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Between new openings, new offers to lure us into old favourites, and all the upcoming festivities on the calendar, we've got a helluva prize line up for ATF Insiders this month. ATF Insiders is ou r premium service offering added benefits for readers, that allows us to operate ad-free and independently, with everything featured and recommended here paid for by us . Having your name put in the hat for nine brilliant prizes every month is just one of the benefits. Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight on Sunday 17th November will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Monday 18th November. Here's what you could win this month if you're in the club... 1) €250 to spend on food and drinks at Caribou Just think of all of the steak-frites , weekend roasts , craft beers and cocktails you'll be able to consume if you're the lucky winner of this month's top prize from our current favourite bar Caribou - which was this week's once over . Stop in for lunch seven days a week (served till 16:00 on weekdays and 17:00 Friday - Sunday) or head in in the evening for clarified rhubarb sours, palomas, and a craft beer list that will have your head spinning. €250 is going to go a long way in this room... 2) Dinner for two with cocktails at Kaldero Kaldero is the city's newest high end Asian restaurant with Bahay 's Richie Castillo at the helm, along with consultant chefs Daren Liew (ex-Duddell's and Hakkasan in London) and Alfred Prasad (the youngest Indian chef to win a Michelin star at Tamarind, London). It's in the old Wagamama site on South King Street and will bring Filipino, Chinese and Indian food together in one moody basement venue, when it opens next Friday 22nd November. We're got dinner for two to give away to celebrate the opening, with two small plates, two large sharing plates, two desserts and cocktails on arrival. Follow Kaldero (which means 'pot' in Filipino) on Instagram here  and see a sample menu here . 3) Sunday roast for four at Hawksmoor   We're well into Sunday roast season , and there's no question that Hawksmoor 's is one of Dublin's best. Their slow-roast rump of beef is finished over charcoal and served perfectly pink, with enormous Yorkshire puddings, crispy roast potatoes, seasonal veg and Hawksmoor stuffing. Or you can replace the rump with sharing cuts from the blackboard, like prime-rib or Chateaubriand, and add on the trimmings for €9 each (plus extras like cauliflower cheese and celeriac mash with sausage gravy if you're insatiable). We've got a Hawksmoor classic Sunday Roast for four people to give away this month, with a welcome cocktail on arrival AND wine with your meal. Name a better Sunday. Check them out here . 4) Sunday lunch for two at The Seafood Café This weekend The Seafood Café in Temple Bar launch their new Sunday set menu for two. From 12:00 to 17:00 you'll be able to order a feast of food for €35 to €55 per person (depending on the main), which includes an aperitif, starter, main course, sides and dessert. You'll start with a cocktail or pints, share seafood snacks like a shellfish cocktail and oysters, pick a main like Halibut en Croûte, or Lobster and Monkfish Pie, choose two sides, then have cheese or dessert to finish. Ideal if you're trying to catch up with friends during silly season but still want a bit of a deal. See the menu here . 5) €100 voucher for brunch at Old Fashioned Sam's For months we've been getting messages from readers asking what is opening on the corner of Montague and Harcourt Street, and last week it was revealed to be Old Fashioned Sam's . The new three floor venue is opening just in time for those who haven't arranged their Christmas getogethers, with a restaurant on the first floor, bar and courtyard on the ground floor, and cocktail bar in the basement. We've got a €100 tab for one of you to spend on Sam's brunch, featuring dishes like chicken and waffles, 'tiramasu' pancakes and 'the full Granby fry' - head in for on Saturday for live piano, or Sunday if you prefer some DJ action. Follow them on Instagram here . 6) Dinner for two with wine at Bartley's in The Grafton Hotel Serving right through from breakfast to late night aperitifs, Bartley's in The Grafton Hotel is ideally situated just minutes from Grafton Street, with a bar, restaurant, lounge and coffee terrace. We've got a three-course dinner for two to give away this month including a bottle of wine, where you can pick from dishes like Guinness-cured salmon, beer-battered haddock and chips, and braised lamb shank with red wine jus. (Prize valid until 21st May 2025) 7) Two tickets for the Festive Pop-Up Restaurant night at Dublin Cookery School Dublin Cookery School in Blackrock has a load of Christmas-inspired courses & events coming up over the next few weeks, including Edible Gifts Social , Christmas Bites & Booze , and the DCS Annual Christmas Extravaganza - all designed to get you in the Christmas mood. We've got two places to give away for their Festive Pop-Up Restaurant Night on Saturday 7th December, with 20% of the ticket price donated to the Blackrock Hospice. With live music, drinks and canapés on arrival, and a three-course meal to follow, it's the perfect opportunity to start your festive countdown. For some culinary new year's resolutions, check out their 2025 class schedule  here .    8) €100 gift hamper from Folláin Folláin is one of Ireland's most loved preserve makers, and for the past three years they've partnered with The Simon Community , pledging 50% of proceeds from online sales during November and December to the charity fighting homelessness in Ireland. There are loads of gift ideas online including the Christmas Preserve Box, the Cheese Pairing Box, and the 12 Days Gift Box, and you can feel doubly good about giving this year knowing you're supporting Irish and a very worthy charity. Follow the Follain festivities at @follainirishpreserves and shop at   follain.ie . 9) A coffee tasting subscription from Anam Coffee Anam Coffee might be the smallest specialty coffee roastery in the country, in the limestone landscape of the Burren, Co, Clare. They want to make an impact with their 'Ethical First' approach to sourcing, buying from relatively undiscovered  coffee regions like war-torn Burundi and Mozambique . To help highlight this they've given us a three month coffee tasting subscription, plus an AeroPress coffee maker to give away to one of our lucky ATF Insiders . Each month you'll be sent out a different hand roasted single-origin, or exclusive micro-lot coffee in fully compostable packaging, with the choice of having it pre-ground for your preferred method of brewing, or wholebean so that you can grind it fresh. Check out Anam's coffee tasting subscription here . Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for November (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 November. You'll be supporting independent reviews and news in Dublin and beyond, and be able to get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out, here and abroad, directly from us.

What should we know about Open Bagels? Whether it’s more innovation or desperation, we’ve seen pivots aplenty in Dublin’s cafés across the last few months, as the city’s scene struggles to keep pace with climbing costs and changing tastes. Network  is the latest to shake things up, scuttling its previous All Good Wine Bar for Saturday bagel bar, Open Bagels , instead, serving from 10am until sell-out.   What should we have? There are six loaded bagels, and boy are they loaded. Our eyes widened as decomposable containers of piled-high half rings passed by our kitchen-side seats, more like a mountain of chilli chips than the waistline-watching specimens elsewhere about town. The bagels themselves are beautiful - the Network team developed them under the mentorship of fatbaby Bakes , the native New Yorker whose frustration with the lack of proper bagels in Ireland led her to set up a home micro-bakery . Her lessons have been well-learned; crisp bronzed crusts are flecked with tell-tale blisters and gloriously chewy to the bite. Those who’ve dismissed the humble bagel off the back of O’Brien’s and its ilk should be first in line here for a taste of the real deal.   Our favourite was the 'Lil Spice', liberally smeared with labneh-thick cream cheese and chunks of avocado, topped with peanut rayu and pickled onions and radish. Sharpness and spice cut through the richness of the avocado and cheese, soft and creamy textures playing off the chewy dough. This could be the next avocado toast. Any scepticism we’d had at the €12 price point vanished at its substantial size; that it’s this good is the cherry – rayu – on top.   'The Traditional' is true to its name, a solid, safe bet that satisfied if not set our senses alight in the same way. Generous slices of smoked salmon rest on more of that thick-set cream cheese and beef tomato, sprinkled with capers and dill. It's a classic combo for good reason, and if you’re in for old comforts this is the one.   'It’s Our Jam' wasn't our first choice for dessert (the 'Jack of All Trades' with peanut butter, jelly and fried banana was unavailable when we dropped in) but it was a strong second choice. The menu promises seasonal fruits on top of cream cheese with passion fruit and honey, and if the sour-sweet tang of these strawberries and blackcurrants are anything to go by they’re sourcing them well (despite November not exactly being berry season) – this could be a fun one to watch evolve each month.   The one damp squib is a point of service - even sitting in, the food’s dished out in takeaway boxes. Proper bagels need proper knifework to cut through the chew – these are, blissfully, too big to bite – and the chore of cutting in a crammed container dampens the mood. Bring out the plates.   Why should I go? If the general trend of the café scene in 2024 has been toward plugging gaps in the market at a cross-section of quality and value, Open Bagels seamlessly slots in near the top of the pile. Come ravenous, or willing to share, and see what the NYC fuss is all about.   Open Bagels 39 Aungier Street, Dublin 2 instagram.com/openbagels

It’s more re-openings than anything else in this roundup - whether it's yesteryear’s favourites back under new management, or recent closures refitted to more favourable tastes, the recent crop of arrivals is evidence of the harsh sink-or-swim reality of Dublin’s hospitality biz today... Suertudo, Ranelagh Much RAI hand-wringing followed the news last month that Dillinger’s was to close after 15 years of business in Ranelagh, but the doors will only have stayed shut less than two weeks – less dire omen of an industry on the brink than a restaurateur realising when reinvention is needed. Suertudo looks set to ride the rising Mexican wave that’s crashing in on Dublin of late, taking cues from owner John Farrell’s city centre 777 , and looking to challenge newbie neighbour Parrilla . Its pitch is “elevated” Mexican cuisine, and while we’d like to see that low-key dismissive term consigned to the bin, there’s plenty on the menu like octopus chicharrón and Acapulco ceviche we’d like to elevate to our mouths. One Ballsbridge, Ballsbridge Suertudo is Spanish for lucky, so it might have made a better name for One Ballsbridge . Here, Oliver Dunne is following in the ill-fated footsteps of Dylan McGrath and Richard Corrigan, whose respective efforts at the site in Shelbourne Social and Park Cafe came to untimely ends in recent years. A decade on from dropping his Michelin star at Bon Appetit to move more downmarket, Dunne has found mid-market success across the capital with restaurants like Pink and Beef and Lobster , and seems buoyant on his chances of success where his famous forebears failed. A broadly crowd-pleasing menu that goes big on beef and some enthusiastic early reviews suggest he has a good chance. Vada, Smithfield Dublin’s vegans were dismayed at the loss of V-Face back in August, becoming the third such spot in the Smithfield area to shutter inside of two years, after Vegan Sandwich Co and Woke Cup Café before it. Vada is its replacement from the same owner, a neighbourhood café committed to sustainability, with doggy treats   made from leftovers by far the cutest manifestation of that philosophy we’ve seen in a while. The menu, big on soups and sandwiches with a luxury touch, got the seal of approval   from the previous tenants, who neglected to mention they’re one and the same... Our two minute review is here for those seeking a more impartial opinion. Forêt, Sussex Avenue A rave wave of reviews came crashing down over the past week for Forêt , the new classic French bistro from John and Sandy Wyer of Forest Avenue , Little Forest , and Una fame – with pedigree like that, it’s hardly a shock. The Wyers have always showed shrewd sensibilities through their covid-era pivots to grocery service, and this latest addition – slotting in right beside Forest Avenue, above M’ O’Brien’s pub – can trade on the name while offering something more laidback than the tasting menu below. Bayonne ham, leeks vinaigrette, onion velouté, hake grenobloise and trout rillettes - it’s all here, and we can’t wait to be too. Old Fashioned Sam’s, Montague Street The ongoing evolution of Montague Street into one of Dublin’s hot spots continues with Old Fashioned Sam’s , whose 900-strong capacity across four self-contained areas spread over three floors positions it much more on the Harcourt than Camden Street side of things, conceptually as much as literally. The purpose-built venue (Credo pizzeria was knocked down to make way) is the new crown jewel in a varied empire spanning through city centre joints like Sinnott’s and Capitol Lounge, through more suburban fare like 3 Brothers and the Black Lion. The daytime café bar will complement a basement-level speakeasy and ground floor all-weather courtyard, while the 80-cover restaurant upstairs has some eye-catching offerings such as lion’s mane steak and a bread bowl clam chowder. The Unicorn, Merrion Row You know the boom’s getting boomier when Celtic Tiger-era stalwarts are back in action – forget about unicorns, here’s a phoenix risen from the ashes. Having changed hands a great many times since originally opening nigh-on ninety years ago, The Unicorn is giving it another go under Kristan Burness, who briefly ran things a decade ago before making a living with Lucan’s Sabatini and The Dalkey Duck . They’re keeping things broadly nostalgic, with old menu favourites back on the billing for an Italian-style menu in a high-end space. A wine bar, In Vino Veritas, will offer a piano-soundtracked space to repair after dinner. Coming Soon... Wildflower The rollercoaster ride of Wildflower , Adrian Martin’s pandemic-era opener that debuted in London before hopping over the Irish Sea for an ill-fated few months in Dublin, is set to continue with a second shot at things. No details yet, but they’re coming soon. The Ribs Gaucho BBQ Breathlessly teasing every facet of its gaucho BBQ offering as if it hadn’t already been available in Dublin since 2020, The Ribs opens its Strand Street doors at an undisclosed date later this month. Will its take on the Brazilian tradition, served from the skewer at tableside, make a dent in Bah 33 ’s market lead? French Revolution “A taste of France wrapped in today’s warmth” isn’t going to win any awards for copy writing; lucky then that a picture is worth a thousand less weird words. Romanian chain French Revolution make exceedingly pretty eclairs, and the word from some of our Insiders in the know is that they taste just as good too. Watch this space for location details - we've heard Dun Laoghaire but that's TBC.

What should we know about Vada? Formerly V-Face , this corner spot where Smithfield meets Stoneybatter has been reinvented by the same owner as " a neighbourhood café committed to sustainability ". On first glance it ticks all the zeitgeisty café boxes, and looks like a rebrand undertaken after plenty of research into what diners want.   What's the seating sitch? Somewhere between cool café and modern British pub, with banquettes on the sides and tables in the middle - try to avoid the ones near the door or you'll be faced with intermittent gusts of air. The acoustics aren't great, with one small speaker playing barely audible music, and it took effort not to listen to other people's conversations. What's on the menu? Three options in the morning and three at lunch, but check the board for specials. We would have liked to see breakfast served all day - is there a bad time for mushrooms on toast and breakfast brioche? Prices are punchy (when are we not saying that lately) and the same for takeaway - we can't see many people taking €15 sambos to the office so imagine they'll be reliant on sit-ins. The porchetta sambo (€15) comes with pesto aioli, herby apple slaw, pink onions and rocket on focaccia. It's a drippy, messy, vibrant combination that you'll struggle to put down, regardless of stomach space. Parsnip crisps were pleasant, but under-dressed, unseasoned salad leaves didn't add anything.   A coconut laksa special (€15) came with optional chicken (€4 extra) or tofu (€2 extra). With the meat from standard battery hens with no provenance worth shouting about, we went for tofu, and the batter here could turn any meat eater. It's a bowl packed with goodness, the creamy spicy sauce enveloping rice noodles, crunchy veg and fragrant herbs. It was so close to being perfect, but missed some fish sauce (or salt) and a squeeze of lime to complete the flavour circle. Miso pumpkin salad is a riot of flavours and textures with house-made labneh, plum jam, tricolour quinoa, crispy shallots and rocket. Sweet and savoury combine beautifully in a bowl to do your body good, with no carb crash to follow.   You'll find homemade desserts on the counter, including teeny squares of Basque cheesecake (at the not teeny price of €4). What should have been a lighter than air, softer than silk, creamy texture was sadly dry, verging on powdery, and the "fermented plum" on top tasted like raw, under-ripe plum. What about drinks? House-made water kefir is the star of the show, with rotating flavours fermenting on shelves up high, made with produce that might have otherwise gone in the bin. We loved the raspberry and hibiscus, and you can add sparkling wine for a spritzer. Coffee is from Roasted Brown and was flawless.   Why should I go? There's a lot to like about Vada , with the focus on seasonality and sustainable eating two big ticks, but we'd like to see this reflected in their meat sourcing too. There's a genuinely unique repertoire of breakfast and lunch dishes that aren't on twenty other menus around town, and between that and the bistro vibes we can see it having a steady stream of customers. Vada 30 North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7 hellovada.com

A lunch special to leave Mickey D's in the dust, bagels baked by an actual New Yorker, and an old Dublin chipper classic getting a new run out are some of the things we're dying to try in Dublin this cold November week... 1) Pumpkin spice bagels, FatBaby Bakes For those of us not quite ready to enter winter, and let's be honest, one can't have enough pumpkin while the leaves are still falling, fatbaby Bake's  very first special is as good a reason as any to drive to Ringsend for bagels. Flavoured with a blend of autumnal spices and topped with a sticky sugar glaze, they're only available this week, so get booking. Check their   insta post   for how to order. 2) Autumnal bowls, Tír Deli Thank you Tír Deli for keeping us on the straight and narrow on what will soon be silly season. These Autumnal bowls are the exact colour and goodness we need in our lives right now, with 'BBQ Mushroom', 'The Works' (with Feighcullen spicy chicken and pumpkin pâté) , and the 'Sunday Roast' (with roast chicken, gravy, pickles, stuffing, roasties, roasted veg, pink aioli, and greens). Mark us down for one of each. 3) Fried fish and frites sandwich, Hawksmoor Hawksmoor have only gone and paid homage to the humble Filet-o-Fish dreamed up by Ronald McDonald himself. Available as part of their Wednesday to Saturday lunch specials, their fried fish and frites sandwich uses fresh hake, and their frites are the perfect matchstick chip - so very underrated in upmarket chip circles. 4) Stuffed aubergine, The Winding Stair The Winding Stair  is known for all the cosy city centre vibes, and with the sun currently ghosting us around 5pm every evening, this dish of roasted, stuffed Kinsealy aubergine with lentils, muhammara, radish, spiced chickpea and saffron yoghurt is just what you need to raise your November spirits. 5) Ray Wing, The Legal Eagle Let's hear it for ray. A beautifully unassuming delicacy, synonymous with Dublin, and previously on every chipper menu in the city, you'll now only find it in a handful (including here ). It's even more scarce in restaurants, so our eyed widened this week when we saw The Legal Eagle are serving it with brown shrimp, capers, lemon and baby roast potatoes, in a brown butter sauce. Swapping batter for brown butter is the healthy choice we're willing to make this week.

Fish specials are having an October moment, featuring three times in our most wanted this week, along with a chickeny-take on a Chinese takeaway classic, and an Autumn dessert that really floats our boat... 1) Chicken toast, Chimac Sure, you've heard of prawn toast, but have you ever heard of chicken toast? Us neither, but that hasn't stopped us wanting to try Chimac 's newest invention. Keeping it local with sourdough from Una Bakery in Ranelagh, dipping these puppies in their habanero hella hot sauce sounds like a hella good time. 2) Miso blackened cod, Lotus Eaters They say it's a nod to Nobu , although there's was miso black cod (also known as sablefish and no relation to cod). Regardless, this miso glazed 'blackened' cod is the latest plate from the Lotus Eaters guys, and whether it's black cod or blackened cod we'd very much like to give those charred edges a whirl. 3) Cured & torched Goatsbridge trout, Crudo Trout is very underrated in our books, and we love the look of Crudo's latest special. They cure and torch Goatsbridge trout from Kilkenny, and serve it with bbq'd courgette, leek and a basil velouté. Perfect for when you're in complete denial about what season it is. 4) Crispy plaice, Lottie's This is indeed the third fish dish in a row, but Lottie's  Insta post of crispy plaice really reeled us in. Served with Sicilian-style cabbage, and chive emulsion, it's the flavour/texture combo to lift your spirits as we enter winter. 5) Brown butter and fig tart, Note We're still in our fig era, happily lapping up any dessert we see featuring these little nuggets of Autumn, including Note's latest dessert - a fig and brown butter tart with a dollop of crème fraîche, finished with fig leaf oil. It sounds absolutely dzvine.

We're in the last throes of game, mushroom and squash season, and pumpkins are quite literally everywhere we look, from doorsteps to dinner menus citywide. Here's where to get that last orange-filled fix before it's all-change for turkey, ham and sprout season... Pumpkin Slice, Mani We can always count on pizza Kings Mani to keep it fresh, and next up in their specials is this brand new slice with Crown Prince pumpkin, cavolo nero, pumpkin sauce, whipped ricotta, lemon & Parmesan. Their slices are made with organic flour and a 72-hour fermentation, and this is as good as pizza gets. Hokkaido pumpkin and Hegarty's cheese, Mae The current starter course on the tasting menu at Mae is giving all the Autumnal vibes. Hokkaido pumpkin comes with smoked Hegartys cheese ravioli, and is that candied beetroot we spy... Oxtail rigatoni, Coppinger New to lunch and dinner menus at Coppinger is the rarely sighted oxtail, serve with rigatoni, chestnut mushrooms and crispy kale. A bowl of this and a bowlful of red wine - what more could you want of an Autumn evening. Pumpkin ravioli, Osteria Lucio There's a crying shortage of handmade pasta restaurants in Dublin, but for a real taste of Italy, Osteria Lucio is bringing the goods. They roast the pumpkins for their pumpkin ravioli in the restaurant's wood-fired oven, before serving it with Toonsbridge ricotta, chanterelle mushrooms, sage and brown butter. Monkfish with roasted butternut squash, Orwell Road Autumn is the season of game, rich sauces and root veg, but that doesn't mean fish should be forgotten. Orwell Road are serving monkfish loin served with roasted butternut squash, crispy mussels, and rainbow chard, all sitting on a rich seafood bisque. Haochi rabbit, Hakkahan We're seeing a surprising lack of game on menus right now, and weren't expecting Hakkahan in Stoneybatter to be the first ones to bring the Autumn rabbit. They're serving French bunnies with glass noodles for their Haochi rabbit, and promising all the bold flavours. Butternut squash gnocchi, Lottie's We love when places don't phone in their seasonal stalwarts, and Lottie's have taken a simple butternut squash gnocchi and super-charged it with Parmesan, crispy pumpkin seeds and balsamic glaze. Look at that silky smooth sauce... Pumpkin on toast, Tang Trust Tang to bring the Autumn feels to brunch time. They're roasting pumpkin and serving it on toast with labneh, pickled onion, zhoug, maple crunch and hot honey, and all we can say is gimme. Beef shin papardelle, Little Washer You could slow braise your own Irish beef shin, trying to work out the perfect proportions of meat to wine to tomatoes, or you could let Little Washer do it for you, serve it on their parpadelle and top it off with truffle Pecorino. We know which one we'd go for. Mushrooms a la crème , September Will anyone think of the mushrooms? Phew, September have, and they're serving theirs a la crème on wide sheets of pasta, with a limited amount of the "dankest truffles" as an optional add on. Pumpkin risotto, Note Keeping it ever simple and effortlessly attractive, Note have a pumpkin risotto on the menu topped with roast pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, cubes of Tallegio and crispy sage. Pair with a glass of white Burgundy for maximum effect. Pumpkin Pizza, Slice of Naples Slice of Naples have taken a brief break from being online comedians to come up with a Halloween pizza special. There's pumpkin, sausage, fennel, pancetta and Gruyère cream, all on that Neapolitan base we loved . Baked Mont d'Or, Sheridans What's the Autumn/Winter season without a baked Mont d’Or, and Sheridans have a suggestion for a DIY version with garlic and white wine. Bake it for 20 minutes and dip bread, crudités or potatoes to your cheese loving heart's content.

The approaching time of year can be one of the most frustrating when it comes to finding somewhere for friend catch ups, work drinks, and all of those Christmas pints you've been promising people you'll definitely do before the year is out. Most people want the option of food on a festive night out, but not always a multi-course, over-priced set menu, so here's where to go when you want somewhere more casual where the focus is on drinks, the food isn't coming out of the freezer and into the deep fat fryer, and where you can order as much or as little as you'd like... Allta Bar, Grand Canal Dock Allta 's more casual sibling next-door bills itself as a cocktail bar first, but the wine and beer lists are nothing to sniff at either. The bar food menu has everything from oysters and tuna tartare bites to what many are calling the best burger in Dublin, and if you haven't booked ahead you can always wait for a seat at the bar. With cocktails €16 a piece this won't be a cheap night out, but you can have exactly what you want with no festive arm-twisting. Check out our once over of Allta Bar here . Caribou, Stephen Street Lower The guys behind Caribou (who also own Kodiak and Bonobo) know how to do a pub for 2024. The drinks menus are in the top 1%, the staff always seem very happy to be there, and there's always an excellent, uncomplicated food menu for when hunger strikes. While their other two sites are pizza focused, Caribou has branched out with fish sandwiches, steak frites and pork schnitzel, and it's the loveliest room to while away a few hours in, with no one hovering over you trying to get you to overspend. Frank's, Camden Street Natural wine bar and shop Frank's is where you'll find the ones who really love wine splashing out on some special bottles - tis the season. The short food menu changes regularly but there's always, meat, cheese and a few interesting seasonal small plates. When it comes to drinks, tell them what you like and let them do their magic. Hidden, Smithfield New opening Hidden in Smithfield (from the same owner as One Society) is gearing itself up as the casual Christmas option, where Italian tapas meet lovely European wines. You can keep it simple with pizza and antipasti, or if you have a big gang they have options for 15+, with standing and sit down options for €30-€35 a head. Check them out here . Fallon & Byrne's wine cellar Another easy place for a seasonal meet up, Fallon & Byrne's wine cellar lets you pull anything off the shelves and drink it for just €10 corkage - we can hear the Champagne corks popping. Pair it with small plates, pizza or pasta, or just enjoy your wine with no food fuss. Bootleg, Drury Street Drury Street's "disco lounge" Bootleg adapts to many a night out. Wine bar? Check. Restaurant? Check. Late night Italo-disco tunes? Check. Get in and out early if you're looking for wine, cocktails and tasty small plates like Iberico ham and turkey scotch eggs, and stay late if you're not ready for the night to end. Lenehan's, Dawson Street Lenehan's describes itself as a "social hub" for Dublin, and with a sprawling place spanning multiple rooms and floors, in the most central of locations on Dawson Street, there's usually a corner you can slink into with friends, even if you haven't booked. Stay downstairs around the bar areas if you're looking for a laidback night out, and there's a gastropub menu with chowder, salads and burgers for when you get peckish. Row Wines, Coppinger Row Wine bar, vinyl lounge, purveyor of some of the most intensely flavoured small plates in Dublin, is there anything Row Wines can't do? While we'd always advise booking, it's definitely worth chancing a walk in, and the laid back vibes makes it easy to customise your night to exactly what you're looking for. Saying that, if you don't eat here you're making a BIG mistake. Read our once over here . Fidelity Studio / Sister 7, Smithfield A mecca for music lovers, craft beer lovers, and food lovers, it's no shock that Fidelity Studio has been run off its feet since opening a few months ago. Between the frequently changing beers, ever delicious dishes from the team behind Big Fan , and occasional dancing after hours, it's the kind of place you'll never regret clearing a space in your diary for. Read our once over here . The Blind Pig, Suffolk Street You will definitely need to book The Blind Pig (unless you like living on the edge and who knows, you could get lucky), but the dimly-lit, basement room hidden behind a bookshelf is worth planning ahead for. Order drinks from their award-winning bartenders, and pick at antipasti or something a bit heartier, all with an Italian lean. If you're lucky you might catch some live jazz in the corner. The Legal Eagle, Smithfield You can settle in for a full three-course affair in The Legal Eagle , but you can also pull up a seat and graze on bar snacks like homemade salt and vinegar crisps, Korean fried chicken wings, and Irish sardines with sourdough. The wine list has always punched well above its weight for a pub, and it has all the cosy, softly-lit winter vibes we're looking for at this time of year. Cellar 22, St. Stephen's Green From 4pm until closing time, wine bar Cellar 22 serve a menu of picky bits to compliment their extensive, far-reaching wine list. If you just want a cheese plate go for it. If you want a multi-course tasting menu of beef tartare, tomato salad and duck breast you can do that too. We love an underground room on a dank winter's day, and it's the comfiest, cosiest of places for a catch up.

To get you in the spirit of Samhain, we've rounded up the spookiest and tastiest treats in this town for all you Hallow-Queen's out there. Eat, drink, and be scary because it'll be next year before you get another chance to get your hands on all of this... Spooky bread, Noisette Artisan Bakery These Jack-o'-lantern style loaves from Noisette Bakery in Rush are a very fun way to carb-load around All Hallows Eve. Never have we ever seen a spookier or tastier looking batch loaf. Halloween croissants, Medialuna Croissanterie Medialuna's black croissants are back and they look suitably killer. Stocked in spots all over the city, check their following list on their instagram page for places you can find these black beauties. Bone appétit! Bram Stoker pie and Bloody Marys, No. 27 Bar & Lounge at The Shelbourne In honour of Ireland's original spooky man, No. 27 Bar & Lounge at The Shelbourne are cooking Bram Stoker Pies (€25) inspired by a dish in Dracula, filled with slow cooked beef cheek, button mushrooms, bacon lardons and veggies. To pair with it they're shaking up a selection of Bloody Marys for €17, or you can have both for €39. The deal runs from 30th October through to Bram Stoker Day on the 8th of November. Halloween afternoon tea, InterContinental Dublin Dust off your broomsticks and head to Ballsbridge, where InterContinental Dublin  are serving Halloween afternoon tea. There's a pumpkin ‘scary’ spiced cheesecake, ‘bloody’ blackberry bakewells, a milk chocolate ‘Hocus Pocus’ panna cotta and a ‘broomstick’ coconut cocoa bar with mango panna cotta. Running from 25th October until the 3rd November, their Halloween afternoon tea is €62, or €82 with a glass of champagne. Spooky and  bougie. Spooky Cookies, Slice Slice in Stoneybatter are nailing the Samhain spirit with their cute spooky skeleton, ghost, and pumpkin cookies. Pair it with a pumpkin spiced latte for a one way ticket to Halloween heaven. Beetlejuice Margarita, Saba Not gona lie, Saba's special Halloween cocktail, the "Beetlejuice Margarita" is low-key terrifying. It's made with Espolon tequila, lime juice, sour apple and Midori to give it that luminous green glow, and check out those eyeball ice cubes. They're also running an “Embrace the Pumpkin” menu from October 24th to November 3rd so you can tick all your Halloween food boxes in the one place. Pumpkin Spiced Latte, Tir Deli Tir Deli on Hatch Street are serious when it comes to coffee, and if like us you detest the large coffee chains, but still want that Autumnal drink, this is the place to get your pumpkin spiced latté. They roast off the seeds and pulp from Irish pumpkins to make a spiced syrup, and combine it with Cloud Picker coffee and Village Dairy milk. Autumn coffee goals. Pumpkin spice cheesecake, Meltdown Pumpkin is this season's it fruit ( yes you read that right ), and it's currently in everything. These cute little ghostly pumpkin spice cheesecakes from Montague Street's Meltdown   are bringing all the sweetness we want during spooky season. Halloween cheese, Sheridans This Halloween you really can have it all, including top cheese in spooky shapes. Sheridans are stocking Chällerhocker, a cow's milk Swiss-style cheese from Switzerland, the ghost-shaped 'Fabtome', and the bat-shaped Chauve Sourise. Your Halloween cheese board is now complete. Halloween treats, Rustic Honey Rustic Honey out in Cherrywood have all the Halloween sweet treats at the ready, including spooky orange iced cupcakes, bloody witch hat jammy dodgers, trick or treat chocolate fudge brownies, and gingerbread ghosts. Boxes of four are €10.50, which is scarily good value. Nancy burger, Nancy Hands We love Nancy Hands ' nod to Halloween with their eerie version of their Nancy Burger. With a charcoal black bun and a slice of bacon as its tongue, it ticks all of the savoury Samhain boxes. Pan de Muerto, Pickosito Northern Mexican Taquería Ireland's not the only country with a national holiday dedicated to those who have passed. Mexico's version of Halloween - Día de Muertos aka Day of the Dead - is also being celebrated this week, and Pickosito Taquería on Mary Street are baking Pan de Muerto. The traditional circular Mexican sweet bread symbolises the circle of life, while the crossbones honour the departed. Charcoal Latte, Brew Lab Brew Lab are stepping up their latté art game with this spooky charcoal latte - a great coffee alternative for the spooksters that avoid caffeine. It's made with food grade activated charcoal so you can be Halloweeny and healthy at the same time. Halloween Cocktails, Electric Circus Electric Circus on Talbot Street are running a "Pick your Poison" menu in honour of Samhain, and this Blood Bag cocktail with vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry, orange and lime juice, sounds eerie-sistible.

Spooky season is approaching, and we've got all the treats to give away to ATF Insiders this month. ATF Insiders is ou r premium service offering added benefits for readers, that allows us to operate ad-free and independently, with everything featured and recommended here paid for by us . Getting entered into this draw every month is one of the benefits. Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders by midnight on Thursday 17th October will be entered into the draw, and winners will be picked and notified on Friday 18th October. Here's what your name could be going in the hat for this month... 1) €100 voucher for The Old Spot and their new cookbook The Old Spot in Sandymount has just turned 10, and to celebrate have released their first cookbook, unveiling the recipes for their mussels pil-pil, short-rib lasagne and famous Sunday roasts among others. There's also tips and tricks from the kitchen, cocktail recipes and inside stories from 10 years serving local and famous faces. The book retails for €35 and we've got a copy PLUS a €100 voucher for The Old Spot to give away this month. Check it out here . 2) Food & wine tasting evening, Little Washer, Glasnevin Little Washer is the latest addition to the Northside's happily growing wine scene, and their small plates, pasta, pizza and desserts have been going down very well in Dublin 9. We've got a food and wine tasting evening for you and a guest to give away this month, where you'll try four small plates, two pizzas and four different wines, for a very good time. (Redeemable Wednesday or Thursday) 3) €100 voucher for Harry's, Malahide Harry’s in Malahide is offering a new four-course menu, inspired by the French Riviera. It starts with homemade focaccia, before moving into Mille Feuilles Caprese, then a choice of Beef Ragu, Carbonara Risotto, or a French Lentil Casserole for mains. You'll end with Tiramisu and Cannoli, or Chocolate Mousse, and it sounds like an absolute steal for the price of €35. It's available all night Thursday - Saturday, and for lunch on Saturday, and we've got a €100 voucher to give away so you can go all in and have enough for some wine too. Check out Harry's here . 4) A wine tasting evening with food at Hidden, Smithfield Hidden is the newest Italian tapas and wine bar with wood-fired pizza in Smithfield, in the location that used to house Thundercut Alley. The laid back vibe and menu is perfect for casual meet ups without the pressure of a three-course meal, and 13 wines are served in varying sizes, from small, to large, to carafes. We're sending one of you into Hidden for a wine tasting evening with food, where you'll get to try three white wines, three reds, charcuterie, cheese and pizza. Ideal midweek catch up sitch. 5) €100 voucher for Glas to celebate being Ireland's first fully gluten-free restaurant This year vegetarian and vegan restaurant Glas on Chatham Street, became Ireland’s first fully gluten-free fine dining restaurant, with no wheat, barley, or rye handled in the kitchen. This is huge news for coeliacs who struggle with eating out, and makes it an even more inclusive dining experience. While there's no meat on the menu, they aim to appeal to all, showing the depth of flavours that can be achieved with vegetarian and vegan ingredients. We've got a €100 voucher for Glas to give away this month, so you can head in for Miso Parsnip, Carrot Risotto, Artichoke Granola, and Candy Carrot whenever it suits. 6) A Luxury Food Box from Naomi's Kitchen Naomi's Kitchen , the award-winning catering service has just taken home Gold and Silver awards at Blas na hÉireann 2024, for their beef bourgignon and their Belgian chocolate honeycomb squares. From high-end corporate catering to delivering wholesome, homemade meals to your door, they only use fresh ingredients with no nasty additives, and we've got a luxury food box worth €125 to give away to one of you this month, with mains, sides, cake and extras from their larder. Check out Naomi's Kitchen here . 7) The Christmas Coffee Advent Calendar From Brewbox If you love coffee like we love coffee, there can be few advent calanders as exciting as a Christmas coffee one, and that's what Brew Box have brought to the table this year. 24 days, 24 coffees, 12 different UK and Ireland roasters, and the best beans from each singled out for a mini bag with a QR code on the side so you know what you're drinking. The coffee advent calander costs €150 and would make a great gift for the coffee lover in your life, but an even better gift for yourself. Check it out here . 8) A limited edition Rye Cask Whiskey from Boann Distillery Boann Distillery  and craft brewery, Rye River Brewing Company have teamed up to create  The Whistler “Fisher in the Rye” Doppelbock Rye Cask Finish , a limited-edition whiskey release of 6,000 bottles. After being aged in rye casks, the whiskey blend of 11 to 17-year-old whiskeys are matured further in Doppelbock beer-seasoned rye casks for 18 months, and the result is a fusion of sweet, spicy, and malty flavours. We've got a bottle of this unique whiskey along with a limited-edition Kingfisher poster print to give away this month. 9) A hamper from Five Farms If you haven't swapped your Christmas Bailey's for Five Farms Cream Liqueur , get on the case and we'll wait for your messages of thanks. This superior Irish drink is made with fresh Irish cream sourced from family-owned farms along the Wild Atlantic Way, blended with Cork whiskey within two days of cream production. It's won gold at the Blas na hÉireann Awards for four years running, and is the highest-ranked Irish cream liqueur in history at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. If you haven't yet had the pleasure, we've got a Five Farms hamper this give away to someone including glassware and merch, so this could be your lucky month. Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders for October (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 Thursday 17th October. You'll be supporting independent reviews and news in Dublin and beyond, and be able to get answers to all of your burning questions about eating out, here and abroad, directly from us.

Soup season is upon us, and there doesn't exist a better way to warm up than with a bowl of something hot and supremely tasty. We've rounded up the best of the best to warm your cockles, and there isn't a funeral style "country veg" in sight... Honey Truffle, Pearse Street A popular lunch spot and independently run café with a mission to serve the best of Irish ingredients, Honey Truffle has a great selection of sandwiches and salads, as well as excellent coffee on tap, but for us their soup specials are always very special. Exhibit A: roasted sweet potato, cumin, carrot, butternut squash, caramelised red onion, ginger and coconut milk soup, garnished with a spiced maple, lemon beetroot and yoghurt dip, with thyme roasted croutons, finished with a herb jalapeño oil. If that's not a serious bowl of soup, what is. Nomo Ramen, Portobello Nomo is our go to spot in the city for steaming bowls of ramen. Their noodles are imported from the US from the same supplier as Momofuku and Ivan Ramen in New York (humble brag), and their bowls are on the less flashy side, but with layers and layers of flavour. They recently updated their Yuzu Shoyu Ramen (aka Chintan broth) after working on the new recipe for the last couple of months, putting it right back to the top of our must try list. The La La Café and Restaurant, Balbriggan Seafood chowder is an adopted Irish hero (by way of North America), and The La La Café and Restaurant in Balbriggan have only gone and won the best bowl of chowder in the country in the SOUPerb Awards 2024 , judged by food writers Sally & John McKenna. They smoke their fish in house, and put an interesting spin on the classic, adding sweet corn and sweet pepper to offset the smoky fish. Served with a crunchy white croute and home-made brown bread, this bowl of the good stuff is one we've earmarked to try soon. La Maison, Dublin 2 French onion soup is a classic, and we reckon La Maison on Castlemarket (you know, the one Grogan's is on) does one of the best in Dublin. They use a traditional blend of rich, caramelised onions in a savoury broth, all topped with melted Gruyère croutons. This with a glass of bold Bordeaux equals Autumn evening heaven. The Goodies at NCAD, The Liberties Not the first place that might spring to mind when you think of soup, but when we stopped by earlier in the year, The Goodie's  Jerusalem artichoke soup took first class honours. The sweet and nutty flavours from the chokes, paired with garlicky crunchy croutons and smoky cream, are all reasons we're still thinking about it. At €4 a pop it's also some of the best value for money, by a longshot. Read our two minute review here . Full Moon Thai, Parliament Street Husband and wife owned Full Moon Thai on Parliament Street, just outside the Temple Bar madness, have a whole section dedicated to Thai soup on their menu. From brothy noodle soups to spicy Tom Yums, their steamy fragrant bowls will transport you to flavour town while warming you from the top down. Biang Biang, Smithfield Biang Biang is the most recent opening from the folks behind Hakkahan , Nan Chinese , Bullet Duck & Dumplings and Little Dumpling , so rest assured you're in for a good time. Their short and sweet rice noodle soup section allows you to choose your own meaty, spicy adventure, and is best paired with a Roujiamo (a Chinese hamburger) on the side. Read our once over here . Pho Kim, Parnell Street Vietnamese veterans of this viking city, Pho Kim , are masters of the fragrant dish of their namesake, consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs and meat. The extra spicy Bún bò Huế is a variation on the classic pho, made with beef and pork broth, and using vermicelli round rice noodles. With a bowl of this in our hands and our eyes closed, we could be wedged on a plastic stool in hot and humid Hanoi, instead of tucked inside on blustery Parnell Street with the Luas dinging past and people's umbrellas going inside out. The Pepper Pot Cafe, Powerscourt Centre, South William Street Dearly loved by the people of Dublin, The Pepper Pot Café in the Powerscourt Centre always has a soup of the day that's hard to resist. They can sell out fast though, so be sure to get there early to avoid leaving soup-less. Their hearty bowls come served with their freshly baked breads, and both are perfection. Blas Café, Dublin 1 Sometimes we wish Blas Café was our little secret, but it’s not and that wouldn’t be fair to everyone else anyway. The high-ceilinged hideaway can be found behind Cineworld on Parnell Street, and they're big soup heads in here, chosing it over birthday cake to celebrate their 10th year in business. With dedication like that you know their rotating flavours are going to be good. Meltdown, Montague Street We challenge thee to find us a more comforting or indeed classic combination than an oozy gooey ham and cheese toastie with a hot bowl of tomato soup. Meltdown know a thing or two about a hang and cheese sandwich, and their vegan spicy tomato soup is the perfect accompaniment, each making the other just that little bit more whole. The Gravediggers, Glasnevin Whether you're in the "it's a watery stew!" camp, or the "it's a chunky soup!" corner, Wikipedia lists coddle as a soup, so it's going on the list. The famous Dublin dish is the closest we've got to a legit Marmite situation, but one thing is for sure - a bowl of this paired with a pint of the black stchuff at the Gravediggers is a direct way to inject heat back into anyone's bitterly cold bones. If it's good enough for Tony B ...

The prettiest plate of fish in South Dublin, a wagyu short rib with all the char, and a selection of Bloody Marys that there's eating and drinking on. These are the five things we won't shut up about in Dublin this week... 1) Bloody Marys, Row Wines Technically not something we can eat, but this Bloody Mary line up from Row Wines looks bloody delicious. They're flogging two for €20 [bargain alert] during brunch on the weekends, and frankly, those who don't get a Bloody Mary with brunch need to think about how their lives have panned out. They've put some spins on the classic, with a gin, tequila, and Michelada version, and you'll make a date there this weekend if you know what's good for you. 2) Cheung fun, Nan Chinese If you haven't tried Cheung Fun before let this be your sign. Silky steamed rice rolls stuffed with various fillings are one of our dim sum go-to's, and in this case Nan Chinese have filled theirs with BBQ pork, bathed in a soy and hoisin based sauce. Dim yum. 3) Wild turbot, Orwell Road We're not sure if we want to frame the picture or eat the dish, from Orwell Road's latest specials. Wild turbot from Wrights of Marino is served with roast potato velouté, seaweed, and chive, and topped with Goatsbridge Trout Caviar. It's almost too pretty to eat, but when has that stopped us. 4) Wagyu beef short-rib, Achara It's no secret that we're fangirling over recent opener Achara , and this new menu addition of Wagyu beef short-ribs has solidified the obsession. These McLoughlin bad boys are grilled over coals for that beautiful char, and are served with nam jim jaew - a spicy Thai dipping sauce of tamarind, palm sugar, dried Birds Eye chilli and toasted rice powder. 5) Caramelised figs, La Gordita We love a seasonal dessert and La Gordita's latest is a crema con higos caramelizados (that's custard cream and caramelised figs to you). It's giving all the Autumn feels.

We could tell you all about the history of Spanish capital Madrid, about the Christian city walls, the Prado museum, the city centre El Retiro park (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site), but there's just too much food and drink to tell you about so you'll have to get that info elsewhere. More like London than Lisbon, the Madrid buzz and energy is electric, and while the city sprawls across 21 districts and 131 barrios, it's pretty walkable (if you don't mind walking). From the city's most electrifying restaurants, to the markets where the Madrileños shop, to the cheesecase you can't unsee once you see it, here's our guide to a very nice few days eating and drinking in Madrid... Bakeries Alma Nomad Bakery Timi Árgyélán and Joaqin Escriva opened their first bakery in Budapest, but after Timi became pregnant they decided to relocate to Joaqin's hometown of Madrid to have family around. They took over a rundown building in a quiet neighbourhood, and from the first day they pulled up the shutters Alma Nomad has had an unrelenting queue. Now known as one of the capital's best bakeries, get there early for custard tarts, gianduja croissants and crusty slabs of quiche. Read more lovely background on the duo here . La Duquesita Called Madrid's "most beautiful pastry shop" by Eater , La Duquesita (which translates as The Duchess) has welcomed all kinds of Spanish royalty since opening in 1914, including Queen María Cristina. After briefly closing in 2015, new steward Oriol Balaguer took over and has kept standards as high as ever, and a tea room opened next door in 2021. The croissants are said to be the best in the city, with the palmeras also legendary. (La Duquesita) Alex Cordobés An essential stop for cheesecake lovers, Alex Cordobés opened his first shop in the upmarket Salamanca, after Instagram posts for his at home business resulted in a waiting list for cake. Pick from three different sizes in seven speciality flavours, including traditional, Belgian chocolate, and Iberian pistachio. (Alex Cordobés) Food and wine shops Formaje Friends and collaborators with Alex Cordobés, Formaje has been described as Madrid's "temple of cheese". Part gourmet food shop, part cheese gallery, you'll find cow, sheep and goat cheese from every encalve of Spain and its islands in here. Use the staff's encyclopedic knowledge when choosing what to pack in your suitcase to bring home, but our favourite was the Mahón from Menorca (hot tip - if you can, pack it in your check in luggage for cooler temperatures, and put a chilled bottle of water in the same compartment before you fly). Don't miss the smoked meats, cheeses and anchovy butter from Barcelona's Rooftop Smokehouse too. Cuenllas (Calle Ferraz & Salesas) Known as one of the best gourmet delicatessens and wine shops in Madrid, it's very easy to spend a pretty penny in Cuenllas . Find their original deli, wine shop and restaurant at Calle Ferraz, while their more modern bistro featuring an even larger wine selection (much of it natural) is in the Salesas neighbourhood. The latter is ideal for casual drinks and bites, the former needs to be booked well in advance. Markets Mercado San Miguel Madrid's most famous covered food market, Mercado de San Miguel was built in 1916, but reopened in 2009 after a big renovation. It's packed full of Spanish tapas and drinks, like gildas, seafood cones and cheese and charcuterie plates, but it's a tourist mecca and prices for some items are eye-wateringly high in comparison to the rest of the city. It's a buzzy, easy choice for a bite to eat and a few drinks, but if quality is the most important thing to you there are far better food options around. Mercado De La Paz For a taste of what the Madrile ñ os want from a food market, head north to Mercado de la Paz instead. It's far less touristy and over-priced, and home to one of Madrid's most famous tapas bars - Casa Dani, know for that tortilla . If you can't face the queues then pull up a seat anywhere else - it's all good in here. The little wine bars out front are weekend meet up goals, and there's plenty of Spanish delicacies like Cantabrian anchovies, olives and vinegars at fair prices to stuff in your suitcase if you have space. Restaurants Taberna Laredo When the owners of Uno Mas recommend a restaurant in Spain you write it down, underline it three times and draw a circle around it. You will not have a more perfect opening meal than Taberna Laredo so head straight here from the airport to feast on all the anchovies, prawn rice, and tomato tartare (thanks to the guy on the airplane for that truly stellar reccomendation). Sit at the bar or in the more formal dining room upstairs looking down at everyone below, drinking wines from Madrid and watching the owner join table after table for a chat and a drink. You'll probably want to go back again after meal number one, and you will definitely have had worse ideas. Angelita Another Uno Mas recommendation that we now consider non-negotiable for an all-out dinner in Madrid, Angelita has staff whose welcome is like a squeezy hug, a menu of modern Spanish dishes cooked by a thriving team of chefs, and what must be one of the most epic wine lists in Europe - we gave up half way through and asked the sommelier to bring us glasses of her choice, which was the right decision. Don't miss their famous ratatouille with egg yolk and rosemary, the steak tartare toasts, and the tomato and basil puff pastry for dessert - the talent on show here will have you grinning like an idiot from start to finish. Restaurante TriCiclo For something more cheffy with amuse bouches and bread courses, head to Triciclo (Spanish for tricyle) down a quiet street in the Literary district. The focus is on local and sustainable produce, cooked in a variety of ways inspired by countries from Spain to Japan to Peru. The dining room weaves its way around corners to create lots of quiet spots, and while the by the glass wine list looks tiny, the sommelier is happy to pour anything he thinks you'll like using the Coravin system (for a fraction of the prices we pay for Coravin wines at home). Sacha Restaurant Out of the centro, North past the Bernabéu stadium, is Restaurante Sacha , which is something of a pilgrimage for chefs and restaurant owners coming to Madrid just to eat. It's been described as everything from " an intimate dinner party among friends " to " a culinary icon ", with flawlessly excuted dishes featuring Catalan and Galician influences. There's no Instagram feed or promotion, owner Sacha Hormaechea has built up his global reputation since opening in 1972 on quality, atmosphere and little else. La Gilderia A whole restaurant dedicated to gildas - no you're not dreaming! We were sold long before looking into this modern take on a traditional Spanish bar, with gildas the star attraction at La Gilderia . Pick from 14 different types of gildas as you sip on a cold glass of Vermouth, with combinations liked smoked sardines, cheese and sun-dried tomatoes; egg, smoked salmon and pickle; and artichokes, candied padron peppers and spring onions. There's plenty of other pinxtos and raciones on the menu if you need something more filling than food on sticks. (La Gilderia) Chuka Ramen Bar If you're there for a while and get tired of Spanish food, make your way to Chuka Ramen Bar for culinary mash ups like pastrami bao buns, tempura shrimp with roti canai, and Madrid's best ramen. The menu abides by Japanese traditions with novel flavour combinations, and would give fusion food a good name. (Chuka Ramen Bar) Bars and tapas La Venencia This rammed bar down a dark street near Puerta del Sol only serves sherry, and its shelves are full of dusty bottles drank long ago. A simple snack menu offers cured meats, cheese and anchovies to hungry bar-goers, and there's no photographs allowed at La Venencia , so prepare to be scowled at if you take out your camera. Hermanos Vinagre Specialising in pickled food (hence the name), Hermanos Vinagre 's three bars are the ideal locations for early evening Aperitivo if your dinner booking is later that night. Enjoy gildas, conservas and anchovy toasts with a beer or wine, and save space for the flan. (Hermanos Vinagre) Casa Dani As mentioned above, Casa Dani is the site of the most famous tortilla in the city that's inspired countless others, although their ta gline is " Algo Más Que Tortilla" (more than omelette ). The queue can be heart-sinkingly long, but we're told its worth the wait. A salmonella outbreak last year shut them down for several months and ignitied a huge debate on the safety of under-cooking eggs, but was eventually traced to the workers at the restaurant and not the materials or methods used for food preparation. It hasn't affected business a jot. (Casa Dani) Cocktails Del Diego Tucked just behind the Gran Via, Del Diego is one of Madrid's most iconic cocktail bars, with a vibe and interiors that could have been lifted out of NYC from the Sex and the City years. Waiters are tuxedoed and it's one of the most extensive and expertly executed drinks menus in the city, with all the classics, including Cosmpolitans. (Del Diego) Salmon Guru Currently 16 on the World's 50 Best Bars list, Salmon Guru is another must stop for cocktail lovers. After closing to undergo a major refurbishment in 2023, the team returned with a slightly more restrained interior, playlist and cocktail vessel selection, with drinks inspired by their travels while the bar was shut. Critics say it's better than ever. More recommendations from our ATF Insiders Restaurants Casa Macareno  - "Really cool restaurant worth a visit!" Restaurante Los Montes de Galicia  - "This was a recommendation we got and it was brilliant. The blue fin tuna tartare was a standout but the whole experience was amazing."   A'Barra  - "Ate here a few years ago. It was exceptional. Had a lovely set up for a tasting menu where the chefs cooked right in front of you and explained every course." Comparte Bistré  - "Can't recommend Comparté enough. Still dreaming of that meal." (Clockwise from top left: Casa Macareno, Restaurante Los Montes de Galicia, A'Barra, Comparte Bistré) Bars/Tapas Calle Ponzano  - "Street which all the locals hang out on at weekend or evenings, it’s a long strip of bars and restaurants but not at all tacky. Very much for locals." Vi Cool  - "We stumbled upon this and it was a really great find! The tapas were delicious but they weren't just your average tapas, like tapas with a twist." Bodega de la Ardosa  - "On the Devour food tour for a vermouth and cod fritter. Very authentic!" Casa Revuelta  - "We went back again and again, got chatting to loads of people." (Clockwise from top left: Calle Ponzano, Vi Cool, Bodega de la Ardosa, Casa Revuelta) Drinks Amazonico  - "They did brilliant cocktails and it was super buzzy." Baton Rouge  - "Cool cocktail bar. The staff are really friendly and they have some really interesting cocktails and ingredients." Kaskais Wine Bar  - "We had so many lovely pitstops here either going out for the evening or coming back. It just had a lovely vibe about it, really felt so welcoming and nice wine, sure what more could you want." (From left to right: Amazonico, Baton Rouge, Kaskais Wine Bar)

We all have those friends or family members whose favourite restaurants list originated in the early noughties and hasn't had an update since. They think Fire is the glammest night out in Dublin, Yamamori is the only Japanese worth talking about, and Shanahan's on the Green is THE place for steak. Well it's 2024 and the landscape has drastically changed, and while it's very hard to pull creatures of habit out of a restaurant rut, here's some swaps to guide them towards the next time they suggest Trocadero for the next family meet up... For fans of: The Ivy Send them to: Floritz Let's be frank. A UK-made chain restaurant with 43 locations, whose staff have had to fight for tips and basic worker's rights , holds little appeal for us, but The Ivy still manages to pull in the crowds day after day. If you have a pal/mother-in-law/workmate who thinks that high ceilings, floral covered walls and leather chairs supercede everything else, do them a favour and point them towards Floritz around the corner instead. It's got all the style, but with a substance-filled menu of modern Asian dishes, craft cocktails and attentive staff to go with it. Read our once over here . For fans of: Fire Send them to: Hawksmoor If you're looking for steak and seafood in a grand setting, Hawksmoor is the 2024 update. Less a menu of crowd pleasers and more a menu of stomach teasers, every part of eating and drinking here is right up the minute - from the ultimate Martini menu, to the oysters roasted with bone marrow, to the whopper list of 14 sides to add onto all those sharing steaks. Standards are consistently high, and if you want to dip your toe in on a budget go for an early dinner on a Monday, when three courses costs €35 before 18:00, and you can bring your own wine for €5 a bottle. Read our review here . For fans of: Trocadero Send them to: Coppinger Trocadero has long been known as Dublin's theatre restaurant, with the restaurant's website proclaiming they've "attracted the stars of the stage and screen for over sixty six years." It's been a while since we've heard of a bonefide celeb in there, but you've a decent chance of spotting one around the corner in Coppinger . Julia Roberts was in for dinner last month, and they famously hosted Beyoncé when she toured Dublin. Don't expect to see any pictures on their social media feeds, with chefs and staff summoned for a group shot, arms flung around the poor celeb who just wanted a quiet dinner - they're way too cool for that, which is why the glitterati keep coming back. For fans of: Carluccio's Send them to: Amuri Another UK chain import, Carluccio's was once seen as an exotic, glamorous location for Grafton Street-adjacent meet ups, but these days you'll find much more of the Dolce Vita at Amuri on Chatham Street. Brothers Luca and Andrea have created a feel-good, genuinely family owned and run restaurant, with all the "Buona Notte!"s on arrival and Limoncello on departure. The food is every bit as good as you'll find in Sicily, with the pasta a la sarde one of the most unmissable dishes in Dublin. Read our once over here . For fans of: Ukiyo Send them to: Sister 7 Many tears were shed over the last few weeks over the closure of Ukiyo , with nostalgic memories of nights gone by flooding past customers' social media feeds. If Asian small plates and great tunes is your kinda thing, Sister 7 in Smithfield needs to be your new regular. The food is from the legends at Big Fan , the Whiplash -heavy beer list is a craft beer lover's dream, and the state of the art sound system was built by Toby Hatchett . For fans of: Yamamori Send them to: Lotus Eaters Yamamori has been a city centre go-to since opening in 1995, with their consistent sushi, tempura and gyoza making it an easy pick for Japanese, but for something a bit more à la mode, head to Lotus Eaters . From the team behind The Pig's Ear and Spitalfields (in the former Pig's Ear dining room on Nassau Street), it's Japanese food but without the California Rolls and Yaki Udon. Instead you'll eat Wagyu hamburgers with rice, cured egg yolk and all the condiments, or oysters with nahm jim and bonito, and wonder what else you've been missing. Read our review here . For fans of: Marco Pierre White Send them to: Etto We can't even pretend to understand the appeal of celebrity chef led restaurants where the chef in question is rarely if ever seen, but maybe the name lends an element of safety to less adventurous diners. If steak is the draw at Marco Pierre White , walk nine minutes to Etto instead for a sharing steak at a considerably lower price, with their famous crispy garlic potatoes, house salad, and Bordelaise plus Bearnaise sauce. Start with the mussels with nduja, end with the red wine prunes, and you'll never feel the need to go and see Marco again. For fans of: The Market Bar Send them to: La Gordita An easy choice for tapas and drinks, The Market Bar has been knocking out a global tapas menu in an expansive space for two decades. For the real Spanish deal instead, walk up Wexford Street to La Gordita to feast on anchovies with blue cheese butter, Spanish black pudding bombitas, and seafood rice for two. Patatas Bravas are over-rated anyway. For fans of: Captain America's Send them to: Dash Burger You're not 16 anymore, and Captain America's isn't the place to go for a burger anymore. If beef between two buns is what you're after, take yourself up to Dash Burger on Kevin Street or Capel Street and see why smashburgers are taking over the globe. The flattened, crispy, craggy patties are a revelation if you've never tried them before, and once you smash, it's hard to go back. For fans of: Shanahan's on the Green Send them to: The Butcher Grill The once major domo of Dublin steakhouses, you took people to Shanahan's when you were looking to show off, or take a step back in time. The prices were outrageous, the interiors from the last century, and the clientele was (male) tourist heavy. For a more "Dublin in 2024" experience head for a high table at The Butcher Grill in Ranelagh, where the best of Irish, US and South American beef is cooked on a wood-smoked grill, alongside Napa Cabernet and high-end cocktails. Steak isn't cheap anywhere in Dublin, but prices here are at least easier to swallow in comparison.

Special dishes only on for Autumn; lunchtime bargains to lure you in for those noodles you still haven't tried; and a pop up that is likely to be something you've never experienced before. Here's where's on our to-eat list for October... For a new and improved legend of the café scene: The Fumbally After a self-enforced break in August to reassess their business model, The Fumbally are back with a new layout, second counter, new opening hours, and a return to ordering at the till instead of table service. There's a new pre-10am deal of Fumbally eggs and filter coffee for €13.90 (a €2 saving), and they've abolished corkage so you can drink anything off the shelf for retail price (maybe not with the eggs). There's also a new communal long room dinner on Fridays, with one dish served to walk-ins at an affordable price - have we given you enough reasons to visit this month? For unbeatable Autumn value: Biang Biang, Dublin 7 We think about Biang Biang 's Liang Pi (cold skin noodles) far more often than we'd admit in a published article, and if you haven't tried them yet, consider their new Sangin set menus the sign you were waiting for. From 12:00 - 17:00 Monday - Thursday, you can get their Liangpi, a Roujiamo (Chinese burger) and an Ice Peak soft drink for €15.99 (usually €19), or sub in rice noodles for €17.99 (usually €21). We'd happily pay either price, but God knows we love a saving. For feelgood food to warm you up: Nutbutter, Grand Canal Dock We're never not impressed at Nutbutter 's commitment to sourcing Irish grown and reared produce, and getting maximum nutrients into their food, but an Irish stew was something we never saw coming. They say their head chef has been working on this one for a long time, and with the additions of brown rice, baby radishes, lime, sesame chili salt and slow cooked brisket, we bet it would give your Mum's a run for its money. Bring a friend and make them get the Mexican pepper pozole - another newbie stew with Beluga lentils, sweet potato, avocado, feta and coriander. So much health in one bowl. For lunch specials worth booking a table for: Hawksmoor, Dublin 2 Nando's never really reached cult status here like it did on the other side of the pond, but when Hawksmoor do a riff on their Piri Piri chicken as an Autumn special, and founder Huw Gott calls it "one of the best things we've ever done!", you can mark us interested. There's also s teak, eggs & HP gravy for the protein chasers; a fried fish and frites sandwich; and a charcoal-roasted cauliflower steak if you're denying yourself nice things. For more wine in the 'burbs: Little Washer Little Washer in Glasnevin seems to be off to a great start, with diners (our readers included) raving about their small plates, pastas and wines. Dublin 9 is having a serious wine moment right now (where was this , this and this 10 years ago), and we're endlessly jealous of people having this much wine bar choice on their doorstep. Here's hoping the wine buzz spreads to all the other suburbs soon. For something totally different: IBÍLÈ God knows we live in a city that isn't short of burgers, chicken wings, or pizza slices, but African cassava salad, seared beef suya, and yams with chicken gizzards - not so much. IBÍLÈ is a new pop up from friends who want to showcase the flavours of West African, with wine and cocktail pairings with an African twist. You'll find them at The Fumbally Stables on Saturday 6th and 27th October, with seatings at 13:00, 16:00 and 19:00, and you can get tickets here . For gastropub nostalgia and kitchen inspiration: The Old Spot, Dublin 4 The Old Spot have just released their first cookbook, so the recipes for their ham hock croquettes with brown sauce, shortrib lasagne, and those Sunday roasts of legend can now be yours. We recommend booking in to reacquaint yourself with how it all should taste, before trying your hand at home. Get a copy here .

Our 30 hottest list 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 four new entries for October... * This list doesn't include cafés or lunch-only options, everywhere here is open for dinner at a minimum

It seems that everyone and their mother has tickets to Hamilton at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (running now until mid-November - it's amazing), so no doubt at some stage you musical lovers (and simultaneously food lovers if you're reading this), will need some inspo for pre-show eats. AND with the exciting shows to come (Mary Poppins from 11th December - 11th January, and Steve Coogan's Dr. Strangelove from 5th - 22nd February), this is one to keep in your back pocket for your next trip to the theatre... Osteria Lucio (six minute walk) Starting off with the best, Osterio Lucio is a brilliant spot in general for dinner, and happens to be conveniently close to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre . Owned by Ross Lewis of Chapter One fame, he's created a cosy but oh so chic Italian dining room in Grand Canal Dock on the cute cobbly street of Clanwilliam Terrace. They have a scaled down menu from 17:00 - 18:00 to cater for show goers, but you'll need to plan this as far as possible in advance, as this place totally books out on show days. Charlotte Quay (four min walk) The Bereen bros are having a bit of a moment at the moment, with the return of their cult classic Coppinger Row - now just Coppinger  to you and I - and next door sibling, Row Wines , a small plates and wine bar. Charlotte Quay   is another of their restaurant babies, and their pre-theatre menu runs from 17:00 to 19:00, with two courses for €37 and three for €45. Another one to book in advance or you'll have no chance. Nutbutter (three minute walk) If you've just finished work and are in a rush to get some good food into you before settling into your seats, Nutbutter is your man. They serve a super healthy menu, but are still naughty enough to serve booze. Fill up on delicious warm bowls, tostadas, or tacos, and it's great for veggies and vegans too. Yoi Ramen (eight minute walk) For a quick/delicious and also cheap/cheerful meal minutes from the theatre, Yoi Ramen is more than just ramen. There's sushi, poké bowls, gyoza, donburi and katsu curries, and it's perfect if you're short on time and need something that ticks all the aforementioned boxes. Allta - nine minute walk Allta  has been one of Dublin's most exciting restaurants since their first edition in Setanta Place, and they're now onto Allta 4.0 (if you count their summer stage in Slane). This one resides in the most eastern part of Grand Canal Dock, which on a normal evening can feel like the middle of nowhere, but if you have a show at the Bord Gáis it won't matter in the slightest. Dinner runs from Tuesday to Saturday, starting from 17:30, and there seems to be a decent amount of availability earlier in the evening. Musashi, Hogan Place & IFSC (10 minute walk) From their humble Capel Street beginnings, Musashi have made quite the dent in the Dublin sushi scene, and tend to be pretty consistent across their eight locations. With one either side of the river, both a ten minute walk to the theatre, it's a great shout if you're in the market for a wide range of sushi with snappy service. Note - 12 minute walk Note  is not the first place that comes to mind when brainstorming a pre-dinner spot before a show at the BGET, but it's a mere twelve minute walk door to door, and well worth it. Grab a quick, casual bite at the bar with any of their killer wines by the glass, and dinner starts at 17:00 so no excuse not to eat very well before the show. Paulie's Pizza - 14 minute walk A Southside staple, Paulie's Pizza  has been around for over 15 years, which in restaurant years is a life sentence. Their menu has stuck to the same format since day dot - starters, pasta (a lot of them fresh), and Neapolitan meets NYC meets Paulie's style pizzas. The Old Spot - 15 min walk The Old Spot is one of Dublin's best spots for proper gastropub grub in the cosiest of settings. Their menu has some absolute belters like deep fried truffle mac ‘n cheese; pork and black pudding scotch eggs; and Wagyu cheeseburgers, and their cocktails are top class - the salted caramel espresso martini is one of the best we've had in a long time. Bonus points if your show is on Sunday and you can catch their roast. Dinner starts from 17:00, or 17:30 on Sundays.

A simple salad that screams of the seasons, a beef tartare that has us in a bind on how soon we can get to town, and a lamb dish that we may or may not have lost our minds over - these are dishes consuming us this week... 1) Crab toast, Charlotte Quay Charlotte Quay's latest starter is hardcore making us miss summer. Oh to be sitting on their terrace, sun warming our arms, with a large glass of white, this light, and fresh crab with pickled apple on brioche toast in front of us. As that's not likely for the foreseeable, we'll settle for an indoor table watching it lash outside. 2) Beef tartare, Bar Pez Bar Pez , the seafood forward sister spot of Fish Shop , is changing gears with the seasons, introducing two carnivorous tapas - crepes filled with the Spanish blood sausage morcilla, and the one we haven't stop thinking about since it cross our feeds - a zingy beef tartare on toast. See you on a stool at the counter. 3) Rainbow beet and goat's cheese salad, Brighton Road Hazelnut season is in full flight and Brighton Road in Foxrock are taking full advantage of the mythological nuts. Paired with rainbow beets and whipped goat's cheese, it's colourful, it's creamy, it's crunchy, and it's a textbook example of letting the produce do the talking. 4) Irish lamb rib, Bootleg Bootleg on Drury Street are a naughty bunch, showcased by these slow-braised Irish lamb ribs. They're finished on the BBQ, topped with dukkah and tatemade (a charred Mexican salsa), and served with a crispy lamb fat skewer and chimichurri, There's nothing more we would like on a skewer this week. 5) Carrot cake, Jean-Georges at The Leinster We all know carrot cake is good year round, but Autumnal spices are very much the it girl right now, and Jean-Georges at The Leinster is taking it to another level with pecan tuile and coconut sorbet. It's totally normal to plan dinner around dessert right?

We've been to the glitzy new Stephen's Green opening Floritz twice now, and twice we've spent days afterwards reliving all of the flavours, the textures, the eye-popping colours and components in every dish. They call it a room to be seen in, we called it a room to eat in, and we want you all to come back with us on Tuesday 15th October at 7pm for an ATF takeover to see why we're so starry eyed. Their extensive menu with sections on yakitori, crudo, sushi, tempura, bowls and chef's specials can be an overwhelming read on first look, so we're taking the decision-making out of it with a menu that's going to let you try a bit of everything. You'll get all three types of tuna nigiri from the leanest to the fattiest; yellowtail tataki; Dublin Bay Prawn yakitori; lamb confit bao; Wagyu steak, those pickled onion rings we loved so much, and you can't leave without trying the rice chips with spicy Dragon sauce. Floritz are also including a Champagne yuzu cocktail on arrival, as well as dessert for €75, and there's a vegetarian option for €65 (the full menus for both are below). Trust us, this is stellar value. To try all of this in your own time would cost substantially more. This is an ATF Insiders-only event - sign up here for €5 a month if you're not already part of the best food club in Dublin. Each Insider can book a table for two, and bring a guest 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. As this is a group dining event, you may be sitting close to other people, but most tables are for two. Please note that the vegetarian menu needs to be requested in advance, and as some dishes are for sharing, both diners need to have the same menu, Tables for our Floritz takeover on Tuesday 15th October at 7pm go live tonight, Tuesday 25th September at 8pm . Everyone signed up to ATF Insiders will receive the booking link in their inbox. If you're not already signed up you can do so here .

What should we know about Brut Wine Bar? While 2024 will forever be known as the year every café morphed into a wine bar at night, Nelly's in Drumcondra was ahead of its time, opening Brut in 2020.   Things were stop start for a while, selling dinner boxes and retail wine in Covid times, but Brut is now open Friday and Saturday nights, and after several messages from readers telling us to check it out, we booked in via Instagram DM . What's the seating sitch? If it's mild enough to sit outside (there's no heaters or blankets), there's a space out front that's also the pathway for people en route to Shouk . They frequently mistake it for a waiting area, and Brut's staff have immense patience with this incidental annoyance. Seating inside is quirky and mismatched, with low and high tables, and some counter seats looking out. What's on the menu? It's small plates central, with the most expensive dish €12.50. You can keep it simple with bread, excellent olives, charcuterie and cheese, but you don't need us to tell you what Cashel Blue and Gubbeen chorizo taste like.   We were gleeful to see Beechpark Eco Farm 's cauliflower on the menu, coming from 12km away in Clonsilla. It's served with truffle pecorino and olive oil (€6), but ours was the wrong side of al dente, needing more time in the oven - the flavours were good, but we wanted more of them. Sliced roast potatoes (€7) were too easy to eat, but the "homemade aioli" was regular mayo with garlic in it - not the same thing.   Gnocchi was the fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside type you only get when made fresh, with the mushrooms and Parmesan giving a nicely Autumnal feel. A creamy ball of burrata came with poached pear and almonds, which didn't cut through the cheese like acidic tomatoes would have. The light, oil-free focaccia was good for mopping up sauce, but once the burrata was gone it tasted like dessert.   Tuna "rillettes" was tinned tuna, served on toasted sourdough with a lemon cream sauce and capers. It tasted like something you might whip up for a quick, tasty lunch at home, but not what was billed. The killer dish was the last one - slow-cooked pork shoulder with courgettes and parmesan cream, the sticky sweet meat seasoned perfectly, collapsing under a fork, the Parmesan cream welcome excess. What's the wine list like? Decent by the bottle, less interesting by the glass - presumably to minimise waste. We started with Alvear's Oloroso sherry and El Troyano's orange verdejo (we loved both), moving onto a Burgungian aligoté and an Italian Salice Salentino (love these less so). There's more good stuff by the bottle, but it feels pieced together rather than curated, and staff struggled to answer questions about the list.   Why should I go? Brut is a sweet place with warm service, and if you live locally it's perfect for wine and snacks. The food isn't at the level where we'd travel for it, but a few easy tweaks in the kitchen would make all the difference so that may change depending on the night. Brut Wine Bar 40 Drumcondra Road Lower, Dublin 9 instagram.com/brutwinebardrumcondra

We’re almost afraid to say it out loud, but it looks like the elusive Irish summer may have finally arrived. It’s certainly starting to show its face on menus across the capital’s cafes and restaurants, with all the seasonal fruits and vegetables cropping up in creative new dishes across the city. Here’s our pick of the best - consider it your summer eating bucket list... Tuna Crudo, Allta Rooftop We first tasted this tuna crudo with green strawberries, bone marrow and roast chicken garum at Allta Summer House in Slane last year , and almost yelped when we saw it return to their summer tasting menu. Thin slices of tuna are dressed in Sicilian olive oil with green strawberries and McNally Farm basil, and glazed with smoked bone marrow split with house made roast chicken garum. Otherworldly. Lobster Rolls, King Sitric If you're going to do a lobster roll you might as well do it right. At King Sitric in Howth the Lambay lobster is so fresh you might even see them being caught across the bay. Add a brioche bun, mayo and a squeeze of lemon and summer lunches don't get much better. Fried Artichoke, Clanbrassil House We love artichoke season and don't see nearly enough of them around town in all of their forms. So praise be for Clanbrassil House 's new snack of fried violet artichoke with pickled walnut ketchup, poached in an aromatic and sour vegetable stock, then coated in chickpea flour and fried until "GBD - golden brown and delicious". Stuffed Courgette Flowers, Volpe Nera Volpe Nera in Blackrock seems to effortlessly glide through the seasons, making considered additions and adjustments with minor fuss, and the latest newbie on their bites menu are these fried courgette flower stuffed with ricotta and drizzled in truffle honey. Oh so summery. Coke Lane Pizza It’s a left-field choice but we’re here for it. Coke Lane pizza have added a limited summer special to their menu with raspberry chipotle in a starring role. Paired with rocket, gorgonzola, and walnuts, it may be one of the more unusual options on this list, but that’s the kind of seasonal invention we like to see. Scallops with Romesco, Dorian Dorian in Donnybrook are shaking it up since new head chef Rowen Babe took over, and these pan-fried scallops with romesco sauce, and hazelnut and chorizo picada are screaming out for a glass of white Burgundy and a seat on the terrace. Burrata with Heritage Tomatoes and Sourdough Crumb, Spitalfields Nothing says summer quite like a salad spiked with the intense flavour of heritage tomatoes. In this dish from the Liberties’ Michelin-listed gastropub Spitalfields , they’re cooked confit and paired with creamy burrata and Kalamata olives as well as a crunchy sourdough crumb. We can't wait to try it. Insalata Primavera, Osteria Lucio Keeping with the theme of tomatoes and creamy cheese, Osteria Lucio ’s fresh salad of buffalo ricotta with marinated datterini tomatoes seriously looks the part for a refreshing summer bite. Ross Lewis’ Italian restaurant always leans hard into seasonal produce, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on what other new menu items might be cropping up here over the next few weeks. Gnocchi With Littlecress Pesto, Sprezzatura Deceptively light when done right, gnocchi is a great choice for summer eating, and the Sprezzatura team have just rolled out a perfect seasonal adaption. Bathed in a pesto made with the intense concentrated flavour of littlecress and microbasil, these potato-pasta dumplings will pair well with any crisp white wine for an ideal summer evening meal. Tomato Gazpacho with Dressed Crab and Pickles, Loretta’s While crab may be available all year round, few ingredients go down so well under the summer sun. Loretta’s have paired it with pickles and a bright, bold tomato gazpacho on this beautifully presented plate. This one’s a permanent fixture but keep your eyes peeled for their weekly specials - our head was turned last week by plaice in a gooseberry beurre blanc . Smoked Paprika Corn with Feta Yoghurt, Tang Tang have just added a couple of new side dishes added to their Cumberland Place brunch menu. Baby potatoes come in an in house spice rub with tarragon aioli; while sweetcorn is seasoned with smoked paprika and served with feta yogurt, coriander and pickled onions. Both are best served in their peaceful garden outside. Roast Cod with Estate Greens, Potatoes and Heirloom Tomatoes, Overends Kitchen With a firm farm-to-fork focus using fresh produce from the Airfield Estate , it’s no surprise to see Overends Kitchen make this list with a beautifully simple lunch dish. Heirloom tomatoes (yep, them again) join potatoes, roast cod, and freshly harvested greens for a classic summer plate. Plus, there aren’t many better places to be when the sun is shining. Sourdough Croissant Pastry With Gooseberry Jam, Dublin 4 Just try to think of this one without drooling down your top. Never short on OTT treats, Bread 41 has just about outdone itself with this demonic confection of sourdough croissant, gooseberry jam, a floral chocolate cream and syrup-tossed fresh gooseberries and flowers. We swear it’s just the summer heat that’s making us sweat. Strawberry Croissant Tart, Chapter One By Mickael Viljanen We almost fell off our chairs when the strawberry croissant tart trolley (who knew that was a thing) was pushed towards our table during our last visit to Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen . Tis the season, and if you can bag a table this summer you too could be enjoying this wildly indulgent two-part strawberry dessert. Vanilla & Woodruff Panna Cotta, Oliveto Strawberries are everywhere, and we need to make hay while the sun shines. Enjoy these ones on top of a vanilla and woodruff panna cotta at Oliveto in Dun Laoghaire, while watching the sun split the sea outside. Seasonal Cruffins, Bread Naturally We’re only slightly heartbroken that the ingenious Aperol Spritz cruffin was a now-past one-off from the folks at Bread Naturally in Raheny - how incredible does prosecco curd sound? But fret not, they’re rolling out a regular seasonal slew of different flavours across the summer, with snickers, lemon cannoli, and raspberry and white chocolate among other recent specials. Seasonal Brioche Buns, Bread Man Walking Stone fruits are all striding into season right about now, and we’re ready for a lot of sticky-sweet pastry to come. Bread Man Walking has been playing about in the test kitchen and is following up last week’s plum brioche bun with an apricot alternative this week. Get those pre-orders in now. White Chocolate with Peach Sorbet and Loire Valley Cherry, Dax Dax goes all-in on the stone fruits with this peach and cherry combo, adding complementary flavours of bourbon and white chocolate to the mix for a classic dessert combo we’re dying to try. Chef Graham Neville is known for relishing summer ingredients - his lobster-stuffed courgette flower is a well-loved regular fixture not to be missed.

Every new season is special in the bursts of creativity it unleashes, as fresh crops of new fruit and veg are offered up to the city’s chefs and make their way onto menus. None, though, have a comfort factor quite like autumn’s, with its ample apples, berries and nuts joining squash, ceps and celeriac in warming dishes from soups right through to tarts. We’ve staked out some of the early contenders for the best autumn dishes on menus right now... Apple and custard choux bun, Table Wine Pastry is one of Table Wine ’s standout specialties and we’re excited to see them turn that skill in the direction of autumn. The classic apple and custard combination in this choux bun gets an added kick of indulgence from meringue topped with cream cheese and pear. We want it now. Mackerel with turnip and cherry, Frank’s The humble turnip, hardly the most glamorous of veg, tends to get a bad rap on these shores thanks to the bland mashed treatment of many a Sunday roast (and the fact that most people are actually using Swede). In the right hands however it can kick a dish into a higher gear. Frank's head chef David Bradshaw’s are such hands, and his wafer-thin slices draped over charred mackerel make for one of the more creative presentations around town. The last of the summer cherry makes for a nice nod to the changing of the seasons too. Pumpkin risotto, Library Street Sage might well be the low-key MVP of all autumn ingredients, and it gets star treatment in this returning favourite of ours from Library Street . Ginger and chive add extra complexity to their earthy, creamy pumpkin risotto, laden down with flavours and textures. They’re recommending a glass of Godello to go with it - who are we to disagree? Prawn with BBQ ceps, Allta New season mushrooms are starting to crop up across the city’s menus, with ceps chief among them, and we've not wanted any as much as Allta ’s. They’re serving theirs with Sicilian prawns in a seasoned prawn bisque, complete with lacto fermented cep juice for extra-intense flavour. This is hardcore mushroom lover territory, and we want in. Prawn carpaccio with ovoli mushrooms, A Fianco We can only hope another yield of prized ovoli mushrooms arrives at A Fianco in the near future, because this recent daily special is one we’re dying to try. Presented atop a carpaccio of Dublin Bay prawns, this is a fungus not all too often seen on Dublin menus, and one worth rushing for whenever and wherever it is. Ham hock and celeriac, Pigeon House Autumn is all about the arrival of hearty root veg, and the often underutilised celeriac is chief among them. The knobbly character makes a sensational pairing with pork, so no surprise to see the Pigeon House rolling it out alongside ham hock for a classic - the crispy egg on top an extra rich touch for those rapidly-darkening evenings. Bacon chop with cabbage, black pudding and apple, The Winding Stair We know what you’re thinking - yes, that is an entire apple perched on top of The Winding Stair ’s bacon chop dish. This one’s as classical an autumnal flavour pairing as it gets, with a few creative presentational flourishes, the pork and apple combo playing out across two pairs of textures and a bed of mustard-creamed cabbage to wrap things up nicely. Plaice with butternut squash and bacon beurre blanc, King Sitric Pork and apple might be the beating heart of autumn flavours, but bacon and butternut squash stands out as a worthy competitor. King Sitric are serving them together in a glossy beurre blanc and paired with the delicate, tender flesh of pristine plaice. It’s an inspired way to bring out the best of all elements. Duck, squash and cobnut, Delahunt Game season kicks into high gear as autumn arrives and Delahunt are straight out of the traps with West Cork’s very best: Skeaghanore duck, enhanced by the salted flavour of Roaring Water Bay. It’s matched here with cobnut and squash for about as close as you can get to a single season on a plate. Seasonal root salad, Hang Dai Few cuisines make as good use of root vegetables as Chinese does, and, here’s Hang Dai with a lively salad of celeriac, daikon and kohlrabi dressed in kimchi. It’s a lot lighter than most of the autumnal fare cropping up around the city, plus how incredible do these lotus crisps look? Pumpkin dumplings, The Woollen Mills There’s maybe nothing more in vogue this time of year than pumpkin recipes, and we’re always on the lookout for the more inventive plates out there. The Woollen Mills ’ gnocchi-style dumplings certainly meet the brief with wild mushrooms, sage, and parsnip crisps bringing in other in-season flavours for a dish that screams autumn comfort food. Butternut squash soup, Daddy’s Soup’s not strictly the preserve of the colder months, but we always find ourselves indulging all the more once summer is over. That’s partly the weather, of course, but it’s also down to how well autumn’s flavours lend themselves to liquid form. Daddy’s richly-coloured combo of butternut squash and red pepper is so appealing you'll feel warmer just looking at it. Mont blanc pan, Gopan Japanese micro-bakery Gopan turned our heads this week with a pair of chestnut specials on this week’s menu. The chestnut cheesecake sounds deliciously different but it’s these mont blanc pans we’re most excited for, with their coffee-flavoured dough (!) and delicate mounds of chestnut cream. Plum and blackberry brioche, Bread Man Walking No seasonal rundown would be complete without the latest creation from Bread Man Walking - this time a plum and blackberry brioche with lashings of crème patissiere. Sweet dough, smooth custard, tart berries - the end of summer just got easier to bear. Deep-fried apple calzone, Pala Pizza & Trattoria Pala Pizza 's new Trattoria is only open a few days, but they've launched strong, and we're hoping this deep-fried apple and cinnamon calzone with caramel sauce is not just for autumn. Read our review here .

Spring has sprung (ish), it’s finally February, and we’ve all made it through another of those awful Irish winters - praise be. One of our favourite things about spring (apart from the grand stretch) is the bright burst of colour that comes from its first heralds: the brilliant pink of forced rhubarb and the deep crimson of blood orange, both of which have begun to appear on menus and specials boards across the city. Here’s our rundown of the best options on menus right now to usher in the new season... Wild seabass crudo with blood orange, Volpe Nera Volpe Nera are making the most of blood orange’s beautiful, bright colours with this techno-coloured plate. Ripe chunks of fruit straddle slices of juice-dressed wild seabass crudo, finished with radish and rosemary gel. It’s a sight to behold, but even better again, it’s available on their February lunch menu, with three courses for €38. Blood orange donut, Flower & Bean It may not have the Instagrammable appeal of the crème brûlée donut that turned our heads back in October, but the newcomer café on Cork Street is keeping their game up with this seasonal spin. Flower & Bean ’s latest is filled with chocolate cream and topped with a crisp blood orange slice. And if that doesn’t take your fancy their current menu also includes a rhubarb scone Coconut, passionfruit and blood orange, Clanbrassil House Seasonal blood orange has also made it's way onto Clanbrassil House 's new set menu. The part-dessert, part piece of art, is full of zingy flavours with coconut, passionfruit and blood orange, and you'll find it on Friday and Saturday for €75, alongside dishes like scallop with bergamot kosho and salt-baked kohlrabi. Rhubarb Brioche, Bread Man Walking We’re big fans of Bread Man Walking ’s undying enthusiasm for the produce and baking opportunities, that come with each new season. He’s just as much a rhubarb lover as us and hasn’t wasted a minute getting the first sight of the stuff into one of his seasonal brioches. This one’s got a custardy crème pâtissière, rhubarb gel (!) and a sprinkling of pistachio on top. Marinated mackerel with Sicilian blood oranges, A Fianco It’s no surprise to see Stoneybatter’s hottest new spot A Fianco leaning hard into this most Italian of seasonal ingredients. They’ve laid a classic Sicilian salad of blood orange, fennel and almond over hearty chunks of marinated mackerel for a bright and tangy spring plate. It’d be just rude not to wash it down with one of their Sicilian whites. Red mullet, Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen While red mullet shows up at various points of the year, it’s never better than the first two months of the year. It’s been given the two-star treatment by Mickael Viljanen over at Chapter One , with red pepper, a quenelle of caviar and bright red yuzu kosho to boost the colour and balance the flavour. We’re not sure whether to eat it or hang it on the wall. Blood orange Basque cheesecake Danish, Bread 41 There's no half measures at Bread 41 , who’ve gone all-out on a Basque cheesecake Danish to bring out the vibrant flavours of blood orange. The super-flaky croissant pastry is filled with cheesecake mix and a bright blood orange gel, all brought together with poached fruit slices and sprinkling of edible flowers and salt. We've never not impressed with these guys. February's organic porridge, Urbanity February's organic porridge from Urbanity with blood orange, cardamom yoghurt, pomegranate molasses and pistachio brittle are what we want to have for breakfast every morning this February. Extra points for making porridge look this good. Rhubarb galette, Elliot’s One of the best elements of this season’s bounty is its beautiful, bright colours coming after the dark, dull days of winter. Elliot’s galette gets that and then some - the deep pinks and geometric pattern of this rhubarb tart has the potential to put you in a trance if you stare too long. They’re also serving a blood orange galette that’s just as pretty. Blood orange curd bun, Fable Curd is a great way to extend the life of a short-season ingredient like blood orange, so we really hope Fable have made a big batch to keep these on the menu for a while. Dotted on a generous lashing of cardamom cream, and finished with a sprinkling of walnut praline, their blood orange curd gives a gorgeous colour contrast to these flaky buns. Red mullet, The Seafood Café A regular feature of The Seafood Café’ s spring menu, red mullet’s back again this year on this pretty plate. Pan-fried for a beautiful crisp red skin, the fillet’s served over spinach and mushroom - a simple, fresh starter designed to make this special fish stand out. Blood orange, pear and thyme scones, BaaBaa We’ve been really impressed with the variety of ways we’ve seen blood orange used this year, and Baa Baa in Chapelizod have gone another route altogether, baking it into savoury scones together with pear and thyme. We’re all for the unconventional combo, and at this rate it might be warm enough to enjoy one with a coffee on their terrace soon.