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A go-to wine bar for those in the know. Interesting list of responsibly made wines, knowledgeable staff and creative, Italian influenced food from Enrico Fantasia (owner of wine import company Grape Circus) and his partner Thibault Harang (formerly of Pichet and Town Bar & Grill). Seats on the outdoor terrace complete with heaters are in demand year round. Piglet Website pigletwinebar.ie Address 5 Cow's Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story A go-to wine bar for those in the know. Interesting list of responsibly made wines, knowledgeable staff and creative, Italian influenced food from Enrico Fantasia (owner of wine import company Grape Circus) and his partner Thibault Harang (formerly of Pichet and Town Bar & Grill). Seats on the outdoor terrace complete with heaters are in demand year round. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

From the team behind Indian Konkan on Clanbrassil Street and in Dundrum, Kari was opened to be a bit more specialised, informed by husband and wife Bala Nayak and Nidhi Joshi’s experiences and memories of home. There’s a general focus on India’s south and south-western states, with Irish produce integrated nicely, like in the kale and samphire pakoras. Don’t miss the smoky meats from the Tandoor, and the date and coconut naan has to be tried. Kari Website kari.ie Address 205A, Emmet Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story From the team behind Indian Konkan on Clanbrassil Street and in Dundrum, Kari was opened to be a bit more specialised, informed by husband and wife Bala Nayak and Nidhi Joshi’s experiences and memories of home. There’s a general focus on India’s south and south-western states, with Irish produce integrated nicely, like in the kale and samphire pakoras. Don’t miss the smoky meats from the Tandoor, and the date and coconut naan has to be tried. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Cellar 22 Homemade charcuterie and 40 wines by the glass at Dublin's newest wine bar Posted: 23 Jan 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What's the story with Cellar 22? Since The Cliff Townhouse closed its doors mid-pandemic at the end of 2021, number 22 St Stephen's Green has sat empty, crying out for a shrewd operator to move in and level up the space into somewhere with the potential to draw in all of those five-star tourists passing the doors each day - and the rest of us if they got the offering right. Last November, it was announced that the basement space (formerly The Cliff's seafood bar Urchin) was reopening as Cellar 22 , with whispers about a more formal restaurant to follow upstairs. The new owners (who also own The Fitzwilliam Hotel and The Bailey ) were obviously intent on making this more than just a tourist trap, because they brought in Delahunt 's head chef Chris Maguire (as well as some of his colleagues) to run the kitchen. Victor Nedelea (ex- Sole ) was brought in on wine, and teaser posts dropped on social looked like they meant business. Where should we sit? It's a quirky, cosy room, with a lot of dark wood and cavernous corners to sink into. There are low tables at the front, high tables in the middle, and booths to the right, as well as a semi-private room towards the back. There's also four counter seats in the back of the restaurant facing into the kitchen, so if live-action is your thing be sure to request them. As you'd expect with a basement restaurant, snug and intimate take precedence over bright and spacious, but that's just what we're looking for in these cooler months. We imagine indoor seating in a venue like this might suffer when the sun shines, but there are seats for 8-10 out front too. What should we eat? Cellar 22 has set out its niche as having a dedicated charcuterie menu, with the even more impressive declaration that 80% of it is made in house - that's enough to get us off the couch and onto a bus. If you're a meat eater, you're probably coming here for this, but first, bread. A 'selection of breads' - sourdough, focaccia and brown - will set you back €9, and comes with smoked butter (incredible), Parmesan fondue (forgettable), and beetroot and dill (questionable - why is this here without some kind of ricotta/similarly milky salve). Breads are very good - sourdough light and chewy, brown dense and crumbly, but the focaccia was a little too dry for our liking - unleash the oil. Croquettes get a bad rap for being on every menu in every combination, but sometimes you get one that reminds you WHY they're everywhere - because they're bloody delicious. Cellar 22's shortrib ones fit the bill, with crispy shells hiding sweet, melting hunks of beef, although the chive mayo could have been a bit more assertive. We were verrrrrry excited at the prospect of a brand new beef tartare in town, but this version with too tough meat and far more mayonnaise than has any business being in a tartare was disappointing. The crispy onions would have been a lovely addition if everything else worked, but we'd pare this one right back to basics. The pomme paillasson (straw potato cake) on the other hand could (should) be a dish on its own, with the tartare actually managing to distract from it. Pile em high and send em out. Then onto the main draw, the charcuterie board, which comes in small (€16) or large (€28). In the large you get all eight options, in the small a selection chosen that day by the chef. Of course we went large (this isn't a half once over), and at first glance were slightly disappointed with the portion sizes. It took a few minutes to realise why - the board photographed for their Irish Times review was noticeably larger, with an extra piece of all three cured meats, a pâté en croûte that was double the size, and twice the amount of (delicious) deep-fried crackers. In a world where over-delivering is tantamount to a great experience, under-delivering from promo photos is an odd move. But what about the actual charcuterie. Coming out on top was the Venison rillette (cured venison leg, slowly cooked in chicken fat for an immensely deep flavour ), the Pâté en croûte (pork, foie gras and smoked lardo in the most perfect savoury short crust pastry), and the chicken liver pâté (seasoned with brandy and silky smooth). The pâté de campagne was enjoyable as a more rustic terrine but not quite as wow, the ham hock terrine was pleasant but needed a flavour oomph, and the smoked pig's head definitely won't be for everyone - slices were mostly fat, with a gelatinous texture. There were delicious cucumber pickles too, and an apple butter which felt superfluous - another pickle or cornichons would have provided some more welcome acidity to cut through all that meat. The only two that are bought in, the Salchichón Ibérico de bellota and Coppa Piacentina, are excellent quality, and perfect nibbles alongside a glass of tangy red. There's lots to like here, but some of it could be that bit more exciting. A final small plate of Southern-fried maitake mushrooms with Boyne Valley blue ranch (served in half a roasted garlic bulb) was what deep-fried vegetarian dreams are made off, and once we popped it was hard to stop, but a couple of the mushrooms were more batter than 'shroom. When fully filled with fungi they were a crunchy delight - the batter is perfection, the dip inspired. They're keeping it simple for afters with cheese, affogato or 'variations of chocolate, banana and pecan'. For the latter we were expecting something thrown together in typical wine bar "we're too busy to care about dessert" style, but not so - someone in here knows their way around a pastry section. A chocolate mousse comes encased in more chocolate, with what tasted like meringue along with banana underneath a pecan bicsuit and banana ice-cream. A perfect sweet note to end on, particularly with a glass of Port. What about drinks? When we read through the wine list online it all felt a bit classic, with plenty of big names and commercial producers - more Sole than Fish Shop . However when we got in there was an additional short list of smaller, more natural producers, which our waitress told us will change regularly. It's a smart move to keep wine loving regulars coming back to see what's new, and brings the number of wines by the glass up to an impressive 40. If you've got cash to splash (entertaining clients perhaps) you won't struggle for showy bottles, with the most expensive wine a €750 Premier Cru Bordeaux from Château Figeac in Saint-Émilion. We mostly drank off the specials list, with Albert di Conti's brilliant pet nat on for sparkling, a beautiful dry palomino from Hacienda la Parrilla for white, and Catina Rallo's Ciello Rosso falling surprisngly flat on this occasion, but the Etna Rosso from Torre Mora on the main list is exactly what you want with charcuterie - all dark fruits and zippy acidity. A fino to start from Williams & Humbert Col was a poor example, lacking in those salty, oxidative flavours that make it such a great aperitif, but a 2016 Sauternes from Château Suduiraut is worth the €15 price tag for a special sweet to end on. Try it with Boyne Valley Blue on the cheese board for the dream French/Irish pairing. How was the service? Our waitress couldn't have been nicer or more helpful, bringing the wine bottles over to the table so we could see the labels, and offering helpful recommendations with no hint of an upsell. Another young waiter who came on the floor later to cover her break was equally as attentive, and made us feel very well looked after. They seem to have hired very well, because you can't train for that kind of genuine pleasantness. What was the damage? €150 for two before tip with three glasses of wine each. You could just as easily come in at lunch for a plate of pasta and a single glass and be down €25 for a lovely hour's pitstop. What's the verdict on Cellar 22? Cellar 22 has all the ingredients to join Dublin's wine bar hit list along with Note, Bar Pez, Loose Canon, Piglet, Frank's and a few more, but we'd love to see the food kicked up a gear, and more of a focus on cutting edge wines than commercial operators. For now it's a great place to share some charcuterie, cheese and picky bits over a few glasses of wine in a very cosy setting - basically the antidote to January - but with a few tweaks these could be some of the most sought after seats in town. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Well-executed, carefully sourced Italian food from Ross Lewis (chef and owner of Michelin-starred Chapter One) and his friend, chef Luciano Tona, whose restaurant in Italy also held a Michelin star for a decade. Since stepping back from Chapter One Lewis himself has been cooking in the kitchen, and looks to be having fun with it. An interesting cocktail list makes for a perfect after work aperitivo. Osteria Lucio Website osterialucio.com Address The Malting Tower, Grand Canal Quay, Clanwilliam Terrace, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Well-executed, carefully sourced Italian food from Ross Lewis (chef and owner of Michelin-starred Chapter One) and his friend, chef Luciano Tona, whose restaurant in Italy also held a Michelin star for a decade. Since stepping back from Chapter One Lewis himself has been cooking in the kitchen, and looks to be having fun with it. An interesting cocktail list makes for a perfect after work aperitivo. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

The second outpost of Sprezzatura to join their first site in Dublin 8. Fast, casual, inexpensive pasta and small plates, with almost every ingredient sourced in Ireland. Irish twists on Italian classics with a big focus on sustainability - all drinks are on tap, all packaging is compostible and they’re fully paperless. Sprezzatura Website sprezzatura.ie Address 221–223 Rathmines Road Lower, Rathmines, Dublin 6 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The second outpost of Sprezzatura to join their first site in Dublin 8. Fast, casual, inexpensive pasta and small plates, with almost every ingredient sourced in Ireland. Irish twists on Italian classics with a big focus on sustainability - all drinks are on tap, all packaging is compostible and they’re fully paperless. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Bun Cha Website @bunchadublin Address 11 Moore Street, North City, Dublin 1 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

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

Casual Malaysian café serving authentic versions of Nasi Lemak, Rendang Chicken and excellent Roti Canai. Kopitiam Website @KopitiamDublin Address 53 Capel Street, Dublin 1 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Casual Malaysian café serving authentic versions of Nasi Lemak, Rendang Chicken and excellent Roti Canai. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

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 D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Daruma Japanese drinks and small plates in Temple Bar Posted: 13 Dec 2022 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What's the story? Daruma appeared quite suddenly in October in the old Fish Shack site on Parliament Street, with an Instagram post heralding their arrival one Sunday, and doors opening to customers two days later. After a bit of investigating we heard there was a connection to Big Fan and our ears perked up (turns out they have a backer in common), and the two owner/operators are former managers of Musashi , the Japanese sushi chain. The discussion of why Dublin has no high end, ultra exciting Japanese restaurants is an ever-ongoing one amongst food circles, and there was some hopeful whispering that this might be the one we've all been waiting for. We loved the Japanese pub with small plates vibe they were selling online, but unlike Big Fan (which has been one of the biggest restaurant successes from the past two years), it didn't seem to be built around a particular chef and their talent. We also couldn't find anyone Japanese who was associated with it - not a pre-requisite for opening a Japanese restaurant, but it tends to go in their favour when someone has a strong connection to a cuisine they're trying to showcase. Between this and the lack of a website containing a menu/opening hours/online booking (basic in 2022) The jury was out before we'd gotten in. Where should we sit? Most of the tables are at the front, with the best one at the window looking out onto Parliament Street. There's also bar seating which looked ideal for a solo pint and some small plates. What did you eat? We covered quite a lot of the menu over two visits, so let's lay out the good, from the not so good. There are four sections - raw, robatayaki, bites and sides. Daikon 'saibaizu' (which we presume is meant to be 'sanbaizu', a Japanese dressing with rice wine vinegar, sugar and soy) was refreshing and crunchy, an excellent palate cleanser, while charred edamame were pointless, the additional heat adding nothing except over-cooking. They were also criminally under-salted - we asked for more and fixed the problem ourselves. Garlic chilli cucumber was another lip-smacking refresher, smoky and spicy with plenty of sesame and crunch. Fresh oysters came with a lovely, zingy apple and mustard tosazu dressing (a fermented rice wine vinegar), but we wished we knew where they came from, and whether they were Irish. There's no provenance information on the menu. Tuna tataki with candy ginger and wasabi daikon had great flavour and some really interesting elements, but the tuna tasted soft and woolly. At €13.95 for six pieces we expected better fish Our favourite dish (and one we ordered both times) was the flamed salmon nigiri, with kewpie mayo and hazelnut furikake. The salmon is just cooked, and between the sweet, nutty dressing and the slight crunch of the hazelnuts, this is the kind of innovative sushi we want more of. We had a pain in our faces trying to find out what the daily sushi omasake roll was, and after almost having to hold our waitress's hand and lead her in the direction of the kitchen, she came back and told us it was eel. "Is there anything else?" we asked. "No, just eel". It didn't seem likely, but we were worn out so just let them bring it, and we still can't tell you what was in it. There was some fish roe and kewpie mayo on top and what we guessed powdered seaweed, but apart from that it's anyone's guess, and it was lacking flavour and texture. Crispy almond ebi with mango chilli sauce (€12.45 for three) were huge and we loved the combination of flavours, but there was a bit too much batter. The almonds did add an interesting element though. They do two types of ribs - beef short ribs with black garlic butter, and plum wine short ribs with creamy onion mochi. Both were incredibly tender, the beef sweet and pungent from the black garlic, the pork sweet and fruity from the plum wine and the onion. We would order both again tomorrow, but we'd really like to know where the meat came from. A third of their menu is given over the Robatayaki (like Japanese BBQ where food is cooked over charcoal), so we were surprised that this was the most disappointing part of the meal. It started with the waitress not knowing what was on the 'Daruma Selection', and seemingly not wanting to ask, and then when it arrived each was more lacklustre than the last. None of the headline stuff like scallops or ox tongue is on there - we got chicken thigh, minced chicken, pork belly, and two different mushrooms (which felt like a cop out) and none of it had much flavour other than a teriyaki type marinade. If charcoal ever went near this meat, we couldn't taste it. There's no dessert on the menu and when we asked if they had any our waitress didn't know, and didn't seem to want to find out. After pushing the issue she returned and told us they had mochi, but it was clear they were coming from a box in the freezer, so we passed. What about the drinks? They're serious about their sake in here, and have clearly taken time over the menu. They have seven sake cocktails, and had another two on special when we visited, and they're all low alcohol, so don't expect to feel the usual cocktail buzz. An 'Ichigo' with sake, strawberry, chilli, lime and sugar was pleasant but punchily sour, and serving it in a Champagne flute felt wrong. A lychee special with sake, lychee juice, lime juice, sugar and egg white was a world better, and so easy to knock back we almost had to place it out of reach. There's Asahi for beer and an average wine list, so we'd stick to the sake. We also tried a couple of straight sakes (a Kidosumi and a Gassan) and they were excellent - it's obvious they're not dealing with supermarket stuff or the big brands found in most Japanese restaurants in Ireland. How was the service? Friendly but lacking in actual service. We were almost turning blue waiting for answers to the questions we had about the menu, with the same waitress on both occasions saying she didn't know, and pleasantly looking back at us as if that was the end of that. We had to straight out ask someone to go down to the kitchen more times than we'd like to admit to find out what was on the robata selection, what was the sushi roll of the day, did they have any dessert - it was very tiring, and service training is badly needed. And the damage? €57 a head (to be exact) for dinner before tip, with three drinks each in that. €30 a head for lunch with no drinks. What's the verdict? Is Daruma the Japanese restaurant Dublin has been waiting for? No. Not yet anyway, but there's plenty of decent food and sake to kill a couple of hours. They're got more interesting options than a lot of Japanese restaurants in the city, many of whom stick to the same menu of gyoza, sushi and the wok/rice/noodle dishes we're all too familiar with, but it does somewhat kill us to imagine what it could be like with a culinary tour de force (like Big Fan's Alex Zhang) in the kitchen. For now enjoy it for what is it - a pocket-friendly, laid back Japanese bar, where you can order as little or as much as you like, and drink really good sake. Daruma 13 Parliament Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 instagram.com/daruma_dublin New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Dublin's Chinatown is just lacking an ornate red and gold gate at the top of O'Connell Street, but there's more to Parnell street than hand-pulled noodles and Sichuan dumplings. As well as excellent Korean and Vietnamese food, head here for some of the city's best sandwiches, craft beer and great music. Parnell Street Our Take Dublin's Chinatown is just lacking an ornate red and gold gate at the top of O'Connell Street, but there's more to Parnell street than hand-pulled noodles and Sichuan dumplings. As well as excellent Korean and Vietnamese food, head here for some of the city's best sandwiches, craft beer and great music. Where to Eat Afanti Choux Bakery Lee's Charming Noodles One Society Parnell Street Bakery Pho Kim The Big Romance

Virtuous eating to cleanse away the weekend’s excesses from vegetable-obsessed brothers Jack and Theo Kirwan. Eating well while caring for the environment seem to be their life's purpose, and they're even growing some of their own produce on the Sprout farm in Kildare, meaning it gets to customers' plates faster and fresher. Salads are so colourful and vibrant they're almost bursting from the plate, and change with the seasons. Sprout Exchequer Street Website sproutfoodco.com Address 19 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Virtuous eating to cleanse away the weekend’s excesses from vegetable-obsessed brothers Jack and Theo Kirwan. Eating well while caring for the environment seem to be their life's purpose, and they're even growing some of their own produce on the Sprout farm in Kildare, meaning it gets to customers' plates faster and fresher. Salads are so colourful and vibrant they're almost bursting from the plate, and change with the seasons. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Chameleon A reinvention for Indonesian tapas in Temple Bar Posted: 2 Apr 2019 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Indonesian-inspired Chameleon 's been part of the fabric of Temple Bar for an incredible 25 years, and recently made the clever decision to do a bit of a brand update - they got a new logo, changed the outside of the restaurant from black to bright blue, and invested in a beautiful new spray-painted shutter . It's a shrewd move to stand out in a city that's currently seeing a record number of restaurant openings each month, and one that got them onto our hottest restaurants in Dublin list for March. We hadn't visited in a long time, and after a very well-eaten foodie told us they were "hitting all the right notes" when it came to Indonesian cooking we thought it was worth a visit. Where should we go for a drink first? The temptation is always there to dance into Oliver St. John Gogarty 's and act like a tourist for an hour - you'll leave with a lighter wallet but a newly invigorated sense of national pride that only twee Irish music, aran jumpers and barely passable bowls of stew can summon up (but best to avoid the toilets if you can - €5 million a year in profit clearly isn't enough for a new paint job and some air freshener). Roberta's and The Liquor Rooms (below) do great cocktails, and for wine both Piglet and Loose Canon are within a 5 minute walk. Where should we sit? Upstairs all the way, ideally at the lower tables with the cushioned seating for the full experience. Anyone with a dodgy back or who likes proper tables and chairs can opt for the standard tables. There are more tables downstairs, but we don't think it has the same atmosphere or feel as the first floor. What's good to eat? The main part of the menu revolves around set menus that are either meat, fish or vegetable based, from €36 - €40 per person. There are also 'Asian Tapas', a lot of which are found on the various set menus. We thought it would be a good idea to get one Java (meat-based) and one Sumatra (fish based) to try as much as possible, but we hadn't realised that four of the seven dishes were the same on both (noodles, vegetables and a fish cake), so if we were choosing again we'd pick one set menu and other dishes from the Asian tapas section so that we could try more. The best thing we ate was probably the fish finger bao, with tiger prawn and squid katsu and sambal (a type of chilli sauce) in a homemade bao. Immediate regret for not having ordered all the bao. Other highlights included the Sweet Sambal Udang - marinated prawns with pineapple and chilli mango sauce - which walked the line perfectly between sweet, savoury and sour, the Kari Java - a Javanese curry with braised shoulder of Wicklow lamb and sweet potato that was incredibly rich in flavour, and the sesame fried vegetables with sautéed onions and toasted sesame seeds, which managed to make cabbage addictive. Both the crab cake with haddock and the chicken satay (props for using free-range) were enjoyable, and the beef rendang had great flavour but the meat could have been more tender. We weren't keen on the noodles which had an overpowering taste of molasses, and the salad with cucumber, mango and Chinese leaves could have done with having the dial turned up on the dressing - or maybe just needed more dressing. A dessert of Kahlua and organic dark chocolate pannacotta with peanut brittle had the perfect wobble, and was a nice midway point between coffee and dessert, when your heart says espresso, but your head says it's too late, don't do it. And the drinks? The wine list is pretty compact, with half on tap and half in bottle. The advantage of those on tap is that they're available in small and large glasses, carafes and bottles, so everyone can drink what they want in exactly the amount they want, but we would have liked to see a few more options that would specifically compliment the food in either format, like off-dry Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer. We drank the Hobo Workbook Californian red blend on tap which is a great all-rounder, and for white we would have gone for the Peter & Peter Riesling in bottle, a grape that tends to work well with Asian flavours. And the service? Really warm, and couldn't do enough for us. The only issue with the set menus is that everything comes at once, and it's a lot of food, so by the time we reached the end some of it was cold, but retrospectively if we had asked our lovely server to bring a few things first like the bao, satay and fish cake, we think she would have been more than happy to oblige. That would be the plan next time. The verdict? There are a lot of good flavours going on at Chameleon, and we kept thinking what a perfect place it is for group dining - bag one of the big tables upstairs, order all the food and a load of carafes of wine, and we're pretty sure everyone would leave happy. Keeping a restaurant open for 25 years is no mean feat, and keeping people talking about you for that long is even more difficult, but we think updating their image was just what was needed to put Chameleon back on Dublin diner's agendas. Chameleon 1 Fownes Street Lower, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 www.chameleonrestaurant.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Kaldero 2 Finally Dublin has the Filipino food destination it deserves Posted: 16 Sept 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope Why are you back at Kaldero when you reviewed it last December? After our lacklustre review of the newest Eclective (formerly Press Up) opening Kaldero last December, someone in charge saw sense and did exactly what we suggested. They pulled the trio of consultant chefs nonsense (none of whom were actually cooking in the restaurant), and made their first ever sensible food move, by offering up the running of the restaurant solely to Bahay 's Richie Castillo and Alex O'Neill. The Filipino food-cooking couple had been looking for their own place for the past few years after the success of their food truck (dreamt up mid-pandemic), and countless pop ups at places like Hen's Teeth in Dublin 8, and Warehouse Market in Harold's Cross. At one point they announced they were opening in Dublin 15 , but it fell through. Its felt like a long struggle to get to this point, where they finally have a permanent location to show off Castillo's family recipes and others from the couple's travels, and the industry has rowed in behind its latest good news story . Where should we sit? The room is unchanged from our first review, with those ludicrously tiny tables for two still in situ. There's not much they can do about it without ripping up the whole restaurant, but if you do have the misfortune to be sat there, make it clear that you want no more than two plates at a time - anything more and your stress levels will get uncomfortably high. The red leather booths running down the centre of the room are the best seats, sitting four - six on each, and while we were initially told we couldn't sit there as a two, they later relented and told us we just needed to be gone by a certain time. There's a large area at the back that's screaming "group dinner", with all kinds of seating combinations possible. How has the menu changed? We're in unadulterated Filipino territory now, a real deep-dive into the Southeast-Asian country's dishes and cooking methods. Expect to see ingredients you might need an explainer on, like banana ketchup, humba glaze, and bagoong - staff, predominantly Filipino when we visited, will enthusiastically explain what they all are. The first section of the menu, "Pulutan", are snacks served with drinks in the Philippines, so get your order in for those and something to sip as soon as you sit - it'll make those tough menu decisions slightly easier. The 'Inihaw na Manok' (€4 each) are synonymous with Bahay at this stage, chicken thigh skewers barbecued on a custom Smokin' Soul grill, in a rich, tangy banana ketchup. A perfect cocktail accompaniment, although the lack of provenance/free range indication with chicken always gives us the ick. Okoy are deep-fried fritters usually made with shrimp, but these ones made from shredded leeks (€6) are of the "once you pop you can't stop" variety. Dipping crunchy handfuls into an aggressively vinegary sawsawan dipping sauce, we were brought back to the mouth-burning days of Mini Chips , when you just can't stop reaching for more. If ceviche/aguachile is on your death row dinner menu, don't miss the Kinilaw, meaning 'eaten raw' (€16). Chunks of Goatsbridge trout which have been cured in vinegar, come in a rich, vivid coconut and jalapeño sauce, with slivers of pickled red onion, citrusy Calamansi vinegar and shards of lumpia crackers (similar to spring roll skins), with more on the side for piling it on top of. We can't imagine any of these plates going back to the kitchen without being completely wiped clean. 'Sinigang' is a savoury Filipino soup or stew with sour tamarind as a core ingredient, so we were unsure what the connection was to the 'Sinigang' here (other than tamarind). Meaty, juicy, tempura oyster mushrooms (€12.50) come doused in tangy tamarind salt, with whipped tofu underneath for dipping. It's a nice dish, but a few bites was enough before we lost interest, and that price felt high for the portion size. 'Sisig' is a popular bar food in the Philippines - crispy pork parts fried with onions, garlic, chillies, soy, calamansi and more. This one (€17.50) has crispy pig's ear and pork jowl mixed through with spices and onions, while the egg yolk on top waits to be pierced and smeared through the lot. Delicious? Yes. Good for your arteries? Definitely not. Share to minimise the impact. We had the creamy, peanut sauce based kare kare (€25.50) with tofu on our last visit , and thought it was lacking in flavour. It's back here with oxtail instead, and the missing ingredient on the side - bagoong. The spicy, pungent, fermented fish condiment gives the mild nutty sauce the flavour kick it needs, and it's also great smeared on top of Castillo's essential garlic fried rice (€4.50). We love seeing under used cuts of meat like this too, which offer much better value for money. Adobo is probably the most well-known Filipino dish, but you're more likely to have come across it as chicken or pork, braised in vinegar, soy, peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves. Kaldero's squid adobo (with squid ink - €18) is a more elegant creation, with rich seafood flavour from the softest squid swimming in peppercorns, and more of that tang that's a thread amongst all of the food here. It's a must order for seafood fans. Our server talked us into ordering the stir-fried greens with garlic and soy (€6.50). It's a dish Castillo's father has always cooked him, and now he's brought the recipe here - if you needed a heartstring tug, this is it. It's just stir-fried cabbage, but there's a simple magic woven here - it's the kind of recipe we all need in our lives. For dessert don't even think about skipping past the leche flan (€8) with Mungo Murphy's seaweed salt, a burnished, silky, perfectly formed triangle of set caramel custard, only improved by the salty sprinkling on top. It's Castillo's granny's recipe, and granny could take on Uno Mas in the flan wars . Another of ube (purple yam) soft serve (€7) with Irish strawberries and elderflower vinegar was light and refreshing but too light on the vinegar - we could barely taste it and it all needed an acidic lift. What about drinks? The cocktail menu has taken a leap forward since our last visit too, with a light firmly shone on Filipino ingredients (there's been even more new additions since). We loved a spicy pineapple margarita with calamansi, a 'Mangga't Alat' with mango, rum and fish sauce, and a calamansi paloma with a burnt grapefruit wedge. A 'white Filipino' with vodka, Kahlua, coconut cream, condensed milk and pandan leaf should only be undertaken in place of dessert. How was the service? Almost everyone who served us was Filipino, and could give personal viewpoints on the dishes they were bringing and how they're served in the Philippines and in their own family homes. This would be a difficult thing to bank on, but it really added to the experience. They couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful, but did keep interrupting conversations to ask if everything was okay, which will undoubtedly irritate some people. Well-trained servers watch for moments of discomfort or diners in need before sweeping in. How much did you spend? €100 a head for far too much food (we brought some home) and two cocktails a piece, but if you're also on the cocktails you probably won't spend much less. Be aware also that as of publishing, the prices we paid were substantially higher than those on the menu on their website, with several dishes jumping by €2-3, and the sisig jumping from €12.50 to a whopping €17. What's the verdict on Kaldero #2 ? Finally the restaurant group known for middling food have made a smart kitchen move, and the talented Bahay team have somewhere to build on their fanatical following. Kaldero has gone from muddled melting pot to Filipino food headquarters, the only place in the city that you can eat food from this part of the world, at this standard of cooking, and that's exciting. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Inexpensive, excellent Neapolitan style pizza, with a margherita coming in at under €10. The MacHugh brothers were inspired to open Sano after a trip to Naples, seeing how delicious, affordable and popular pizza is there, and it's loved by locals, tourists and students in equal measures. Unlike their original Temple Bar location bookings are taken all day. Sano Ranelagh Website sano.pizza Address 62 Ranelagh, Dublin 6 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Inexpensive, excellent Neapolitan style pizza, with a margherita coming in at under €10. The MacHugh brothers were inspired to open Sano after a trip to Naples, seeing how delicious, affordable and popular pizza is there, and it's loved by locals, tourists and students in equal measures. Unlike their original Temple Bar location bookings are taken all day. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Formerly Pala Pizza, and before that Bistro One, Brighton Road is now run by chef Alan Wang and wife Elaine. Wang worked in this kitchen for years before taking over and making it his own, but many menu staples have remained, like the roast crispy duck with stuffing and roasties. There's plenty of his own flair dotted through a menu designed not to put off the locals who've been coming for years, and the three-course Sunday lunch is a big deal around these parts. Brighton Road Website brightonroad.ie Address Brighton Road, Foxrock, Dublin 18, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Formerly Pala Pizza, and before that Bistro One, Brighton Road is now run by chef Alan Wang and wife Elaine. Wang worked in this kitchen for years before taking over and making it his own, but many menu staples have remained, like the roast crispy duck with stuffing and roasties. There's plenty of his own flair dotted through a menu designed not to put off the locals who've been coming for years, and the three-course Sunday lunch is a big deal around these parts. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

A natural wine shop/bar, model on the type that seem to be on every corner of Paris. You'll find a regularly changing by the glass list on the board above the till, or you can drink anything from the shelf and pay a corkage fee. Iconic cheese toasties and small plates are also available, and you can carry on the party by buying more wine and cheese to take home. Loose Canon Website loosecanon.ie Address 29 Drury Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story A natural wine shop/bar, model on the type that seem to be on every corner of Paris. You'll find a regularly changing by the glass list on the board above the till, or you can drink anything from the shelf and pay a corkage fee. Iconic cheese toasties and small plates are also available, and you can carry on the party by buying more wine and cheese to take home. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Rush lucked out with 2023 opening Noisette, serving pastries and sourdough loaves from Vaarsha Baugreet (previously head baker at Bread Naturally in Raheny), and partner Jérémy Pastor (formerly at Tartine and Bread 41). You can expect long morning lines for their hand-kneaded and rolled croissants, danishes and ciabattas, but the staff make it all worthwhile when they hand over the good stuff with a smile. They serve Imbibe coffee and Belgian hot chocolate, and have free plant milk on offer - a major plus for the normally-penalised dairy-free drinkers. Noisette Website @noisetteartisanbakery Address 3 Upper Main Street, Rush, Co. Dublin Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Rush lucked out with 2023 opening Noisette, serving pastries and sourdough loaves from Vaarsha Baugreet (previously head baker at Bread Naturally in Raheny), and partner Jérémy Pastor (formerly at Tartine and Bread 41). You can expect long morning lines for their hand-kneaded and rolled croissants, danishes and ciabattas, but the staff make it all worthwhile when they hand over the good stuff with a smile. They serve Imbibe coffee and Belgian hot chocolate, and have free plant milk on offer - a major plus for the normally-penalised dairy-free drinkers. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

The South-West suburbs of Dublin were never a stronghold for food in the past but that has started to change. With some great bakeries and breakfast options in D12 and a growing number of great ethnic restaurants in D24, the area is a wise choice for good value. West Dublin Our Take The South-West suburbs of Dublin were never a stronghold for food in the past but that has started to change. With some great bakeries and breakfast options in D12 and a growing number of great ethnic restaurants in D24, the area is a wise choice for good value. Where to Eat D'Lepak Kaizen Mama Shee Orani

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 D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Fresh, Irish lobster, served in a variety of ways, is the star of the show at Lobstar. From New-York style lobster rolls to lobster tail curry, this is one place it's worth going over your monthly seafood budget for. If crustaceans aren't your thing you'll also find local seafood, steak and chicken schnitzel. High end food in casual surroundings. Lobstar Website lobstar.ie Address 101 Monkstown Road, Monkstown Co. Dublin Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Fresh, Irish lobster, served in a variety of ways, is the star of the show at Lobstar. From New-York style lobster rolls to lobster tail curry, this is one place it's worth going over your monthly seafood budget for. If crustaceans aren't your thing you'll also find local seafood, steak and chicken schnitzel. High end food in casual surroundings. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Badam The tiny restaurant under the railway tracks that Clontarf locals don't want you to know about Posted: 24 Jun 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What should we know about Badam? Open since 2021, there's been a gentle Northside hum about the restaurant under the railway tracks in Clontarf, but with only 14 seats you might not know anyone who's been there - and it's fair to say locals will be happy to keep it that way. Badam say their ambition is " to serve high quality Indian and Nepalese cuisine with the wonderful potent flavours of Indian and Nepal ", while mixing, roasting and grinding their spices and herbs daily; and making their sauces and chutneys in small batches to keep them fresh. Apart from knowing it was founded by someone called D.N. Upreti, and that "Badam" means almond, we weren't able to get much more information out of them, with emails going unanswered, but one look at the rapturous reviews online from utterly thrilled customers, and it's fair to say they're probably busy in the kitchen. Where should we sit? The tiny dining room only seats 14, with one long banquette and a single booth for four on the other side of the room. There are two seatings each night, the first from 17:00 - 19:30, and the second from 20:00 - 23:00, but they did allow us to arrive at 18:30 after we assured them we'd be gone by 20:00, so they are flexible. It's a warm, inviting room, with leather seats, rich wood panelling and soft lighting, and it feels intimate and cosy. We wouldn't plan on divulging your darkest secrets though, unless you're happy for your neighbours to hear. There's one outside table too which would fit three at a squeeze - we imagine it's more likely used as a holding area for the next seating or anyone waiting for takeaway, but you could certainly request it. What should we eat? Based off our visit, absolutely anything. While the menu skews Northern India and it's neighbour Nepal, a quick scan will tell you you're onto something different here. The right at the back " ethnic all time favourites " section complies with the regulation Korma, Jalfrezi and Tikka Masala, but it's clear that's not what they're here to cook. A basket of poppadoms is your welcome gift, the exhuberent mango and tomato chutneys uplifting in the way that only homemade food chopped and mixed and seasoned with love and care can be. How will we ever look at a jarred version again. There's a huge amount of vegetarian dishes on offer here, and the Laal Bhajie (€7.50) is a multi-vegetable version of the widely known deep-fried onion starter. The crispest of crisp batter houses softly spiced veg, with creamy yoghurt and tamarind sauces generously poured on top. If you've chosen to share this you might find yourself accidentally slapping people's hands away. The "pepper fry" is a dish that appears across the menu, and while it would generally describe a dry, stir-fry style dish found in Southern Indian cooking, Badam's Paneer Pepper Fry (€7.25) comes bathed in a coconut milk and cream sauce, tempering all that black pepper and spice. It reminded us of a creamy peppercorn sauce we might serve with steak or pork chops, and it's hard to imagine grilled paneer and just cooked veg tasting better than when bathed in this sauce. Another starter of Sherpa Lamb Pepper (€10.95) is more what we would have expected from a Pepper Fry - deep-fried slices of tender lamb tossed in dry roasted spices with crunchy peppers and onions and a yoghurt sauce hiding underneath. There is absolutely nothing to dislike here. With 33 main courses (and endless variations on them) you might want to study the menu in advance of arriving, but for our money the Tandoor Mix Grill (€25.95) must be on your order sheet. How many times have you had a plate like this that's been an underwhelming whomp of unmemorable meat - this one will wipe any bad experiences from your memory. Arriving loudly sizzling and piled high with beautiful lamb chops, seek kebab, chicken tikka chunks and a single giant King Prawn, the spices hit you in the face in the most wonderful way - be sure to order a raita for contrast. It's very hard to make bowls of brown things look good, so you'll have to trust us when we say the Baruchi Lamb and Goan Prawn curries were yet more highlights of one of our most memorable meals in ages. The lamb (€20.95) comes in a sauce made from grated coconut, spicy red peppers, tamarind, fresh coriander and mustard seeds, and every bite brings a taste of something different. It's listed on the menu as "hot", but that must be hot for Irish palates, not Indian. The Goan Prawn Curry (€22.95) is milder and but no less full of fragrant spices like coriander, turmeric, garlic and ginger, finished with coconut milk and vinegar. There wasn't a scraping of sauce left in either bowl once we were done. Garlic and peshwari naans were as pillowy and chewy as you could have hoped for, perfect flavour-packed vessels for scooping and cleaning plates and bowls with. No complaints on the pilau rice either. Desserts are a mish mash of Western and Indian, with a chocolate brownie alongside mango kulfi (€6.99), and it's obviously not their strongest point, but it would be hard to follow what came before regardless. A mango kulfi was so hard our server had to bring us a fork to dig into it - nice flavour, but the texture wouldn't leave you wanting more. The rainbow sprinkles on top (or hundreds and thousands as any self-respecting Irish person calls them) were a strange addition. Two "honey balls" (€6.99) looked and tasted like Gulab Jamun - the deep-fried, milk-based dough balls soaked in syrup - and while they veered on the side of overcooked, they were rich, satisfying and filling alongside the scoop of vanilla ice-cream (and more unexplainable sprinkles). What about drinks? God loves a trier, but the wine list here was not devised by someone with a love for God's great grape juice. It reads like a supermarket selection, and a couple of spenny bottles of Bordeaux and Châteauneuf-du-Pape aren't enough to up the overall interest. Gun to head we'd go for one of the organic bottles, but it's all big name commercial stuff. If you're sticking to beer it's Cobra or Cobra. How was the service? One server was overtly lovely, full of smiles and enquiries as to whether everything was okay. Food was timed perfectly, and additional requests were dealt with smoothly and swiftly. We would have loved to see the chef come out to the dining room at some point, to bring out a dish and say hi. It felt a bit like the Wizard of Oz (the Wizard of food?) was behind the curtain, catering for this tiny group of diners, and in such an intimate setting we would have loved a peek behind it. What did the bill come to? €40 a head with no alcohol. Add on half a bottle of organic Verdejo each and you'll be up to €56 per person before tip. You won't find us complaining about those numbers, for this food. There's also an Early Bird menu from Monday - Thursday until 19:30 with three courses for €25.95 (a little more pedestrian on choice), and a Sunday lunch thali for €24.99. They won't be accused of not providing good value food options. What's the verdict on Badam? Eating in Badam feels less like you're a number on someone's P&L sheet, and more like you can't believe you've scored an invite to this person's house for dinner. There's so much copy and paste Indian food in Dublin that finding somewhere like this feels like a window into another region, and if you're someone who explores the world through food, you will love this place. We've been low key obsessing about going back ever since floating out onto the Howth Road on a balmy summer's evening, and a takeaway (around 30% cheaper than dine in) will most definitely be happening in our very near future. Sorry Clontarf, the Badam word is out. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Ku Raudo Website @kuraudosushidublin Address 185 Townsend Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Canal-side, Italian (in parts) dining from the team behind The Dean, The Liquor Rooms and Roberta’s. Leather-filled, luxe dining room and outdoor terrace looking onto the Grand Canal, perfect for those rare, wonderful occasions when the sun comes out. Angelina's Website angelinas.ie Address 55 Percy Place, Dublin 4 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Canal-side, Italian (in parts) dining from the team behind The Dean, The Liquor Rooms and Roberta’s. Leather-filled, luxe dining room and outdoor terrace looking onto the Grand Canal, perfect for those rare, wonderful occasions when the sun comes out. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Masa Drury street gets a Mexican tacqueria Posted: 16 Aug 2018 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Masa is a new Mexican taqueria from the guys behind Bunsen , in the old SMS site on the corner of Drury Street . We were excited when we heard this was coming because we were told they'd be making the tacos fresh (the only place in Dublin doing so as far as we know) and had imported special machinery from Mexico to make the masa - the dough made from nixtamalizing corn to break it down and then grinding it into a dough (you can read more about the lengthy process here ). It opened very quietly last month with no big announcement other than a post on their Instagram page telling people the doors were open. We tried to visit a week in on a Saturday and found it closed with no explanation - this has been a recurring theme over the past few weeks with numerous people on Instagram complaining that they've also visited to find it closed. Seems they've been having teething problems with the Mexican machinery and difficulties in finding anyone here to fix it. A week later we tried again midweek and this time it was mobbed. There was a 45 minute wait for a table but you can go for a drink and they'll call you when they have space. Where should we go for a drink? You've got the city's best selection of natural, organic and biodynamic wines at Loose Canon just down the street. For cocktails try Drury Buildings or the upstairs cocktail bar in Fade Street Social , and for pints P. Macs is good fun and just across the road. What’s the room like? Bright, airy and minimalistic, with loads of people talking about the "miami vibes" from trees, cacti and bright blue counter tops. There's table seating by the window looking out onto Stephen Street, and counter seating both facing the window and facing the other way. It feels fast casual in a really modern-European-city way, and there's a lit-up cactus outside the bathroom that's coming to an instagram feed near you soon. What's good to eat? As we visited early on we wanted to go again a few weeks later, so over two visits we had most of the menu. Food comes when it's ready, and is divided into small plates, quesadillas and tacos. There's also a very interesting sounding dessert of churros with goat's milk caramel but they told us it won't be available for another few months. We thought the tortilla chips were good but would have liked more guacamole (there is never enough guacamole), and the bowl was hard to retrieve it from. We weren't as keen on the elotes (corn on the cob with cheese and chilli) - ours were overcooked and we found the sauce sickly, but we've seen other people on Insta saying they loved them. A cheese quesadilla with chipotle mayo was good if not ground-breaking, but again there was a bit too much of that sauce. Of the tacos we thought the best were the El Pastor (pork, red chilli, pineapple, onion, coriander achitoe - a pepper-like spice), the chicken (fried chicken, salsa macha, chipotle) and the fish (fried cod, cabbage, chipotle, lime), although the fish was better with crisper batter on the first visit. We imagine most people will think these are very good, but we felt the fillings could be a bit more vibrant. We also don't think the tacos are quite there yet. 10 points for freshness and for making them authentically from masa, but they were slightly too thick and the consistency was crumbly. It's early days so we would imagine they are still ironing out kinks, and we would be confident that the quiet opening was to give them time to improve. It is also verging on ridiculously cheap. The first time our bill came to €9 a head, the second €11 a head (with no alcohol), so this is a great option when you want something quick and cheap. What about the drinks? Very basic. Pacifico and Sierra Nevada for beer, and house red and white wines, which the staff told us were vinho verde (presumably Portugese) and tempranillo (presumably Spanish). We didn't drink anything on either occasion because there wasn't anything we wanted. We were really hoping for a margherita and mezcal list. Maybe by Christmas... *crosses fingers* And the service? A bit all over the place on the first visit. Some food never arrived, only to be told that they'd sold out when we queried where it was, and the team seemed stretched. Things were much smoother on the second visit, and all of the staff were very pleasant. The verdict? Dublin has always suffered from a lack of places that fall under the "Quick. Cheap. Good." heading, and Masa fills a gap for both that and for fresh tacos in the city. While we might not have been knocked over by the food, we'd be pretty confident it will get better over the coming months (Bunsen have never been one to do things by halves), and we think it's a great addition to the Dublin dining scene. Especially when you only want to spend a tenner on dinner. Masa 43 Stephen Street Lower, Dublin masadublin.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Steak and seafood with more than a few nods to the Parisian bistro. Classic, comforting dining in the seaside village of Dalkey. Deville's Website devilles.ie Address 25 Castle Street, Dalkey, Co. Dublin Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Steak and seafood with more than a few nods to the Parisian bistro. Classic, comforting dining in the seaside village of Dalkey. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

777 Tostados, tortillas & addictive margaritas Posted: 17 Oct 2018 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? 777 is no new kid on the block. Part of John Farrell's restaurant group, which also includes Dillinger's, The Butcher Grill, the contemporary Mexican opened in 2012 without a trace of Tex-Mex, which prior to this was pretty much all Dublin had experience of. Goodbye burritos and refried beans, hello tostados, tacos and carnitas. Like everything else that John Farrell touches, the interior design is first rate (not that you'd know from the unassuming outside), and they opened to some very good reviews , but like everything the buzz eventually dies down. In the past few months however, we feel like we're constantly being told to go there, that the kitchen's turning out fantastic food and the margaritas are worth a trip alone. So we took it upon ourselves to see if the rumours were true. Where should we go for a drink first? If you don't want to come straight here for a margarita (you're crazy, or on a mission), you could go to Loose Canon on Drury Street for a glass of natural wine, the soon to be open (any day now) Bar Giuseppe on Castle Market for an aperitivo, or any of the great pubs in the surrounding streets for a pint - Grogan's , The Foggy Dew or The Stag's Head to name a few. Where should we sit? The bar is good for singles or couples, and there are booth-style tables for big groups, although even fitting four is cosy. There are also a couple of bigger tables at the front if you have a group, but they don't take reservations for under six people, so you might have to wing it (or get more friends). What's good to eat? Honestly there wasn't a dud dish, and this was the closest we've found to Mexico City cooking in Dublin. The kitchen has the flavours and textures down, and there was really no comparison with our last Mexican experience here. Standouts for us were yellowfin tuna tostados with crispy shallots, chipotle mayo and habanero, and Mezcal marinated soft shell crab tortillas with chipotle, pickled onion and avocado, both of which we wanted more of. Chorizo tortillas were equally good, if very rich, as were the portobello mushroom ones with chipotle pesto, crema and pumpkin seeds, and an oyster shot with tomato and hananero citrus broth would be a great intro to oysters for the uninitiated. We tried one larger dish of Lamb Tlayuda, which is a Oaxacan dish that's like a Mexican pizza, and it came with BBQ lamb, pickled mushroom, chimichurri, wild garlic and feta fondue on a chargrilled flatbread. The meat was exceptional - we would happily go veggie six days a week if we got to eat this on the seventh - and the flavours were stunning. We were struggling to fit more in at this point but we powered on and finished the lot because it was so good. We would only get to share in a group as it's so large and filling, and if you had it on your own you probably wouldn't be able to manage much else. We also tried sides of elotes and papas fritas, both of which were good, but the crispy potatoes with garlic and manchego knocked patatas bravas out of the park for us. We imagine leaving any in the bowl would be a feat of Olympic proportions. Desserts are limited to bread and butter pudding with dulce de leche and vanilla ice-cream, and a selection of sorbets and ice-cream. We tried the former (purely in the name of research), and it was the type that's soaked and blow-torched, meaning the inside was cold and was left uneaten, but the flavour was good and the dulce de leche a nice addition. What about the drinks? Go margaritas or go home. Mondays the house ones are two for €14 (usual price €12) so that's the night to go if you're feeling thirsty, but we've heard the Margarita Especial is even better than the house (unfortunately we only heard this after we'd been). Neither the beer or the wine list are particularly inspiring, but that's not really the point of the place. Cocktails are where it's at. There are also some lovely sounding mocktails, like the Pinky Tuscadero with cranberry juice, jalapeno & rosemary syrup, lime and rhubarb. And the service? Functional. They got the job done but we wouldn't say there was an abundance of hospitality. Some of them looked like they had better places to be and we were holding them up. Others were more helpful. The verdict? For our money, this is the best place to eat real Mexican food (like in Mexico) in the city right now. You can keep your burrito chains and mediocre tacos. These guys have it down. It is very loud, so only go if you're happy with a side of ear-bursting hiphop, and we've lost count of how many stories we've heard about people getting carried away with food and drinks and getting a shocker of a bill, but if you choose carefully and keep a tab you should be able to get out while holding onto next month's rent. On Sunday all dishes are €7.77, Mondays are two margaritas for €14 and on Tuesday tacos are two for €6, so these are the days to go if money's tight, but we can't see you being disappointed whatever day you go. 777 7 Castle House, South Great George's Street, Dublin 2 777.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Craft Neighbourhood dining that's a steal in Harold's Cross Posted: 5 Aug 2020 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Craft opened in February 2016, and was immediately touted as the neighbourhood restaurant Harold's Cross had badly needed. Head chef/owner Philip Yeung had previously been head chef at Town Bar & Grill (remember the boom?) and Bang on Merrion Row, and a string of glowing reviews for his first solo opening followed, with Catherine Cleary in the Irish Times calling the Dublin 6 suburb "a better place to be thanks to the arrival of Craft." The following year they got the news that they'd been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2018, given to restaurants that Michelin deem good quality and good value - for Ireland it must be €40 or under for three courses - and held onto it for 2019 but lost it for 2020. It was a year of shock deletions, with Etto, Bastible, Forest & Marcy, The Pig's Ear and Delahunt all losing their Bib too, so we didn't pay too much heed and presumed it might be more to do with menu pricing than food quality for most places. Luckily it hasn't seemed to make any dent in their customer base, who mostly seem to be locals, delighted to have something like this on their doorstep, when so many other suburbs don't. Where should we sit? There’s a front and a back room, but we’d probably opt to sit in the front as it feels a bit brighter and airier. We did however spot a couple with a young baby in the back and thought it was perfectly suited to a bit more privacy. There are only five tables in the front post-Covid, all adequately spaced, and the two in the window are ideal if you’re an avid people watcher. What's the food like? We came for the neighbourhood menu (only served on Thursdays), as we figure a lot of people are probably looking for maximum bang for their buck right now, between job losses, pay cuts and many businesses in unknown territory after the past few months. It’s a very good deal at €27 for two courses and €32 for three, but there only a choice of mains so you wouldn't want to be a fussy eater or have too many dietary requirements – they do cater for veggies though and one main will always be meat-free. We started with seedy, treacle brown bread and Glenilen Farm butter, dense and crunchy enough to fill the hungry gap until the food proper started to arrive. The starter was a plate of heirloom tomatoes, burrata, charred peach and smoked almond pesto - ideal summer eating (for a grey, rainy evening in July). There were little dried tomatoes in amongst the mix, which added bursts of flavour in every other forkful, but we thought the whole thing needed more seasoning, which they brought on request. Our main was a meaty piece of expertly cooked Kilkeel hake with a prawn tortellini (whose filling was more mousse-like than fluffy fresh prawn), an intense pea purée, fresh peas, chard and a foaming shellfish sauce. Again it felt perfectly suited to the time of year, and like the kitchen is giving serious consideration to what we might want to eat on any given week. It was also light enough to ensure we were looking forward to (rather than holding our stomachs at the thought of) a chocolate dessert. With the fish came a side of crunchy, fluffy potatoes (they've thought of everything), but just two each, so again not enough to steer you into uncomfortable tummy territory. For a set menu that already felt like good value, the main really pushed it into the "this is a bit of a steal" category. Dessert was "chocolate mousse and raspberry", with various elements of each - an airy mousse, a crispy chocolate cracker, a raspberry sorbet, fresh raspberries, raspberry sauce and what looked and tasted like puffed rice. It was a nice mix of richness and freshness, and the chocolate tasted dark enough so as not to veer into sugar overload territory. What about the drinks? The wine list is very short with few options by the glass – maybe Covid-related – and we thought it was in need of an injection of interest. Perhaps they’re trying to cater for the locals with tried and tested options. We did think the prosecco was unusually good – to the point where we questioned if it might have been something more upmarket like a Crémant, and a Kir Royal was a perfect aperitif. And the service? Staff were all masked and very welcoming and friendly. The food came out at nice intervals, and the open kitchen appeared entirely calm. The verdict? The neighbourhood menu at Craft offers serious bang for your buck, with a three course meal for two and a bottle of wine easily coming in at under €100. We have a feeling it’s not the kitchen’s best work, but it’s more than solid cooking, and even more reason to go back for the Friday and Saturday tasting menu at €52 for four courses (including snacks). If value for money is your top priority right now when it comes to eating out, the neighbourhood menu is a great dive into Craft at a not so great price. We started with seedy, treacle brown bread and Glenilen Farm butter, dense and crunchy enough to fill the hungry gap until the food proper started to arrive. Craft 208 Harold’s Cross Road, Harold's Cross, Dublin 6W. craftrestaurant.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Free-range egg sandwiches, homemade hash browns and chilled mimosas, with brilliant suppliers like Ballon Eggs and Higgins Butchers. Brothers Hugh and Eoin O’Reilly starting serving egg sandwiches in 2018 at festivals and events, and their second site in Rathmines came after the first on Smithfield Square. Try the Mad Yolk, Bad Yolk or Fresh Yolk, and gain a new appreciation for the humble egg. Mad Yolks Rathmines Website madyolks.ie Address Mad Yolks, Rathmines Road Upper, Rathmines, Dublin 6, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Free-range egg sandwiches, homemade hash browns and chilled mimosas, with brilliant suppliers like Ballon Eggs and Higgins Butchers. Brothers Hugh and Eoin O’Reilly starting serving egg sandwiches in 2018 at festivals and events, and their second site in Rathmines came after the first on Smithfield Square. Try the Mad Yolk, Bad Yolk or Fresh Yolk, and gain a new appreciation for the humble egg. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure

Southern Italian cooking with only the best Italian ingredients and wines, some of which come from family friends and their farms in Calabria. Owner Roberto Mungo's Mama flew over for the first month of opening to teach the kitchen some family recipes and proper pasta making and they've been packed ever since - she also likes to return every few months to check on things. A pretty perfect neighborhood restaurant, and we're eternally envious of everyone who gets to call it their local. Book well in advance if you want a hope of getting a table. Grano Website grano.ie Address 5 Norseman Court, Manor Street, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Southern Italian cooking with only the best Italian ingredients and wines, some of which come from family friends and their farms in Calabria. Owner Roberto Mungo's Mama flew over for the first month of opening to teach the kitchen some family recipes and proper pasta making and they've been packed ever since - she also likes to return every few months to check on things. A pretty perfect neighborhood restaurant, and we're eternally envious of everyone who gets to call it their local. Book well in advance if you want a hope of getting a table. Where It's At Nearby Locales D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet Daruma Malahide Lena The Pig's Ear Notions @ Two Pups The Rooftop @ Anantara The Marker Sofra Little Geno's Mama Shee Nutbutter Smithfield Shaku Maku Mad Yolks Rathmines Una Choux Bakery Parnell Street Bakery Baily Bites @ Kish Spice Village Terenure