alone were more than enough for us before we even got on to the piping hot menemen that’s thrown in for good measure. The standout appeal at Sultan’s Grill is in the experience – sharing a meal as the first step to sharing much more. As we broke bread (fresh crusty baguette and sesame-coated simit, the Turkish take on a bagel), loaded it with every possible permutation from the plates before us (from soft chicken sausage with olives to Nutella and marmalade), and traded tips on what best matches what (mounds of the feta-like tulum cheese dripping with flavourful honey, for our money), we got a sense of a culture as much as a cuisine. Juicy, lightly-spiced sujuk sausage, fruity and fragrant abagannuc (the Turkish take on baba ghanoush), and kaymak clotted cream are among the more delicious discoveries to be made here – only the cheap jar olives and limp chips let things down. The menemen, eggs scrambled into a cooked-down spiced sauce of chopped tomatoes and peppers, would make a plentiful breakfast on its own, and you can order just this, or a choice of b ö rek and g ö zleme pastries. The latter weren’t on for our breakfast visit so we settled for a cheese and spinach b ö rek which was a highlight, with layers of flaky filo barely containing the rich, salty filling. Sultan’s Grill has made plenty of noise about its lahmacun – giddy reviews from Turks in Dublin have done the same. The wafer-thin snack is a flatter cousin from the same family as the Lebanese manousheh we raved about in (now rebranded) Zaatar . Here it’s spread to the edge with minced lamb and diced veg, served with a salad loaded on top before folding and eating, wrap style. The crisp crackle of the flatbread as its folded is as good as foodie ASMR gets, and the packed mouthfuls the finished product yields are a treat. Don’t be shy with the little pickled peppers, flavour bombs we wanted to buy by the jar. At €7.99, this is one of the best value dishes in town. The pide, with seven options available, is rolled thicker with sides upturned to keep the more generous fillings from spilling over. We found the sausage the superior of the two we tried, with tiny diced chunks of sujuk swimming in a sea of molten cheese. The other just couldn’t compare - for all the juicy, spicy goodness of the minced beef we found the egg cracked on top before loading into the oven took away more than it added – we’ll take the raw yolk of neighbouring Georgia’s khachapuri any day. If that variety of dishes isn’t enough to attest the true qualities of Turkish cuisine, Sultan’s Grill ’s take on a doner seals the deal. It’s no surprise after the quality flatbreads to find the house-made wrap leagues ahead of anything from the cheap corner joints around town, and the succulent chicken stuffed inside with shredded lettuce and red cabbage is just as superior. We could live without the underwhelming chips, but chilli sauce is essential. What are the drinks like? The Turks are the only people on earth who outdo the Irish on tea consumption per capita, at a whopping seven pounds annually to our puny five. They’re every bit as ritualistic about it as us, with a communal pot constantly at the go. With the breakfast, you’re treated to all you can drink, and the piping hot, slowly-strengthening brew is a gorgeous way to wash down all that food. The adventurous should ask about şalgam. It’s not listed on the menu, but this bottled, brilliant-purple drink brings something unique to the experience, a sour-sweet riposte to much of the cheesy, spicy dishesr. While it’s named from the word for turnip, the fermented juice is also derived from purple carrots and has reputed health benefits from a hangover cure to combatting the impact of excess carbs – needed here. Ayran is another unlisted novelty worth a try, a salted yogurt drink with a mild palate-cleansing freshness we found a major help in jumping around so many dishes. How was the service? Relaxed and ready to help, with a very charmingly casual air every step of the way. The Sultan’s Grill team were very happy for us to sit wherever we wanted and order more at our leisure – not being at all rushed when we had so much food to get through was a big part of the pleasure. The all-day options all come in quick time, so those in a rush needn’t worry. And the damage? Breakfast isn’t insignificant at €50 for two, though there’s no doubting you leave very well-fed for that. The standalone items from b ö rek to g ö zleme to menemen will happily sate both your belly and your bank balance. On the all-day front, a pide or doner will give you a top-quality lunch for less than €15, while we’ve had to triple-check the lahmacun really was just €8 - a bargain. What’s the verdict on Sultan’s Grill? From indulgent all-in breakfast bounties to incredible value quick bites, Sultan’s Grill has the menu, space and price range to give all variety of Dublin diners a delicious crash course in a cuisine heretofore badly under served in the city. Grab a d ö ner to compare and contrast, pair a lahmacun and şalgam to try out something new, or keep an eye on Instagram for their regular rotation of specials - that's enough to bring us back for a third visit. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Kaldero opened with a stumble, thanks to its "consultant chefs who don't actually cook there" schtick, but found its way once it installed the couple behind Filipino pop up Bahay to steer it in the right direction. The menu is a deliciously fun study of Filipino food, with plenty of dishes and ingredients that you won't encounter elsewhere, and the large room with an expansive area down the back makes it great for groups. Don't miss the Filipino cocktails. Kaldero Website kaldero.ie Address Kaldero, King Street South, Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Kaldero opened with a stumble, thanks to its "consultant chefs who don't actually cook there" schtick, but found its way once it installed the couple behind Filipino pop up Bahay to steer it in the right direction. The menu is a deliciously fun study of Filipino food, with plenty of dishes and ingredients that you won't encounter elsewhere, and the large room with an expansive area down the back makes it great for groups. Don't miss the Filipino cocktails. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Head north from Smithfield and you'll hit every food and drink lover's favourite suburb, Stoneybatter. It's been called 'Dublin's coolest neighbourhood' by Timeout Magazine, and from Calabrian pasta to craft beer, southern Indian dosas to homemade dumplings, it's frankly a bit rude how much good stuff locals have on their doorstep. Stoneybatter Our Take Head north from Smithfield and you'll hit every food and drink lover's favourite suburb, Stoneybatter. It's been called 'Dublin's coolest neighbourhood' by Timeout Magazine, and from Calabrian pasta to craft beer, southern Indian dosas to homemade dumplings, it's frankly a bit rude how much good stuff locals have on their doorstep. Where to Eat A Fianco Banco Grano Hakkahan Korean Table L Mulligan Grocer Slice Social Fabric Sorrento's Vada

A beacon of solid pizza and pints for the good folks of Inchicore and surrounds. Tucked inside a quiet little industrial estate, Rascals really took off during the pandemic with its lively, covered outdoor seating area the perfect place to catch up with a group over an evening. On colder nights, the vibrant indoor space is always buzzing with a great view of the vats brewing away in the background giving a boozy equivalent of the farm-to-fork experience. Monthly food and drink specials mean there's always something new for regular visitors, but we always come back to the black pudding-dotted 'Dublin Ate'. Crisp crusts and dip servings that don't skimp seal the deal. Rascal's Brewing Co. Website rascalsbrewing.com Address Goldenbridge Estate, Tyrconnell Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story A beacon of solid pizza and pints for the good folks of Inchicore and surrounds. Tucked inside a quiet little industrial estate, Rascals really took off during the pandemic with its lively, covered outdoor seating area the perfect place to catch up with a group over an evening. On colder nights, the vibrant indoor space is always buzzing with a great view of the vats brewing away in the background giving a boozy equivalent of the farm-to-fork experience. Monthly food and drink specials mean there's always something new for regular visitors, but we always come back to the black pudding-dotted 'Dublin Ate'. Crisp crusts and dip servings that don't skimp seal the deal. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

The Park Café The all day dining restaurant that Dublin badly needed Posted: 29 Nov 2022 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about The Park Café? The prodigal chef returns home, bringing all day dining to Ballsbridge, in the site that formerly housed Dylan McGrath's Shelbourne Social . Richard Corrigan owns and runs several restaurants and bars in London, as well as the Virginia Park Lodge estate in Cavan (one of Ireland's most sought after wedding venues) and has been proudly shipping over produce from the grounds to his London locations for years. We're hoping The Park Café will see the majority now funnelled Dublin's way instead. Corrigan won Michelin stars early in his career, but over the years has successfully turned away from fine dining to just fondly feeding people. His cooking is generous, exhuberent, fun, and this idea of an accessible, easy-going, all-day canteen had all the right people talking before any opening announcements were made. Corrigan's last Dublin opening Bentley's , in 2008, barely lasted two years, but we had a feeling that The Park Café was going to have a different ending. Where should we go for a drink first? It's straight up to The Park Bar with you, their upstairs, roomy space full of large booths, high tables and shaded corners to hide away in. The vibe is cocktail bar meets laid back pub, with some of the country's best Champagnes being served alongside pints of Guiness. We recommend starting with an 'Aperitivo', which are all fairly priced at €10. We tried the 'Park Spritz' with Irish apple brandy, Aperol, Valentini vermouth and Champagne (which reminded us of a white Port and tonic, in a good way), and from the main list a 'Ramos Fizz', with gin, citrus and condensed milk. This one's heavier and next time we'd leave it until dessert. Where should we sit? There are banquette-backed tables along one wall, some tables in the middle of the floor, and counter seating too (which was all but empty when we visited so maybe they're being saved for walk ins). We generally prefer a table up against a wall than a free-wheeler, but if there's just two of you the counter looks like a great option too. It's been substantially built out from the Shelbourne Social days. What's the food like? It's been pitched as an all-day canteen (it's currently only open for dinner but extended hours to follow), and it's only when someone says it that you realise what a massive hole we've had in Dublin dining up to now for exactly this. It's the kind of place you could pop in at any time of the day or night and hop up on a bar stool for a glass of Champagne and some oysters, settle into a banquette for a Bentley's fish pie, or spend a very long afternoon there, lunch turning into dinner. They start by bringing homemade foccacia, which had great flavour but needed the accompanying olive oil (also very good). They forgot to bring it until we asked so make sure it arrives for dipping. You've probably seen the snail omelette doing the rounds on social media, and we're here to tell you that yes it is that good, and yes you need to get over your ick about escargot and order it. Prepare however, to feel like crying that the omelettes you cook at home will (probably) never taste as good as this. If there was an Olympics for eggs, Peter's omelette would run home with gold. The red wine Bordelaise sauce that accompanies it, with pancetta and those snails from a farmer in Cavan called Peter (hence the name) is a bonkers but brilliant combo, and it's topped with Parmesan and chives. We'd already picked the Frank Hederman’s Smoked Salmon with a Ballysadare Egg, Cream Cheese Ravigote and a Crumpet on the way in, and didn't even notice that on the menu we were handed it had been seriously downgraded to salmon, egg, Virginia roots, shoots and leaves. How could they take our cheesy crumpet!? After the initial disappointment we were able to reluctantly admit that it was still a lovely dish A fresh crab salad was generous, fresh and aniseedy from celeriac with mustard seeds and mimosa leaves, and burrata and beets (one of two vegetarian starters) could have been more generous with the burrata but the beets tasted like they'd been picked earlier that day, the leaves had abundantly more flavour than anything from a plastic packet in the supermarket, and pickled walnuts are always a good time. When we visited there were eight mains, with a further two for sharing (pork and steak), and each one sounded better than the last. After a lot of back and forth and horse-trading about who was going to order what, we gave the waitress our final answers. The 'La Jammet' kebab (named after one of Dublin's most famous restaurants ) is a deep dish of pumpkin dahl, raita and halloumi, on top of which sits two sizeable 'Old Castle Hill' lamb chops (we've searched and cannot find out where Old Castle Hill is), a skewer of liver and kidneys, and kofta pickles. It's a bountiful dish, with flavours coming over, under and across every bite, but there is a lot of offal so if you're not that way inclined you may leave a chunk behind. We'd be tempted to order it anyway, the lamb is that good, and it felt like stellar value for €26 (in our current times). Then came fish. A perfect fillet of black sole (€29) came with buttermilk beurre blanc, broccolini and grenobloise sauce (usually brown butter, capers, parsley and lemon), with a perfectly piped mound of mashed potato on the side. This should be the standard of fish dishes citywide, and at under €30? Practically unheard of. A yellowfin tuna schnitzel (€24) is a clever spin on the pork version more usually seen around town, and this is one for someone with a mighty appetite (even without any sides). It was another dish executed without fault, from the crispy coating, to the pink tuna inside, to the tangy gribiche. We couldn't finish it, but enjoyed trying. The only vegetarian main is a plate of hand-rolled kale and potato gnocchi, with cavolo nero and Corleggy Creeny cheese. The gnocchi were like puffed up clouds of potato, the cavolo nero adding a crisp texture on top, and the Corleggy cheese (from Cavan) rounded out its serious savouriness. They could do with at least one more vegetarian option, but in the meantime this won't leave anyone feeling short-changed. We didn't need sides, but we had to try them (for your benefit of course), and the thin-cut fries were perfection - crisp on the outside, fluffy within, perfectly salted and with immaculate aioli to seal the deal. Roasted roots had their sweetness intensified by a drizzle of honey, and added walnuts gave a pleasing crunch amongst the denseness. You won't need dessert here. Portions are so big you'll be fit to burst, but you only live once, and as much interest and inventiveness has gone into desserts as everything else. The most 'grammed is going to be the '99 soft serve with caramelised popcorn - smooth and creamy, with popcorn that keeps its crunch right until the end. 'Jellied winter fruits' came with pear and clementine, 'tipsy cake', and yoghurt, and felt light and fruity, without being an overly sweet ending. We also love that it's a brand new dish that you can only taste here (compared to Chequer Lane where we were able to predict every dull dessert before the menus landed on the table). A final steamed pudding with custard, cream and giner crumble tasted like something the Granny of our dreams would have made us (we didn't have that Granny but now we have Richard Corrigan so it's all fine). It's unsurprisingly rich though, so if you've done a proper job up to now a few mouthfuls will probably be enough to make you drop your spoon in defeat. What about the drinks? The first thing that you need to know, is that if you like to kick off a night with a bottle of bubbles, you won't be doing that here unless you plan to drop some mega bucks. We had this plan, and our faces collectively dropped when we saw that the entry level sparking wine was Prosecco for €74. The next was Piper-Heidsieck Champagne for €116. How they could find nothing that the average person would willingly spend their money on is beyond us, and we can only presume it's a case of limited wine suppliers, who don't have the catalogue of wines they desperately need. There are some very good producers and cuvées on this list, but prices feel high, and there's shockingly little under €50 (five bottles on the entire list). We drank a Sicilian Grillo, a German Riesling and a red Burgundy, and really enjoyed all of them, but we hope they're looking at adding some better value stat, as it's the only thing we can see putting some people off visiting, and/or coming back, especially if you're with a group for whom 'house wine' is the standard order. How was the service? Very pleasant, but we were expecting a bit more of the type of Irish hospitality Chapter One has become famous for. Things felt slightly more stilted, and a few times staff forgot to bring things we had asked for (including dessert wines which never arrived but were on the bill until we asked for them to be removed). There seemed to be some people there from Corrigan's London team to get things up and running, and we hope they can find some service stars in their own right on the ground here as things move forward. The damage? €96 per person before tip, including a cocktail upstairs in the bar first. It's really, really hard to argue with the value for money here considering how brilliantly put together every dish was, even taking into account the price of the wines. The verdict? Let us rejoice. After Dublin's last couple of celebrity chef restaurant disasters, finally someone has arrived who's giving the people what they want and need (even if they didn't know it). It's probably only after dining here that you'll realise the hole that existed in your dining life before now, but afterwards you'll be hoping for a Park Café in every suburb. It's not trying to be the very best food in the city, it's not striving for stars, there's no in-built attitude, they're just serving properly delicious, feel-good food, in generous portions, at fair prices. What more could you want? The Park Café 1 Ballsbridge, Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4 parkcafe.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Big flavours in a small space, Italian inspired Etto, owned and run by partners Liz Matthews and Simon Barrett, is a must-try on the Dublin food scene. Compact menu with rarely (or maybe never) a disappointment, and one of the most interesting wine lists in the city. Sister restaurant to Spanish/Irish Uno Mas on Aungier Street. Etto Website etto.ie Address 18 Merrion Row, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Big flavours in a small space, Italian inspired Etto, owned and run by partners Liz Matthews and Simon Barrett, is a must-try on the Dublin food scene. Compact menu with rarely (or maybe never) a disappointment, and one of the most interesting wine lists in the city. Sister restaurant to Spanish/Irish Uno Mas on Aungier Street. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Two Faced A classy-casual contrast to the Camden Street crowds Posted: 28 May 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What should we know about Two Faced? The Drury Street dominance of summer in Dublin may be in for some competition if Montague Street has anything to say about it. This little laneway tucked just off the chaos of Camden Street has had a new lease of nightlife that started with La Gordita last year, and the newest among them is the dual purpose Two Faced , a café by day, wine bar by night, that’s all about bringing a buzzy new energy to this stretch of the city. Where should we sit? You’ll be happy with whatever you can get - space is at a premium here and we’re expecting plenty of disappointed walk-in hopefuls throughout the summer, though the Two Faced team shows no lack of invention in comfortably slotting more people in wherever they can. There’s outdoor seats and space to stand around with a drink too, so even if you’re out of luck on arrival you might only have a glass’ worth of a wait to get seated. Three high two-tops tucked in the back corner make an ideal date night perch for couples or anyone else out for D&Ms, while the communal seating everywhere else, and the conversations it fosters, might well see some new pairings born. The wall-length ledge alongside the entrance strikes us as a little too compact for comfort, but the main central shared table that also hosts the coffee machine and DJ deck at either end is the real heart of the action, and the atmosphere. What’s on the menu? Managed expectations are important here. The vibe of Two Faced ’s evening iteration is very much a wine bar first and foremost, and coming in looking for a muti-course dining experience is not advised. With the tight space and limited prep setup available – we’re talking a fridge and counter-top multi-purpose oven – the team have drawn up a pragmatic menu that’s more about serving the peckish than the full-blown hangry. That needn’t involve too much of a trade-off on quality, and while their space limitations may hold Two Faced back from doing much in the way of dish development, their assorted boards and platters come stocked with plenty of premium produce. Much of the small plate snacks as well as olive oil and balsamic comes via Lilliput, while the tinned Spanish seafood selection that makes up a significant chunk of the menu is all La Curiosa . Whiskey and maple roasted nuts are a good start, with a smoky-sweet duality broad enough to play off a wide range of wine – you get the sense with much of the food here that it’s been thought up as a pairing for the wines, rather than the other way around. That explains ample cheeses with a primarily Irish slant, including a gloriously gooey baked Cavanbert from Corleggy. Its mild, nutty notes balance beautifully off the depth of balsamic grapes and rich sweetness of honey, though the side of sourdough could have used a little more time in the toaster for added crunch. There’s no toasting at all for the focaccia that’s served alongside the stracciatella, and we couldn’t fathom why – the creamy glut of stretched curds needed something more structurally sound to cling to. While the shaved tomato and lime zest sprinkled over the top bring an acid freshness that avoids any sense of one-note richness, this is a dish that works best in small doses, shared around. What didn’t work for us was the ham and triple cheese toastie, pairing Durrus Óg, Bookers Cheddar and Templegall. This is a sandwich whose pedigree can’t be doubted, but the broadly similar flavour profiles of the three makes for a muddled mouthful of no real pronounced character, with the ham getting lost in the mix. Something sharper would have been a better bet to stand out from the crowd. The multi-purpose oven’s limitations are in full view here too, with one side of the bread more soggy than singed – a flip halfway through the cooking time would go a long way. Some eyebrows have shot skyward at the price tag of the conservas, all in and around the €20 mark for a tin served with crisps, crackers and pickles, or a duo of bread and chutney. Bargain deals they ain’t, but these on-trend and additive-free preserves don’t come cheap - with all the bells and whistles, we doubt Two Faced are making a massive margin on any of this. The curried mackerel's flavourful flakes could win over even the most oily fish-averse, and while the mussel paté might be a more acquired taste for some, we found its rich and lightly-spiced appeal pretty alluring. What are the drinks like? There are forty-plus wines on the bottle menu, with a variety of suppliers on board and more in talks to join soon. The result is a mix of reliable standards and more left-field picks, with a price range from €38 to €125 – Two Faced say they're keen to offer as much variety as possible. Co-owner Genie Petrauskaite, heading up front of house, is encyclopaedic on what they’ve got and very helpful in her suggestions - purely for research purposes we tried a good spread of the fifteen BTG options. Best were the floral, fruity and off-dry Bender weissburgunder, perfect with the fish, and the rhubarb-rich Integrale rosé, a moreish pet-nat that tided us over happily while we waited for the first plates to come our way. How was the service? A real highlight - Two Faced ’s team have an ease and enthusiasm about them that just screams passion project. Keen eyes watch the glasses and leap in to offer another with a cheer that’s just the right side of pushy, and while the oven’s scale could make for a bit of a wait if a glut of orders come in all at once, the kitchen looks to be well calibrated to manage the likely demand. And the damage? Three glasses apiece and enough food to leave feeling filled, if not fattened, set us back just short of €60 a head. You could grab a quick glass and a solid snack here before a fuller dinner in the area for a reasonable €20. What’s the verdict on Two Faced? Dublin’s wine bar scene just keeps stepping up gears, with more than ever popping up in quick succession. In that environment, a niche or novelty is needed to stay the course, and with its closest competition coming in the shape of the more formal Frank’s and the most food-forward Bar Pez , Two Faced makes its pitch all about the atmosphere. Warm colours and a friendly air meet bassy beats and spillover street space, for a vibe that above all feels ready to roll with the punches – there’s many kinds of nights that could play out here. As a classy-casual contrast to the rowdier scenes spilling out of bars around the corner, it’s a welcome change of pace. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Orani A new Filipino-fusion pin in our Dublin 15 food map Posted: 11 Jun 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Orani? Orani opened in a grey Blanchardstown business park in summer of 2023, promising a glimmer of colour with their " modern European cuisine with an Asian touch". The woman behind it is Pauleen Orani, originally from the Phillipines but majorly influenced by her time working in Japan in 2018. She's the Executive Head Chef here, her husband Paul is the Head Chef, and the rest of the Orani family manage everything else - including presumably the restaurant's photography , which they're excelling at. While they call the food "Modern European" and "Asian Fusion", their family Filipino dishes have been gaining as much social media traction as their ramen, poke bowls and sushi bakes. One of our most asked questions from ATF Insiders is "IS THERE ANYWHERE TO EAT IN DUBLIN 15", so we regularly find ourselves scouring Google Maps for anything new or being reviewed zealously, and Orani has been getting a lot of love. Where should we sit? It's a big, bright room with plenty of seating options and tables that can easily be reconfigured for any size group. There's outside seating too, which looks onto a road in the industrial estate - you can't have it all. There's also some nice counter seating if you're on your own and don't want to take up a whole table, or would like to gaze out at many window-ed buildings while you eat. What's on the menu? Predominantly Asian dishes, like karaage, poke and ramen, with some Filipino flourishes - pork adobo and kare-kare were two of the specials when we visited (more on those shortly). The saddest thing about the menu is the (clearly obligatory) soup and toastie combo, catering for local office workers who sat across from us, unable to cope with stepping out of their lunchtime comfort zone. They'll never know what they're missing. "Signature chicken wings" come in two flavours - the salted egg and chilli we went for, or soy, garlic, ginger and chilli. The seasoned, salted egg powder is imported from the Philippines, and gives a crunchy coating to the chicken, like fine polenta. They could have done with a bit more draining before being served, but the fresh chilli and spring onions give it a zingy, spicy freshness. It's oddly only €1 extra to upgrade from a small (around eight wings) to a large (around 12 wings), so it's worth paying it, even if you bring some home. A chicken karaage bowl (€13.50) comes with seasoned, crisp, deep-fried chicken thigh pieces on perfectly cooked sushi rice, with shredded white cabbage, and a tangy lemon miso mayo, with a sprinkling of chilli powder and chives. It's a very satisfying, flavour-forward combo. The chicken here is sadly not free-range, but it is Irish, halal and sourced from local butchers (as is their beef and pork). While Asian-fusion is the schtick, we really wanted to try their family Filipino dishes (a gaping hole in the culinary market despite Bahay fighting the good fight). Pork adobo has braised pork belly cooked in soy, vinegar and garlic for a deep, umami flavour, once again served over perfectly fluffy rice, with freshness coming from chillis, spring onions and pickled onions, and a fried egg and crispy onions on top. It's a very flavoursome, very satisfying dish, and our only disclaimer is that the pork is very fatty (at times it felt like more fat than meat). If that's something that bothers you, you may want to choose an alternative. Kare-kare is a Filipino stew with a thick peanut sauce, and it's often on as a special here. It's beautifully presented, like something you might get served in a beachside restaurant in Palawan, with cherry blossoms in your hair and a mestiza in your hand. The pork is thinly sliced, surrounded by very crunchy crackling (you wouldn't want a loose tooth), with rice, just cooked vegetables and Atchara (Filipino pickles) on top bringing the vinegar. We found the sauce a little under-seasoned, but otherwise thought it a well balanced, enjoyable dish. Another Filipino special they're getting a name for is the Halo Halo (which translates as mix mix in Tagalog) - a kaleidoscope of colours, shapes and textures (€7.95). The unusual dessert is made of up various beans, vegetables, fruits, jellies and ice-cream, with shaved ice at its centre. In Orani you'll find sweet potato cubes, sweetcorn, black-eyed beans, cornflakes, cubes of fruit flavoured jelly, ube ice-cream, evaporated milk, shaved ice, and a solo meringue on top. As desserts go, there's a lot of nutrition in this madcap flavour mix, but it's way too much for one person - a taste of each individual component and you'll most likely be happy to drop your spoon. If that all sounds a bit much, the Ube cheesecake might be more to your simple tastes - soft, sweet and creamy, tasting of vanilla, and not at all like purple potatoes (even though they are in there). There's an ube brownie too. What about drinks? Smoothies, hot drinks, and softs from the fridge are your options here. A "mango momma" (€5.95) with oat milk, banana, mango, ginger and turmeric tasted a bit anaemic, and could have done with double the mango. It also disappointingly came in a plastic cup, with the server telling us that all of their sit-in glasses had been broken. Coffee is from Dublin roasters J.J. Darboven, but the cheap IKEA mugs make it a challenge to drink without burning your hand. The small cup handle is impossible to grip without hitting off the thin, heat-conducting cup, ensuring a finger scalding in the process. How was the service? Very pleasant and friendly, but they seemed a bit stretched at times, with requests not dealt with as quickly as they could have been. You order and pay at the counter, so you'll have to get up for anything you need. What was the damage? We paid just over €80 for four mains, two desserts, a coffee and a smoothie. Budget €20 a head for lunch and a drink, or €35 a head for a three course feast. And the verdict? In a desert of food options, Orani is illuminating a monotone business park in Blanchardstown from breakfast through to early evening. Lucky those who work or live nearby, and the rest of us have a new Filipino/Asian Fusion pin in our Dublin 15 food map. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Goat's Gruff Goat's Gruff grows up with Gubbeen agnolotti, crab gnocchi and salt & vinegar spuds Posted: 6 Oct 2026 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope Isn't Goat's Gruff a pizza and coffee truck in the Strawberry Beds? Not any more. The goats have made the move to a real life restaurant with a roof and walls, in the culinary desert of Castleknock (we probably get more messages from readers in Dublin 15 than anywhere else about there being NOWHERE GOOD TO EAT. Small mercies that Stoneybatter is but a bus ride away). The bland as beige D ONE 5 around the corner barely lasted a year, with some shouting that " locals don't support independent restaurants! " But is that the real problem? Or is the problem the restaurants? Do locals want more buffalo wings, grilled chicken with mash, or striploin steak? Or do they want handmade agnolotti with smoked Gubbeen, and crab gnocchi? Judging by the avalanche of customers descending on Goat's Gruff since it opened last month, logic would say it's the latter. After several failed attempts to get a table, we finally arrived for our 16:45 booking, smugly passing by the poor hopefuls outside, foolishly optimistic about their chances of getting a walk in table. Owners Ciara and Brian Kennedy originally pitched up their food truck across from Ciara's family pub The Strawberry Hall in 2019, and it was a major success story, offering drive through coffee and pastries from early, to lunchtime toasties, right through to pizza all night. Queues were standard, quality was consistent, business was constant, but they ended up in a two year battle with Fingal County Council to retain permission to trade, a battle they eventually lost , just a few weeks after opening the Castleknock site. Onwards and upwards? What seating options are there? It's a tight space, only sitting around 24 inside, and another 18 or so outside on a covered, heated terrace. The fit out inside is tasteful and fresh, a long mirror on one wall making everything feel bigger, the caramel coloured, leather banquette seating very comfortable to sink into. Strangely for a place that was full of families, they don't currently have high chairs. You want a banquette here if possible - we're not big fans of tables marooned in the centre of a restaurant floor, servers squeezing past every few mins. You'll have a better view of the pizza oven action from one of the walls too, and there's a lot of it - their takeaway pizza business is also booming. Is it just pizza? Not any more - you'd need more than just pizza to draw crowds like this. They're open for coffee and pastries in the morning, and sandwiches at lunch, but it was the dinner menu that got us here. They've astutely ventured into handmade pasta, and other small plates like pumpkin and burrata salad, and beef short rib, as well as some appealing sides, like salt and vinegar spuds. There's a sharing menu for groups of six + also, priced at €45, giving you a taste of lots of smaller plates, and the choice of two items from the pizza and pasta options. We know that GG do excellent pizza, so we were here to see what else they can do. Scamorza arancini (€10 for three) came dolloped with saffron scented mayo and grated cheese ( no charge ), cheese oozing out from the centre. They just needed a few more seconds in the fryer to transform some cold spots in the centre. A pumpkin, burrata and walnut salad (€13) was unadulterated Autumn on a plate, toasted and pickled walnuts bringing all the texture and acidic lift to the creamy cheese and earthy pumpkin. Clumps of toasted, honied seeds add even more crunch. There are two handmade pastas on the menu right now - we reckon they thought it was better to start strong and manageable rather than putting too much too fast on the kitchen, and with dynamite dishes like these you won't miss the lack of choice. Brown crab gnocchi (€16) were five plump pillows of potato, nicely crisped, covered in a generous amount of white crab and topped with toasted breadcrumbs. Maybe the brown meat was in the luscious sauce underneath. Hot plus cold plus crunch plus all the flavour = full marks from us. The other pasta dish of Gubbeen agnolotti with toasted hazelnuts , Jerusalem artichoke and kale was better again, perfect pasta encasing cheesy custard, swimming in a bath of more of the same. We don't know what they've toasted those hazelnuts in but we'd pay a substantial amount of money for a home delivery. The sole meaty small plate was a melting rectangle of beef short rib, in a green peppercorn gravy with both deep-fried and pickled shallots, and a lovage sauce (€16). Gorgeous with the big G. We tried a solo pie to check that everything was still in order, and we come bearing good news. The pork and piña (€18) was in no way miserly with the toppings, the beautifully cooked base dripping in San Marzano sauce and Fior di latte, with plenty of slow cooked pork, caramelised pineapple and pickled onions to ensure every slice had its shot. Garlic dip should be offensively garlicky right? The one here is, so much so that we were still tasting it with dessert. You win some you lose some. Salt and vinegar spuds (€8) came doused in white vinegary powder, and while they hit the salt and vinegar profile on the head, we would have liked them more crunchy. An incredibly well dressed side salad of endive with orange and Parmesan was perfection - change nothing, never let it leave, other restaurants take note on what a side salad should aspire to. Desserts of tiramisu and cookies with ice-cream look basic so you might be tempted to skip. We don't advise this. That warm mound of still gooey cookie is going to be a hard one to follow (and we usually don't love these thick, cakey ones - turns out you just need them warm with a scoop of ice-cream on top. Cookie pudding if you will). This is the 568th tiramisu we've had in the last few weeks after a spate of new Italian openings, and this one is going for a podium finish. There's a sleep-affecting espresso kick going up against that creamy mascarpone sauce, properly dripping sponge, and enough cocoa on top to bring the bitter to all that sweet. You won't need a post-dinner coffee on the side. What about drinks? The drinks are where things fall down for us - my Kingdom for a non-flat spritz! Everywhere we've been recently bar Fuoco has served us a spritz bereft of bubbles. Is there a particularly bad, non fizzy frizzante messing it up for all of us? Last night's wine? We'd love to know what's causing this fizz-free epidemic. Wines won't have anyone's heart racing either, with a lot of them from O'Brien's next door. The selection is pedestrian but will satisfy basic tastes - sadly ours are not basic. A Nero D'Avola BTG with the pizza did not show the juicy Italian grape at its best, but we're very, very picky. How was the service? Very pleasant, and we never had to wave anyone down for service. Water was refilled once empty, plates were cleared once finished, and drinks were offered when glasses were looking dry. What will it cost us? If you go all in on a small plate, pizza, side, dessert and a couple of drinks each you'll want to budget around €70pp before tip (and should bring indigestion tablets with you). If you share a couple of small plates, a pizza, a side, a dessert and a bottle of house wine, it'll be more like €50pp. For our hard earned euros that feels like brilliant value for money. What's the verdict on Goat's Gruff? Those goats have a neighbourhood smash on their hands, and we can't see the frenetic demand dropping any time soon. Plan accordingly, don't expect a walk in, and ideally you'll bring enough people to try it all. Is this the start of a new and improved food scene in Dublin 15? New Openings & Discoveries More >>

The real Argentinean asado experience exists in Dublin, just steps away from the main shopping thoroughfare. When it comes to bang for buck in the steak stakes, it's hard to beat the offering here, with excellent all you can eat meat for a set price. Don't make the mistake they want you to and fill up on the buffet at the start - save as much stomach space as possible for Bife de Chorizo, 12-hour gaucho beef ribs, and Irish lamb. Turn your card to green to keep the meat coming, and red if you want a break. Bah 33 Website bah33.ie Address Unit 3-5, Royal Hibernian Way, Dawson St, Dublin 2, D02 X272, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The real Argentinean asado experience exists in Dublin, just steps away from the main shopping thoroughfare. When it comes to bang for buck in the steak stakes, it's hard to beat the offering here, with excellent all you can eat meat for a set price. Don't make the mistake they want you to and fill up on the buffet at the start - save as much stomach space as possible for Bife de Chorizo, 12-hour gaucho beef ribs, and Irish lamb. Turn your card to green to keep the meat coming, and red if you want a break. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

After shifting to Japanese-leaning Lotus Eaters in 2024, 2025 saw The Pig’s Ear go back to its roots, and turn the dial up on the Irishness. A brand new menu was launched, with dishes inspired by and featured throughout Dublin’s literary history, and dishes like coddle, tongue n’cheek kidney pudding, and boxty pancakes with Cais na Tire cheese and truffle getting old and new customers excited. A great place to take visitors to. The Pig's Ear Website thepigsear.ie Address The Pig’s Ear Dublin, Nassau Street, Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story After shifting to Japanese-leaning Lotus Eaters in 2024, 2025 saw The Pig’s Ear go back to its roots, and turn the dial up on the Irishness. A brand new menu was launched, with dishes inspired by and featured throughout Dublin’s literary history, and dishes like coddle, tongue n’cheek kidney pudding, and boxty pancakes with Cais na Tire cheese and truffle getting old and new customers excited. A great place to take visitors to. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Is it a chipper? Is it a gelato shop? Is it a bakery? Sorrento's may seem like it's suffering from multiple personality disorder, but when owner Cristian Proca can do all three so well, who are we to judge. Gelato flavours change daily, and his focaccia Pugliese have the locals queueing up. Sorrento's Website @sorrento_take_away Address 10B Arbour Hill, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Is it a chipper? Is it a gelato shop? Is it a bakery? Sorrento's may seem like it's suffering from multiple personality disorder, but when owner Cristian Proca can do all three so well, who are we to judge. Gelato flavours change daily, and his focaccia Pugliese have the locals queueing up. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Brazilian Carlos Sakai started making sushi for friends after moving to Ireland to study English. They told other friends, and soon he was throwing sushi parties, where Carlos and a growing team travelled to people's homes to prepare tuna temaki, deep-fried salmon and prawn rolls, and nutella and kiwi sushi for dessert. Mid-pandemic in 2020 he opened their first permanent site in Phibsboro, and Sushi Sakai feeds a steady flow of customers from open to close. Sushi Sakai Website sushisakaidublin.ie Address 342 North Circular Road, Phibsborough, Dublin 7 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Brazilian Carlos Sakai started making sushi for friends after moving to Ireland to study English. They told other friends, and soon he was throwing sushi parties, where Carlos and a growing team travelled to people's homes to prepare tuna temaki, deep-fried salmon and prawn rolls, and nutella and kiwi sushi for dessert. Mid-pandemic in 2020 he opened their first permanent site in Phibsboro, and Sushi Sakai feeds a steady flow of customers from open to close. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet