Vegan fast food that's big on fun, and big on flavour. Loaded waffle fries, Buckfast BBQ burgers and Korean-fried broccoli wings all feature on a menu that may have you needing a nap afterwards. Excellent vegan soakage, or the cure the day after. Saucy Cow Website @thesaucycow_ Address 19 Crane Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Vegan fast food that's big on fun, and big on flavour. Loaded waffle fries, Buckfast BBQ burgers and Korean-fried broccoli wings all feature on a menu that may have you needing a nap afterwards. Excellent vegan soakage, or the cure the day after. 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

Ka Shing A dim sum den off Grafton Street Posted: 28 May 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? We're not a city (or a country) known for having all the dim sum options, but every so often a conversation strikes up online about where to get the best dim sum in Dublin and our ears prick up. We've had Ka Shing earmarked since Ernie Whalley reviewed it in The Sunday Times last year and said it was the best dim sum he'd had in 30 years in Ireland, and a reignited conversation amongst those in the know on Twitter recently confirmed it was still up there for the Asian community as one of the best. The site it's in on Wicklow Street has been a Chinese restaurant for decades, but only became Ka Shing six or seven years ago. It couldn't be any more convenient for a mid-shopping refuel, as it's just off Grafton Street, and there's loads of seating on two floors, so it's a great option when you need food but haven't booked anywhere. Plus, dim sum. Loads of small bites of super tasty (hopefully), super cheap food. What more could we possibly need to be convinced it was worth a visit. There is a more standard menu of starters and mains, but we had the laminated picture menu in mind. Where should we go for a drink first? You're spoilt for choice for drinking dens around here. For a cocktail with complimentary prosecco while you wait, you can't beat The Sidecar in The Westbury, or there are some interesting concoctions being made at Dylan McGrath's Bonsai Bar . For wine there's Loose Canon , Piglet or La Cave , and for a pint try Neary's for its bar men in bow ties, or Grogan's which is the place to be on a sunny evening. Where should we sit? There's a front and a back room, but we preferred the back finding it a bit more atmospheric. That might have been because there were more people in the restaurant the time we sat there though. The front room does however have the bonus of a fish tank, so toss a coin. There's loads of space so if you're coming with baggage like a buggy or a suitcase you won't have a problem. They have highchairs too so the whole family can dig into the dim sum. What's good to eat? There are 48 different dim sum on offer, and while we're not usually fans of the food pictures on menus format it was actually quite helpful here. We managed to try 17 or 18 dishes over a couple of visits, and there are some we would definitely not recommend, like the braised chicken feet and the sweet vinegar and ginger pork feet - both about 99% bone. Taro croquettes were interesting but quite greasy, and the pork wrapped in a beancurd sheet with oyster sauce was fine but wouldn't have us running back. Everything below we really liked and want to eat again Chiu Chow Fan Gor - Minced Pork Crystal Dumpling Fried Radish Cake with Shrimp, Pork and Chinese Sausage Vietnamese Style Spring Rolls Stir-Fried Mooli Cake in XO Sauce BBQ Pork Buns Steamed Bun Shanghai Style Deep-fried Mince Cuttlefish Cake BBQ Pork Rice Noodle Roll Sesame Balls We also had a lot of dumplings, which started to meld into each other after a while, but they were all good, particularly the shrimp and the siu mai. What about the drinks? Drinks are not Ka Shing's strong point, and the wine list in particular reads like a shelf in the wine aisle in Tesco. They did say they would do corkage though, at around €15 per bottle. There's a basic beer selection with Tiger, Heineken and Tsingtao, and Irish, Calypso and Russian coffees if you're braver than us. And the service? Perfunctory but pleasant. There were a few instances on the first occasion where our waitress kept dropping plates on the table without telling us what they were, leaving us to call after her, pleading with her to come back and tell us what we were about to eat, but maybe she thought the picture menu took care of that. The verdict? We really liked Ka Shing, and our second visit came to €15 per person (with no drinks), which seems like some of the best value in the city right now, especially for food this tasty. We're definitely going back to work our way through the rest of the menu, and at €5-6 per dish mistakes aren't badly felt. If you're new to dim sum this is a great place to get started. Just go for a drink before or after, or stick to the beer. Ka Shing 12A Wicklow Street, Dublin 2 www.kashing.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Bell Pesto The charming Dublin 8 café serving regional Italian specialities Posted: 24 Feb 2026 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What's the story with Bell Pesto? The casual, Italian café in Dublin 8 opened in 2020, and has a loyal legion of local fans, who regularly contact us saying " you have to try it ". Owners Simona Panti and Enzo d'Elia (a couple who split their time between being here and looking after their children) have been in Dublin for a few decades, and used to work together at Steps of Rome ( who remembers it? ). They opened their own business mid-pandemic, and have been ticking along nicely ever since. It's hard to know what category of restaurant to place it in, as they shut at 9pm, but do a monthly three-course set menu focused on a different region of Italy in addition to their regular one. So it's kind of a place for a night out, but one with an early start and finish. Otherwise their bread and butter is pasta, paninis, pizza slices and owner Enzo's "delights" like Parmigiana di Melanzane from 12pm until close. Where should we sit? The café style room doesn't feel set up for settling into for a few hours, but if that's the plan at least ask for the bench seating with cushions. The room is unfussy verging on stark, and some more soft furnishings/plant life/colour/more ambient lighting would go a long way to softening things up. We've marked the handful of counter seats in the window giving prime people watching out onto James' Street for our next solo dining article update. What's on the menu? Quite a lot. The standard offering of classic Italian pastas, paninis, hot dishes, salads and pizza slices are well priced, with pastas €13-€16, a panini and soup combo €14.50, and pizza slices prices €5.50 - €6.50. In addition, each month they have a special two/three course set menu from a different region of Italy, priced at €35.90/€40.90 (a jump from €28 for three courses just over four years ago, which says a lot about food inflation). As it's where they get to show a bit of flair, we stuck mainly to the specials, this month from the Northern Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige. Triangles of Tyrolean Grana cheese served with fresh rosemary and balsamic drizzle sounded too simple, we must be missing something, but it was indeed just a couple of slabs of Grana Padano cooked in the oven. Finished with the dreaded balsamic glaze (why not just good balsamic vinegar?) and dried rosemary (not fresh), we were underwhelmed. We did enjoy the halloumi like texture (although it tensed as it cooled), but it felt very basic for €15, especially off the back of a meal in Uno Mas the night before where the starters are the same price and in a different universe of skill and effort. Things got better with the Canderli alla tradizione, bread based dumplings with speck and herbs in a clear meat broth. These were silky, savoury and very satisfying, particularly on a cold evening, but again the €17 price tag had us puzzled - it's considerably more than any full plate of pasta on the regular menu, for a dish consisting of cheap components. Dipping a toe into the regular menu we decided to see where their carbonara sits on the Dublin pasta scale. Long-time readers will know we've got Bar Italia 's salty, creamy, full-throttle flavours on a pedestal, but occasionally we'll hear someone saw they thought it was too much. Bell Pesto's is a gentler version, rich without leaving you feeling like you need to say penance afterwards, with crispy guanciale throughout and on top. It's all too easy to scarf down, but we did find that the egg slightly scrambled leaving little flecks throughout. For €16.25 (compared to Bar Italia's €23) this is a solid, well-priced plate of the real deal. Back to Alto Adige and we were onto pumpkin gnocchi with Gorgonzola and toasted walnuts (€27). The purple colour of the sauce was slightly off-putting (we're guessing red wine had a hand in it) but the flavours were strong, and richly cheesy. The nuts gave good crunch and we appreciated the freshly grated Parmesan brought to the table, but the gnocchi were quite gluey in texture, which can happen when there's excess moisture in the dough, or if it's over-kneaded leading to too much gluten. A special dessert of almond and cocoa cookies were more bitter than sweet, working nicely against the apricot conserve inside, and they're a pleasing, not too sugary ending with an excellent decaf macchiato for the road (why are good ones so hard to find?) The other special dessert of apple and raisin bread cake with raspberry sorbet is a clever way of using yesterday's bread, absolutely packed with chunks of apple, and again managing to be not too sweet. Like a one bowl recipe your friend's granny would serve when you popped in for tea. What about drinks? We're definitely in commercial wine territory, and there was nothing here that got our pulses going. There's a decent range of styles though and prices are more friendly than most places these days, with bottles starting at €29 and topping out at €42 for white and €49 for red. Avoid the one-note house Percorino, but the I 'Muri' Bianco, a Malvasia blend from Puglia was full bodied and flavour forward at just 25c more a glass. For reds both the Primitivo and Negroamaro were nicely drinkable, if not wildly exciting. How was the service? So warm, proper Italian famiglia style, both on the phone and when we got there. Owner Simona is a proper Mama there to take care of you, and when she came to chat or deliver dishes it felt like she might wrap her arms around us at any moment. She was thrilled to chat about Italy and her hometown of Abruzzo, and how she and Enzo ended up here. It's easy to momentarily forget you're in the Liberties on a wet evening in Dublin. What did the bill come to? €122 before tip for three courses, two glasses of wine and a coffee each, and we took some leftover pasta home. Overall it's hard to argue with. What's the verdict on Bell Pesto? It's hard not to like this simple Italian café, with its charming staff and no fuss food. The cooking isn't in the leagues of some of the city's other Italian big hitters, but it's an honest place to get a low-pressure feed, with so much from the breads to the pastas to the pesto made by hand. This is generous, homestyle Italian food, served with warmth, and while the café vibes don't quite say big night out, we'll go back for lunch when we want honest cooking that tastes like holidays. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

The second opening from Japanese Daruma, whose first location is in Temple Bar. The Malahide outpost is less Japanese pub, more neighbourhood restaurant, with accommodating staff, a very good drinks selection, and commendably good ingredient provenance, including free-range pork from Carlow and organic salmon from Donegal. Sushi is excellent, and there's plenty to like from the hot section too - we love the chicken kaarage with yuzu mayo and the 18-hour beef short-ribs in a ginger soy glaze. Daruma Malahide Website daruma.ie Address DARUMA, New Street, Malahide, County Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The second opening from Japanese Daruma, whose first location is in Temple Bar. The Malahide outpost is less Japanese pub, more neighbourhood restaurant, with accommodating staff, a very good drinks selection, and commendably good ingredient provenance, including free-range pork from Carlow and organic salmon from Donegal. Sushi is excellent, and there's plenty to like from the hot section too - we love the chicken kaarage with yuzu mayo and the 18-hour beef short-ribs in a ginger soy glaze. 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

Tang (Cumberland) This is outdoor dining goals for summer 2026 Posted: 16 Jun 2026 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Tang's Cumberland Place dinners? It's the third year of outdoor summer time dinners at Tang on Cumberland Place - a risky move in a country perennially plagued by rain you might think, but it's had little or no impact on bookings here, or how much diners have been enjoying the experience (just look at their reviews). Fundamental to that are clever, robust pergolas with the ability to stay fully covered, and pull the sides down in case of sideways rain, but we're told that's not really been an issue. Tang is one of the places Dubliners are most obsessive about when it comes to breakfast, brunch and lunch (is there a single soul in the city who doesn't love what they do?), so it makes sense to keep the Middle Eastern vibes going through to dinner, which they only host on Thursday and Friday nights during summer - no Saturdays so their staff can have a weekend off. Don't you love to see it. What's the story with seating? This secret garden is one of the loveliest outdoor options in the city, tables flanked by foliage, and large pergolas to shelter diners if an unexpected shower hits. Even if you've booked an outdoor table in advance and the forecast on the day changes, don't despair and cancel in a panic - they'll make sure you're protected from the elements. You can book inside seating too if you don't like the risky life, but we're coming here on a warm summer evening for that patio space outside. What's the menu like? A Middle-Eastern inspired mix of flavour first combos, with vegetables in most of the starring roles. There are only two meat dishes and a few featuring cheese, and it's a compilation of Ottolenghi's favourite flavours, with sumac, tah ini, toum and za'tar scattered across it. It's divided into snacks, dips, small plates, large plates and sides, and we strongly recommend coming here in a group of AT LEAST four, because you're going to want more than is physically possible for two people to eat (we did the damage to ourselves so you don't have to). Two crunchy lavash crackers (€8) came topped with creamy, tangy goat's curd and simultaneously savoury, sweet and saline fig and olive tapenade, shattering into all kinds of loveliness on first bite. We insist you order the courgette fritti (€9) - beautifully battered and adequately drained coins of hot, juicy veg bursting out from a crispy, cumin-studded coating. Lemon tartare sauce on the side is a genius addition. Dips have their own menu section, with a choice of hummus, labneh and muhammara (€10 each), all coming with an individual loaf of sage brown butter kubaneh (a traditional Jewish yeast bread). Tang's hummus is infamous, so we tried the labneh with confit garlic and za'tar, and the muhammara with pomegranate and toasted walnut. There's nothing timid about the flavours jumping out of these plates, and you're guaranteed to send them back embarrassingly clean. Marinated cucumber with miso tahini, chilli crisp and scallions (€13) is a dream bowl for a warm evening, all crunch, creaminess and spice, with chunks of cucumber begging to be dredged through multiple competing sauces. Another small plate of fried halloumi came on top of harissa yoghurt and sumac onions (€16), and while the flavours were once again in your face delicious, we found the halloumi dry - maybe the advance soaking trick would work. Juicy lamb kofta balls (€19) came sitting on a tangy sumac yoghurt, topped with chilli, shallot and herb salad to add zing and cleverly cut through the meatiness. Kofta can get a bad rep for being dry - this one won't be receiving any such complaints. You absolutely need to get the Middle Eastern chicken skewers too, with hot honey and tzatziki. Drag those juicy, burnished chunks of meat through sweet and spicy smears, then cooling yoghurt, relishing each fizzing flavour individually and together. You don't need sides, but when has that ever stopped us. Get the crispy potato terrine with toum and shatta (€7), delicate slices compressed into a whole new form, and cooked until crisp, livened up further by being dragged alternately through Lebanese garlic sauce and fiery hot sauce. Need some crunch? The baby gem salad with herby yoghurt, toasted hazelnuts and green chilli (€8) will tick that box, as well as the one for your daily greens. Not quite as healthy as a plate of steamed spinach, but so much more enjoyable. Of the four desserts, one is a trio of their stuffed dates, and one is an affogato (they do excellent decaf if you want the flavour without the inability to drop off once you get home). That left our two, a rhubarb and custard brioche, and a dark chocolate crémeux with orange, sesame and sumac. While we're die hard fans of rhubarb and custard, a slice of bread was not what we needed after dinner, and this sent us into the realms of discomfort and belt loosening. The chocolate crémeux was a far more suitable after dinner spoon, sweet but not overly, with lovely tang from the orange and crunch from the sesame. The sumac was drowned out by the rest, but we didn't miss it. What are the drinks like? The drinks list is simple but functions perfectly well. There's a nice selection of summery spritzes and cocktails priced from €12-€14 (be aware our spicy pineapple marg was PROPERLY spicy), and nine wines from €35-€48 - everyone complaining about restaurants where wine prices now start at €50 will be delighted. A couple of Whiplash beers and N/A options complete the line up. Wine wise we love Arndorfer's refreshing Grüner Veltliner, which comes in a 1 litre bottle - even more bang for your buck. We're also fans of Baglio's Nero D'Avola, and if you like skin contact, try the excellent value Salamandre Blanc. How was the service? Every Tang we ever enter, owner Stephen O'Dwyer is there overseeing things. If anyone out there knows how he's successfully cloned himself we'd love the details. Is it something to do with AI? Between him steering the ship front of house, and everyone else friendly, warm and relaxed, looking like they really like where they work, it would be hard not to have a good night here. What did the bill come to? €175 before tip which included three wines and a cocktail, plus leftovers to take home. Less greedy people will spend less. €45 per person on food will get you the full shebang. What's the verdict on Tang's dinners? Like strawberries, barbecues and water fights, some things are just better in summer, and so are dinners at Tang. This lovely outdoor space serving plates supercharged with flavour should shoot to the top of your summer 2026 eating list - September will be here before we know it, don't spend Autumn mourning all the outdoor eating you never got around to. If you can time a meal here with Ireland's next heatwave that would be ideal, but either way once it's not lashing out there you'll feel very continental. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Jean-Georges at The Leinster The celebrity chef adds Dublin to his empire with big flavours, €48 snacks and spectacular rooftop views Posted: 2 Apr 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 Jean-Georges at The Leinster? The globally renowned chef, and self-confessed rule breaker Jean-Georges Vongerichten has been lured to Dublin by Paddy McKillen Junior ( Press Up Entertainment ), whose family he's known through the biz for 15 years. The Leinster Hotel now falls under ownership of The Dean Group, which Press Up set up to separate their hotels from the rest of the business. They sold a majority stake to a London based investment group in 2023, so it's kinda Press Up, and kinda not. JGV is one of the world's most successful chefs, with an empire stretching across 46 locations in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe and The Middle East. His flagship New York restaurant Jean-Georges has two Michelin stars (downgraded from three in 2018), and the work involved in keeping this many restaurants operating at such a high level makes our heads hurt, but he and his team are amongst the world's best restaurant operators. (Jean-Georges @ The Leinster) As good as Press Up are at interiors and cocktails, they've yet to produce anything above mediocre when it comes to dining. Jean-Georges is a "partnership" with the main man, who is not going to put his name over the door lightly, so although he only visits his restaurants once a year, we expect other members of his team will be all over every detail. Executive head chef Ross Bryans has worked for Press Up for a couple of years, but don't let that put you off - he was head chef at Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social for almost 10 years, and worked at restaurant Gordon Ramsay under Clare Smyth, as well as Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud. Is there somewhere for a pre-dinner drink? There sure is. Slot in an appetite sharpener at The Collins Club , the hotel's ground floor cocktail bar, named after Irish designer David Collins who designed restaurants for Pierre Koffman and Marco-Pierre White. He passed away in 2013, with British Vogue called him " London's great interior designer ", and the naming here is a lovely nod to one of Dublin's best design talents. The menu is unique for the city, with Collins Club versions of drinks you may already know, and brand new ones you won't, like the 'Chocolate & Yuzu' with chocolate tequila, sake and yuzu marmalade. The Abv is handily noted for each drink, so you can decide between a 9% Bellini or a 22% Martini depending on your tolerance/mood/stomach contents. The 'Kumquat' is their answer to the Martini, with gin, vodka, vermouth and pickled kumquat brine. What looks like two olives are actually brined grapes, plump and ready to pop - they make the drink. The first one that arrived wasn't cold enough, and when we asked for a couple of ice cubes to stir through and dump out they arrived back with a second one, freshly made and ice cold. We would have liked to see more appealing brands than Beefeater and Absolut, but others drinks feature more interesting spirits producers. The 'Palo Santo Paloma' was a very good version of a paloma, with Tequila, grapefruit, lime and grapefruit soda. Where should we sit? Into the lift and up to the rooftop, and despite the slight movement away from the Press Up brand, the room is in the same style we've seen in their other restaurants. We were particularly offended by the trees, but probably because they brought back bad memories . It's a long room with booths on either side and round tables in the middle. We will always pick a booth over a table in the centre of the room, and try to get one at either end for the best views. The most in-demand seats are going to be on the terrace at either end of the restaurant (not currently open), with views across the city as far as the Dublin mountains. What's on the menu? Dishes you could be eating anywhere in the world, with no obvious links to the city its found itself in. JG likes a raw bar/crudo/sushi, "light and bright" appetisers ( think Beverly Hills Housewives when they're forced to eat something carb-free on camera), and he loves big flavours, so there's plenty of truffle, chipotle mayonnaise and Champagne sauces. Asian flavours like fermented black bean ginger and green curry are also a running theme. Two of his signature dishes are caviar topped snacks, and both have landed on The Leinster's rooftop, but you'll have to empty your piggy bank to try them. The egg toast with herbs and caviar is on the menu at JG's flagship New York restaurant, two-Michelin-starred Jean Georges , among many others - see how its made here - while the crackling hash brown with caviar, smoked salmon and cucumber yoghurt can be eaten in his restaurants from Los Cabos , Mexico to São Paulo , Brazil to Nashville , Tennessee. Egg toast We tried the hash brown, and our thoughts went like this: "this hash brown could be a lot crispier; where is this salmon from?; mmmmm caviar; I wish there was more caviar; oh God, we've just eaten €42 in two bites..." Is this a must eat dish in Dublin? If you're earning anything close to the average salary, absolutely not. If you have money pouring out of your ears (or the person paying does) then kick back and enjoy this snack as status symbol. Onto appetisers and a plate of baby artichokes with rose saffron aioli and lemon showed what this group does best - simple ingredients supercharged with big, bold, flavours. The warm shrimp salad with avocado, tomato and Champagne vinegar dressing looked like something for diners on a diet, with a ratio of 9:1 leaves to everything else. The "shrimp" themselves came in a tangy sauce that was more beurre blanc than vinaigrette, and the whole thing was pleasant to eat, but once the shrimp are gone there's not a whole lot to keep you interested. The raw enoki mushrooms thrown on top were puzzling. Mains range from €24 for whole roasted cauliflower to €48 for beef tenderloin, and you'll need sides on top for €6 a piece. Wild turbot (€38) with crushed nuts and seeds came in a sweet and sour jus with lightly poached baby onions and tomatoes floating in it, and we've re-eaten it in our heads more times than the hash brown. Perfect, pristine white fish, which flaked away beautifully when hit with a fork, and not a drop of the broth it was sitting in went back to the kitchen - this is a killer fish dish. Charred, marinated duck breast (€40) comes with caraflex cabbage, herb salad and a coconut lime infusion (just like in Kyoto ). Caraflex is related to hispi, and to the best of our knowledge isn't available here -either it's imported or they're using its more common cousin. The breast was substantial, but a bit tough in parts - full marks for the crispy skin though. Oh but that sauce... Like a red curry paste ground by hand on a Thai beach met a juicy lime and throupled it up with a dash of cream from a just-picked coconut. The cabbage had char and bite and swirled around in that sauce was just perfect. An obligatory side of mash potato had a reassuring amount of butter, and easily slots into the "Michelin-level-mash" category. Desserts (all €12) are designed to be familiar and comforting as opposed to dazzling and intricate. A rhubarb trifle with lychee gelée and lime meringue came with plenty of the tart pink stuff to offset the sweetness, and delving deep brought up something new each time. A moussey butterscotch pudding comes with a layer of liquid salted caramel on top and a scoop of whippe d crème fraîche floating in it. There's a couple of shortbread biscuits on the side for dipping and scooping onto, and while we thought we'd find this Angel Delight throwback too sweet, if you like salted caramel there's nothing not to like. What about drinks? The wine list is pricey, not overly interesting, and is laid out in an order that makes no sense - not by price, nor country, nor style, so it's not an easy read. The by the glass list is their biggest downfall, with only three options each for white and red, and two whites and one red from Paddy McKillen's winery Château La Coste. Another red is almost €30 a glass, so for the average wine lover there's an embarrassingly bad selection. Plan on getting a bottle, which start at €45. We drank the Heinz W grüner veltliner (€45) which was crisp, fruity and an easy drinker that worked with everything. If drinking red we would have gone for Holzer's juicy Zweigelt (€55), which will also work well with this kind of food. How was the service? Not overly welcome on arrival, but our server was overflowing with smiles. She did however sound like she was reading from a document she'd been forced to practice for hours before being allowed onto the floor. We got the feeling that any question there wasn't a pre-prepared answer for might send her into a spin, afraid of accidentally veering off script. We were told in overtly enunciated words that all of the produce on the menu was "LOCAL and SEASONAL", and that's where the sourcing story ends. It's also worth pointing out that the dinky, dainty cutlery feels like it was made for diners with tiny hands. It takes a bit of getting used to. What's the verdict on Jean-Georges at The Leinster? Jean-Georges Vongerichten leads an impressive global empire, and it feels like we should be grateful he's added little ol' Dublin to his restaurant map , but despite some stellar flavours, we left feeling it's missing some magic right now - an Irish welcome, a wine experience worthy of the setting and the name over the door, and information about the ingredients on the plate. In a country where provenance is our biggest play, to completely ignore it feels like a huge oversight, especially at these prices. We wonder who's going to fill this restaurant seven nights a week (we visited on a Monday and were one of only three tables the whole night, and saw later on Instagram that one was a hosted journalist). Maybe the same set that fills up The Ivy day after day, who want to feel less ick about themselves. Dublin lacks great food in glam surroundings, it tends to be one or the other, with a lot of the city's best chefs and operators unable to conceive of spending this much money on upholstery and Costa Nova cutlery. It would be nice for someone to finally get it right, but celebrity chef led restaurants have notoriously bombed here - talk to the teams behind Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and even our own Richard Corrigan. We'd love to see Jean-Georges break the curse, because we'd very much like to sip another kumquat Martini on the terrace, while they pick a coconut for that duck sauce. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Just north of the river Liffey to the west of the city centre, Smithfield used to be home to inner-city farm yards and an open-air market, but is now home to fried egg sandwiches, Cardi-Bs, and one of Dublin's best places for seafood small plates and natural wine. Smithfield Our Take Just north of the river Liffey to the west of the city centre, Smithfield used to be home to inner-city farm yards and an open-air market, but is now home to fried egg sandwiches, Cardi-Bs, and one of Dublin's best places for seafood small plates and natural wine. Where to Eat Biang Biang Bonobo Fish Shop Mad Yolks Matsukawa No Messin @ Proper Order Nutbutter Smithfield Oxmantown Smithfield Sister 7 The Legal Eagle Urbanity

Winedown at Home Long live the restaurant meal kit Posted: 25 Jan 2022 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? With the surreal news of a near abolition of COVID restrictions last week, you may be wondering why we're using this time to highlight a dine-at-home meal box, but we've become fond of these boxes over the last couple of years, getting us through some tough lockdowns and giving us a break from the endless discussion on what to cook for dinner and/or opting for another average takeaway. This is our homage to those boxes that got us through, and maybe a plea to our favourite restaurants to keep some going. It’s clear from talking to our readers that there’s a market for them, be it people who aren’t fully comfortable returning to normal life so suddenly, parents who want the date night without the extra 50 quid for a babysitter, or anyone who wants a restaurant experience without having to move very far. Winedown opened in December 2020 (the sophisticated older sister of Meltdown ), and between lockdowns we never managed to get in there to try their menu of small plates and sharing platters. They're trying to create a relaxed atmosphere focused on seasonal Irish food and delicious wine, and we can see how this is reflected in their supplier list which proudly supports mainly local Irish producers. It’s clear that they're not skimping on quality with Sheridan’s Cheesemongers for their cheese selection, Carraignamuc Cottage for their fruit and veg, and Little Italy for pastas and other provisions. Their wine list is also extensive, however there are only around five options by the glass so be prepared to fork out for a bottle with prices starting at €29.50. Like many restaurants, Winedown had to pivot a number of times since opening, and their most recent launch was an at-home box showcasing some of their signature dishes. We gave it a spin a couple of weeks ago when we couldn’t bear another 6pm dinner reservation. How do I get it? Place your order on their website , choosing between a regular box with meat or the vegetarian box, and you can add a wine pairing to your order (more on that later). The box is available on Friday and Saturday this weekend, but from February they're reducing this to just Fridays. As it’s all made fresh on the day it will keep in the fridge for up to three days, so you could always stow it away until you’re ready for it. You can opt to pick-up between 12:00 - 19:00, or they’ll deliver it within 6km of the restaurant for an extra €5. What's in the box? Everything you need! We ordered the regular box which was 6-courses and the box contained all components, helpfully numbered by course to make the whole process very simple. The instruction sheet tells you everything you need to do to pull the meal off seamlessly, and they time things perfectly to mimic the rhythm of a normal restaurant meal, leaving a bit of time between courses to digest. Another nice touch was the very funky Spotify playlist, curated by DJ Tara Stewart, to set the scene for the evening. The tunes were so good that we downloaded the playlist to recycle for future dinner parties. The meal started off with a focaccia with cep butter and Guinness Bread with black olive tapenade. The only part of this course that we didn’t love was the focaccia which quite dense and not oily enough, but everything else was delish, and we could have done with an extra helping of the cep butter to keep in the fridge. Next up was the smoked fungi croquettes on a spicy tomato sauce. We adore a good croquette, and we could have eaten these ones all day. Generally we think a decent croquette needs to be freshly fried and served immediately, but even though these were just reheated in the oven they didn’t feel as though they had been pre-prepared. They were crispy on the outside with the most luscious, creamy filling once you bit into them. We would go to Winedown just to try these again (and a glance on their website shows us that they have two other flavours to try!) From there we moved onto the grilled halloumi and grilled courgette in a sherry vinegar reduction, served with romesco. The star for us was the romesco sauce which was deliciously creamy and went really well with the other components. The nutty topping gave a lovely crunch which brought the dish together, and overall we thought it was excellent. We moved on to the first meat dish of the evening – after a quick heat up in the oven and some light assembly it was time for slow-braised pork belly with celeriac puree, parsnip crisp and pickled apples. Full disclosure, pork belly is not our favourite cut, and this did the genre no favours with far too much unrendered fat and not enough meat, but everything else in the dish delivered. The puree was silky smooth and went wonderfully with the tartness of the pickled apples, and the textures were all there, it's just a shame about the meat. The next dish was bavette steak skewers with pickled ginger and their homemade rayu. We were worried that after some time in the oven the steak would come out totally overdone but they got it spot on with the timing and the result was a perfect blush centre. The Asian style soy marinade tied in nicely with the rayu and ginger, and we really enjoyed tearing the meat off this one. Finally we moved onto dessert. The chocolate Marquis had a rich, smooth mousse with a biscuit base which was a bit thicker than we expected, but it did lighten up the dessert and the biscuit itself was gorgeous. They touted chocolate budino on the side which we thought was going to be more like a traditional custardy budino, but in reality it was more of a thick caramel sauce. It may sound like we had a few gripes with this course but we're nitpicking, and will shamelessly admit that we scraped up every last morsel. The box feeds two, with enough food to feel comfortably full, but they’ve gone with quality over quantity so you’re not going to be ending up with any leftovers for the next day. The spaced-out timing of each course also lended to us not having to roll ourselves away onto the couch once we’d eaten. What should we drink with it? When we placed our order there was only one wine pairing option and it wasn't very exciting, so we drank our own, but they've expanded their offering since with some more interesting options. If you're looking for white you can't beat Ciello Bianco, a natural wine verging on orange which we think would go really well with all the flavours here. If you're after red, Gran Cerdo is a natural, juicy Rioja, without too much tannin, so again a good all round pairing. And the damage? €55 for the kit, plus €5 if you choose to get it delivered. Given the quality and variety of the food we thought it was excellent value for money. The verdict? Winedown clearly put a lot of thought into which dishes would translate well at home and made sure that each dish was nicely flavoured and texturally balanced to keep the experience interesting. We think they’ve done a great job and are glad to see that they’re taking orders for this weekend, but it does looks like they’ll reduce this to Friday pickups only in February. At €55 you really can’t go wrong with this for a relaxed night in, and if they do decide to discontinue it down the line, we’re excited to get into their Montague Street restaurant to try a few more things and get the full experience. Winedown 15 Montague Street, Dublin 2 www.meltdown.ie/winedown New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Xi'an Street Food Xi'an food diluted for a fast food nation Posted: 5 May 2026 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What's the scéal on the newest Xi'an Street Food? Originally founded in Galway in 2016, Xi'an Street Food opened their first Dublin location in 2018, and have just opened their third and largest site to date on Suffolk Street (where Tolteca used to be). The faceless, Chinese-owned hospitality group behind it was set up in 2012, and seems to have retail shops, Chinese takeaways, and even a smashburger restaurant as part of their portfolio. Xi'an is the one they've hit it biggest with though, thanks in huge part to getting in early on the spice bag train, which has gone on to become a global phenomenon . Did you even visit Ireland if you didn't have one while you were here? In an EU Business article, an unnamed company spokesperson said that Xi'an Street Food had " found a great balance between authenticity and modernity ", which we read as: " Irish people's palates can't handle real Xi'an food so we've made it less spicy/more sweet/less authentic ", but this Suffolk Street branch is the biggest yet, with the biggest menu to match, so maybe our previous underwhelming visits would be banished by this new beauty? Is there more seating here? This is their biggest dining room by far. While the former Tolteca site is relatively narrow, it's long, starting with plenty of two tops and counter seating at the front. At the back it opens up into a wider space, with more two tops, three booths for four, and one long wooden table in the centre that sits 10/12. What's on the menu? A LOT. Too much. There are so many options, and customisable options on those options, that you might feel like running for the door while clutching your head in your hands. It will also come off as nonsensical for anyone familiar with this thrilling cuisine. Why do Biang Biang and Liang Pi noodles have a choice of sauce? Liang Pi in Laksa curry sauce is not Liang Pi. Biang Biang in Dan Dan sauce is not Biang Biang - it's dan dan noodles. Are they trying to mess with our heads? It's like asking what sauce you'd like with your bacon and cabbage - parsley, tartare, or chip shop curry. You order via a QR code with your table number, and the menu online didn't exactly match the printed ones, so steel yourself for some possible on the hoof changes. Then we were brought fortune cookies. Shouldn't these come at the end of the meal? We estimated that 50% of customers were having a spice bag (€9.50), an enormous plate of spicy chips, non-free range, non-Irish chicken, and supposedly vegetables, made with their "secret blend of spices". As we were on a try as much as possible mission we ordered a "tapas" sized (kill us now) mini version (€5.50), and apart from a few cursory chillies on top there was barely a vegetable in sight. It doesn't come with curry sauce either - you'll have to add that on for another €3. We've seen this mini spice bag show up online with plenty of veg, and if inconsistency is this much of an issue with their most popular dish, we can only wonder about the rest. Apart from that major omission, these ain't homemade chips, and we'll happily never eat that chicken again. Here's what else we had... Smashburger spring rolls (€9) : These flavourless, unseasoned parcels would give smashburgers a bad name. Staff didn't know what the sauce was - eventually said "tomato sauce". We found out online it's Ballymaloe relish. A travesty in comparison to Hang Dai's version, which actually tastes like a cheeseburger Pan fried pork dumplings (€9.50 for eight) : These had good flavour, juicy meat and a nice dumpling skirt, but came with no dipping sauce. Vinegar and soy are on the table but no sauce bowls to mix your own. We asked and were brought some but another basic item missed Pickled cucumber salad (€6) : This is a decent smacked cucumber, but sweetness comes through more than acid or heat Stewed beef bao bun (€6): Did you order a swimming pool with your bao? A soggy, claggy, gummy mess. The radish will not save you... The main event, " Xi'an Specialty Noodles " are served in comically large bowls about the size of an adult's trunk, which only serve to make the portions of food look tiny. They're not, but optics and all that. You pick your dish, pick your meat, and pick your sauce, but if like us you want your dishes with the correct ingredients, you want to order the Biang Biang noodles with the home-style special sauce, and the Liang Pi with the Qishan spicy and sour sauce. For the gun gun, soba, rice and other noodles, go nuts. Biang Biang noodles with home-style special sauce and pork (€17.50) : These noodles were pretty good, wide, rough and chewy, but they were slightly overcooked and should have been chewier. The pork (belly, we presumed mince) was minimum 50% fat, and that veg came out of a freezer bag (those swollen, sweaty cubes of carrot will linger on for a while). If they improved the quality of the meat and veg this would be substantially more enjoyable Gun gun noodles with dan dan sauce and duck (€18.50) : These noodles are thin and springy, as opposed to the biang biang's wide and chewy ones, and the sauce was rich in peanuts and chilli. We forgot we'd ordered duck until close to the end - it was so overcooked it had more of beef/pork texture. Stay away from this as your meat choice if you know what's good for you Liang Pi "tapas" (€7) : If you order the full sized version of this (from €15.50) you're forced into choosing meat/veg/tofu to go on top - traditional Liang Pi never has anything else added. This was a sad sample of one of Xi'an absolute best bangers, with all of the savoury, tangy, spicy flavours on mute. And where were the traditional spongy gluten pieces, washed out and reformed in the process of making the rice noodles, to soak up that sauce?? ATF calls this woeful. Go to Biang Biang on Mary Street to taste real Liang Pi. What about drinks? The most interesting drinks on offer here are "Xi'an cocktails" and bubble tea. Although some might consider sangria in a Xi'an restaurant just as interesting. Wine is "white or red", beer is Tiger, Asahi or Tsingtao, and there's soft drinks too. At least some effort has gone into the cocktails, although the "Xi'an spice bag margarita" was just a regular (good) margarita with a tajin rim. A "Ganbay" with baijiu, lemongrass, ginger, kiwi, basil, fresh lime and ginger ale was very nicely done, but served in a silly little glass and was gone in three sips - a child-sized portion of alcohol. How was the service? Friendly but vacant. Helpful but clueless. We asked two different people what the usual sauces for Biang Biang noodles and Liang Pi were. Neither knew, they had to bring in a third. We asked another if the food was spicy, we were told no, mild, when the reality is you pick your spice level when you order. We asked another server what the sauce with the spring rolls was. She didn't know. Our Liang Pi never arrived, and despite staff asking several times if we'd received everything we'd ordered, and telling them no, we still had to flag someone down four times over 30 minutes, and eventually tell them we just wanted a refund so we could leave this torturous place, before it eventually arrived. What did you pay? €110 for enough food for four sharing everything, with three drinks. It's a relatively inexpensive option for a quick bite with friends or family, but as we know, cost and value are two very different things. What's the verdict on Xi'an Street Food? Throughout a very long 90 minutes in here we kept thinking about it as the McDonalds of Chinese food. They're not concerned about keeping the food authentically Xi'an, using quality ingredients, making each dish the very best it could be. This is pile 'em high, turn 'em over stuff, where you may look the other way if you care about where exactly what you're eating comes from. The increasing global fandom of the spice bag has put Xi'an Street Food firmly on the tourist map, and they're going to ride that wave as long as it lasts, but you're not a tourist ticking off a bingo card of Irish Instagram dishes. If you want to eat real Xi'an food go to Biang Biang on Mary Street instead, or get on a plane to any of Guirong Wei's Xi'an restaurants in London, but a few years ago we ate in both on the same week and honestly there was very little in it. If you're just hungover and want a spice bag then knock yourself out. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

One of Dublin 8's most loved cafés has crossed the Liffey and opened site number two in Fairview. This one is more petite than the original, with a small but potent menu, and the hash browns with caramelised onion, fried egg, cheese sauce & crispy onions looks set to be the star weekend dish. Pastries are homemade and coffee from these guys is always excellent. Two Pups Fairview Website twopupscoffee.com Address 30 Annesley Bridge Road, Fairview, Dublin 3, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story One of Dublin 8's most loved cafés has crossed the Liffey and opened site number two in Fairview. This one is more petite than the original, with a small but potent menu, and the hash browns with caramelised onion, fried egg, cheese sauce & crispy onions looks set to be the star weekend dish. Pastries are homemade and coffee from these guys is always excellent. 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

Dak @ Bar Anam A cursed corner of Capel Street tries cut-price wine and Korean fried chicken to break the spell Posted: 19 May 2026 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What’s the story with Dak? 1a Bolton Street hasn’t seen a bar last longer than a couple of years, since Dolly Fawcett ran a not-quite-a- brothel out of the address almost a hundred years ago. In the last two decades alone we’ve seen independent craft outlets Underdog and Beerhouse, Galway Bay Brewery efforts Paddle & Peel and Taco Libre, as well as Rúta, O’Byrne’s, and The Last Waterhole… Sorry, since who ran a what now? Look, that’s a whole other story, and one worth reading in full once you’re safely settled in her latest successor Bar Anam . The point is that you’d be wanting steel nerves or a proven track record to have a crack at this site given its history – just as well the owners of Liberties local Dudley’s have no shortage of both, with five years under their belt in what was once Baker’s Lounge. Maybe it’s that heritage and the chance/threat of wayward Yanks straying beyond the bounds of Temple Bar that have kept Dudley’s menus squarely in a play-it-safe pub grub space that’s never thrilled us, but co-owner Rossa O’Reilly offering up the space at the back of Anam to his Korean fried chicken-crazed brother Kelan had us hoping Dak might be different. How’s the bar out front? At opening time on our first Friday visit, the light streaming through two walls’ worth of windows would nearly have you thinking you’re in a city where summer actually arrives. As an early afternoon crowd of solo sippers snuggled up with a book, yielded to increasingly loose-tied office hordes, whose third and final “just one more” eventually freed their seats, for a college-aged crowd in for DJ sets that take off on weekend nights, we got the sense of a space smartly set up to ride the waves of passing trade that have washed over this place’s prior inhabitants. That’s the key to nailing an awkward corner of the city – giving curious customers who fall in the door a reason to stay, while building up a destination rep with over-and-above add-ons. The speaker setup, sending such throbbing bass down through the banquette we thought we'd parked on a massage chair, tells you enough about how seriously the music’s a part of that picture, but it’s a quick scan of the natural wine list that really perked us up. You'd nearly spit-take in shock at some of the prices here – and waste a lot less money doing so than at most wine bars around town. We spotted several bottle and BTG options going for 8-22% (!) cheaper than places like Cellar 22 , September and Etto . That alone makes this one of the most exciting new places to drink good wine in the city. So can we order from Dak to the tables in Bar Anam? We wish. Having to give up our prime seating to get fed struck a sad note, especially when emerging afterwards to find not a seat free – they’d have a hit on their hands if those office escapees could call in an order and stay put for a few more "one more"s afterwards. Dak's contained space has four tall two-tops and three low four-six seaters, allowing the kitchen to keep pace at this early stage - we can only hope it expands out in time. Walk-in waits are short at quieter times, but book ahead for peak hours – especially now word’s getting out. What are we eating? It’s not just slipping into a space that’s been the graveyard of many a publican’s dream that might look like a brave move here – Dak are slinging Korean fried chicken as if lunch counter White Rabbit up the street didn’t already have the local market locked down. In that sense the name, Korean for chicken is playfully direct – it would want to be good. Reader, we’d marry it. We’ve got a lot of loving loyalty to White Rabbit, but many a fan will be tempted up this end of Capel Street with a competitor like this in the frame. The first standout is the coverage - thick, syrupy sauces cling to the chicken’s crisp crags with a drip-free dedication we’d wager took no end of diligent test cooking to achieve. Up against their cheap and cheerful neighbour’s delish but often puddle-piled mounds, and Space Jaru ’s drizzled yangnyum stacks, this comprehensive coating really stands out. Jaru using Ring’s Farm chicken is the one reason we’d have still said they have a slight edge, but since our visit we’ve learnt that Dak has pivoted to Feighcullen free-range birds . Consider our one caveat null and void. Solo diners might sulk at how much better value the double (€26) is than the single (€16), but a dosirak platter (€25) that adds rice, banchan and a tteok skewer should soften that cough. This is a place made for sharing though – we doubled up with dakenjeong and garlic honey butter. Skip the first one in favour of the "classic red" if you’re spice-averse, but we wouldn’t wish missing these spicy-salty-sweet notes on anyone. Bear in mind the latter’s in-your-face allic tang will be revisiting you all evening - keeping yer mouth shut is a small price to pay. Expect to see the elastic absurdity of the corn cheese (€6.50) all over Instagram, with a mozzarella pull that’s nothing short of silly, stringy fun. Dunk the drenched chicken and have at it – the dry-coated "Dak’s hot dust" fried chicken option would be especially good with this. If it’s a touch under-seasoned in its own right that’s only in anticipation of all the dipping to be done - get the kimchi pancake (€11) twist if a little added salty sharpness is non-negotiable. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/416aaa_a2be60b26ba64119a3f85ae4085f0ecd/720p/mp4/file.mp4 We didn’t find anywhere near enough of it in the banchan (€6), with modest muted flavours ill-able to hold up against the assertive intensity of the chicken – balance is key, these just felt brushed aside. Spinach was the worst offender with distinctly more sog than spring, but the beansprouts and julienne daikon could stand to bring more than just crunch. Look to the pickled pink radish dished up with the chicken for how it should be done. Jhol mandu (€12) feels a strange swerve as a sole Nepalese note on an all-Korean menu, and not one that did much to course-correct our sceptical first impression. There’s tangy, zesty life to spare in the chunky achar base, but this fleeting flash of chef’s favourite personality comes at the cost of a cross-continental detour that’s just a little jarring. Anything for dessert? Not yet anyway. The Dak team have teased sweet things to come, but there’s no sign yet. Well, what about a digestif then? Now you’re talking. Bar Anam ’s wine might have caught our eye but it’s the cocktails (all €15) that got our hearts thumping. The mango and elderflower-spiked Bangkok is a signature spicy marg that takes on Fidelity ’s premium specimen, while a cold brew and chai Oaxaca's deep smokiness from palo santo could give Bar 1661 ’s Belfast coffee a run for its money. Don’t miss them. A rum-based Kingston’s pineapple and white port notes are like the cross-section of a white negroni and a Jungle Bird, and should land solidly for fans of either. Only in Athens are we on shakier ground, with this longform Mediterranean martini’s various vegetal flavours too busy to be anything but a completist’s curio. How’s the service? As tight-run but light-touch as you’d expect for a hospitality group in the making looking to hit the ground running. Table service prevails at quieter times with keen eyes swooping in to take orders at just the right moment – it’s hard not to hang around. Despite clearly sectioned schemes the two spaces feel seamless, with bar staff floating between to lend a helping hand to O’Reilly running the room solo. He has hospitality in his bones, with wide-eyed "I know right" excitement at every cheese pull, and a magician’s “ta-da” theatricality as he points out the concealed cutlery drawers tucked beneath the tables. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/416aaa_5a9f3fa15ab643b093a037605d634bf1/720p/mp4/file.mp4 What’ll it cost us? The dosirak’s €25 is smart pricing – you’d struggle to spend more than that a head for the food. All we ate, and bulging tummies with it, came to €45.50. Wash your KFC down with an Albert de Conti Pet-Nat and head back to the bar for a nightcap cocktail after and you’re talking the mother of all date nights with change from €50. What’s the final verdict? Many have come and gone on this corner of Capel Street since Dolly Fawcett’s day, but none have had the same staying power of her nod-and-wink trade. Between Bar Anam ’s keenly-priced wines and the calibre of KFC Dak are slinging, we have here the best chance yet to break the curse. They may not be running a brothel back there, but it’s something worth whispering about. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Not just bolstering Smithfield's thriving food scene, but taking it to new heights, Matsukawa is Dublin's only omakase style dining experience, and what many (including us) are calling the Japanese restaurant the capital's been waiting for. Helmed by chef Takuma Tamaoki (formerly of Wa Sushi), there are only eight seats around the counter and they're booked out months in advance, so this is one you'll need to plan ahead for, or get lucky with a cancellation. The 18-course menu is worth the wait. Matsukawa Website matsukawa.simplybook.it Address 8 Queen Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Not just bolstering Smithfield's thriving food scene, but taking it to new heights, Matsukawa is Dublin's only omakase style dining experience, and what many (including us) are calling the Japanese restaurant the capital's been waiting for. Helmed by chef Takuma Tamaoki (formerly of Wa Sushi), there are only eight seats around the counter and they're booked out months in advance, so this is one you'll need to plan ahead for, or get lucky with a cancellation. The 18-course menu is worth the wait. 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

Borgo The new 'Osteria Locale' that has Dublin 7 heaving Posted: 2 Sept 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Borgo? The lights went out in Loretta's in Phibsborough almost two years ago, and since then we've lost count of the amount of DMs telling us every other restaurant operator in Dublin was taking over the site. We were beginning to give up hope that anything new would ever materialise, when we got word at the start of summer what was coming, and it was way better than the rumours. Sean Crescenzi and Jamie McCarthy have built a rocketship-style CV over the past few years, starting slowly with Crudo in Sandymount (formerly Dunne & Crescenzi , Sean's parents' business) then the short-lived (and unfortunately named) Happy Endings , before taking off like a missile with Achara , H era (plus bar Juno ) and now Borgo in quick succession. Usually we get nervous watching operators who are onto a good thing move too fast, wondering how they'll keep standards high when spreading themselves so thin, but we've yet to see cracks forming. The opposite actually, with Hera added to the Michelin guide just last week - getting the Michelin man to Dorset Street deserves an award in itself. Borgo pitches itself as an " Osteria Locale" drawing inspiration from across Italy (where the Crescenzis hail from and somewhere both of the owners love), a casual place open to all budgets and tastes, but with everything done to the highest standards. These guys are nailing fresh, contemporary casual in Dublin right now, giving people what they want before they knew they wanted it, and not falling down in any area like wine, service, toilets, how many others can we name... It's beginning to feel like everything they touch is destined for success, and after letting them settle in for a couple of weeks we headed over to the Dublin 7 borgo to see if this is another bull's eye. Where should we sit? The room has had just enough of an update to make it feel like Borgo and not the building's former inhabitants Loretta's (whose owners were in for dinner on the evening we visited - no one recognised them, which made us feel totes emosh). There are pops of colour from neon artwork, a new ambient lighting scheme, panelling that's been painted dark green, new dark walnut panels added above, and half "café curtains" across the front window to let all the light in while maintaining dining privacy. It's got bags of character, and feels like it's been sitting on this corner of Phibsborough for years. Our favourite seats are the curved leather banquettes - your own little corner PDR, ready for you to sink in and veg out for your allotted dining time. There's one at either end of the main window at the front, and others in the centre and against the other wall facing the North Circular Road. If you like seeing your food being made, the kitchen here is wide open, with a view directly in from the back of the room. Either way, make sure to stick a head in on your way to/from the toilet. We should preface all this though by saying that if you want a table at Borgo any time soon, you'll be taking whatever you can get - they are currently being swarmed and it'll take a while before things calm down enough for you to dictate your table. What's the food like? Far too tempting. They could have done half this amount of plates, but then you might not be as eager to go back so soon. Between spuntini (snacks), pizzette (sourdough flatbreads, not pizza), antipasti, pasta, and wood-fired proteins, we can't think of anyone who wouldn't be able to eat how they want here. Got kids? Their children's menu is €10 for a juice, a pasta or pizzette, and ice-cream with chocolate biscuits for dessert (Crudo does similar). Can any other restaurant operating at this standard compete with that? Is there any surprise that it was packed with families at 4pm? ATF's Ronan covered our ATF Insiders preview , and said the focaccia and onion whey butter (€5) needs to be tasted. As usual, he was right. This. Is. Focaccia. The best we can remember eating in Dublin, maybe ever? The crumb, the crust, the flavour, the salt flakes on top, the perfect slick of oil underneath, and that lighter than air onion whey butter... Perfection spread on perfection. We don't usually recommend filing up on bread when there are so many other appealing things to eat, but we make an exception for Borgo. They serve Connemara oysters (€4 each) two ways - one with a bergamot mignonette, and another that's getting all the headlines, topped with a Carbonara-style sauce and cooked in the woodfired oven. It's not one for oyster purists, who'll find the briny, earthy notes lost under the cheese - it's more of an easy introduction for someone who wants their first taste. For our money it'll be the citrussy bergamot mignonette every time. Padrón peppers with Tallegio custard (€6) has been a headline grabber for sheer creativity, and while we would happily, mindlessly eat these as part of any meal, the peppers weren't charred enough and the cheese sauce didn't have the right consistency for dipping - you'll need a utensil to scoop. It was all very pleasant, but not a must order for us. You know what is a must order? Repeat after me: " I will order the gambas ". Say that 10 times, turn around and touch the ground, then go to Borgo and order the gambas with garlic, chili, lemon and more of that focaccia (€18). The tender, luscious gambas, silky from soaking up that impeccable sauce with just the right amount of sweet garlic, spicy chilli and lemon to lift it all up to the heavens. You'll want every last crumb of that focaccia to wipe the plate clean, and don't forget to suck the heads. They've been at pains to convey that the pizzette (€10-€12) are 48 hour sourdough flatbreads, NOT pizza. They arrive puffed up and ready to be cut, torn or just shoved in your mouth, and Mark's oyster mushrooms with stracciatella and aged balsamic was the one to fight over. Another with lemon ricotta, guanciale and Cloonbrook reserve was good too, but we did find the toppings swamped by so much dough. The pasta section is somewhere Borgo excels. Our tortiglioni with milk-braised pork ragu, crumbs, herb oil and Cloonbrook reserve (€21) was on a par with similar ones we had in Bologna on our recent trip there . Don't be afraid of tomato-less ragu - you won't look back. Maybe the dish of the night though was their agnolotti stuffed with ricotta, topped with prosciutto, 24-month old Parmigiano Reggiano and hazelnuts, in a butter sauce (€22). If ever there was a testament to bringing together the best regional ingredients, and letting each of them sing for what they are, here she is. You could not pull this off with substandard produce, and they're not trying to. It's worth nothing that ATF's Ronan loved the amatriciana on his visit, and we both wished we'd ordered the seafood pasta when we saw it travel to other tables. The pasta section is where it's at. If you're more protein than carbs (we're both), you can eat meat or fish from the wood-fired oven. They wanted a good value steak so went for bavette, which comes with cavolo nero, carrot purée, and tarragon and balsamic jus (€28). If you add a side of potatoes you'll be at €35, so it's not a "cheap steak" but by God it's a good one. Whatever they've done to that meat in advance of cooking we need to know about - it melted like fillet, but with that added texture from the coarser grain, the steak browned outside, and served medium/rare inside (chef's recommendation). The accompaniments were pleasant, but could be more exciting. You know what was exciting? Those Ballymakenny Queens with herb cream and Cloonbrook Reserve (€7) - just don't go for a medical any time soon after consuming them. Gnarly, deep fried potatoes are arrestingly crisp, every side is a good side, with piping hot fluffy insides and all the extra flavours to take them from an A+ to an A++++++. BBQ Abercorn rainbow chard (€6) couldn't help but be dull in comparison - we didn't get any barbecue flavours, nor peach in the advertised dressing, but it's always good to get those Irish-grown greens in. No self-respecting Italian has a dessert section without a solid tiramisu, and Borgo's is a monster slice for €9. It's falling over with creaminess, coffee and chocolate, but some of the sponge was too dry and needed better soaking. A very minor infraction. Get one for the table. The bigger hit here is the polenta cake with brown butter peaches, mascarpone and basil (€9). It's another very generous slice (a whole one might kill you) but everything about the textures, flavours and scents of this scream "summer! Don't go!" What about drinks? If you're partial to a negroni order the 'Negroni Sporco' once you're sitting. It's like a Negroni Sbagliato but with Lambrusco instead of Prosecco, and a fat olive perched on top. There's also the 'Borgo spritz' and the 'Pesca spritz', and it was a tough choice. When it came to the wine list we couldn't see past LAMBRUSCO BY THE GLASS. Have the sparkling red wine with the antipasti, have it with the pizzette, and let yourself see the light. The wine list is mainly Italian, with some random bottles in there from France and Spain (presumably for those who can't see past Rioja and Sauvignon Blanc), and it's very much a regional deep dive, so if you're confused just tell them what you usually like, what you want to spend, and let them help find you a bottle. We tried both the house Nero d'Avola and Grillo (both €7.50 a glass or €33 a bottle) and thought they both punched above their weight for those prices. How was the service? They couldn't have been nicer. We walked into a room that was the definition of "buzzing", every seat taken, animated conversations all around, well-behaved children everywhere, friends and families delighting in their new regular, and somehow they managed to effortlessly take care of everyone with kindness and grace. They also let us put in an initial order, then add more on - it's that kinda place. We weren't aware of a time limit on our table, but almost as soon as we got up after two hours, a family of four swept into our seats. If they were under pressure to move us on, they never let on or made us feel rushed. What should we budget? As you know we are greedy little so and sos and ordered waaaay too much - to the point of stomach pains. You don't need to make yourself sore from over eating, you can just go back another time like a normal person, so we reckon €50 a head will see you very well fed, but it's very easy to spend more if you let your eyes do the ordering. What's the verdict on Borgo? More Osteria Locales for Dublin please. More of this seemingly simple cooking with layers of flavour and the best ingredients available to the kitchen. It all seems so simple, yet is so often overlooked in favour of Insta-pretty plating and maximising GPs, hoping customers won't taste the difference. We've said it before that these guys seem to have the formula for what people want right now, and what they're willing to pay for it, and it looks like they've pressed yet another diamond with Borgo. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Michelin recommended gastropub near Grand Canal Dock. Cosy décor, upmarket dishes and a great Sunday roast. The drinks are taken as seriously as the food with a huge list of cocktails, beer, cider and wine. The Old Spot Website theoldspot.ie Address 14 Bath Avenue, Beggar's Bush, Dublin 4 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Michelin recommended gastropub near Grand Canal Dock. Cosy décor, upmarket dishes and a great Sunday roast. The drinks are taken as seriously as the food with a huge list of cocktails, beer, cider and wine. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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