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Brand new sandos, crack chicken burgers, and crab flatbreads - it's all go on menu for Autumn! And here's what we can't stop staring at this week... 1) All the sandos at Sando Paradiso They've been teasing it for a month, but Hen's Teeth's new Sando Paradiso pop up is finally opening this weekend. We've got our eyes on the free-range egg salad sando with kewpie mayo, and the chicken katsu sando with tonkotsu sauce, but you can see the full menu here . 2) Crab flatbread, Angelina's There's a new brunch menu at Angelina's in Dublin 4 since Daniel Hannigan took over the kitchen, and this crab flatbread is top of our wish list. It comes with romesco, marinated red pepper, poached eggs and dashi hollandaise, and you can try it at their brunch event this Sunday from 10am-3pm, where there'll also be an oyster station and a new Bloody Mary menu. 3) Ali's Crack Chicken Burger, BuJo Bujo are describing their latest creation as "if a neon Bangkok backstreet and a classy Dublin burger joint had a baby" - we're sold. Fried chicken comes with kimchi mayo and sticky fish sauce caramel in a charcoal bun, and we see burnt scallions and chillies in there too. Find it at Bujo until the start of November. 4) Irish tuna with pickled watermelon, Osteria Lucio We first spotted this eye opener at Osteria Lucio in early summer, and it's just about hanging in there if you want one last bite of the cherry/watermelon. Irish caught tuna comes with pickled watermelon, kohlrabi and Fèlsina olive oil, and if you sit in the windows out front you might get lucky with some autumn rays. 5) Sloppy mince, Mrs Reid's It might not have the most appealing name, how how good does roasties topped with mince, house cheese sauce, scallions, siracha and lemon mayo sound? Like taco fries, but all grown up. Mrs Reid' s in Dublin 8 are known for next level flavour combinations, and this tasty bowl looks like just the ticket for our next chilly day around town.

If you're one of those people who equates sherry to little old ladies sipping from miniature glasses on Christmas day, you need to extinguish that cliché from your mind and get up to speed on one of the most fascinating drinks in the wine world. Whether you're ready for a deep dive or not, Spain's "sherry triangle" of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Jerez de la Frontera, and El Puerto de Santa María is a step back in time to old Spain, far far away from seafront resorts selling inflatables and English breakfasts. Sanlúcar de Barrameda, (c) Cadiz Turismo Apart from the chance to nerd out on one of the regions wine lovers get most fanatical about, this trio of towns is an oasis of fried shrimp fritters, tuna fresh from the boat, and ice cold manzanilla (which costs less than juice). There's no flurry of tourists crushing past, you'll hear little English from the Sanluqueños , and the prices? It's like going back twenty years. Jerez might have a few more headline-grabbing restaurants, but we think Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Spain's gastronomy capital for 2022), has the most going for it, When to go Spring or Autumn is the perfect time to visit if you want to avoid sweltering temperatures and having to stay out of the midday heat. May and September are ideal, but Sanlúcar is a great place to visit at all times of the year. Getting there You'll need a rental car (or be prepared for numerous changes in transport). Fly to Seville and it's 1 hour and 15 minutes away, or just over two and a half hours from Malaga airport. We'd recommend a two stop holiday, incorporating either of the cities you land in - both are incredible places to spend a few days eating, drinking and taking in all the sights. Where to eat and drink Casa Balbino Plaza de Cabildo with its palm trees and large fountain at the centre is the focal point of Sanlúcar, surrounded by bars, restaurants, and ice-cream shops, with outdoor seating covered by canopies, complete with misting machines for those hot summer days. There is nothing as relief-giving as a cooling mist to the back of the neck in 30c while you crunch on tortillitas de camarones - the dish Casa Balbino are famous for. They're known for no reservations but it's a huge space inside and out, and the food comes fast, so don't be put you off. Those shrimp fritters should be your first order (and maybe your second, and third), and we're still thinking about the patatas aliñadas (potatoes marinated with vinegar and tuna) and adobo de pescado (fried dogfish marinated in vinegar). Go inside and look in the fridges if you want some tapas inspiration, but it's all good. Everyone is drinking very chilled Manzanilla, and at €1.70 a glass, so should you (a pineapple juice is €1.80). Our greedy lunch bill for four with four sherries and two juices came to €61.40. That is not a typo. Casa Bigote Another Sanlúcar must is Casa Bigote which has been open down at the seafront since 1951. The more casual standing/high stooled tapas bar (La Taberna) faces the ocean, while the more formal restaurant with its high-ceilinged dining room sits just behind it. Both are an altar to the region's tuna, with endless ways to try the rich, meaty fish. Try red tuna tataki, fillets in Amontillado sherry sauce, or grilled tuna ribs. The taberna focuses on fried fish, small portions of stews, and plenty of seafood specialities, while the restaurant has larger, more refined plates like white prawn carpaccio and those famous Spanish red prawns (carabineros) sold by weight. Wines are local and staff are lovely, and whether you go casual or formal you won't go far wrong. Doña Calma Gastrobar If you're looking for somewhere to escape from the beach for a lazy lunch or a post sun-bathing dinner, Doña Calma Gastrobar is the one. It's known as one of Sanlúcar's most contemporary food options, daring to serve dishes like tuna tacos, cuttlefish empanadas with lime aioli, and tuna tartare with bone marrow served in the hollow of a massive bone (you'll be thinking about this until you're dead). Nothing here is a gimmick, everything has the kind of flavour you'll be trying to recreate long after your meal - utterly beautiful to look at and to eat. Drinks are local, simple and once again Manzanilla reigns supreme, and the glass covered, air-conditioned wrap around space is a heavenly retreat from the heat. El Espejo For something that's more adult night out/special occasion territory, book a table in the plant-adorned courtyard at El Espejo , in the Posada de Palacio hotel. It has a Bib Gourmand for good value cooking, but at €18 for a Carabinero prawn and €50 for a beef chop this isn't exactly bargain territory. The contemporary cooking is however in delicious territory, with the ingredients local, and a stellar sherry list to match. (c) El Espejo Mirador de Doñana A few doors down from the always thriving Casa Bigote you'll find Mirador de Doñana , which as the name suggest offers expansive views across the Doñana national park across the water in front . Sanlúcar prawns, lobster gratin and red shrimp tartare are all must orders, and the terrace outside has the tables to grab if it's not too warm, but the upstairs dining room has equally good views. (c) Mirador de Doñana Entrebotas, Bodegas Hidalgo la Gitana Set in the courtyard outside renowned sherry bodega Hidalgo la Gitana , Entrebotas is one of those rare occasions when the winery restaurant is as much a draw as the winery. The " Sanlúcar DNA" menu is a seafood extravaganza for €65 including drinks (water, wine and sherry), or slum it with some tapas and a sherry tasting at the bar. Tours of the bodega are also available and recommended. (c) Entrebotas Taberna der Guerrita Taberna der Guerrita , in the Bajo district, has become a place of pilgrimage for sherry lovers. On entering it might looks like your average spit and sawdust tavern, but ask to be taken to the rooms in the back and you'll find bottles piled high on shelves from floor to ceiling, with some you won't find anywhere else in the world. It's like a sherry museum, and you can spend more than you thought possible on some of the old and rares, or just ask for more affordable recommendations. The bar food out front is wholesome and simple and just waiting for a special bottle to be plucked from the shelves to enjoy with it. Dessert Helados Toni Toni has been selling ice-cream in Sanlúcar since 1896, and if it's taken that long to achieve something this perfect, it was worth the wait. The family run business is now in its fourth generation, run by sisters Lorena and Rosana, and this has to be some of the best ice-cream in Spain, let alone Sanlúcar. There's two on Plaza de Cabildo, but go for the one nearest the corner for the widest selection - and we mean wide. You'll need 10 minutes just to read through all the flavours. (c) Helados Toni Mr Cheesecake A cheesecake break is a must while exploring Sanlúcar, and Mr Cheesecake has the good stuff. From cheese-based flavours like the goat's cheese Payoyo or the sheep's cheese Roquefort, to countless options for those with sweeter teeth like fig, lemon and pistachio, you never know what you'll find in the fridge, so multiple trips are easily justified. (c) Mr Cheesecake Wineries to visit The bodegas best set up for visitors and online booking are Hidalgo La Gitana (home to Entrebotas above) and Barbadillo, both in the city centre, and both offering various tours and tastings. Visit La Gitana starting at €20 six days a week, while Barbadillo has a Manzanilla Museum you can walk around at your leisure (everything's in Spanish so you may need Google translate), with guided tours and tastings taking place six days a week, also starting at €20. (c) Bodega Hidalgo le Gitana For more boutique options check out Bodegas Yuste , with visits and tastings ranging from €15 - €85 depending on how serious your interest is. Bodega Argüeso is another great choice, estimated to be over 250 years old, and Delgato Zuleta , which claims to be the oldest winery in region.

Do you feel the chill in the air? We weren't sure we were ready for what's been a stunner of a summer to end, but we think we can get on board with the promise of whiskey-smoked pork sandwiches, hun bun chicken burgers, and Autumn walks with a coffee in one hand and a pain au raisin in the other. Here's what's been raising our eyebrows this week... 1) Smoked Trout, D'Olier Street Need a little treat? Something to set yourself up for a September reset? (Mentally, not diet wise, obvs). Book yourself into Michelin-starred D'Olier Street for their €135 tasting menu, with dishes like this smoked trout with heirloom tomato, yuzu kosho and basil. It's been a tough summer of outdoor dining, beach trips and clocking off early from work. You've earned it. 2) Brioche de Bogavante, La Gordita La Gordita threw this lobster brioche thirst trap out there before casually announcing they were off on holidays for a week - how rude. So you'll have to wait until next week to get your hands on this brioche de bogavante with salpicón, prawns, cucumber, shallots and goatsbridge trout caviar, but we reckon the anticipation will make it all the sweeter... 3) Hog & Hen Hun Bun, Cluck Chicken Cluck Chicken 's monthly hun bun is a special one this month. The "Hog & Hen" comes with double fried chicken thigh, BBQ sauce, bacon jam, slow cooked pulled pork, American cheese, lettuce and chipotle mayo, on a toasted, seeded sour dough bun from Coghlan's bakery. The most important thing though, is all hun bun sales from this week (total, not profits) are going to this lovely little girl who's fighting a brain tumour. Find it in their Walkinstown location for the month of September. 4) Pain au Raisin, Bread 41 We've been sleeping on the pain au raisins with all the ultra glam pastries available around town these days, but Bread 41 are showing us what we've been missing. Theirs has tea soaked raisins and almond cream wrapped in the most buttery sourdough pastry, and it's available in all locations, every day. Firmly cemented on our Autumn eating list. 5) Whiskey smoked pork ciabatta, Tír Deli Tír Deli seems to appear in this feature every other week, and can you blame us with them throwing these kinds of shapes? Their new Autumn menu has a ciabatta with smoked pork shoulder that's been cured in Spot Whiskey for five days, along with pork crackling, a whiskey glaze from the marinade, Abercorn Farm cucumber pickle and Irish greens. This one's a monthly special running for September, but we bet if it's a hit they'll keep it around longer.

Seafood is for life, not just for summer. As much as we love eating oysters al fresco and cracking open in-season Irish lobster as the sun shines down, there’s just as much great fish and shellfish on menus year round that should be celebrated. From fresh-as-it-gets seaside spots, to Spanish-style conservas, omakase sushi to Sichuan sea bass, here are the best places in Dublin to get the best seafood all year round...   Fish Shop, Benburb Street We’ve lost count of the times we’ve sat down in Fish Shop  and savoured a gilda and manzanilla while agonising over what to order next – name a better way to start a meal. The city’s best fish and chips has racked up raves from international outlets aplenty in recent years, cementing it firmly on the tourist radar, so be sure to book ahead if you want to be guaranteed a seat. Bar Pez, Kevin Street Fish Shop’s Spanish-style little sister specialises in seasonal and seafood-heavy small plates, with their crab sandwich and scallop toast now infamous for good reason. With a recent pivot to a seven-day service, Bar Pez  is now comfort food and benchmark wines to fall into the arms of every night of the week. Matsukawa, Smithfield Two years on from its arrival in Smithfield, Matsukawa  eight seats are still a struggle to book – you need to book well in advance, dine solo or be ready to pounce on cancellations to enjoy this omakase sushi spot. From melt-in-the-mouth otoro to torched John Dory, every last morsel here is worth the advance planning.

What’s the story with Jehan’s Heaven?   Caucasian cuisine? Reddit threads  and puzzled head tilts every time we've passed Jehan’s Heaven  make it necessary to clarify that: no, it does not mean white people food; and yes, it is properly seasoned. This new arrival from the people behind Ella’s Heaven across the road brings a deeper dive into the cuisine of the Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan and the owner's native Georgia. What should we have? We’ve long loved the khachapuri in Ella’s Heaven , one of the most satisfying lunches in town, and they’ve upped the game here with twelve varieties, most available in two sizes. We went classic with a “small” Adjaruli style (€12), the hot, fluffy boat-shaped bread a dream to dip in the molten mess of salty Imeruli cheese and rich raw egg yolk. The pitch of “Georgian pizza” doesn’t do justice to this cheesy, carb-fest. We're long time fans of a cabbage roll, and ever curious to see how it differs across Europe and Asia. Jehan's dolma (€15) aren’t about to dethrone Romanian sarmale from our top spot, with a filling of minced beef and rice a touch dry – yogurt and a thin tomato sauce go a way to help. The price of beef is bananas right now, but that price point for two pieces felt striking. Especially when compared to the bountiful bang-for-your-buck beef in the chanakhi (€16.90), a clay pot stew studded with aubergine and green pepper. Delicious, silky, slow-cooked flavour soaked through every last tender chunk of meat, and the generous bread on the side only added to the sense of relative value versus the cabbage, as it mopped up every morsel baked onto the base. Caucasian cuisine a Turkish grill ain’t, but between the billowing charcoal centrepiece by the door, and curiosity about what an Azerbaijani lule kebab is, their signature sharing platter (€65.90) had to be tried. Cumin and paprika distinguish the lule's lamb from the chilli flake-flecked adana (also included), but not enough to stop the two feeling samey – chops or fillet would have gone a long way. The same problem holds for the chicken, with wings and breast ending up as overkill, despite the black char sealing in some seriously good juice. So-so side salad and sauces seal the deal on landing this platter in the "skip-it" space. Great grills are plentiful in Dublin these days, and Jehan’s has neither the goods nor value to stack up against established hits like Reyna or new challengers like Sofra . Only above-average chips and a delicious Georgian pear lemonade (included) stood out. We've tried the baklava, kadayif and Turkish delight ( different to what you might know as Turkish delight ) before and it's another area they excel in, so get some to enjoy with a coffee afterwards, or take some home to be the most popular person in your house. Why should we go? Not least for the fact that its impressive fitout has replaced one of those tourist trap Paddywagon places, Jehan’s Heaven is a good addition to the North inner city, with loads of space to enjoy flavours from a truly tasty part of the world. Just skip the grill and stick to the Caucasian food. Jehan’s Heaven 10 Talbot Street, Dublin 1 instagram.com/jehans_heaven

If you read our review of Amai by Viktor a couple of weeks ago you'll know how much we loved this new fine dining Brazilian restaurant with All The Views off Grafton Street (watch a snapshot of our meal here ). They tell us they've been inundated with ATF readers since, and have given us a ridiculously good deal to take you back there with us for the full experience (and then some). Chef Viktor Silva's food is something brand new for Dublin - never have we seen Brazilian dishes and ingredients executed at this standard - and watch this space, because the Michelin men will be ringing that doorbell very soon. Did we mention the people watching from those five-star tables at the windows? It's what end of summer dining dreams are made of. Amai by Viktor have given us an incredible offer for our ATF Insider takeover, of the full tasting menu (usually €79), plus extra courses including a sneak peak of their new Autumn duck dish, AND a welcome caipirinha, for just €60! We're not sure you could spend that amount of money on anything better in Dublin right now. We're taking over Amai by Viktor on Tuesday 9th September , with early tables from 17:00 - 17:30, and late tables from 19:45 - 20:15. As usual with our events the team, including chef Viktor, will be on site all night to welcome you, serve the dishes, and answer your questions. This is an ATF Insiders -only event - sign up here  for €6 a month if you know what's good for you. Each Insider can book a table for two, and bring one non-Insider with them.  If you're coming with friends who are also signed up and you want to sit together, just make a note on your booking. Bookings for our Amai by Viktor takeover on Tuesday 9th September go live tomorrow, Friday 29th August at 1pm . Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders  will receive the booking link directly to their inbox. If you're not already part of Dublin's best food club, find out why all the cool kids are below.

Throw a brick around Dublin city centre and you’re likely to hit a pub grub menu with chicken burgers, Caesar salad, Thai curry and carbonara – the tourist trap starter pack. But while such places still plague the streets, dig a little deeper and you’ll find a bustling culture of bars doing great food all over the city. From food trucks smartly slotting into outdoor spaces, to restaurant quality kitchens around the back of boozers, here’s where to find the best pub food in Dublin...   NORTHSIDE   Sister 7 @ Fidelity Studio, Smithfield   Bustling craft bar Fidelity hasn't stopped heaving since opening at the end of 2022, and with the arrival of Sister 7 in the neighbouring Studio space they’ve only got busier. One taste of the food and you'll know why – a partnership between Big Fan and Whiplash , the menu’s spent grain crackers and beer reduction sauces make for a creative collab in one of the coolest spaces around. They open Wednesday to Sunday, and walk-ins work out at quieter times but we’d recommend booking. Read our review here .   Bonobo, Smithfield   Bonobo ’s big beer garden is thronged at all times of the year, and the top-tier pizza’s a big part of the draw. We’ve wiled away many a night sharing a few of their wood-fired specials over a round or two of their rotating craft taps and upmarket cocktails. A prime view of the kitchen magic happening from the beer garden is great for nosey eaters too. Hera, Dorset Street   There’s pub grub and then there’s this. Hera  pounced onto the scene earlier this year with a quality of food that could outdo most restaurants around town – no surprise from the team who brought us Crudo  and Achara . The lamb scotch egg and yeast butter spuds have yet to leave our mind’s eye since. Be sure to book well in advance if you’re going for dinner, or settle into the Juno bar space and pick away at the snacks menu. Read our review here .

It's the last few hazy weeks of summer, where crisps come topped with anchovies, a Sunday roast means barbecued fish, and you need to load up on the best strawberries before they're gone. Here's what we're spending a lot of time thinking about this week... 1) Parmesan linguine, Margadh RHA Margadh in the RHA can't do much wrong in our eyes, and this Parmesan linguine with creme fraiche and lardons looks like it hopped straight out of Parma ready to be swirled around a plate near St Stephen's Green. Order it a la carte or as part of their new tasting menu. 2) McNally's potato crisps, Woodruff We love a little something to snack on while we make those all important ordering decisions, but Woodruff in Stepaside are taking the humble crisp and sending it stratospheric. They make them in house from McNally Farm organic potatoes, and right now are topping them with white anchovy, nduja & teriyaki, for a crunchy, salty, spicy start to dinner. And the best bit? You can get a free portion if you're signed up to ATF Insiders . 3) Rack of halibut with chicken butter, The Seafood Café The Seafood Café 's Sunday lunch is one of the best ways to spend your day of worship. It's priced on your main, from roast racks of fish for €65pp to whole Dover sole for €70, but you get a welcome cocktail, snacks, sides and dessert, so it's a hell of a feed. This rack of halibut comes with chicken butter and girolles - our kind of summer Sunday roast. 4) Coconut and strawberry mille-feuille, L'Gueuleton The clock is ticking on strawberry season, and what a way to see it out. L'Gueuleton 's crispy mille-feuille sandwiches coconut ganache, strawberry compote and coconut sorbet, for all the French summer holiday feels. 5) Banana bread, Copper + Straw Banana bread can be meh or marvellous, but we're gona bet that Copper + Straw 's is the latter after it reached the finals of the Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards. Their new in-house kitchen has only been up and running for five months, and head chef Faye's recipe is made with a base of chopped almonds, cashews and walnuts, and topped with peanut butter ganache, dark chocolate drizzle and banana crunch. We're filing this plus a pumpkin spice latté away for early Autumn scenes.

What’s the story with Lucy?   When we think of front lines, we tend to picture trenches, not plates, but war is waged not just in uniform, but in culture too - in language, in literature, even in food. We know a thing or two about that in Ireland - they know a lot about it in Ukraine.   Baker Mykola Kuleshov has named this new Clanbrassil Street café Lucy (where Clanbrassil House used to be) after his grandmother, from whom many of the recipes first came. Like many of her storied generation, she remains in Ukraine, not willing to cede her culture. In sharing and celebrating it here in her name, Lucy offers its own act of resistance.   What should we have?   Get your pyrizhky orders in the minute you sit down. These gold-crusted stuffed brioche buns (€4), made by hand here in several variations, are shocks of (sometimes literally) jam-packed flavour waiting to be torn open and gulped down. We loved the ruby-red cherry with a sharp sour tang to balance out the bread’s sweetness. It’s just as good a pairing for savoury flavours, with a juicy, salty ground chicken and mushroom stew seeping through its soft crags for chewy, meaty mouthfuls. Varenyky (€14) bear a lot of resemblance to Polish pierogi, and share many of the pyrizhky fillings – a well-buttered and salted mashed potato was our choice. Take the optional fried onion, mushroom and sour cream in abundance - these toppings might look like mere dressing, but there’s an intense, earthy flavour and creamy texture that the dumplings need to really deliver. Ukrainians know their way around a spud just as well as the Irish, and in deruny (€14) we have their answer to boxty. More of those mushrooms offer another savoury kick alongside the salty slap of crisp bacon – there’s fun to be had combining forkfuls of crisp-skinned soft potato pancake with both to your perfect balance. As a heaving brunch plate this will go a long way to starting the day – a sprinkle of sharp chive to cut through the rich layers would improve it further.   Cakes are a cornerstone of the bustling business Kuleshov and his wife Viktoriia Horbonos built up before opening a sit-down site, delivering much-missed tastes of home to Ukrainians across the city. One bite of honey cake (€7) makes the fanbase easy to understand - richly sweet from artisan Irish honey, its fourteen layers of thin-rolled dough sandwich sweet cream in a delicately delicious slice.   Raisin-studded cottage cheese makes a more sour-sweet treat of the babka (€6), its grainy texture coated in Belgian dark chocolate. Versus the light and lively honey cake it’s a far denser dessert, best suited to coffee and cake rather than a full meal finale. The caramelised cream cigar that is the waffle milk (€4.30) meanwhile... Sure it’s only a small thing, we couldn’t say no - neither should you.   Why should we go?   In the floral crockery smuggled out of seized Ukrainian land, just as much as the delicious food Lucy serves on it, there's culinary history heaped high here, and a proud sense of a cuisine and a culture worth fighting for.   Lucy 6 Clanbrassil Street Upper, Dublin 8 instagram.com/lucy.dublin.ie

What's all this about a secret food and wine pairing?   In an era of being bled dry with every step, we're permanently hunting for good value. While looking for somewhere on a quiet Tuesday we came across Ely Wine Bar's "secret pairing" experience, and thought €64.50pp for three courses and wines (hopefully good ones) was worth investigating. Where are we sitting?   Down to the cellar you go - not ideal on a muggy summer evening, but will be 10/10 on a cold, blustery night coming soon. When we booked there were only high tops available, but low tables were free, so either they had cancellations or their booking system is awry. What's the secret pairing all about? They're at pains to explain it's not a three course meal , but snacks, starters and a main. Our snacks were Cooleeney cheese fondue with roast garlic sourdough (funky and crunchy, but the crispy bread we pointed at here looks even better); chicken pie croquettes (loved), and Manzanilla and Kalamata olives (not the city's finest and too many for two). So far, so good though. "Starters" were even better, with a bowl each of two perfectly cooked scallops with borlotti beans, tomato, basil, artichoke and EVOO poured at the table. We were told our substantial mushroom risotto to share had had chestnut, shiitake and morels, but we found no morels. Hazelnuts, Parmesan and lemon on top stopped it feeling too heavy. At this stage we were pretty full (stinginess not an issue), so when a board of shatteringly crispy chicken arrived with foie gras stuffing, crunchy mange tout and a buttery leek sauce, we had to undo buttons. A (bigger than necessary) bowl of ratte potatoes on the side was bland in comparison, with no real reason to finish them. We didn't need dessert, but were told at 21:40 they needed to let their chef go home and panicked. The "peach bellini ice-cream sandwich" (€7) wasn't worth it - we're not convinced the choux was homemade, and the unripe, crunchy peach was a travesty. What about wines? When it comes to wine, tell them your likes or dislikes (the same goes for food). We said interesting, natural, not overly commercial, and it paid off. A, soft, fruity, Portugese pet nat was beautiful with the snacks, and a Sicilian orange Catarratto stood up brilliantly to scallops and risotto. A Portugese white made from local grape varieties, aged under flor like sherry, was interesting with the chicken too - you'll leave here with added wine knowledge and new bottles to look out for. Any low points? It was very wintery food for July, with too many heavy ingredients leading to "I've over done it" discomfort - we were crying out for a salad. They also whipped away a glass with that precious last sip of wine in it, and when alerted said it had been empty. Nothing like a bit of he said she said to end the night on a bum note. Why should we go?   €64.50 a head for this amount of food and wine feels like a steal of a deal these days, and will be even better on an Autumn/Winter evening when the food and room better suit the mood. Ely Wine Bar Ely Place, Dublin 2 elywinebar.ie

We're ending the summer on a high by giving away nine more great prizes to our paying subscribers , including THREE overnight breaks away, and vouchers to visit some of the best new openings in the city. Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders goes automatically into the draw, you don't have to do anything else to enter. As an ad and invite-free platform , ATF Insiders is how we're funded, ensuring that recommendations are made without influence, unblemished by invites and free food. Everyone who signs up for ATF Insiders by midnight on Sunday 17th August will be entered into this month's prize draw, and winners will be selected on Tuesday 19th August. This could be your month :) 1) Overnight stay in Aloft Dublin City with breakfast & dinner One of our lucky Insiders is off to Aloft Dublin City for an overnight staycation, with breakfast and dinner in Tenters , their cosy gastropub. The modern 4-star hotel is in the heart of the Liberties, with some of our favourite restaurants nearby, like Two Pups, Notions, Spitalfields and Bakeology In. With spacious rooms and stunning views, Aloft Dublin City is an ideal bolthole for exploring Dublin's food, culture and history - check them out at www.aloftdublincity.com . 2) An overnight stay and €150 voucher for The Pumphouse, Wicklow Wicklow has a new go-to for food, just an hour from Dublin on the Kildare border. The Pumphouse , a new family-run contemporary bar & restaurant, opened in Dunlavin last month, an hour’s drive from Dublin and perfect for a food-focused day trip. Surrounded by Wicklow countryside, head chef Gavin McDonagh (ex-Dylan McGrath group, Brioche in Ranelagh), is showing off local ingredients like Hollywood Farmhouse Cheese, Feighcullen Farm free-range chicken, and Dunlavin Honey, in a menu that's been designed for maximum appeal. To celebrate the opening, The Pumphouse  has given us a foodie break for two, with a voucher for €150 to spend in the restaurant plus an overnight stay locally that you can enjoy on a date of your choice (subject to availability). Check out The Pumphouse   here . 3) Overnight stay with breakfast and cocktails at The Croke Park hotel The Croke Park hotel has partnered with   Penguin Books   and the  Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI)  to create the ideal Dublin stay for bookworms . From Swift to Sally Rooney, Beckett to Binchy, James Joyce to Naoise Dolan, Dublin’s writers have always captured the city’s wit, grit and soul, and the specially curated Penguin bookshelf in the lobby library is stocked with dozens of books for you to dive into. The stay also includes tickets to  MoLI , the museum dedicated to Irish literary greats, and the works that shaped Irish culture, and we've got an overnight stay to give away with breakfast, cocktails in The Sideline bar and tickets to MoLI on a day of your choice. Check out The Croke Park 's "A chapter in Dublin" breaks here . 4) €100 voucher for Hawker, Rathmines It might the most anticipated takeaway opening Dublin has ever seen, with Hang Dai Chinese deciding to make their covid-time takeaways a permanent fixture in Rathmines. Our dine in preview of Hawker next week sold out in minutes, and it's fair to say excitement is at fever pitch ahead of their official opening on Wednesday 27th August. To celebrate the opening we've got a €100 voucher to give away to one of you this month so you can have all the prawn toast with yuzu mayo, cheeseburger springrolls and Xinjiang lamb skewers in the comfort of your own home. 5) Two tickets for "Chef Stories" at Roe & Co Distillery   One of the hallmarks of summer in recent years has been Roe & Co 's summer food and whiskey experiences, and this year the focus is on some of Ireland's top chefs and their individual stories. JP McMahon ( Aniar ), Aisling Moore ( Goldie ), Melissa McCabe ( Feast ) and Graham Herterich ( The Bakery by The Cupcake Bloke ) will take over for a weekend, to cook a five course meal designed to spark memories and tell stories. Courses will be paired with Roe & Co  Irish Whiskey cocktails, with tickets for food and drink costing €110. We've got two tickets to give away this month to an event of your choice, taking place until the end of September. Check out more here .  6) €100 voucher for La Strada The cute little Aungier Street terrazza from Lucio Paduano (ex-Manifesto in Rathmines) is a slice of regional Italia in the middle of the city, and we loved our visit there  for mortadella, burrata and pistachio pizza, with a side of buffalo blue cheese mousse and strawberries. La Strada  has just gotten their wine licence, so Lucio's renounced taste in Italian wine can once again be showcased. They're halfway through their summer menu, with the Autumn menu starting in October, and this is hyper-seasonal food (expect chestnuts, pumpkin, Jerusalem artichoke, radicchio), with so much imported from Naples. We've got a €100 voucher for La Strada  to give away this month so you can plan your own Italian date night. 7) €100 voucher for Dosa Dosa in Rialto The Dublin 8 food scene is proving unstoppable, with Dosa Dosa the latest addition to the neighbourhood. Their first permanent restaurant has just opened in Rialto (where Daphe's used to be), and it's not just dosas anymore (although we still recommend making a special trip in their honour). As well as a street food menu featuring dosas, uttapam and kathi rolls, there's an extensive new menu with dishes like manga fish curry, apricot lamb rack, and gun powder idly - choosing might be an issue here. We've got a €100 voucher for Dosa Dosa this month, and with their great value prices you'll make a decent dent in the menu. 8) €100 voucher for Akaka Poke Akaka Poke  are turning 8! To celebrate their big birthday they've given us a €100.00 voucher so one of our Insiders can enjoy all the Ahi Tuna, Spicy Salmon and Teriyaki tofu poke bowls for them and anyone else they're kind enough to share their prize with. Find Akaka Poke  on Liffey Street in Dublin 1, and Clonskeagh in Dublin 6, or order online or on Deliveroo . 9) A Grow with Aldi hamper and a €100 gift card ALDI have just announced their 30 finalists for Grow with ALDI 2025 , after a nationwide call out for Ireland's best food and drink entrepreneurs. Fifty-four new Irish products will be available in ALDI stores nationwide for two weeks from Thursday September 11th like Garnacha salsas , Sadie's Kitchen bone broth , and The Good Dairy Company's artisan ice-cream . Shoppers will have two weeks to get their fill of the selected products, before ALDI will select the winners to be stocked in store for the rest of the year. To celebrate the Grow with ALDI programme, we've got a hamper packed with Irish products from the finalists to give away, as well as a €100 gift card so you can top up your favourites. Everyone signed up for ATF Insiders in August (both new and old) will be automatically entered into the prize draw. You don't need to do anything. If you're not signed up yet, join here before midnight on Sunday 17th August. Your support promotes independent reviews and news in Dublin and beyond, and allows you to get answers to any dining questions directly from us.

Hawker , the new high end takeaway from Hang Dai Chinese , opens in Rathmines on Wednesday 27th August , but we've got an exclusive preview for ATF Insiders the weekend before. On Saturday 23rd August , Hawker will host two sittings (with seats!) for our subscribers, where you'll get to taste through most of the menu for €45 including a welcome drink - around 25% off regular prices. Prefer to eat at home? On Sunday 24th they'll have special ATF x Hawker bundles priced at €35pp (again a 25% discount) available for delivery or collection from the restaurant, with optional add ons of Hawker cocktails, beer and wine. Both will be limited, and both will be exclusively available to ATF Insiders . For the dine in preview on Saturday 23rd there will be two sittings at 5pm and 8pm. Tickets cost €45 for the full menu (regular or vegetarian) including a welcome cocktail. Each Insider can book for them and a plus one, and look at what you'll get to try if you're fast enough to grab a space (the vegetarian menu needs to be requested in advance) . For the takeaway/collection option , a bundle to generously feed two (with a vegetarian option to be requested in advance ) will cost €70 (again around 25% off regular prices), with optional wine and cocktail add-ons. Delivery will be available to Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8, and will take place between 4pm and 8pm (a time will be confirmed in advance). There will also be a limited amount of orders available for collection from the restaurant for anyone not in the delivery radius. Here's what you could be enjoying at home on Sunday night. This is an ATF Insiders-only event - sign up here  for €6 a month if you're not already part of the best food club in Dublin. Each Insider can book two spaces and bring a guest with them , or book a delivery/collection bundle for two. The links to book both the dine in preview and Hawker's first delivery service will go to everyone signed up to ATF Insiders tomorrow, Thursday 14th August at 10am . If you're not already signed up you can do so below.

After months of speculation about what is going into the old Loretta's site in Phibsborough, we can finally reveal that it's BORGO , a new "osteria locale" from restaurateurs Sean Crescenzi and Jamie McCarthy ( Hera , Crudo , Achara ). And the best part? ATF Insiders will get access to a soft launch a day before opening, with 20% off the bill. BORGO will be a neighbourhood Italian in the beautifully restored Old Bank Building on Doyle's Corner in Phibsborough — built in 1900 and "full of Venetian architectural charm" according to its new owners. They say its inspired by the deep culinary traditions of Italy, and restaurateurs whose travels have shaped their love for regional Italian cooking, like handmade pasta, wood-fired grilling, sourdough breads, and pizzette (not pizza!). They're calling the menu "a love letter to Italy", from Bologna's pasta dishes and Parma’s legendary cured meats, to Venice's laid-back lagoon dining and Abruzzo's farm-to-table ethos. They want to blend traditional techniques with top-quality Irish ingredients, and while plenty proclaim to do the same, these guys have already put their money where their mouth is in multiple award winning sites, so we have no doubt they'll do the same here. The menus still being finalised, but here's some highlights: BBQ'd padron peppers with Taleggio custard Burrata with spiced and burnt plums Wood-fired "carbonara" oysters 7-inch sourdough pizzettes flatbreads, perfect for sharing with antipasti, including 'nduja butter & Cais na Tire', and 'Guanciale, lemon ricotta & Cloonbook Reserve' Pasta made in house using organic free range eggs, including "THE" Amatriciana (a nod to Sean's Roman heritage) McLoughlin's BBQ bavette Whole fish Wild boar chops Lunch and breakfast will follow once they've got their feet on the ground, and they're aiming to be a seven-day affair like Crudo . They say want to give the neighbourhood a new venue for all occasions, offering the best value possible for the quality of food on offer, and we think this one's going to go down very well with locals, and the rest. Borgo officially opens on Friday 22nd August , but ATF Insiders get can access to an exclusive preview night on Thursday 21st , with 20% off the menu. We'll send out more details in the next few days, and ATF Insiders will get the booking link directly to their inbox.

From the best in seasonal Irish seafood to new ventures from our Eastern European friends; great value lunch to late night dinner; date night Italian style to a perfect summer sun spot while it lasts; these are our top spots to tick off in August... For a taste of Ukrainian food: Lucy, Clanbrassil Street   Keen to repay the kindness of Ireland in showing such welcome to the Ukrainian community, couple Viktoriia Horbonos and Mykola Kuleshov set up a market stall bakery business last year named for the latter’s grandmother to showcase the culture and cuisine of their homeland. Now they’ve made the leap to a sit-down spot on Clanbrassil Street called Lucy , serving pyrizhky (stuffed buns), varenyky (dumplings), cabbage rolls and waffle cake. With old school Ukrainian plates on the tables and portraits of Lucy herself on the walls, this looks like exactly the kind of wholesome spot we need more of in Dublin.   For best in season Irish lobster: The Dalkey Lobster Festival   Peak Irish lobster season is always worth celebrating, and Dalkey’s the place to do it this August, with the south Dublin village’s annual festival taking place on Saturday 23 rd and Sunday 24 th . Almost all the local outlets get in on the act, with stalls stringing the streets from blow-in vendors too, so whether you’re craving classic burgers and rolls, fancier plates like paella or thermidor, or even a Thai or Indian twist, there’s options to suit every taste. There’s also a packed programme of music, family-friendly activities and cooking demos to keep you entertained as you pause for breath between bites.   For great value lunches all made in-house: Honest to Goodness Café, Liberties   The name says it all at this homegrown café, which relocated from the city centre to the Liberties earlier this year. The candid socials   at Honest 2 Goodness taking on complaints about pricing (as if €10 for a sandwich was anything that raised an eyebrow these days) have caught our eye almost as much as the bulging servings themselves, and with homemade breads, sauces and fillings, we say that ranks as pretty good value for Dublin these days – you get what you pay for. The Friday sloppy Joe special   looks like the stuff of self-indulgent dreams.   For a great value dinner for night owls: Glas, Chatham Street   We all know the drill, you’re searching around for a great value deal with prices the way they are and all you can find is early birds that pack it in by 6pm. Well here’s veggie hotspot Glas leaping on the popular New York and London trend for “late bird” offerings – no more nipping out of work early to make it to town on time for a deal. Their menu has four options in each course at €32 for two or €36 for three – with a difference like that, who’d skip dessert? It runs from 9pm to 9.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays only.   For an Italian date night without the plane ride: La Strada, Aungier Street   If peak season pricing is putting a quick jaunt to la bella vita out of reach, you could always plop yourself down at La Strada and use your imagination – with the warmth and light of a late evening at this time of year, it almost works. The new pizzeria from Lucia Paduano, former owner of Rathmines institution Manifesto, has one of the cutest fitouts in town, with its cobbled floor and hanging foliage, and plenty of food that’s just as pretty, with a focus on seasonality and provenance that we’re all about. We see a new date night favourite in the making - read our two minute review here .   For a Mediterranean dinner in the sun… while it lasts: Tang, Cumberland Place A lot lesser known than the ever popular breakfast and lunch salads and flatbreads available across all of its branches, is Tang ’s Thursday and Friday night dinner menu in Cumberland Place. That’s good news if you want to nab one of their lovely outdoor terrace tables to lap up the late summer sun for as long as it lasts us. Especially given the wealth of great suppliers they work with, from Toonsbridge and Lilliput to Rings Farm and Ennis Butchers, the value here is top-tier with plates from €13 to €18 as high as the Middle East-inspired menu prices go.   For a happy sign of the times in diversifying Dublin: Jehan’s Heaven, Talbot Street   We’ll always give a little whoop of excitement when one of those Irish American tourist horde-courting Paddywagon places pulls down its shutters, but it’s even better when they’re replaced by something like this. Ella’s Heaven, the Talbot Street Georgian bakery whose selection of sweet treats and khachapuri puts it squarely among our best bakeries in town , has leapt on this space right across the road to open Jehan’s Heaven , with a charcoal grill and doner rotisseries adding to the ample pastry choices from over the way. It’s a sizeable space and a serious step up, and we can’t wait to get in.

Our 35 hottest list (formerly 30, things are too good out there) features the most talked about restaurants in Dublin right now, based on column inches, Insta love and the general pain involved in getting a booking. There are the restaurants with all the buzz, in alphabetical order, with three new entries for August... (It might also to read our guide on how to tables in the top ten hardest to book restaurants in Dublin) * This list doesn't include cafés or lunch-only options, everywhere here is open for dinner at a minimum Achara Where: Aston Quay, Dublin 2 Northern Thai BBQ-inspired Achara on Aston Quay, from the same owners as Crudo in Sandymount and Hera in Drumcondra, has felt like just what Dublin needed. The chilli caramel fish sauce wings, Killary Fjord mussel skewers, and whole chargrilled fish have the young and old lining up in tandem, and the premium cocktail and wine lists have them hanging around long after the food's gone. Read our review of Achara here .

Tis the season to be spending all your cash on lobster, but there's also ceviche if you're strapped for euros, and we're blaming the storm on our gnocchi craving. Here's the five things we can't stop thinking about eating in Dublin this week... 1) Dexter Beef Dadolata, Volpe Nera This is basically a Volpe Nera fan site, and can you blame us with plates like Dexter beef dadolata, pickled shemiji mushrooms and crisp pink potato on their lunch menu. Dadolata is a term that usually refers to diced vegetables, but they're clearly using it to tart up a tartare, and we're not mad about it. Find it in the starters section of their three courses for €38 menu - which is a mega deal if you ask us. 2) Blue lobster and baked rice, Note It's lobster season, and that season's a short one, so get eating while you still can, and we're not sure you'll do better this week than Note 's blue lobster with baked rice and coral sabayon - how fancy. At €75 for two this ain't a cheap crustacean, but it's not the King of them for nothing. 3) Vanilla whip and lime topped blueberry loaf, Bread 41 After months of conjecture (and even denial by the team at one point) Bread 41 have just opened their fourth site in Cabinteely, part of an objective to open three new bakeries a year for the next three years! This new blueberry loaf topped with vanilla whip, olive oil and lime zest might be available in all locations, but what a perfect opening gambit to show locals what they're all about. 4) Ceviche and Bloody Marys, Table 45 Table 45 are bring bone fide Chilean vibes to the city centre, and can we think of a better weekend combo than ceviche and Bloody Marys? No we cannot. 5) Wild mushroom gnocchi, La Maison We're blaming Storm Floris for our otherwise unexplainable craving for creamy mushroom gnocchi on this humid week (those storm winds do strange things to you). La Maison serve their hand-rolled potato pillows in a cep cream with wild mushrooms, spinach, and aged Parmesan, and we'd eat this any season.

What should we know about Parmezza? They’re cooking homemade pasta in a parmesan wheel! That’s certainly all we needed to know to get down to Liffey Street, where Parmezza ’s slotted into the spot occupied until recently by Il Fornaio. The build-your-own-bowl pasta bar opened at the start of the month, with some snappy social content and sunny pride of place in the newly-pedestrianised wake of the Ha’penny Bridge drawing curious crowds. Though its influencer operator  acting as if he’s not promoting his own place  raises a major red flag... 'Digital Creator' Yasin Çayır has a sizeable Instagram and YouTube following, which he's clearly hoping will help shift plenty of pasta. What’s on the menu? Hand-rolled tagliatelle (with naked pasta starting at €9.95) is the basic building block here – the gluten-free rigatoni that briefly appeared on the menu screen in their first days is now nowhere to be seen on printed menus. It’s tossed in the Insta-friendly cheese round before being ladled over with your choice of five sauces and eleven toppings, with optional crispy onion, truffle oil (bleurgh) or Parmesan to finish. Any illusions we had about the “mini trip to Italy” Parmezza promises were quickly dispelled (and misspelled) with “arabiata” and “napoliten” among the options before us. Those typos are at least in the ballpark, which is more than we can say for the flavour. The Arrabbiata  here only earns its “angry” name from how thoroughly grumpy the flat tomato stodge left us. Paired with soggy sauteed broccoli and flavour-free “jungle” (?) mushrooms it was nothing short of sordid. A serious lack of seasoning is the one unifying trait, never clearer than in the pasta itself – there's little doubt that the mass vats they’re boiling it in hadn’t been properly salted. That the cheese wheel was down to the rind hardly helped, the tossing not so much rendering a glossy cheese sauce as shedding a few stray curds to cling to the underdone ribbons. Desperate for flavour, we grabbed the cheap shaker and gasped as its loose lid spilled out more salt than intended – on balance, it was still better.   Unable to face chewing through much more of that pasta, we doubled up on toppings to sample a fair variety – please note we would not recommend pairing pesto and ragu. Not that we’d recommend the pesto in general, plonked on top with its oily excess. Great pesto sauce comes from emulsifying it with salty, starchy water; this half-done job just made for a paltry puddle. The ragu is the kind of rock-solid reliable you might have rustled up at home - by this stage we were taking that as a win.   We took a tip from our server and tried pairing feta and sundried tomato with the cream cheese sauce – look, we’d long ago given up any efforts at Italian authenticity – and soon found ourselves, not for the first time that day, filled with regret. It was probably too much to ask for a quick casual pasta bar in this location to be something special, but we’ve have settled for solid. We dared to dream of Trastevere – we got a plain old travesty.   Why should we go? Please don’t.   Parmezza 1 Liffey Street Lower, Dublin 1 instagram.com/parmezza.dublin

What should we know about Bakeology In?   Argentinian café Bakeology grew out of Argentinian couple Benjamin and Florencia Pugliese’s pandemic passion project delivering empanadas and alfajores. Four years of fast-paced mornings and delighted crowds of Latin American and Irish eaters alike later, they’ve outgrown the original space and snapped up a long-vacant one across the road for location #2 and a beefed-up brunch offering .   What did you have?   A spell standing in the sun in an out-the-door queue had us gasping when we finally got into Bakeology In – lemon and basil water (€6) was just the ticket. The cutesy ceramic penguins it’s served from are one of the many nostalgic nods to Argentina around the place – they host a different house lemonade each day.   Anyone who’s been to Bakeology will know to make straight for the empanadas. These crunchy, hot crust hand pies (€3.80) are essential, with seven fillings to work your way through. The beautifully browned crust with its smart (literal) branding goes someway to explaining the Insta-envious queue. The most interesting was bacon, prunes and cheese, with the deep sweetness of stewed fruit playing off the meat and mozzarella saltiness for a complex mouthful.   Ham and cheese plays it straighter and strikes a balance with its steaming sea of molten mozzarella hiding heaps of ham – biter beware, these were hot . The spiced shredded chicken with bell peppers and onions is a stalwart for good reason, with the juicy veg base ensuring tender meat throughout.   We skipped the three veg options given they all riff on the same filling found in the wild green medialuna (€12.50) – spinach, bechamel, onion and mozzarella. This pastry (also available smaller and unstuffed at €2.50) is often called the Argentinian croissant, but the similarity is in shape only, with a more brioche bite. Topped with goat's cheese, toasted walnuts and a honey drizzle, it’s the kind of loaded brunch dish that’ll see you through to dinner.   The same can't be said about the choripan (€12.50). For all the lightly-spice of beef chorizo, the basic, under-baked bread was gone in three bites, barely beefed up by solid but samey chimichurri and salsa criolla. A little basket of small, soggy chips took more from things than it added – of all the plates to plant an Argentinian flag in, this was not the one. Praise be for a pristine bombon helado (€6.50) to salvage what could have been a sad ending. This pretty picture of a dessert sandwiches strawberry ice cream between chocolate alfajores, all shrouded with dulce du leche and sealed in a case of dark chocolate far too hard for us to cut through as neatly as they did . It’s sweet, sharable, and a sight to behold.   Why should we go? We’ve grabbed an empanada or alfie in passing from Bakeology more times than we can count. To have the chance to sit and take our time over them across the road is just as welcome as the new lease of life Bakeology In brings to a previously-shuttered corner. If they can sort out that choripan, the D8 brunch scene might just have some hot new competition.   Bakeology In 58-59 Meath Street, Dublin 8 instagram.com/bakeology_in/

What should we know about La Strada?   Those who mourned the closure last year of Rathmines’ neighbourhood Italian Manifesto will be thrilled to see owner Lucio Paduano back with La Strada . The new pizzeria’s pretty fitout in the style of a side street terrazza makes the most of a small Aungier Street space. What’s on the menu?   Provenance is a cornerstone here, with a full page dedicated to laying out the quality Italian produce used throughout. Buffalo milk blue cheese is one Paduano’s particularly fond of . As paired in mousse form with tart Wexford strawberries (€12) it’s easy to see why, with a sharp shock of intensely funky flavour. Wafer-thin garlicky crostini are an ideal vehicle, if one in sadly short supply; a few more of these crisps would go a long way. Meatballs in marinara (€9) are less meltingly tender than we usually like them – the melt-in-the-mouth marvels of A Fianco  or Reggie’s  they ain’t – but the slow-cooked sauce hits the mark head-on. A shared garlic pizza with cheese (€8) offers a low-frills chance to assess the dough here, made with type 1 flour rather than the 00 more typical of Neapolitan style for a fuller, richer flavour (but bad news for coeliacs who swarmed Manifesto - no gluten-free options yet). There’s a lot to like in the soft, chewy, nutty crust even where it falls a little thicker than we like. The quality ethos really shines with fruity EVOO, oregano and flaky sea salt helping the mozzarella sing sotto voce . Mortazza (€19) is among the Manifesto holdovers – no mystery why from the first taste. Salty and smoky and sweet from the standout pairing of mortadella, Andria burrata and Bronte pistachio, it’s a deceptively light layered treat of top-quality products. Lured in by the sound of Caserta black pig cicoli and Spilanga ‘nduja, we found the calzone (€19) a bit of a letdown by contrast, with the fatty pork scraps’ flavour lost among pockets of sheep ricotta. The dough doubles as sandwich bread during the day via the “saltimbocca” menu – what the Roman classic of veal and prosciutto has to do with these we still can’t figure out – with a more thin and crispy treatment we found suited it even more. The simple sciue sciue (€9) is effectively a Caprese, and we had no complaints with individual elements this good. Masaniello (€13) is a much more complex creation with tender slices of Ariccia porchetta playing off the smoky notes of Agnerola mozzarella and filling garlic-rosemary potatoes. A light lunch this is not. Lucio’s “world famous” tiramisu is a rock solid rendition of this (let’s be honest) easy offering – we ate every bit but nobody is navigating the globe for it. Are there drinks? In lieu of wine (licence still pending) La Strada’s slinging a homemade lemonades (€5) that made for welcome relief from the late evening heat. Passionfruit and peach plays up the sweet factor but it’s the rounded flavour of watermelon and black tea that made an impression on us. Why should we go?   Amidst a rising tide of city centre slice shops, La Strada’s terraza of two-tops offers a date night oasis of top quality produce. La Strada 10a Aungier Street, Dublin 2 instagram.com/lastradad2

Eating out in Dublin doesn’t have to mean maxing out your credit card or surviving on bags of chips. Yes we know it feels like that lately but there are plenty of spots serving up legit incredible food that won’t break the bank - if you know where to look. From early bird menus set up for a midweek treat to generous portions in the right places, from a full on night out to a casual bite, these places prove that good food doesn’t have to come with the heftiest of price tags... Achara, Aston Quay Achara  keeps us coming back, not just for their Thai-inspired food, but also for the prices.  Their three course early bird menu is €25 a head, running Monday to Fridays from 17:00 to 18:30, and fo r groups, the family-style sharing menu is €45 per person, with snacks, small plates, large plates to share, and dessert. We dare you to find a better option for your gang's next night out, although you could easily be undone by the excellent cocktail and wine list - you've been warned. Read our once over here . 777, George's Street The king of the deal in Dublin is 777 on George's Street, running multiple days of the week. On Mondays, margaritas are two for €20, which is crazy good value considering they're normally €14 each. Tuesdays are for tacos where they offer two for €9 - enough said - and on Sundays, select menu items are €7.77. Lucky's, The Liberties Coke Lane pizza is the bomb dot com, and after a scan of all the reputable reliables in the capital, Lucky's have come in at the best value with their 10 inch margarita setting you back just over a tenner (€11.50 to be precise). The pies are hot, the beers are crafty, and there's jazz on Wednesdays.

The early bird menu is a bit of a throwback these days, mostly resigned to the 90's and noughties along with free bread baskets, balsamic glaze on everything, and garlic baguette as an acceptable starter. However the elusive early bird/pre-theatre/set menu can still be found in some more than acceptable places to eat, you just need to know where to look... Achara, Aston Quay Taking our gong for the best pre-theatre menu in town is new opening Achara , cooking Thai flavours over open flame. Their three course offer, featuring must-try dishes from the à la carte, is just €25 for three courses , available Monday - Friday from 17:00 - 18:30. Choose from chicken wings in chilli fish sauce caramel; baby kale fritters; or chilli beef krapao; with charred pineapple and whipped sheep's yoghurt for dessert. Read our once over here . Hawksmoor London-born steakhouse Hawksmoor have a set menu available until 18:00 Monday - Saturday, with two courses for €31 or three for €35. You'll find lots of their menu stalwarts on there like potted beef and bacon, rump and chips, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Read our once over here . The Seafood Café, Temple Bar Prefer seafood to steak? Head across the road to The Seafood Café , whose early bird runs until 18:30 from Monday - Friday. It's seriously good value with two courses for €27 or three courses for €32, with dishes like fish soup, baja tacos, ceviche, monkfish, and even lobster rolls. With those prices you may as well add on some happy hour oysters.

Brunch offerings in Dublin have ballooned over the last number of years, with plenty of restaurants and cafés of varying qualities looking to get a share of the hungry hordes out for a hangover cure, or just a low-key start to the weekend. With endless identikit menus serving up stuff you can make just as well yourself, it can be hard in these cash-strapped times to know what's worth venturing out for, but that's where we come in... Tang, Dawson Street, Abbey Street & Cumberland Place The small but mighty café on the corner of Dawson Street is best known for their Middle Eastern inspired lunches, with flavour-packed salads and meats drawing the work crowd, but their breakfast and brunch menus are where it's at. Tang serves an all-day brunch on the weekends, including a perfectly spicy shakshuka, and a granola bowl that we've tried to recreate at home an embarrassing number of times. Luckily for the people of Dublin they've opened two more locations in the last few years, both with more seats than the original. Kakilang, Bachelor's Walk Those with a sweet tooth will love Kakilang ’s menu, featuring Mi lle Crêpes - tender pancakes stacked high with light creamy fillings and sliced like a cake - and the famous Japanese souffle pancakes - tall, wobbly clouds covered in sweet silky cream and fresh fruit. They're cooked from scratch per serving so be prepared to wait a little while - it’s worth it. Pair with a coconutty taro milk tea with chewy tapioca balls for an all-in sweet hit, or for the more savoury minded there’s crispy gochujang glazed fried chicken, and deep fried chewy octopus balls topped with smoky bonito flakes and tangy takoyaki sauce. Jean-Georges at the Leinster, Mount Street Lower   If you like your brunches lush and laced with high end cocktails, Jean-Georges  in Mount Street’s Leinster Hotel might be the place for you. Sadly there was no sign of the €42 hash brown, laden with smoked salmon and pristine pearls of caviar, on their most recent brunch menu (which was pretty dull truth be told), but they're in the middle of updating it so who knows what they'll come up with. Regardless you're coming here for the space and the views. Nan Chinese, Stephen Street Lower   For those looking for an antidote to the omnipresent avocado toast, hit up Nan Chinese , who serve their excellent Dim Sum from the brunch compatible hour at 12pm every day. Try the Pork Soup Xiao Long Bao (and instigate a debate on how to properly consume soup dumplings while you’re at it), then move on to the delicately translucent Har Gao, with a juicy prawn and bamboo shoot filling. The Golden Bun with Char Sui Pork hits all the right brunch notes with meaty barbecue pork filling in a sweet doughy baked bun, and Nan’s traditional selection of fragrant Chinese teas are a fitting accompaniment to the salty, rich dumplings.

We struggle to understand why so many Irish restaurants are unwelcome to tiny diners - if they don't get the chance to eat out, how can they learn how to behave in those spaces. Plus food-loving parents are the perfect early evening table-filler, back out the door before 7pm to tackle bedtime. We have a way to go to compete with places like Malaga, Milan or Madrid, where young diners are often welcomed with more fanfare than their parents, and everywhere from corner cafés to Michelin-stars, well-behaved children sit calmly for meals, their parents enjoy a carafe of wine, families get together, all is right in the world... The good news is there are plenty of Dublin restaurants (41 in this article!) choosing not to freeze out the next generation (and their tired caretakers), trusting parents not to let their child run riot, throw food, or ask for chicken nuggets when they're not on the menu. We have our favourites, but also periodically ask you guys where you and your little ones feel welcomed and looked after. This article isn't about places serving margherita pizzas and chicken goujons, it's about where we want to eat, where taking kids doesn't make you feel like a pariah, with places that have high chairs, and either changing facilities or enough space to change a nappy without baby/Mum/Dad having a claustrophobic meltdown on the floor... GOOD FOOD FAST Caribou, Stephen's Street Lower You might not think of one of Dublin's most modish bars as the ideal place for a family meal, but the daytime food menu in Caribou is a dream for people who love fast food done the right way. Everyone will love the smash burgers, fish sandwiches and steak frites with peppercorn sauce, and there's loads of space for buggies, bags and whatever else you're dragging around with you. You'd be advised to avoid Sundays when the roast draws the hungriest of crowds and can make for a squeeze. Bujo, Sandymount Neighbourhood burger joint BuJo cook their grass fed, chargrilled burgers fresh to order, and it's one of the best burgers in the city. They're the only fast food restaurant in Ireland and the UK to hold a 3 Star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association, they take their environmental responsibility for the local community and the planet very seriously. It might be more expensive than Maccy D's, but it's worth every cent. There's a great kids menu, and it's counter-service so no need to book. Gaillot et Gray, Dublin 8 Wood fired French style sourdough pizzeria, with an outdoor terrace, and a bookshelf bursting with kids books, colouring pencils and paper. Serving artisan breads, pizzas, speciality coffee, indigenous herbal teas, wine and beer, Gaillot et Gray  is one of the most kid friendly restaurants in Dublin. Chimac, Aungier Street Korean-fried chicken draws the crowds to Chimac , either in a loaded burger or on generous plates of wings and drumsticks. There's frosé and beer for Mum and Dad, and the whole family will dive on the ice-cream cookie sandwiches for dessert.