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

Kaizen Go all in on dim sum in Ka Shing's Dublin 15 sibling Posted: 5 Aug 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What's the story with Kaizen? The Chinese restaurant specialising in dim sum opened on the outskirts of Blanchardstown shopping centre last October. While we don't make a habit of going to shopping centres for our dinner, we'd make an exception here for two reasons. 1) It has the same owners as city centre dim sum den Ka Shing on Wicklow Street, serving their now famous food since 2013. 2) Dublin 15 is one of the worst suburbs in the capital for exciting places to eat, and if we had a euro for every reader complaint we get about how "there's no where to eat here!", we could retire from food writing. Where should we sit? We were taken aback by how beautifully appointed the upstairs room is (there is a lift and wheelchair accessible toilet for anyone who needs it). There's a very grand feeling to the marble effect floor, black chairs and gold accents, including on the dividers separating the tan leather booths. There's every type of table configuration you could want in here, but for groups of four we'd ask for a booth at the window. For larger groups, or if you have a buggy or other extraneous materials, you'll be more comfortable on the circular tables in the centre surrounded by plenty of space. Of course there's a large table with a Lazy Susan for easy sharing of dishes, and we saw a separate room in the back where it looked like a child's birthday party was taking place - beats the food at Funky Monkey's any day. What's the menu like? There are two menus in here - the dim sum one, and the Cantonese one. Our advice is to go all in on dim sum, and forget the rest. Two of our favourites were the char siu cheung fun (€7.50) - slippery lengths of rice noodle filled with smoky, sweet pork and greens; and the deep-fried taro croquette (€7.50) - a crispy croquette filled with the yam-like root vegetable, encased in the most delicate wisps that dissolve as soon as they hit your mouth. Stunning pastry skills. Xiao long bao (soup dumplings, €8.50) had deeply flavoured pork inside a chewy dumpling case, but in some the soup had already seeped out, while pork and prawn siu mai (€7) were a decent example of one of dim sum's most popular dumplings, with chunky pieces of prawn. Make sure to order the cucumber with black vinegar (€6) - crunchy, refreshing lengths of green veg in the tangiest dressing with little punches of garlic and chilli. Salt and pepper squid "whiskers" were the oily antidote to its freshness, but with tender tentacles and salty veg tossed through. We've never met a BBQ pork bun we didn't like (€7), and that didn't change here, the soft, fluffy buns encasing sweet, smoky chunks of char siu pork. Use the chilli oil on the table to amp up the heat. The swan puff pastries might look more like dessert, but there's a savoury and a sweet version. The savoury (€9.80) comes deep-fried, filled with custard surrounded by the crispest pastry layers and an edible neck and head, and they are so delicate, and so delicious, you may need all of your willpower not to order a second round. Beef balls with tangerine peel (€7.50) were a curveball order that paid off. Despite their semi-raw looking appearance, the juicy spheres had deep layers of savoury flavour, and the tangerine, vinegary dipping sauce was the lift it all needed. Pork ribs with garlic (€7) on the other hand would not be on our reorder list, with too much bone and fat and nowhere near enough meat. What about the Cantonese food? We got the feeling this isn't why they get out of bed in the morning, and it's more a case of giving the people what they want, than giving them what they need and they just don't know it yet. There's plenty here to satisfy diners, but it's not the reason we'd be making a special trip to Dublin 15. Firstly lots on the online menu wasn't available in the restaurant (we really wanted that meat floss), so prepare for possible disappointment. We love the semi-healthy feeling we get from prawn yuk sung (€12), with the finely chopped stir fry served in lettuce leaves that you roll up and scoop into your mouth. The one here is excellent, with all the expected flavours of oyster, soy and rice wine and sesame coating those chunks of prawn, pork and veg. A hot and sour soup passed the litmus test, but won't be winning any awards any time soon for outstanding flavour or generosity of ingredients, especially for €9.50. Barbecue spare ribs were too sweet for our palates, with not enough complexity in the flavours to make up for the sugary slant. The meat was as tender as you would hope for, but it didn't feel particularly generous for €10. We were hoping the Cantonese roast meats with rice (three for €30) might be another reason to hightail it to Blanch, but we didn't find anything travel worthy there either. The roast duck, honey roast pork char siu, and Macau-style roast pork belly were all drier and less juicy than we were expecting, and they felt more like a tick box exercise than something that's someone's staying awake nights trying to figure out how to improve. Beijng-style lamb (€25) is one dish we would order again, with rich umami flavour and plenty of veg, although research suggests this should be more of a slow-braised style, than Irish takeaway-style, complete with plenty of cornflour to increase the gloop factor. Tasty? Yes. Authentically Chinese? The jury's out. Last for the Cantonese mains was Beef Ho Fun (€25), a smoky, charred, oily mound of flat rice noodles with tender beef, onions and beansprouts. The beautifully charred flavours make it hard to stop going back for more, but the high fat content makes this one to share, or your stomach will tell you all about it. Desserts are worth saving space for, and were considerably more interesting in the restaurant than online's "deep-fried banana" and "sticky toffee pudding". Staff tried to turn us off ordering the "trendy little white jelly bunnies" (€7.50), and they are just a watery/milky jelly with little flavour, but kids will love the fun factor. The pandan and pumpkin sponge cake (€8.50 is where the big flavours are at, with an airily light swiss-style sponge and layers of pumpkin caramel in between. Served barely warm, it's all too easy to eat. What about drinks? The wine list is predictably commercial and uninteresting, but we had a (just about) drinkable glass of Albariño . We couldn't bring ourselves to try the cocktails, which include "Pornstar on the beach", and the long lost "Long Island Iced Tea". 2005 called - they want their cocktails back. How was the service? Quiet and uneffusive, but efficient. They're also happy to let you order at your leisure, a few plates at a time, which means you can make your meal as short or as drawn out as you like. How much should we budget per person? With dim sum coming in on average at €7 - €8 per plate, a spend of €25 per person will supply a feast of dumplings, buns and cheung fun, which sounds almost ludicrous in today's market. When we went back to try the Cantonese menu our bill was double, for far less impressive food. What's the verdict on Kaizen? You'll forget about the shopping centre surroundings as soon as you climb the stairs into Ka Shing's grandly-appointed sister restaurant, and it's not often the toilets are a highlight of a dining visit, but it's another thing to look forward to (we won't ruin the surprises). Our advice is to go all in on the dim sum, and take advntage of what has to be one of the best value dining experiences in Dublin. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Roots Restorative dining goes on the road Posted: 29 Oct 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Roots is a pop up partnership between chef Keith Coleman and partner Aisling McHugh, and while this is a once over with a difference, in that they're nomadic so we can't give you an address, Roots is something you should know about, and will feel better for having been a part of. The couple moved home from New Zealand five years ago with designs on opening their own place, but high rents coupled with demand, as well as the somewhat new phenomenon of 'key money' put paid to that, so they ended up working in some of the city's best cafés, like The Fumbally and Bibi's , before being offered the opportunity to run Fia in Rathgar, with Keith in the kitchen and Aisling front of house. Fia almost immediately became one of the city's most sought after brunch spots, with weekend queues that were the stuff of legend, but it was when Keith started his Roots Pop Ups that people started talking about his food instead of Fia's. The first pop-up was in 2017 with Cúan Greene (now head chef at Bastible ) who was home from Noma in Copenhagen for a stint before heading to Mexico to launch the infamous Noma pop-up in Tulum. The next was with Eric Hellig (formerly of Heron & Grey, now Liath ), then came one in Bibi's with friend and ex- Momofuku chef Joshua Plunkett. Last year Keith and Joshua popped up again in Green Man Wines in Terenure, with Keith staying on to do a residency. Just before he was due to move on, Catherine Cleary reviewed the wine bar turned restaurant in the Irish Times giving it 9.5/10 and saying, "we’ve waited a long time for someone to bring wine lovers and food lovers together over plates of brilliantly creative food in a casual friendly place." That day the Terenure wine bar booked out for weeks. So what's happening now? In August this year the Keith and Aisling officially launched ' Roots ' as a travelling food concept, hosting intimate pop-up dinners across Ireland. They recently moved from Dublin to Slane, and harbour a dream of opening a destination guest house, organic farm and bakery in the future - we wait in hope for that one - but in the meantime we'd been very jealous of the feedback from a dinner series they did in the Hang Tough gallery in Portobello at the end of the summer, so when we heard their next pop up was going to be Sunday lunch at McNally Family Farm in North County Dublin we jumped on the tickets - and got the last two. What's the venue like? McNally Family Farm is our favourite place in Dublin to go vegetable shopping, and the sheer amount of organic produce they manage to grow in an Irish climate is mind-boggling. If you haven't been we'd really recommend a Friday or Saturday trip to their farm shop and newly opened café. Keith and Aisling have been working on the farm recently learning about everything that grows there, so the recently renovated barn seemed like the perfect place to do it. What's good to eat? With their pop ups we imagine it will be usually a case of putting yourself in their hands for a no choice tasting menu, and these are very good hands to be in. Their initial description of "some individual snacks followed by a sharing main course and a dessert" was massively over-delivered on, and one look at the menu up on the wall had all kinds of excitement running through the room. The couple came out at the beginning to talk everyone through the dishes, and explain that a lot of the vegetables were only picked that morning - it's hard to imagine a more idyllic set up for a vegetable based pop up than the farm the vegetables were picked on. First out were rosa radishes with a green tomato emulsion made from tomatoes that hadn't ripened and Irish rapeseed oil. With these came char-grilled cucumbers filled with pumpkin seed miso, and Keith Coleman must be one of the only people in the country who can make hot cucumbers taste good. After this came burnt leeks with leek top mayo, from which there is no going back. This was peak leek, and the perfect illustration of what happens when sensible use of seasonal produce meets someone who seems to have a natural gift for creating maximum flavour from minimal ingredients. Thick slices of Scéal sourdough followed with lovage butter (all aboard the lovage train), and then a borscht-like beetroot soup with horseradish cream and fennel flowers for a kick of aniseed as it went down. This was fresh horseradish grown on the farm in case you were imagining a jar of Coleman's, and it was a delicate, silky bowl of warmth, sweetness and general soothing. After this came the main affair of lamb rump with blackberry and elderberry. The meat tasted like it was fresh from a summer barbecue, almost making us forget we were in a converted farm barn in October in 6 degrees celsius (there's heaters, it's fine), and was covered in the most intense, thick berry sauce, like Michelin-starred ketchup. Sweet + smoke = happiness. This came with four sides, including cold slices of kolhrabi marinated with dandelion, which was almost like a palate cleanser between bites of everything else, and char-grilled cauliflower with a Drumlin cheese and beer sauce - which was exactly as good as you're imagining it to be. The other sides were flower sprouts (a cross between Brussels sprouts and kale) with fermented black garlic, which were chewy, sticky, flavour-filled mouthfuls, and Orla potatoes dripping in what tasted like butter and herbs, which are baby potatoes somewhere between waxy and floury, and which seem to have the best qualities of each. Every vegetable was prepared relatively simply, using one or two other ingredients max, yet they tasted like the best possible versions of themselves. That's what serious kitchen talent can do. Dessert was a whipped lightly minted cream over cape gooseberries with honeycomb (from the farm's beehives), an elegant and thankfully light end to a Sunday feast - barring much honeycomb stuck in teeth but that comes with the territory. What about the drinks? For the moment their pop ups are likely to be BYO unless the venue has an alcohol licence, so we took a bottle of Judith Beck 'Ink', an Austrian blend of Zweigelt and St Laurent (available in Green Man Wines and Loose Canon ) which was pretty dreamy with the lamb - and the cold weather. Aisling had also made cordials/juices including sorrel and mint, hawberry and rose geranium and blackberry, thyme and juniper, which were all lovely to alternate with, and a bonus for the drivers. And the service? On their website Aisling and Keith describe Roots as "an experience where our guests feel like they’re at home, with friendly faces around them who are eager to converse and get to know one another," and this is exactly what they've created, through the use of a single communal dining table, sharing plates, and both popping heads in constantly to check on everyone, as if you're at a dinner party in someone's home. It's hard not to be struck by how meaningful the experience is, and how much of the people behind it comes through on the plates and in the room, so it feels like everyone there is in on something special. The verdict? The root of the word restaurant comes from the word "restorative", as when restaurants as we know them today started to open in Paris in the 18th century they were seen as a way to restore your body and soul. That's exactly what Roots does - restores you through food picked metres from where you're sitting, cooked in a way that respects what it is and isn't trying to turn it into something else, and makes you feel better from the inside out just for having been a part of it. With people finally starting to come around to the importance of both using and eating Irish produce, Keith and Aisling are an example for others to follow, and we have little doubt that this farm/guesthouse/restaurant they're dreaming of is going to be big news when it finally comes together - possibly scene-changing. At Food On The Edge in Galway last week one of the chefs who was giving a talk said "having good food is a way to respect yourself, it's self-care", and we can think of few other places bringing this to life in such a vivid way right now. Roots are hoping to host more pop-ups on the McNally farm (and other places), but sign up to their mailing list or follow them on Instagram to hear about what's next. Roots Hopefully coming to a venue near you soon rootsproject-ie.squarespace.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

The Galway-born burger restaurant, once named the best burgers in Ireland, opened their first Dublin city location in summer 2024. There's beef, chicken and vegan beyond burgers on the menu, as well as plain or loaded fries, and a basic drinks menu. Indoor seating is limited but people tend to eat fast and move on. Handsome Burger Website handsomeburger.com Address Handsome Burger, Chatham Row, Dublin 2, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The Galway-born burger restaurant, once named the best burgers in Ireland, opened their first Dublin city location in summer 2024. There's beef, chicken and vegan beyond burgers on the menu, as well as plain or loaded fries, and a basic drinks menu. Indoor seating is limited but people tend to eat fast and move on. 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

Allta Niall Davidson's wild wine bar comes to Setanta Place Posted: 10 Dec 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Oh we do love when a chef who's been a hit elsewhere prodigiously returns home, bringing bits of other cities in their armour and implanting them in our own. One thing is guaranteed, it's not going to be boring, and it's most likely going to be something brand new for the city - especially if they're coming home from London, scene of some of the most exciting cooking in the world right now, where unexciting/average/samey just doesn't cut it. So colour us fit to burst when the news broke last summer that ex- Nuala chef/owner Niall Davidson was coming back to Ireland to open a restaurant in the capital. Nuala was pegged as a 'modern Irish' restaurant using the best produce from the British Isles, and Allta (Irish for 'wild') was pitched much the same (with Irish substituted for British), but from early on they referred to it as a wine bar, and much of the talk was about small plates and handmade pasta (both of which we like a lot). Davidson brought ex-Luna head chef Hugh Higgins in as head chef and partner, along with Christine Walsh (ex-Loam) as sous chef, and the trio spent months leading up to the opening travelling around the country meeting producers, and testing recipes in a Terenure test kitchen. When they finally opened last month our readers got first access to the soft launch , and they had so much interest their system crashed. When reservations were released until the end of the year they had over 1,000 bookings in 24 hours. Safe to say people were excited about this one. Where should we go for a drink first? You're definitely not short of options around here. 9 Below (pictured), Peruke & Periwig and The Sidecar (our fav) are all a few minutes walk away if you're after a pre-dinner Martini/Mezcal Smash/Manhattan. For a proper pub head for Kehoe's or Davy Byrne's, and for a good glass of wine head for Isabelle's on South Anne Street, basement wine bar La Cave or La Ruelle. Where should we sit? The long table down the centre of the room is half kept for walk ins, with the other half used for groups. On the side nearest the kitchen the tables are all for two with extremely Instagram-friendly lights above, but there's one light-free 'date table' in the corner if you like things a little dimmer. The tables nearest the window are all for four, so plenty of options. There's also a private dining room downstairs (due to open any day) so if you did want to have your birthday/anniversary/leaving meal there it's a possibility. What's good to eat? The menu is a food sharer's dream, starting with snacks and moving onto a variety of plates, most of which include pasta. They've also just introduced a chef's menu for €48 per person where you get practically everything, but you will have to choose between the spider crab bigoli and the BBQ lamb pappardelle - a choice no one should ever have to make. Cromane oysters come with rhubarb vinegar and are of the dissolve in your mouth variety, with added zip from the vinegar, and the subject of the mural on the wall is the oyster fisherman in Kerry that they buy them from. Anyone who grew up in Dublin was probably raised on ray (or skate as all the cool kids are calling it now), and they've done a very clever take on it with their crispy skate wing and seaweed cream. The bone is used to pick it up (a fish first for us) and it was perfectly crisp, tender and seasoned. A small plate of grilled broccoli, pickled green tomato and goat's curd had immense flavour, and had us kicking ourselves for stripping the leaves off broccoli all of these years. Here they topped the dish like smoky crisps, with the broccoli stems beautifully chargrilled and tender, the goat's curd creamy like the inside of a ball of burrata, and the pickled green tomatoes the perfect foil to lift it all up. Then come the pastas. If you've heard about anything it's probably been the chicken scarpinocc, a stuffed pasta filled with chicken liver mousse in a foamed sauce topped with crispy shallots. It's rich, it's luscious, it's perfect. You will groan - unless you really don't like chicken liver pate, or butter (in which case we can't be friends). The spider crab bigoli is the dish with theatre attached, and another must order. The bigoli pasta is topped with spider crab and an egg yolk when it comes out, before a chef holding a spider crab shell filled with bisque pours it over the top. It's every bit as good as it sounds, with the flavour of the crab coming through on so many levels. The pasta here is faultless, with the perfect amount of chew, and everything combined makes this a very special dish. Speaking of special dishes, say hello to the BBQ lamb with seaweed pappardelle, Cáis na Tíre cheese and wild marjoram. Mayo lamb is salted, confit then smoked over birch and glazed with their own Irish BBQ sauce, black apple purée, brown butter and salted cherry blossom vinegar. If you need to take a minute to process that go right ahead. You'll need another one after you've eaten it. Sticky, smoky, crunchy lamb, wafer thin strips of pasta, that cheese sauce... Swoon... They also sent out an extra dish that's not on the menu yet but will be soon, and form an orderly queue. Hand-dived scallops are flash fried on the pan, then put back in their shells, topped with gooseberry beurre blanc and hazelnuts and placed on top of some smoking juniper wood to finish cooking at the table. Will any scallop ever taste this good again? How did we not know that scallops and hazelnuts were meant to be together? Where has gooseberry beurre blanc been all our lives? So many questions. For dessert they're keeping it simple, with ice-cream or cheese, but obviously not just any ice-cream, 'nitro' (nitrogen) ice-cream, with smoked honey, sea buckthorn and white chocolate chunks. As you do. It's a pleasingly nostalgic end to a stellar meal, and one that won't have you leaving thinking you overdid it. Cheeses when we visited were Coolea or Young Buck, but they had run out of bread due to an issue with their flour supplier, so maybe check beforehand if you feel cheese without bread is like a weekend without wine. What about the drinks? The wine list is full of interesting bottles to drink but the prices are very punchy, so there's not much in the way of value. If that doesn't bother you or someone else is paying you'll have fun exploring it. We found the glass list offered more bang for your buck and lots of interesting wines are open so we'd stick to that. There's also a selection of wines on tap that are slightly more pocket friendly. The by the glass list is not separated into sparkling, white and red, but instead by genre, which those who don't have much wine knowledge might be uncomfortable with (especially considering there's a lot of unusual grapes), but just ask sommelier Ian Fitzpatrick or any of the other staff to point you in the right direction. The chardonnay based sparkling Tuffeau is a great meal opener at €8.50, and we also loved the Czech Krasna Hora rosé (€10.50) with the crab bigoli. And the service? Manager Gráinne Bates is well known in the industry having managed Etto, Forest & Marcy and Piglet amongst others, and her hospitable, bubbly nature is infectious, with other staff equally lovely. The chefs bring the dishes to the tables themselves and explain what's in them, and everyone seemed very chilled and on top of things, making for a very relaxing experience. The verdict? Despite only being open a couple of weeks, Allta is already one of the best restaurants in the city, and we look forward to seeing what the team get up to next, both with the menu and with the second more upscale site that's in the plans down the line. With what feels like a weekly increasing awareness of the importance of eating what's around us, and the sheer amount of world-class produce coming from our small island, places pushing as hard as Allta are going to be instrumental in taking Irish food and restaurants to the next level, and finally shaking off the global image that there's nothing to eat here but potatoes. Allta Setanta Place, Dublin 2 allta.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

What was formerly the more casual Bar East downstairs (with the more formal King Sitric upstairs), has been turned into King Sitric 2.0, with the next generation of the family running operations. Seafood tastes like it was caught hours earlier, lobster and crab show up in abundance, and if you don't get the large portion of tempura prawns you'll regret it. The owners have a relationship with Domaine Hugel in Alsace and import their wines directly, meaning they're a bargain by Irish standards. King Sitric Website kingsitric.ie Address East Pier, Howth, Dublin 13 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story What was formerly the more casual Bar East downstairs (with the more formal King Sitric upstairs), has been turned into King Sitric 2.0, with the next generation of the family running operations. Seafood tastes like it was caught hours earlier, lobster and crab show up in abundance, and if you don't get the large portion of tempura prawns you'll regret it. The owners have a relationship with Domaine Hugel in Alsace and import their wines directly, meaning they're a bargain by Irish standards. 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 food get a fine dining showcase at this elegant first floor restaurant adorned with Brazilian artwork, facing The Westbury Hotel. Chef Viktor Silva takes every day dishes and ingredients and presents them in beautiful, fascinating ways during the course of his no-choice tasting menu, and while there might be a lot going on, it never feels like too much. Staff pride themselves on their welcome and hospitality, and a Caipirinha is a must order. Amai by Viktor Website amaibyviktor.ie Address Amai by Viktor, Harry Street, Dublin 2, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Brazilian food get a fine dining showcase at this elegant first floor restaurant adorned with Brazilian artwork, facing The Westbury Hotel. Chef Viktor Silva takes every day dishes and ingredients and presents them in beautiful, fascinating ways during the course of his no-choice tasting menu, and while there might be a lot going on, it never feels like too much. Staff pride themselves on their welcome and hospitality, and a Caipirinha is a must order. 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

Lock's Grown-up, canal side dining that's worth a trip for the butter alone Posted: 3 May 2018 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Locks has been around since the 1980’s but has had more incarnations than Madonna. At one point it gained and lost a Michelin star within a year (as Locks Brasserie), which led to the restaurant closing in the summer of 2015. That Autumn, it was taken over by Conor O’Dowd (ex-head chef at Dax) and Keelan Higgs, who’d been a chef in Locks Brasserie for the past few years, along with Paul McNamara (ex-head chef at Etto). Since then it’s been gaining a steady buzz with one great review after another. Higgs has since moved on, and in February this year Locks announced that they had hired a new head chef , Chris Maguire, formerly of The Ledbury and Trinity in London (both Michelin starred). We thought it was time we went to check it out. Where’s good for a drink beforehand? If it’s a sunny day most of Dublin will be at The Barge , so you may as well join them. Otherwise The Bernard Shaw is slightly closer and has a good range of beers as well as cocktails and an impressive selection of no and low-alcohol drinks, in case you’re saving yourself for the wine list at Locks. What’s the room like? Really beautifully laid out, like being in a very plush house. The killer tables are the ones by the window, where you can gaze out at the canal all night, but the whole room is ultra comfortable. The private dining room upstairs has serious wow factor, and if we were organising a group night out or a little celebration it would be right at the top of our list. What's good to eat? The smart money’s in the chef’s tasting menu on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which includes five courses (different each week) for €45. There’s also a very good value market menu available from 5:30pm – 6:30pm Tuesday to Saturday, with two courses for €25 or three for €30. We went á la carte. Whatever other choices you make, do not neglect to order the sea trout and dulse butter, which no description can do justice to. It comes with homemade sourdough and brown bread, and honestly if we’d had three courses of that it would have been worth the trip. Another snack that’s difficult to fault was the whipped chicken liver with brioche, grapes and apple - beautifully light and perfectly balanced between richness and freshness. For starters, we loved the roast cauliflower risotto with morels and truffle, which was an umami bomb. The violet artichoke, duck hearts and padron pepper (which came as a sauce) was more understated and didn't wow in the same way, but a nice dish nonetheless and the duck hearts were perfectly cooked. From the mains their signature dish seems to have become the Delmonico salt aged rib-eye for two, with braised short rib, duck fat chips, salt and pepper onion rings and king oyster mushroom, for €65, so we felt we had to try it. The rib-eye meat had extraordinary flavour, so much so that we wanted to eek out every bite, and the short rib and mushroom, which came on two separate plates, felt like more of a distraction. They would have been highly enjoyable by themselves but the steak was the star of the show and hard to compete with, and by the end we were getting close to the meat sweats. Saying that, if you go hungry, or don’t order snacks and starters, you will probably be very happy. The salt and vinegar onion rings were a genius move and highly addictive, but the duck fat chips were more bendy than crispy, and we couldn’t understand the reasoning behind making chips curved and taking off their lovely crispy edges. Dessert was a struggle after so much meat, but we wanted to try the peanut butter tart with banana milk ice-cream after seeing it all over Instagram. It was very well done, the milky banana perfectly offsetting the dense peanut butter tart. What about the drinks? We recognised barely any winemakers on the list which usually sets off alarm bells, but we had nothing to worry about. This is a list which has been put together with care and attention, and there’s a big focus on wines from Portugal, as GM Andressa is Portugese. Everything we tried by the glass was a good step above most restaurants in the city, including an Italian Vermentino, a Spanish blend of Treixadura and Godello, a red blend from the Douro in Portugal and an Italian Barbera. And the service? Our waitress couldn’t have been any more welcoming or lovelier, a rare find for restaurants at the moment, and another member of staff was happy to make wine recommendations and let us taste before deciding. It seems like a place where the staff are happy to be there. The verdict? This is grown up dining in a gorgeous canal-side location, close enough to town that you could walk, far enough away that it feels totally peaceful. Attempt to bag a window table, don’t miss the butter, and if you order the rib eye try not to gorge yourself on multiple courses beforehand. Next time we're going Tuesday or Wednesday for the chef’s tasting menu. Locks 1 Windsor Terrace, Portobello, Dublin 8 locksrestaurant.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Kevin O’Donnell and Laura Chabal’s Comet opened just off Dawson Street in Summer 2025 with little fanfare, but within weeks the critics (us included) had proclaimed it one of the most exciting restaurants to open in Dublin in recent memory. O’Donnell’s Scandi-influenced cooking feels genuinely unique in Dublin right now, as do the small site’s paired back bistro vibes, and the wine list is an event in itself. The quail on toast is already a thing of legend – if ever dare to take it off the menu they’ll have an angry mob at the door. Comet Website cometrestaurant.com Address Comet, Joshua Lane, Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Kevin O’Donnell and Laura Chabal’s Comet opened just off Dawson Street in Summer 2025 with little fanfare, but within weeks the critics (us included) had proclaimed it one of the most exciting restaurants to open in Dublin in recent memory. O’Donnell’s Scandi-influenced cooking feels genuinely unique in Dublin right now, as do the small site’s paired back bistro vibes, and the wine list is an event in itself. The quail on toast is already a thing of legend – if ever dare to take it off the menu they’ll have an angry mob at the door. 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 second outpost of Sprezzatura to join their first site in Dublin 8. Fast, casual, inexpensive pasta and small plates, with almost every ingredient sourced in Ireland. Irish twists on Italian classics with a big focus on sustainability - all drinks are on tap, all packaging is compostible and they’re fully paperless. Sprezzatura Website sprezzatura.ie Address 221–223 Rathmines Road Lower, Rathmines, Dublin 6 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The second outpost of Sprezzatura to join their first site in Dublin 8. Fast, casual, inexpensive pasta and small plates, with almost every ingredient sourced in Ireland. Irish twists on Italian classics with a big focus on sustainability - all drinks are on tap, all packaging is compostible and they’re fully paperless. 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

Bar Pez The Fish Shop team bring seafood small plates and all the wine to the city centre Posted: 8 Aug 2023 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Bar Pez? It's a new wine bar on Kevin Street Lower (just after Aungier Street when you're walking out of town) from the same owners as Fish Shop in Smithfield and Beach House in Tramore. They are very keen to stress that this is a bar , with seafood-focused wine and small plates, and while there's no doubt that the wine list is the star attraction here, we (and everyone else) clearly had high expectations for the food, based on Bar Pez's siblings. Where should we sit? The interiors are reminiscent of a ski lodge, with timber-lined walls, faux oil lamps, and mismatched artwork. There are four solid tables for four (which can't be adjusted for smaller or larger parties), and counter seating on high stools. This is not a venue that's going to work for groups, unless some of the party are happy to stand, or be split across different areas. (Bar Pez) Counter seats either face into the basic kitchen, or onto a wall of wine. There's also a perch in the centre of the restaurant that two or three could stand at if you just wanted a quick glass and a plate of something tasty on route to somewhere else. What's the food like? There's been a bar and/or a kitchen menu depending on the day over the last few weeks, the kitchen menu appearing more towards the weekend. The bar menu is basic, with almonds, anchovies, gildas and a couple of toasts, while the kitchen menu adds some mostly fish-based small plates. A gilda to start is compulsory, and it's the same olive/anchovy/pickled green pepper one as you'll find in Fish Shop, but 50c more expensive at €3.50 (Fish Shop's are €3 each - the rents must be higher around here). On the gilda index it's cheaper than Uno Mas (€4) but more expensive than Row Wines (€5 for two), and it's a strong, salty, pickled mouthful to accompany your first drink. Anchovies on toast (€4.50) consisted of three, half, salty, Cantabrian anchovies, generously doused in good olive oil, with a piece of toast for spooning on top of and mopping up with. Simple but satisfying, and a great accompaniment for the UBE by the glass (more on that below). Lobster toast (€9.50 from the bar menu) was easily the best thing we ate here, with lobster meat, mayo and what looked like espelette pepper flecked through it, and chives on top, the little additions enhancing the lobster's flavour and not masking it. Peas, broad beans and ricotta was a light, summery combo, with mint tossed through it and deep green olive oil pooled at the bottom, but a bit more seasoning would have made it even better. Courgette, crab and basil was another of our favourite dishes - akin to a courgette sandwich stuffed with a perfectly seasoned mound of crab meat, and sweet, pungent basil. We noted on a second visit that it had increased in price from €12 - €13, and the portion was less generous - margins not stacking up perhaps. As you would expect from the people who gave us Fish Shop, the fried fish and aioli was battered and cooked to five-star standards, but it needed better draining, and we found ourselves blotting it with serviettes to take some of the oil off. We'd buy their smooth, ultra-garlicky aioli in jars if they'd do us the courtesy of starting a retail line. Mackerel with peach and fennel (€19) had exactly-cooked, clearly fresh fish, but missed a trick with the flavours. While the peaches were beautifully ripe, mackerel is better suited to a more tart companion, like gooseberries or rhubarb, and without the acid to cut through the fish, it tasted more flabby, and wasn't lifted up like it could have been. Expect one dessert, and when we visited it was a beautifully moist yet burnished apricot and almond tart (€9.50). The tart had deliciously short pastry and excellent flavour, but the fridge-cold, single cream poured around it felt lazy. This tart deserved a blood-temperature crème anglaise - even a whipped cream with vanilla would have been an improvement. What about drinks? The by the glass list features plenty to keep you occupied over a few hours, including electric ATF favourite 'UBE Miraflores' from Cota 45, the flinty, volcanic 'Trenzado' from Suertes del Marqués, and a couple of grower Champagnes, as well as rosé, orange and red options. There's a 125ml and 175ml price, so be sure to tell them what size you want, or you could end up with an unexpected €17 glass of wine on the bill. There's no sherry, by the glass or bottle, which feels like the missing link. Maybe they'll add it in time. If you consider yourself a wine devotee, the very lengthy bottle list may stop you in your tracks, with sections on 'Oceans', 'Rivers' and 'Mountains' to pore over. There's little under €50 though, and the same punchy margins as most other places around town. There did look to be better value in the very high end of the list, with some bottles not a lot more than retail prices (e.g. Etienne Sauzet's Puligny Montrachet 2020 which is €102 retail but €150 to drink here, or Arnuad Ente's Bourgogne Blanc 2018, which we found in Hedonism Wines in London for £298 but it's €360 to drink here - a relative bargain if you've got the desire and the funds). There's also a Coravin list for those wanting to try spennier wines without committing to a full bottle. We tried the delicious Vincent Dancer Bourgogne Blanc (€20 for a 125ml), but on our first visit glasses went as high as €70. How was the service? Great at the start when it was quiet (around 5pm) and generally very pleasant, but derailed as they got busier. They don't take bookings (it's just a bar remember), but every few minutes the door opened and faces walked in hopefully, to be told there was nothing available. They weren't taking names or numbers, prospective diners were just told to wait outside, and looking out the window at the growing, unmanaged crowd was anxiety inducing. As the bar filled up our wine glasses remained empty, and we had to strain and crane to get anyone's attention for anything. We sat there at least 30 minutes longer than we'd planned, due to delays in calling the bill, and then the card machine. Surely the growing crowd outside would encourage the quicker turning of tables, but no one seemed in a hurry, and we ended up feeling guilty that we were unwillingly hanging onto a table that other people really wanted to be sitting at. By the time we were leaving most of them had given up, with only two remaining. We couldn't blame them. What was the damage? €106.50 with two glasses of wine and a soft drink. Needless to say if you delve deep into the wine list you could double that bill pretty easily. And the verdict? We love that the Fish Shop team have managed to bring their skills closer to the city centre, and the wine list at Bar Pez is one of the best, most extensive around - if you've got the deep pockets needed to pay for a lot of it. The food isn't quite as impressive as their Smithfield sibling (which we paid a visit to the same week and found it better than ever ), and the service needs tightening at busy times, but we'd be very surprised if they don't get there considering the team behind it. Bar Pez Unit 3, College Court, Kevin Street Lower, Dublin 8 barpez.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Caribou Not content with having the best drinks, interiors and staff, Caribou are now conquering food too Posted: 12 Nov 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What do we need to know about Caribou? Born in Galway in 2016 and transported to Dublin in May 2024, Caribou is the latest opening in the capital from Shane Clifford, Hugh Farrell and Declan Murphy. The trio also own Kodiak in Rathmines, Bonobo in Smithfield, Impala in Cork and Jackal in Navan, and previously ran P Macs (where Caribou is now) for its former owners, before going out on their own. Galway's loss has very much been Dublin's gain, and even though tears were shed by some over the closure of P Macs, they were short-lived when they saw what replaced it. Caribou has been an upgrade on every front, and we think few operators understand what Dublin bar-goers want as well as these guys. With their other Dublin sites sticking to Neapolitan pizza for food we thought it would be business as usual here, but we thought wrong, and swiftly after opening, word of a bar food menu that was majorly over-delivering hit our shores. Where should we sit? These guys were either interior designers in another life, or pay very good ones to design their bars. Classic wooden furniture is broken up with leather seats, 70's-style light fixtures, textured walls, enough art to open a gallery, and assorted dressers and bookshelves that look like Grade A flea market finds. Candles, plants and real flowers sit on every surface, and everything combined makes it a place you'll want to stay in for an extended period of time. Sit in the main room if you want all the space and natural light (parents will love all the room to park buggies and pull up high chairs; travellers will find plenty of places to park suitcases and backpacks), or head into the back for cosy nooks to settle into for private chats, where low tables are lit by lower lights. What's on the menu? There's only a weekday and weekend lunch menu for now, served until 16:30 on weekdays and 17:00 at the weekend (Friday - Sunday). While Kodiak and Bonobo have stuck successfully to Neapolitan pizza, Caribou is going all in on food, with Patrick Byrne installed as head chef. He formerly owned food truck " Taco de Town " which operated between Sligo and West Cork, and spent six years previous to that cooking in New Orleans. Weekday and weekend lunch menus vary slightly, with the main difference being the addition of roasts at the weekend, because why should roasts be relegated to Sundays? Eyes might widen at €7 for olives as you browse, but they're big, juicy and lovingly dressed, and it's the only thing on the menu that doesn't feel like exceptionally good value. A chopped Caesar salad (€11) is an utterly perfect example of the naughtiest thing you can do with a plate of lettuce, Romaine leaves generously coated in Caesar dressing with shavings of Grana Padano and baguette-style croutons to amplify cheesiness and crunch. You could have stuck a fork in us here and we'd have left happy. You can add add grilled or fried chicken (not free range) for €4 to up the protein. Our Reel last week on Caribou's steak frites (€15 for a 6oz midweek and €24 for a 10oz at weekends) got a lot of well-deserved love, and we're still wondering how they're getting that just-off-the-barbecue flavour, how they've made fries that stay crispy for the duration of the meal, and how many different types of peppercorns are in that glorious sauce. We weren't asked how we wanted our steak cooked and would have preferred it a little less done, so be sure to specify if you're equally picky. Either way we can't remember having a better steak-frites than this in Dublin, and we've tried plenty in hope. The fish sandwich (€13) came with a hunk of fresh not frozen, IPA beer battered cod, topped with chunky tartare and sitting on mushy peas, all in a burger bun. A beautiful thing, fish cooked to the point of being hot and juicy while not overdone by a second, it was only missing seasoning on the fish/in the batter. On a second visit the peas had been ditched for shredded lettuce and house pickles, which sound even better. We're not a town that excels in Sunday roasts the way many, many towns in the UK do, so we're always excited to see a new player enter the game. We weren't however expecting Caribou to casually sail in at the top of the pile - is there anything this kitchen doesn't excel at? Beef from McLoughlin butchers (€19.50) comes with a dazzling line up of: miso glazed carrot and parsnip; mash, (PROPERLY CRISPY) roasties, stuffing, grilled tenderstem broccoli (al dente), celeriac purée, a giant Yorkshire pudding, and a Guinness gravy we'd like to drink by the flask (unlimited if you want more). Controversially there was no horseradish brought to table, but once our brains started popping off with all these flavours we forgot we wanted it. Also in the roast line up is Caribou's version of bacon and cabbage (€19.50), with Buckfast glazed ham, sautéed cabbage, parsley sauce and the rest of the roastie sides. We will happily stake the claim that there's no better tasting plate of bacon and cabbage in the city, and it makes of a mockery of what's served to tourists in twee pubs in Temple Bar. Any childhood scars from bad versions of this dish will be salved, and lest we forget to mention, at €19.50 these are some of the least expensive (quality) roasts in Dublin right now. Despite the very generous roasts, we added on sides, because All The Food and all that, and Caribou's charred broccoli with romesco, hazelnuts and feta (€5) is the kind of thing you try to casually fling together at home but you leave the broccoli on the grill for too long or make the Romesco too bitter - they don't do that in here. The only issue is that one plate isn't enough. Those shatteringly crispy triple-cooked fries can also be ordered on their own with garlic mayo (€5), but we'd actually avoid the pungent dip because there's so much good stuff going on with the food here that you don't need it over-powered by garlic breath. There was no dessert either time when we visited, but there was on earlier menus, so hopefully there'll be a return to form once things settle down. What about drinks? These guys are known for their craft beef and support for Irish breweries, and big beer fans will love looking through the tap and bottle list to find something to pique their interest. The selection isn't at the level of Kodiak in Rathmines, but we can't think of many other bars that are. Cocktails are another high point, with a Paloma, a clarified rhubarb sour and a Hugo spritz all going toe to toe with the city's best cocktail bars. Wines are more basic bar, with the exception of a couple of rotating bottles "from our friends at Grapecircus" - whatever they're pouring we're drinking. How was the service? Of all the visits that all of the members of our team have made to all of these guys' bars, the service has always stood out - they seem to have hiring for personality and general human loveliness down to an art. We've never been scowled at, ignored or treated with apathy by exhausted staff who'd rather be anywhere else. We've always been greeted like we've just walked into a friends house, showered with smiles, and had any questions answered with enthusiasm and a willingness to go and find out the answer if they don't already have it. In an environment where finding staff for hospitality jobs has never been tougher, this kind of achievement shouldn't go unnoticed. What was the damage? We ate this over two meals, but midweek you could have a very solid lunch with a drink for around €25, and at the weekend, €30 will get you a roast, a pint and cover your tip. What's the verdict on Caribou? Shane Clifford, Hugh Farrell and Declan Murphy are the guys to beat for bars right now, and in their determination to get every little thing right, they've delivered a bar food menu and kitchen team that make so many others look like they're not fit for purpose. If they can do it in a setting like this, with prices like these, served by staff who look like they genuinely like being there, why can't everyone else? And why would you want to go anywhere else? Go for the roast, go back for the steak-frites, and harangue them to bring in food in the evenings - the city's crying out for "bar food only better" menus like this. New Openings & Discoveries More >>