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Harolds Cross - Terenure Our Take Southside suburbs Harold's Cross and Terenure have suddenly gotten interesting over the past few years, with several neighbourhood restaurants worth leaving your neighbourhood for. Where to Eat Craft Green Man Wines Orwell Road

Dún Laoghaire - Sandycove - Glasthule - Dalkey Our Take Dún Laoghaire's food options have improved vastly over the past few years, and more options can be found further south along the coast in Sandycove, Glasthule and Dalkey. Where to Eat 64 Wine Arty Baker Bibi's Dún Laoghaire Daata Deville's Grapevine Hatch Coffee Oliveto Rasam Soup Ramen Strudel Bakery Zero Zero Pizza

Dundrum - Sandyford - Stillorgan - Foxrock - Stepaside Our Take Good food options in South County Dublin take the scattergun approach, so it's important to know exactly where you're heading in advance. Plan ahead and you'll be rewarded with some of the city's finest Sichuan, Indian fine dining, and a foraged, fermented and cured Irish food experience to remember. Where to Eat Alfama Ananda China Sichuan Eleven Grump's Kerb Mad Egg Dundrum Overends Kitchen Riba Street Woodruff

Pearse St - Merrion Square Our Take From gut-friendly food on the quays to one of the city's coolest wine bars, with all the baked goods on Pearse Street sandwiched in the middle. Where to Eat As One Bread 41 Camerino Bakery Merrion Square Cloud Picker D'Olier Street Gursha Honey Truffle Il Caffe di Napoli Jean Georges @ The Leinster Note Tang Cumberland Place Vice

Portmarnock - Malahide - Skerries Our Take North county Dublin suburbs Portmarnock, Malahide and Skerries are a bit lacking on the exciting restaurant front, but there's enough to keep visitors happy with sushi, handmade roti for 'Pop's potato curry', and a Michelin-starred experience we really rate. Where to Eat A Do Harry's Honey Honey Kajal McNally Family Farm Café Noisette Old Street Paddy's Pizza Pies Póg Malahide The Rock Bakery Wasabi Portmarnock

Flip Burger Website flipburger.ie Address 30 George's Street Arcade, George's Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Vegetarian and vegan burgers from the guys behind Blazing Salads. Delicious plant-based patties like black bean and quinoa, or sweetcorn and feta, served on organic seeded buns, with a focus on pulses and vegetables as opposed to pretend meat. Fries are handcut too. Where It's At Nearby Locales Surge Coffee Pickosito Sprout & Co Camden Street Forêt Caribou Harry's Madame Pho Parrilla Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang

Boco at Harry Byrne's Website boco.ie Address 107 Howth Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Wood-fired pizza purveyors Boco set up stall at the back of Harry Byrne's to bring their Neapolitan-style pizza to Dublin 3. Bar food at its best. Where It's At Nearby Locales Forêt Caribou Harry's Madame Pho Parrilla Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22

Mr Croqueta Website instagram.com/mrcroqueta.ie Address 60 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story While the croquetas are unsurprisingly the main draw here, a few more reasons to visit Mr Croqueta are the tortillas, the chorizo in cider, and the 'La Vina' Basque cheesecake - named after one of the most famous restaurants in San Sebastián. Located upstairs in A Taste of Spain on Camden Street, this places looks (and is) a casual spot for a quick bite, but book ahead if you want to be sure you'll get in. Where It's At Nearby Locales Forêt Caribou Harry's Madame Pho Parrilla Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22

The Morning Bakery Website themorning.ie Address 50 Pleasants Street, Saint Kevin's, Dublin 8 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story What was once one of Dublin’s most popular brunch spots, Meet Me In The Morning, then Parisian-style wine bar Table Wine, has gone back to their roots with The Morning Bakery. Sourdough buns, focaccia and cookies tempt passers-by from the window each morning, and new specials appear daily, like lemon curd choux buns and doughnuts stuffed with whatever’s seasonal. There’s plenty of seating inside with a couple of tables outside too, or you can grab a takeaway from the hatch next door. Where It's At Nearby Locales Forêt Caribou Harry's Madame Pho Parrilla Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22

Potager Website potager.ie Address 7 Church Street, Townparks, Skerries, Co. Dublin Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Ex-Chapter One head chef Cathal Leonard moved home to North County Dublin to open Potager with partner Sarah Ryan, and overnight Skerries had a destination restaurant. Situated in a former bank, they showcase the best of the local area’s meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, and the wine cellar is in the old bank vault. We went, we ate, we were blown away, and recommend getting here for the tasting menu before the accolades start rolling in and prices inevitably go up. Where It's At Nearby Locales Forêt Caribou Harry's Madame Pho Parrilla Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22

Network Website networkcafe.ie Address 39 Aungier Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Cute, dog-friendly café with great coffee and a short, interesting menu of baps, bowls and nice things on toast. Great people watching from their window seats at the front. Where It's At Nearby Locales Forêt Caribou Harry's Madame Pho Parrilla Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22

Karen's Diner ​ Posted: 20 Feb 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What should we know about Karen’s Diner? It’s the stuff of marketing intern nightmares: your Boomer boss, investing more faith than finance into their basic bitch product, pops their head around the door and asks the dreaded question with cheery cluelessness, “how do we make it go viral?” You want to cry out that engagement can’t be engineered, but boy have we got a restaurant for you. Australian-based The Viral Group (yes, literally) boasts of billions of social media views and millions of followers for Karen’s Diner, the most lucrative brainchild – or child, anyway – in a stable of hospitality experiences from a Brick Bar (just don’t call it LEGO™!) to, give us strength, a Hot Tub Cinema Club. Press Up, don’t even think about it. The schtick is simple-ish: it’s the worst service you’ve ever had. We’ve got to confess we got a bit tied up in knots at the concept, a nod to the stereotypical white woman who plays trigger-happy with wanting to speak to the manager: is this some service industry wish fulfilment fantasy for how to kick back at such complaints? A vision of what the world would look like staffed solely by Karens? Is it both? Are we Karen? Are they? Are you? You’d think pegging a place to a years-old meme might not be an obvious recipe for viral success, but we get the sense recipes aren’t something Karen’s Diner cares much about – more on that later. Where should we sit? You’ll sit where you’re fucking told, and you’ll be told in exactly those tones too. Dare to arrive ahead of your booked time and you’ll be forced back out the door – we’ll begrudgingly concede this on-brand way of making it look like people are queueing up to get in is a smart example of the way Karen’s Diner has been marketing strategised to within an inch of its life. It’s better to wait to be barked at for your name than to open with “We’ve got a reservation”, lest the entire restaurant be invited to applaud you. At every turn the staff will do their best to do you down, from mocking your clothes – pity the poor stripy-topped girl ahead of us who was addressed as Dennis the Menace all night – to throwing the menus at your feet as you take up your booth. The more sheepish among you might hope that a back corner booth or being tucked up against the wall might spare you the spectacle of being summoned up to spin the wheel for the frequent games that break out during dinner, but the more you look to avoid engaging, the more tempting a mark you make. You know what you’re getting yourself in for, don’t try getting out of it now. What’s on the menu? Nothing interesting enough to explain the intense attention you’ll notice people paying to it – we saw most punters staring intently down at the bland selection of burgers and fries, visibly hoping their turn wouldn’t soon come to be plucked up to the front and subjected to… well, whatever this is. Look, we get the appeal – novelty is a whole niche in a saturated hospitality market and we all like the idea of a different kind of night out – but Karen’s shock factor schtick gets very old, very fast. As we haggled over which of us would subject themselves to what, one especially resistant older man was dragged up and forced – if you can you imagine the indignity of it – to finish the song lyrics read out to him. And while we filled out our order on the pad that had, of course, been thrown down on the table in front of us, another was made to do a lap of the room on all fours. The appeal of the place, such that it is, is in its sense of risqué randomness – this all skewed closer to a kid’s birthday party that got a bit bold. Still, we soon found ourselves envying yer man on the floor – it seemed a more appetising prospect than the food that landed before us. For all Karen’s Diner honestly pitches itself as more an experience than an actual restaurant per se, it does take some measure of pride in the kitchen – “five star food, one star service” is among the riffs on the concept you’ll find scattered across its channels. In the spirit of the place though, allow us to call bullshit: this stuff is slop, with taste never seeming so much a factor as the bottom line. The Karen’s Turf War vegan burger is nothing short of an ordeal to eat, from the fridge-cold bun to the gruesome congealed gruel of a patty that’s alleged to contain avocado and spinach – all we could taste was regret. The staff reserve special scorn for vegans, inviting the entire restaurant to chorus “fuck you vegan” at any that identify themselves. Trust us, two hours straight of that would still be a more pleasant experience than taking a bite of this. After that anything would have seemed gourmet, and the Karen’s Hot and Bothered chicken burger isn’t anything close to such an atrocity. It’s also not really any good either, with neither hot sauce nor blue cheese mayo delivering any real trace of flavour. Even in the fast food stakes, O’Connell Street isn’t exactly bursting with great competition, but Karen’s Diner manages to solidly slot in at the bottom of the league. Coming in at a whopping €24 is the bacon double cheeseburger ‘I Want to See the Manager’ Karen, which puts it at twice the cost of a similar offering in some of Dublin’s best casual burger spots. What are you going to do, complain? You needn’t be too sharp to spot the price difference between this and the Basic Karen is more than the (obscene) individual add-on costs of the extra patty and bacon that set it apart. Maybe they’re daring you to be difficult and order it all that way to make a minor saving. All are served with a scattering of skin-on fries. Could they really be made in-house? We doubt it. For all the sight of the skin got our hopes up, these have the tell-tale taste of having been cooked from frozen. They’re at least edible with a side of ketchup – steer clear of the bizarrely sweet mayo – which is more than can be said for the appallingly overcooked sweet potato fries we added on. Chicken tenders did not offend - with a menu where the bar goes so low it’s like playing limbo, this is as good as it gets. What are the drinks like? Not nearly strong enough to endure a lot of what we experienced – or strong at all, actually, given the alcohol licence hadn’t yet landed on the night of our visit. We can’t imagine any amount of stiff drinks making this place much more fun, but we would have been willing to try. All €8 of a salted caramel milkshake was what we slumped for instead. They certainly had shaken that milk. It was awful. How was the service? Karen’s trades on a kind of dread unpredictability, the sense that anything could happen and might happen to you . Maybe that yielded funnier results in Australia, but this is ultimately more a cast than a staff and they’re only as strong as the script they’ve been fed or their ability to ad-lib when the moment arises. And outside of a couple of quick-witted jibes, things fell flat time and again. The only good laugh we got all night was when we were given the wrong food and quickly copped it wasn’t part of the joke – the wide-eyed panic of our server as he visibly thought through how to figure out what went wrong, and fix it, and do it all while staying in character and without seeming to want to help, kept us in stitches the rest of the night. And the damage? To our souls, incalculable. To our bank balance, just shy of €80 with a pre-added 10% service charge. What’s the verdict on Karen’s Diner? While this is not, to put it lightly, our usual kind of place, we’re not here to judge those whose it is – it takes all kinds to make a city. But it’s hard to imagine anyone getting anything much out of this take on the franchise, where the only thing that successfully takes the piss is the pricing and produce. Look, part of the smart business pitch of Karen’s Diner is that it’s basically bulletproof to customer complaints and critical reviews – if anything, they only help things along. Chances are the aghast write-ups in the national broadsheets – they swore ! at children ! – will only get more people curious. Believe us please, there is nothing remotely offensive about the place but how boring it all is. And, in the end, how cynically commercial it all is too. Let’s not be pearl-clutchingly precious about it: awful fast food and a solid chance of being sworn at are nothing new to O’Connell Street – a grand European boulevard it isn’t, and hasn’t been for a very long time. But we can do better than cede the street to late capitalist schtick like this. That’s just throwing in the towel, and leaving lazy franchise food joints like Karen’s Diner laughing all the way to the bank manager. 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Loretta's Website lorettas.ie Address 162-165 Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story US/Irish comfort food from Colorado-born chef Jimmy Wiley, previously in the kitchen at 777. Brunch is where you'll find the more US-inspired dishes like green chilli pork butt and hash browns, whereas à la carte has moved more in the direct of quality Irish produce with flavour-filled additions. Beautifully refurbished room in a former bank, and a much needed addition to the North side of the city. Where It's At Nearby Locales Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22 Mani Kicky's The Legal Eagle Cluck Chicken Blossom Artisan Bakery

Órale at Pawn Shop Website instagram.com/orale_dub Address The Pawn Shop Pub, 15 Dame Street, Dublin 2, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Travelling taco van Órale Street Food has put down permanent roots on Dame Street, providing the food for 2023 bar opening Pawn Shop. After a successful few years serving food from the back of The Belfry in Stoneybatter, and on the Pavillion in Dun Laoghaire, this is a more grown up Órale, with sharing mains of organic chicken, whole seabass and carne asada to add to the tacos, tostadas and tortilla chips their fans know and love. Where It's At Nearby Locales Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22 Mani Kicky's The Legal Eagle Cluck Chicken Blossom Artisan Bakery

Zaatar Website zaatar.ie Address George's Street Arcade, George's Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Zatar specialises in manaeesh, the Middle Eastern flatbreads that may well be the OG pizza, and it's the first place to get it in Dublin. The classic za'tar and the mohammarah with cheese should not be missed, and there's a regular pizza menu too featuring more unusual toppings. Where It's At Nearby Locales Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22 Mani Kicky's The Legal Eagle Cluck Chicken Blossom Artisan Bakery

Token Website tokendublin.ie Address 72-74 Queen Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Retro games arcade, restaurant and bar with 'high end fast food' like the Token Big Mac, coconut Katsu chicken tenders, and bacon jam fries. A big focus on vegan options has made them a popular hang out for the city's plant-based diners. Good selection of beers and cocktails, and you can burn the calories off after dinner with a few rounds of Dance Stage, or just dive back into your youth on any of the 30+ classic arcade games. Where It's At Nearby Locales Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22 Mani Kicky's The Legal Eagle Cluck Chicken Blossom Artisan Bakery

Ukiyo Website ukiyobar.com Address 7-9 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Indoor and outdoor seating, open seven days a week, and a lengthy menu of sushi and mainly Asian small plates to work your way through. Ukiyo on Dame Court is always humming away nicely, and it's a great spot for a group - their cocktail jugs serve six. Their karaoke rooms are closed for now but they're teasing a new offering coming soon. Where It's At Nearby Locales Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22 Mani Kicky's The Legal Eagle Cluck Chicken Blossom Artisan Bakery

Fowl Play Website the-square-ball.com/fowl-play Address The Square Ball, 45 Hogan Place, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Owned and run by The Big Grill's Andy Noonan, you'll find Fowl Play at the back of The Square Ball pub. Everything is cooked using live-fire on their charcoal rotisserie, grill or Texas wood-fired smoker, and there’s no oven in the kitchen. Expect bird-based dishes and large portions. Where It's At Nearby Locales Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22 Mani Kicky's The Legal Eagle Cluck Chicken Blossom Artisan Bakery

Little Mike's Website michaels.ie Address 63 Deerpark Road, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The follow up and little brother to southside seafood destination Michael's, opened a few doors down to alleviate pressure from the main restaurant. The same fresh seafood, best served in platter format, with interesting wine, counter seating and a private dining room in the back. Where It's At Nearby Locales Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22 Mani Kicky's The Legal Eagle Cluck Chicken Blossom Artisan Bakery

Milo's Website twoboysbrew.ie Address Milo's, Drumcondra Road Upper, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The younger sibling of Two Boys Brew in Phibsboro, Milo's has filled a much needed gap in Dublin 9 for cinnamon knots, chocolate and pistachio babkas, and great coffee. The morning menu is full of things we want to eat, like overnight oats, French toast and brekkie baps, and the menu moves with the seasons. It's more petite than its sister restaurant, so seats are at a premium. Where It's At Nearby Locales Handsome Burger Sultan's Grill Floritz Coppinger Lotus Eaters September Achara Le Petit Reynard Orani Two Faced Sister 7 Jean Georges @ The Leinster Bootleg Andhra Bhavan The Dunmore Taste of Hong Kong Biang Biang Izakaya Japas & Sake Honey Honey Bath Avenue Cellar 22 Mani Kicky's The Legal Eagle Cluck Chicken Blossom Artisan Bakery