John & Sandy Wyer's Ranelagh bakery is a departure from their more fine dining restaurants, but stays firmly in the French canon with superior bread and peak patisserie. Don't go on a fully empty stomach on weekend mornings, or the queue will surely induce a serious case of hanger. It's all good here, from sweet to savoury to all the bread in the back, but don't miss the almond croissant, which is one of the best in the city. Una Website unabakery.ie Address Una, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story John & Sandy Wyer's Ranelagh bakery is a departure from their more fine dining restaurants, but stays firmly in the French canon with superior bread and peak patisserie. Don't go on a fully empty stomach on weekend mornings, or the queue will surely induce a serious case of hanger. It's all good here, from sweet to savoury to all the bread in the back, but don't miss the almond croissant, which is one of the best in the city. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

The best of Irish produce in a bright, airy room overlooking the Liffey. Open since 2006 but feels like it’s been a stalwart of the Dublin restaurant scene forever. The Winding Stair Website winding-stair.com Address 40 Ormond Quay Lower, Dublin 1 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The best of Irish produce in a bright, airy room overlooking the Liffey. Open since 2006 but feels like it’s been a stalwart of the Dublin restaurant scene forever. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Restaurant Manager and Assistant Manager < Back Restaurant Manager and Assistant Manager Volpe Nera Apply Now Location Blackrock, Co. Dublin Employment Full-time Date Posted 5 October 2026 Website volpenera.ie Volpe Nera restaurant is a neighbourhood restaurant in Blackrock. We're looking for an experienced Restaurant Manager and Assistant Manager to lead our front of house. This is a great opportunity for an experienced hospitality manager looking for a good work life balance, as the role will require a four-day working week. We are looking for a natural hands-on leader who enjoys training staff, wants to make their own mark and help develop our business. If you are ambitious and have a passion for hospitality and leadership and are ready to take the next step in your career, please send your CV to: info@volpenera.ie .

Handsome Burger The Galway-born burgers come to Dublin city centre and the airport, but are they still Ireland's best? Posted: 17 Sept 2024 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope & Maggie Fagan What should we know about Handsome Burger? Galway born Handsome Burger hit national headlines after being named best burger in Ireland 2019 , in a nationwide competition organised by meat company Kepak for National Burger Day (what a world we live in). Started as a market stall by two friends in 2017, they opened their first permanent premises on Galway's Dominick Street in 2019, before flirting with the Dublin market at Eatyard . In a surprise move, a Handsome Burger franchise opened next in Dublin airport in summer 2023, with a second standalone site opening on Chatham Street at the start of summer 2024. Their website says they "have two locations in Ireland and (are in) the process of planning a global takeover!" , and there's an inquiry form website for potential franchisees to get in touch. These guys have no interest in keeping things small and manageable. Franchising poses a big problem for business owners who like to be in control of their product - you're effectively handing the reins to someone else and hoping for the best. We've had multiple messages from readers who've passed through the airport and were sorely disappointed with their Handsome Burger experience, and now that the first location in Dublin city centre site is alive and kicking, we thought we'd check both out for ourselves. Where should we sit? Seating in Chatham Street is relatively limited, with just three low and three high tables inside, and more outside which will become defunct as winter wears on. The good thing is people should eat fast and move on, but we wouldn't fancy huddling in the middle of the room trying to dive on the next available table. Outdoor tables are all for two, so not the best idea with a group either, and you'll be blocking the central path if you pull two together. In the airport, it's an open mezzanine situation - sit where you want at seating so hard and uncomfortable it ensures you won't linger. What's the menu like? Complicated. The first thing you should know is that the menu on their website is not what you're going to find on Chatham Street or in the airport. There are five burgers on there that don't appear in either site, nor do the chicken tenders. On Chatham Street there's a choice of three beef, two chicken and a vegan Beyond Burger, as well as regular fries and two with toppings. In the airport it's more limited, with two beef, one chicken and the vegan, and fries are mandatory, with no option to just order a burger - they're not here to cater for the low carb girlos. You'll find their signature "handsome burger" on both menus, with cheese as an optional add on. It also has sticky onions, pickles, rocket and house sauce, which we're guessing is a mix of mustard, mayo, ketchup and gherkins based on this article . It's a juicy burger (if lacking in char) and the sauce is good, but we've yet to be convinced on rocket as a burger filling. At the airport it was an order at the kiosk situation. There were no options for substitutes (not cool in burger world), and it all felt very robotic and lacking in love - that taste came through in the food. Their flagship burger should be top of its game, but the Handsome was a flop. The meat was void of juice and lacked flavour. The pickles that should have been the welcome jazzy crunch to cut through the richness of the meat were soggy. The cheese, although seen, could not be perceived, and there was a serious lack of sauce. Not to mention the bun was dried out. Sad times indeed. The B.O.B. comes with lardons, crispy onions, double cheese and house sauce, and is a step up on the flavour scale from the handsome burger. The crispy onions and lardons add welcome texture to all that juiciness, but once again the burger itself needed more char. Despite asking three times in three different places if Handsome Burger 's chicken is free-range, we are still no wiser - their website says nothing about their sourcing. Their social media account told us that they use " Manor Farm free range Irish Chicken 90% of the time - occasionally we have to get another when demand is higher than supply ." They didn't respond to a follow up question about what it's replaced with. The staff in the airport Handsome Burger told us the chicken is not free-range. A senior member of staff in the Chatham Row branch told us it is - after a long pause where he didn't seem sure. We almost went round back for a root through the bins. The roost chicken burger (which may or may not be free range) had a buttermilk-fried chicken breast coated in a spicy buffalo sauce, which managed to remove all crispiness from the coating. There are pickles, lettuce and not enough Caesar dressing, but it was all so soggy it was probably better off. There's a proper kick to this one, so only dive in if your spice tolerance is high, and your crispiness craving is low. Meanwhile at the airport... Our vegan counterpart was convinced they had made a mistake with the burgers, as the Beyond Meat patty was so close to the real deal. Similarly to the carnivorous Handsome Burger, the pickles were a let down, and the bun dry. Chips were lacklustre and lukewarm. Rosemary and sea salt fries in Chatham Street were just about warm and lacking in crunch, but not as bad as in the airport. We didn't finish either portion, and it takes a lot to leave chips behind. The fries on their feed back in 2020 were declared hand-cut and triple-cooked, and look considerably better than what we were served in both locations. The loaded fries with chorizo, mint raita, grilled onions, chillies and garlic aioli was an unusual if enjoyable combo - somewhere between Indian and Spanish, but a €9 portion that was 25% onions felt steep. What about drinks? You're unlikely to be inspired by their drinks menu, and they're unlikely to want you to hang around once your burger's done, so everyone's happy. There's basic soft drinks or water, a white or red wine (Pinot Grigio or Malbec when we were in), a single Galway beer by can, and a German beer on draught. With all the brilliant beer being brewed in Ireland right now, it could be so much better. How was the service? Not very enthused. We had a muted greeting, and our food took almost 20 minutes to arrive - people who came after us got their food before us so something must have gone awry. What was the damage? €48.50 for three burgers, two fries and no drinks. A handsome burger, fries and a draught beer will cost you €20. In the airport the handsome burger and fries is €14.95 (5c cheaper). And the verdict? Maybe we're spoiled by craggy, crusty smash burgers, but Handsome's fatty patties didn't do it for us. Maybe back in 2019 their burgers and chips tasted better than this, maybe the focus on franchising has taken the focus off quality control. If you're in the neighbourhood and the queue for Bambino is too long you could do a lot worse. If you're in the airport, we wouldn't bother. As far as taking the Dublin burger top spot, Dash have nothing to worry about just yet. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

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

Italian/Irish neighbourhood restaurant in Stillorgan, with an impressive focus on provenance and a local, friendly vibe. Riba Website ribarestaurant.ie Address 4 Lower Kilmacud Road, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Italian/Irish neighbourhood restaurant in Stillorgan, with an impressive focus on provenance and a local, friendly vibe. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Jaru started off at markets around Dublin, serving bulgogi, tteokbokki and Korean-fried chicken to an ever-growing fanbase. Their 'Jaru Mart' in Nutgrove developed from there, a Korean grocery and meal delivery service, but in 2023 they finally achieved their original aim of opening a permanent Jaru restaurant, in the Liberties in Dublin 8. All the fan favourites are there, and it's a great place to rock up with a group and order it all. Space Jaru Website jaru.ie/spacejaru Address 67-68 Meath Street, Saint Catherine's, Dublin 8, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Jaru started off at markets around Dublin, serving bulgogi, tteokbokki and Korean-fried chicken to an ever-growing fanbase. Their 'Jaru Mart' in Nutgrove developed from there, a Korean grocery and meal delivery service, but in 2023 they finally achieved their original aim of opening a permanent Jaru restaurant, in the Liberties in Dublin 8. All the fan favourites are there, and it's a great place to rock up with a group and order it all. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

London-born steakhouse Hawksmoor decided it was a case of going hard or going home when it came to their first Irish opening, choosing the former National Bank building on College Green (previously home to Abercrombie & Fitch). Original features were restored, private dining rooms were added, and the opening of one of the most striking dining rooms in the city went off like a rocket. There’s a notable emphasis on Irish seafood and meat, with small producers islandwide profiled on their social media pages, and these guys are serious operators, so consistency should be a given. Save money on the bill by taking advantage of their €5 BYO offer every Monday (€25 every other day). Hawksmoor Website hawksmoor.ie Address 34 College Green, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story London-born steakhouse Hawksmoor decided it was a case of going hard or going home when it came to their first Irish opening, choosing the former National Bank building on College Green (previously home to Abercrombie & Fitch). Original features were restored, private dining rooms were added, and the opening of one of the most striking dining rooms in the city went off like a rocket. There’s a notable emphasis on Irish seafood and meat, with small producers islandwide profiled on their social media pages, and these guys are serious operators, so consistency should be a given. Save money on the bill by taking advantage of their €5 BYO offer every Monday (€25 every other day). Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Drury Street bar Rei Momo has a full Brazilian snack and grill menu, and is having a lot of fun with flavours in their food and drinks. They have the best selection of caipirinhas in Dublin, and all the deep-fried snack foods are perfect for sharing with friends over some cachaça based cocktails. Rei Momo Website reimomodublin.com Address 56 Drury St, Dublin, D02 HT29, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Drury Street bar Rei Momo has a full Brazilian snack and grill menu, and is having a lot of fun with flavours in their food and drinks. They have the best selection of caipirinhas in Dublin, and all the deep-fried snack foods are perfect for sharing with friends over some cachaça based cocktails. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Steak. Sides. Simples. A backbone of Dublin’s (thankfully) growing casual dining scene. Very good Featherblade steaks for €13, huge burgers, and good sides. Featherblade Website featherblade.ie Address 51 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Steak. Sides. Simples. A backbone of Dublin’s (thankfully) growing casual dining scene. Very good Featherblade steaks for €13, huge burgers, and good sides. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

This little hatch on Malahide's New Street serves Indian family recipes and more mainstream lunch options. Coffee is by Ariosa and seating is only outdoors, so best kept for dry days if you want to sit while you eat your potato curry or chicken salad. A Do Website @ado_coffeetogo Address 2 New Street, Malahide, Co. Dublin Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story This little hatch on Malahide's New Street serves Indian family recipes and more mainstream lunch options. Coffee is by Ariosa and seating is only outdoors, so best kept for dry days if you want to sit while you eat your potato curry or chicken salad. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

The sibling to Smithfield’s Fish Shop, Bar Pez describe themselves as “very much a bar” with seafood focused food. The depth and breath of the wine list is extraordinary (and you’ll need an extraordinary salary to delve into much of it), and the seafood is fresh and simply prepared. Sit at the counter for a view of the chef at work, or take a wooden table and settle in for a few hours. It’s walk in only so if visiting at peak times you might want a back up plan. Bar Pez Website barpez.ie Address Unit 3, College Court, Kevin Street, Dublin 8 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story The sibling to Smithfield’s Fish Shop, Bar Pez describe themselves as “very much a bar” with seafood focused food. The depth and breath of the wine list is extraordinary (and you’ll need an extraordinary salary to delve into much of it), and the seafood is fresh and simply prepared. Sit at the counter for a view of the chef at work, or take a wooden table and settle in for a few hours. It’s walk in only so if visiting at peak times you might want a back up plan. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Díon The rooftop restaurant with the 360º views that opened too early Posted: 9 Dec 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What's the scoop on Díon? It's the new rooftop bar and restaurant in the old Central Bank building (now Central Plaza) that's been years in the making, and finally opened last weekend after multiple delays. The site was originally due to be leased by the Irish operator of PF Changs , but when a global pandemic caused that to fall through, an Irish company known as Dreamview set their sites on it. It appears to be mainly funded by Irish corporate lawyer Barry McGrath , with Alan Clancy (a long time hospitality pro behind House, 37 Dawson Street and The Wright Venue) initially a fellow director. Díon is the Irish for roof, pronounced "dee-in". There's been rumblings of issues with the site for months, with Clancy stepping down as director in October (he's still described as a hospitality consultant to the business), and this week the news broke that Clancy's House venues in Dublin and Limerick have gone into receivership with an estimated €10 million owed. An 'annus horribilis' perhaps. While press releases started coming in September about its November opening, the date was put back again and again, with several people complaining on Díon's Instagram page a couple of weeks ago that they'd woken that morning to an automated email saying their booking for the same day had been cancelled. Not even a phone call? Help to find a table elsewhere? Not their problem apparently. It finally opened late last week, offering discounts on the menu for one night (as far as we can ascertain). You start below ground level, entering the doors to find hosts who will escort you via lift up to the tenth floor restaurant. We're told the plan is is start guests on the ninth floor and offer them a drink first, before ascending the stairs for dinner, but it's all a bit of a mess right now. So what's the problem? This venue is not finished and shouldn't have opened - clearly an ill-advised decision was made to cash in on the Christmas rush. Floors remain unfinished at the joins; nails sit on the ground ready to pierce the soles of diners walking by; there's a hole in the bathroom wall where a mirror should be; loose wires stick out along the staircases; kick boards under banquette seating were falling down hitting diners' ankles. Whoever was responsible for painting and finishing the ground floor looks to have gone on holidays midway through and forgotten to come back. Other online reviews from the early days of opening noted power tools on the ground; dust everywhere; a fire audit taking place during their meal with alarms going off for 30 minutes. There's something embarrassingly Irish about it all - "sure isn't it grand? What do they want?" What about the room and views? They're the reason it'll take you a while to spot the nails on the floor. Whatever we were expecting from Ireland's first 36 0 ° rooftop restaurant and bar, the reality of this glass box in the sky and its palatial design work exceeded it. It's incredible to be able to look down on every part of Dublin city centre and beyond, like a bird soaring over Dame Street, Trinity, the Convention Centre, the Ha'Penny Bridge - be sure to walk the full periphery of the room for the whole spell-binding effect. If there's a particular city marker that has a special place in your heart, ask for a view of it while you eat. The best tables are along the windows (and there are loads of them), with larger tables for groups (rectangular and round) set back from the front row, but there are no bad vantage points - you just can't escape these views. It does have a bit of a luxury liner feel to it, particularly when descending the stairs to the ninth floor below the restaurant, but we've never been adverse to a bit of luxury travel, and it all feels a bit surreal that we have something at this level (both physically and figuratively) in little 'ol Dublin. A sidenote though for parents - despite the restaurant being full of kids in with their families for an early dinner, they didn't think ahead enough to order high chairs, so they will be left to sit on laps or crawl over banquettes until they sort it out - which is really relaxing for their parents. What's the menu like? At first glance, snoozeville. It's a rare day that we struggle to decide what to order because so LITTLE appeals, but this is your typical please the masses combo. There's cream of chicken soup (is this a funeral?), duck a l'orange (is it 1970?), bacon and cabbage croquettes (sure we've got to have some Oirish stuff on there, we're basically in Temple Bar), and very little to get your heart rate up. Those croquettes (an appetiser at €9.50) are actually pretty decent, tasting distinctly of your Mammy's bacon and cabbage, with a very soft white sauce barely holding it all together. If you didn't like her version though you probably won't like these either. Another appetiser of shiitake mushrooms in salt and vinegar tempura (€10) was lacking both advertised flavours, but the batter was crisp and grease free. Bizarrely there were unadvertised spears of broccoli in there too - shiitakes too expensive? Chilli mayo on the side delivered a good punch of flavour, but it wasn't what was billed. For starters your eye can't help but be drawn to the 'Díon vol-au-vent', clearly their signature dish, given centre stage in its own box in the middle of the menu. Luxury ingredients like truffled chicken, foie gras and ceps justify the €25 price point, but of course it wasn't available. We slummed it with Lambay crab soldiers (an Instagrammer's dream at €16.50). The soliders arrived over-fried and lukewarm with the texture of cardboard, and if they'd ever come in contact with a Lambay crab we couldn't taste it - what a waste of a prime Irish crustacean. The béarnaise though was so perfect we would have eaten our napkins dipped in it, so we soldiered on. The surprise starter smash was the deep-fried globe artichoke with sage, tomato and romesco sauce (which also happens to be vegan). Beautifully tender inside, gorgeously crisp outside, the sage and tomatoes, brought freshness, the romesco depth, smoke and cream. It's a killer dish, veggie or otherwise. Díon are taking their life in their hands putting a double smash burger (€23.50) on the menu with all the competition around here, but those other guys can relax. These are not smashed patties (they were still pink inside, which in a non smash burger we would appreciate), and we're not sure how we felt about the large slice of tomato on top and the mound of iceberg underneath. Throw back to a sadder time in Dublin's burger history? It wasn't on a "cristal bun" either, looking like your average brioche. The main issue was the grease dripping from every side of it - so messy, with fat the dominant flavour and texture. Chips arrived at room temperature and criminally under-salted. There was no salt or pepper on the table, so after we'd gotten out of our seat (for the 65th time) to flag down an overwhelmed server, then have her take most of five minutes to go and source salt, they were fully cold. Duck a l'orange (€27.50) came plump and pink, with perfectly rendered fat, and crisp skin, but where's the orange? We were almost finished it before we remembered that part. A meaty jus would be more accurate. An endive tart came with half a caramelised bulb sitting on top of a rectangle of pastry, as if the two had been cooked separately and then assembled. Pleasant, but disjointed. Sides of colcannon mash (so dry we almost choked on it and with such a skant amount of kale we thought we'd gotten the wrong dish) and tenderstem broccoli with crispy chilli (very, very spicy with no crisp to be seen) were €4.50 each and you'll need them as a lot of dishes come with zero sides, like the dry-aged fillet steak (€47.50), or the Iberico pork chop on the bone (€45). We'd seen the tart tatin for two (€18) being carted around the restaurant, all eyes drawn to the large mound of apples heading for other tables. It's good, but not Mae good, with nicely burnished, tender apples crying out for more caramel. Again it seemed that the apples were cooked separately to the pastry with no fusion between the two - attempts to eat it just resulted in the apple chunks falling off. We've never seen Gypsy tart on a menu here, and while the description of "salted caramel tart" isn't technically correct, the addition of salt to an overly sweet tart is always welcome. This is dessert perfection, the type you'd expect to end on in a London bistro where every plate has delivered on your largest food dreams - the pastry, the custard, the glossy top, the Chantilly on the side - may they never take it off the menu. What about drinks? The website's cocktail menu talks a big talk abou t " A modern Irish cocktail story, told from above" , but when we asked for the menu we were told none of these special cocktails were available. " We just have classic cocktails ". Like what? " All the classic cocktails ." Panic, what's a classic cocktail. Can you give us some examples of what the bar can make? " All the classic cocktails. " We gingerly asked for a spicy margarita, expecting a "request denied", but it was brought and it was very good. The wine list looks like it's been designed by several different people. There's everything from supermarket brands, to natural wines, to bottles you'd only buy if you were showing off (€2000+), and there's no cohesion in any of it. You'll struggle to find anything of interest by the glass under €16/17, with the rare (and welcome) exception of Cantina Tollo's Montepulciano, a brilliant house red at €9 a glass. Anyone serving Moët as their house Champagne in 2025 needs to take a long hard look at themselves. How was the service? What service? After our appetisers and starters were delivered (together) we were left completely alone, to the point that we started to wonder if this magical room had imbued us with the super power to become invisible. No one came to check how the food was, to take away our empty glasses, to ask if we wanted more drinks, to clear our plates, to bring fresh cutlery. After a good 30 minutes of sitting like icebergs, we started to think that surely the mains were going to arrive any second, so got up and found a server from another section, apologetically explaining that our server had disappeared. "Oh I think everyone's gone on their break"... Our disappearing server hadn't know what the fish of the day was, how it was cooked, what price it was, what sizes the sole (priced per 100g) was available in. After a five minute delay each time when he went off to check, we gave up asking questions. Our flustered rescue server admitted that they weren't ready to open, and that the night before had been "carnage", with many, many unhappy customers. Our experience was mild in comparison apparently. Lucky us. There's also an agonising wait when the back waiter brings up your food on a large tray and places it on a service table in view, and you have to watch your food lose heat while they wait for a front waiter to bring it to you. More than a few times we were close to jumping up and grabbing the plates ourselves. Why anyone would put people on the floor with such inadequate training, who don't even know what's on the menu, and who are willing to walk off on a break leaving diners deserted is a head-scratcher. Was it days away from going under if they didn't get the doors open? Didn't they realise the damage that initial carnage could do? Why not do a week long soft launch seeking diners' forgiveness while they fixed the floors, finished the paint job and trained their staff to an acceptable level? How much was the bill? €194.50 for enough food for three (but just two mains), three alcoholic drinks and two softs. You'll easily spend €100 a head here if going all in, and you could spend a lot more if you're looking at that grill section and the higher priced wine. What's the verdict on Díon? It's generally accepted that glamorous international imports like Gloria , The Hoxton and Hawksmoor are good for Dublin, but you still hear rumblings of "but why can't we do these things ourselves?", with a lack of investment generally blamed. Díon has had plenty of investment (estimates sit around €10 million), but lacks the expertise to get a new opening off the ground in a professional, (seemingly) faultless way like their international competitors. It's embarrassing that we can't do it as well as them, especially in a space that has the potential to be as iconic as this one. Imagine Gloria opening the restaurant while there was still building work going on; Hawksmoor letting staff loose on the floor who hadn't been properly trained; The Hoxton opening Cantina Valentina with their Peruvian cocktails and star dishes missing from the menu. None of these guys would have risked it, no matter what time of year it was or how the bank balance looked, because they know you've only got one chance to make a first impression, and those first reviews (diner and critic) will sit on the first page of Google until the end of time. If you've got all the money sloshing around your pockets and are happy to drop some on a sub-par experience then go forth and enjoy those views, or just drop in for a drink, but otherwise we'd put this one on the long finger until the new year, when hopefully the online reviews will reflect that they've finally figured out what they're doing up there. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Grass-fed, chargrilled burgers that many would argue are Dublin's best, and with Gráinne O'Keefe (Mae) as culinary director they're taking things seriously. Juicy meat, brioche buns and a commitment to sustainability has meant Bujo is reason enough for a trip to Sandymount. Bujo Website bujo.ie Address 6A Sandymount Green, Sandymount, Dublin 4 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Grass-fed, chargrilled burgers that many would argue are Dublin's best, and with Gráinne O'Keefe (Mae) as culinary director they're taking things seriously. Juicy meat, brioche buns and a commitment to sustainability has meant Bujo is reason enough for a trip to Sandymount. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Virtuous eating to cleanse away the weekend’s excesses from vegetable-obsessed brothers Jack and Theo Kirwan. Eating well while caring for the environment seem to be their life's purpose, and they're even growing some of their own produce on the Sprout farm in Kildare, meaning it gets to customers' plates faster and fresher. Salads are so colourful and vibrant they're almost bursting from the plate, and change with the seasons. Sprout Exchequer Street Website sproutfoodco.com Address 19 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Virtuous eating to cleanse away the weekend’s excesses from vegetable-obsessed brothers Jack and Theo Kirwan. Eating well while caring for the environment seem to be their life's purpose, and they're even growing some of their own produce on the Sprout farm in Kildare, meaning it gets to customers' plates faster and fresher. Salads are so colourful and vibrant they're almost bursting from the plate, and change with the seasons. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Mamó was the most anticipated opening in Howth in recent memory (and one of the most generally of 2019), and with owners Jess D’Arcy and Killian Durkin’s CVs including Etto, Chapter One and Thornton’s expectations were high. Thankfully they were met, and Mamo's cod chips, by-catch ceviche and Howth honey tart seemed to have charmed everyone who’s walked through the door. Mamo Website mamorestaurant.ie Address Harbour House, Harbour Road, Howth, Dublin 13 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Mamó was the most anticipated opening in Howth in recent memory (and one of the most generally of 2019), and with owners Jess D’Arcy and Killian Durkin’s CVs including Etto, Chapter One and Thornton’s expectations were high. Thankfully they were met, and Mamo's cod chips, by-catch ceviche and Howth honey tart seemed to have charmed everyone who’s walked through the door. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Reggie's Pizzeria Perfect pizza at a neighbourhood joint you'll want to come back to again and again Posted: 18 Feb 2025 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What should we know about Reggie’s Pizzeria? We’ve been a long time waiting to see what Reggie White would do next. The Ballymaloe-schooled and LA-seasoned Dubliner’s fingerprints are all over the city’s pizza scene – very literally in some cases. Since kicking off a new era with the opening of Pi all the way back in 2018 (he’s no longer involved), he's put in a stint at the oven of Little Forest , and run a consultancy that advised Bambino among others. Now, he’s installed himself in the Rathmines space where Sprezzatura held sway until late last year, striving to carve out a family-friendly neighbourhood niche that people can swing by time and again. Where should we sit? Chalk the refitted high-ceilinged space in this beautiful building down as one of the city’s most welcoming rooms. On walking through the corner door of the dual-frontage façade you’ll have your eye guided past the spacious layout of tables straight to the three-tier electric pizza oven at the back. We’re big fans of this setup, courtesy of the same team who brought us the interiors of A Fianco and Note among others, and have again achieved a just-right balance of buzzy and roomy, with a still-too-rare focus on acoustics - for all the fast service to come, this feels like a place to linger. We’d expected our V-Day weekend visit to be thronged with doe-eyed duos but, true to intent, the place was packed with a plethora of groups, from younger families (it’s a while since we saw so many buggies comfortably accommodated) to Galentine gatherings – it makes for a great mixed energy. Two-tops along the window-lit right wall make for a great perch to take it all in, while the two booths at the back are more fit for intimate evenings for four. Out on the floor, a host of three to five-seaters will put you in the heart of the action. A big group can expect to get the grand eight-seater inside to the left – it’s easy to imagine a multi-generational family outing having a helluva time here. But the seats we’re determined to snag on our next visit are at the counter, with an eagle-eyed view of the oven and the hands that feed it. The entirety of the adjoining space that was briefly Flaneur, and before that Spatched, has been knocked through and given over to the pizza process, with piled-high bags of flour in the window another great example of how to sell the story of a food business to passers-by, and lure in more of a crowd. What’s on the menu? A lot more than pizza. We’ll get to the main event, but the most important thing to take away here – apart from extra pizza in a box – is that the starters have been given every bit as much thought as the dough and toppings. Olives (€4.95) are the earliest evidence of a provenance-first philosophy at play - these are the good ‘uns, a briny blast of an amuse bouche with the gentlest citrus kick. We’re predicting Instagram action aplenty for the gold-crusted goodness of the mozzarella sticks (€7.50) and arancini (€8.50) – unlike too many other outlets where these oft-filler foods show up, it isn’t all show. There’s a spectacular see-how-far-it-stretches stringiness to the mozzarella, just itching to burst out from its crisp coating. The sharpness of a light parmesan dusting takes the edge off a rich mouthful, though the spicy marinara’s aim to do the same would work better with just a little more heat. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/79af6f_f4b3a0758aec46aaa9cc7f673c4d516c/720p/mp4/file.mp4 Parmesan custard is a combination of words we’re always happy to hear, all the more so when it’s as lush and velvety as here. As a base for these oozing cacio e pepe-filled risotto balls it’s almost daringly OTT, the kind of out-the-gate indulgence that might see you off before you’ve even started. As a sharing plate though it’s perfect pacing, the deceptively airy texture an umami-rich accent to the faultlessly seasoned arancini. Go all in. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/79af6f_b814e3a39c244689a53fcacc3f1f7397/720p/mp4/file.mp4 White has lamented the lack of a free-range chicken wing supplier at scale, and if there’s a starter we’d skip it’s probably these (€11.50), much as the sizeable portions may tempt. The house honey and nduja is a sticky, spicy-sweet sauce of the finger-licking variety (classic is also available), but we didn’t find enough flavour of the brined meat to make it worth the stomach space another pizza might have taken up instead – practical to the core we are. Outside of the inimitable polpette alla nduja at Grano and A Fianco that keep us coming back time and again, we don’t ever expect to get excited about meatballs, but between Hera and here, they may be having a mini-moment in Dublin. Good cheese is the common thread - Reggie’s in-house ricotta keeps the pork and beef balls (€9.50) gloriously juicy throughout, ideal for soft spreading across the sourdough focaccia and lapping up every last trace of lightly-spiced tomato. Alright, let’s have it - what about the pizza? Tastes are too subjective across the Neapolitan, New York, Detroit and Roman styles (now blissfully available across Dublin) for us to definitively declare any the best, but we can comfortably say Reggie’s sits at the top table. Few pizza chefs in the city have spent as much time and effort on their recipes as White, and a 48-hour proofed sourdough base made with a mix of Wildfarmed flours from the UK is the result. If your lockdown-era experiments with home pizza have you wondering why anyone would ever pay for one out, here’s where to come for some clarity. This is divine dough, complex and full-flavoured, with structure and strength that holds up through every last, leopard-spotted bite. We’ve so far made our way through five of the nine options (we''ll be back to finish the lot off), and we’ve yet to encounter a bum note. The classics are always the best place to start, a real test of true skill, and Reggie’s has got it in spades. The margherita (€14.95) drips EVOO and gloriously gooey fior di latte, complementing the sharpness and sweetness of top-tier tomato. That’s to the fore too in the pepperoni (€16.50), balancing out the heat of Ventrecina salami and pickled chillies, both of which are textbook specimens. Sausage, stracciatella, and chilli (€17.00) isn’t a mile wide of the pepperoni’s palate, but a good example of how a little variation goes a long way. The succulence of the Andarl Farm pork gives a softer, sweeter bite than the crisped-edged salami, and so stands up stronger to the added intensity of Calabrian chilli – those who like their heat should go straight for this. We’d have welcomed a little more kick in the leek and Cashel blue (€16.00) - the whey-braised greens have a superb, honey-supplemented sweetness that could have used a little added sprinkle of those chilli flakes - the hot honey dip works well here. Hen of the woods and chicken fat (€18.50) is the most eye-catching among the pizza options – it's no shock given the premium for good fungi that it’s the most expensive too. The fat-brushed crust makes for an inspired elevation of umami shrooms, though we wondered if another cheese might have worked better - for all its nuttiness, Fontina felt a little lost alongside these other ingredients. Confit garlic rides to the rescue with an assertive punch you’ll keep tasting all night. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/416aaa_3d8999d70aca422ebd53823b46393cf4/720p/mp4/file.mp4 Desserts, like starters, give a clear sense that nothing is here for the sake of it. The old-fashioned ice cream sundae (€7.00) is a creamy, crunchy glass of delight, with pecan and chocolate crumb playing off melt-in-the-mouth scoops from Boulabán Farm. White’s set his sights on making his own in time, but if it stays just like this you won't hear complaints. Milk chocolate custard (€8.00) – we make it more of a mousse – is better again, with a heavier heaping of that chocolate crumb joining forces with flaky sea salt for a textural treat atop super-soft chocolate. A good stir is recommended for those not used to olive oil with their dessert, but an unexpectedly loaded spoonful did tell us they’re using the best stuff. What are the drinks like? The wine menu has good variety and better prices, with six of eight BTG coming in on or under the €9 mark, on an organic and biodynamic-heavy list – keenly competitive with Kodiak across the way and The Dunmore down the road. Entry-level bottles rank among the mid-€30s with blowout options in the main around the €60 mark. The light-bodied acidity of the Anselmo Mendes Alvarinho came in handy for all the starters’ and pizzas’ cheese, while Sainte Croixe rosé stood up well to the meatballs. How was the service? Couldn’t have been better. Tables were turning over quick with the weekend that was in it, and despite a hard finish on our booking time we never felt rushed. Staff have clearly all eaten their way through the menu and are happy to tweak their tips to your tastes. For all the speed they sling pizzas out with, the entire vibe feels very relaxed. And the damage? Budget €40 a head for a very filling dinner and drink, or stick to just a pizza each and shared sundae with change from a twenty. Whatever the mood, Reggie’s represents about as good value for pizza as it gets in this city given the calibre of the ingredients and the care in their cooking. What’s the verdict on Reggie’s Pizzeria? Even in just the two months since our ATF Insiders got the first bites at Reggie’s December soft launch (great perk right – sign up here ) we can see a clear upward trajectory for White and co, and that’s from no low base. This is casual, come-time-and-again dining at its best. Simple food, superb flavour, served free of fuss. As it keeps finding its feet and flavours, we expect this neighbourhood joint to have no trouble bedding in as the community hub it’s aiming to be, somewhere to make all ages, wallets and tastes very happy that they left the house for pizza. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Sprezzatura Handmade pasta with an Irish accent Posted: 14 Jan 2020 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? The story of a new handmade pasta place coming to Dublin in October, where no plate would cost over €10, and practically all the produce was Irish, was our second most read story of 2019 , and we can't say we were surprised. There's actually quite a bit of fresh pasta to be found in Dublin (which we proved here ), but nothing in the fast, cheap, good (and exciting) category, so there was clearly a gap for a Padella-style operation here - and every Irish person who's ever set foot in London comes home talking about Padella so we were clearly primed and ready for it - see here for why. Sprezzatura say they're making Italian food with the best Irish ingredients - their suppliers list reads like a who's who of Irish food - and with their commitment to sustainability including no paper on site, compostable packaging and renewable energy, we're not sure it's possible to be any more tuned into the zeitgeist. The man with the plan was Thom Lawson, formerly of Lucky Tortoise , who split with his business partners at the end of last year to focus on new projects. He's known as someone who like a concept and is good at executing them - and we know he has a few other ideas up his sleeve so watch this space. He joined forces with the guys at Grantham's who had the space and Sprezzatura was born. They got off to a rocky start (not that you would have know by the amount of ' influencers ' and celebrities coming through the doors), and an initial visit left us disappointed, but after a change up in the kitchen and some new chef talent (one of whom was formerly at Forest Avenue), things were looking up. Reports seem to be getting better every week, particularly when it came to value for money, so we thought a few follow up visits were in order. Where should we go for a drink first? Around here your options are endless. For a pre-dinner cocktail head to the Sitting Room above Delahunt for a Cognac and orange or a pisco lemonade, and for wine the excellent First Draft is a 5 minute walk away. For a pint head to Devitt's down the street, or if you like your pubs a bit cosier try Bourke's next to Whelan's where getting a seat at the weekend feels like winning the Euromillions. Bonus: you can get through to Whelan's at the back if you fancy a quick dance before or after dinner - there will be many carbs to burn off. Where should we sit? The large communal table at the front seats up to 20 but is reserved for walk-ins (it's worth asking if you have a group though), and is a great place to sit if you're not concerned about private conversation or personal space. You can also have a drink here before moving into the main room, which has tables for two and four, as well as some booths which would fit six at a squeeze. What's good to eat? The beauty of Sprezzatura is that it's all such good value, with no plate costing over €10, so there's a strong justification to over order - and you can take any leftovers home in a planet-friendly cardboard box. The regularly changing menu is divided into plates and pastas, with the former consisting of small plates, cured meat and fish crudo. Castelvetrano olives to start are the real deal - bright green, grassy, juicy - and the potato focaccia from Bread 41 arrives in a pool of rapeseed oil. The bread is pillowy and chewy in all the right ways, but rapeseed oil is not not olive oil and never will be - we appreciate the ethos of using Irish though. The lamb shank croquette is a must, and at €3.50 it would be rude not to. The flavours are rich and deep, the meat thready and soft, and it's all wrapped up in a crunchy coating. You can taste the time that went into making them. We stupidly never asked what was in the accompanying mayonnaise dip, but it tasted mildly of mustard. A plate of Toonsbridge stracciatella was decent moppage material for the focaccia, but if your reference point for the Italian soft cheese is the original, generously topped with olive oil, this may seem a little anaemic in comparison, with a lack of the typical stretchy, stringy consistency. Another place of 'fish nduja brandade' (fish not specified) was punchier with salt and mild heat from the nduja, and a nice touch of fine, toasted breadcrumbs on top. You will definitely want bread for both this and the cheese. There's six or seven homemade pastas on at any one time, and they change regularly, but the tomato and basil, bolognese and cacio pepe with rotating pastas look to be permanent fixtures. We tried the cacio e pepe with pappardelle and spaghetti on separate occasions and thought the spaghetti won hands down. The sauce seemed to congeal to the larger sheets of pasta quicker, whereas with the spaghetti it was still possible to twist and swish the pasta around the plate towards the end. Again this is made with Irish cheese instead of Italian Pecorino so it's not by the book, but it's very good. Another highlight was the tagliatelle with wild mushrooms, which was a perfect plate of simple ingredients coming together beautifully. The pasta was al dente, the mushrooms buttery and the thyme and cheese brought it all together. We really enjoyed the gnocchi too, which came with chorizo, ricotta and pine nuts on the night we were there. It's light and fluffy as opposed to stodgy, and there was a really nice balance between the creamy cheese, spicy chorizo and crunchy pinenuts. The only dish we weren't crazy about was the ricotta and nduja tyres, which when we had it was head-blowingly spicy, and generally unbalanced, but that was on visit two so they may have tweaked the recipe by now. The only dessert option is a 'popcorn panna cotta', and while it's a very loose interpretation of a panna cotta (the lack of any gelatinous consistency made it more similar to a crème brûlée without the crispy top) it is very good, with a salty caramel layer above set cream, and fresh salty popcorn on top. Even the initially suspicious were using their spoons to scrape the last bits from the side of the cup. It's a simple, sweet, satisfying end, and at €3.50 you may as well try it. What about the drinks? Sticking with their sustainability ethos, all cocktails, wine and beer are on tap, and their beautiful tap installation has been the subject of many, many social media posts at this stage. The Aperol Spritz is very good for an opener with some olives, but we felt the espresso martini was a bit watery - saying that it is €6 so hard to complain. When it came to wine we particularly liked the lambrusco (dry, fizzy red) and the Les Tètes red from the Loire in France, which was juicy and vibrant and a perfect pairing for anything tomato based or with a hint of spice. Drinks, like the food, are very good value, with wines by the glass ranging from €6.50 to €9. They also have two beers, gin and tonic, vermouth and kefir. And the service? Over the course of three visits the young staff were friendly and helpful, and special mention to one smiling, charming staff member who served a large group of us on his first night and was the personification of hospitality, despite being petrified he would make a mistake or forget something. A case in point for hiring for personality and the ability to make your guests feel welcome above all else. The verdict? Over three visits to Sprezzatura it was better each time, which is a good sign that the only way is up. This certainly doesn't seem like a team that's sitting still, and every time we open Instagram they seem to be trying out to recipes and flavour combinations. It's not quite Padella London levels, but if they keep pushing they could get there yet. Sprezzatura 5/6 Camden Market, Dublin 8 sprezzatura.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Chef Niall Davidson's nomadic restaurant finally settled down in Grand Canal Dock in 2024, with an à la carte menu of the country's finest meat, fish, vegetables and more, cooked in surprising, inventive ways. Industrial space with seating at low tables, the kitchen table or the bar. Allta Website allta.ie Address allta, Three Locks Square, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Chef Niall Davidson's nomadic restaurant finally settled down in Grand Canal Dock in 2024, with an à la carte menu of the country's finest meat, fish, vegetables and more, cooked in surprising, inventive ways. Industrial space with seating at low tables, the kitchen table or the bar. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

The Seafood Bar The perfect little restaurant to gorge on the best of Irish seafood Posted: 25 Jul 2023 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What's should we know about The Seafood Bar? It's the second restaurant from the team behind neighbourhood favourite Wood Fire Café just off Dorset Street. Owner Joe Oualadi is half Italian, half Moroccan, and says he's "mad about seafood" and loves to cook it. He couldn't understand why an island surrounded by fish doesn't have more places to eat great seafood (Amen Joe), and with a loyal clientele already on Blessington Street, he decided to take the site left vacant by Veginity (and briefly vegan deli Pretend) and get to work. Despite Wood Fire Café 's many D7 fans, we've visited in the past and didn't leave with a need to return - maybe we caught them on a bad day - so we weren't expecting to be first in the queue for this one, but between strikingly good reviews on Google and the total lack of a website/social channels for information, we thought it needed a once over stat. Can I book? Nope, and this is the one real drawback. With only 10 indoor seats we get it, but it's not very conducive to travelling across town or booking a babysitter. If it's dry and/or sunny you might be able to pull up at a barrel outside with some olives and a glass of cold white wine while you wait, which wouldn't be the worst way to pass the time. Where should we sit? There are three low tables of two, which can be put together for a four or a six (but you'd be lucky to find all three free at the same time, especially once the good word travels about this place). There are also two high tables at the counter, seating two at each. This is where we'd pick if we had the choice, to see all that seafood being prepped and cooked in front of you. Outside has another four tables of two (which again could be made into a four, possibly a six with some pushing and pulling), and a couple of barrels you could stand at. It feels very Spanish, and if we ever get sunshine again we can see this having a cracking atmosphere on a summer evening, those waiting for a table standing around with some olives, almonds and a glass of Loxarel Cava. What should we order? The menu has a strong Spanish slant to it, but with other cuisines like Italian and even Hawaiian (poke) thrown in. There's a cold section to start featuring peel and eat gambas with cocktail sauce, oysters, tuna salad and more, but our hearts fractured a little to hear that Ensalada Rusa with Cantabrian anchovies wasn't available, and that they're taking it off the menu. The rest of the menu features 12 starters and six mains, and expect to agonise over what to order, because this is a hell of a menu, with Porupine langoustines, Irish native shrimps, and a whole lobster with fries for €34 among the dishes you might feel the need to try. Getting over our Ensalada Rusa disappointment, we started with crab on toast - three pieces of thick, chewy, very lightly toasted bread covered with a mildly curried, lemon-scented, sparklingly fresh white crab meat mixture, topped with finely sliced radish. Adding unadvertised curry in here is a (possibly risky) curveball, but we loved the fresh, mildy spiced flavours, the contrast between the sweet flaky crab and the chewy bread, and the generous hand in plating this up. You can't come to a Spanish seafood restaurant without ordering fried fish, so deep-fried calamari and Native Irish Shrimps with tartar sauce were up next. According to the Irish Times , only 200 tonnes of these prawns are landed each year, and all (until now) are shipped to top restaurants in Spain and Portugal where they're sold at very high prices. That might explain this dish's €18 price tag, and why you only get two of the shrimp, but we loved it all the same, and it's a novelty to try something so rarely seen here. The batter was perfectly light and crisp, the tartar clearly homemade, and while a couple of calamari rings were chewier than we would have liked, there was no debating the freshness yet again. If you order one thing in here, make it the clams with garlic and salsa verde (€14), which has dive-bombed onto our "best things we ate this year" list. A sizzling cast iron dish arrives with bubbling olive oil (the good stuff) filled with caramelised, chewy, sweet garlic slices, clams floating above dressed with a generous spoons of zesty salsa verde. If sharing, expect to lose the run of yourself trying to dig out each little piece of fish, dunking it in the garlicky oil and smearing some salsa on top for one of the most perfect mouthfuls you could imagine. We had to ask for bread to mop up the sauce, and you should do the same. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/79af6f_4bd025a6af6b48299535a4615a9082e7/720p/mp4/file.mp4 The paella (€26) was another knock me down dish, the saffron-scented rice with a perfect bite, seafood lavishly dispersed across it. Prawns, monkfish, mussels, and clams were not in short supply, and the roasted peppers and dollops of aioli pushing the perfection level even higher. It was missing the slightly crispy base, but from other reviews online we can see some people's did have this, and with or without it, it's as good a paella as we've tasted (here or in Spain). The portion is also huge - you could easily share one between two. Seafood linguine is yet another knockout, again with the generosity of seafood feeling almost shocking in comparison to other restaurants. Simplicity is often the hardest thing to get right, but this simple sauce of garlic, white wine and cherry tomatoes let the flavours of the gambas, clams, squid and mussels gleam, and it almost felt like more seafood than pasta. How often can you say that? At €26, you could not complain about value for your euro. Sides were a low point and we'd skip them next time and just focus on the fish. Hand-cut chips didn't look or taste like they were done in-house, and weren't crispy enough, while patatas bravas came with that delicious aioli and a roasted red pepper sauce, but the potatoes tasted more confited than deep-fried, and weren't remotely crispy. Desserts are a total mismatch with everything that's come before: 'Classic Tiramisu'; Crema Catalana; and a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream and caramel sauce - is there anyone in the country who wants a chocolate brownie after a seafood feast? Please raise your hand so we can see you. The only acceptable choice was the Crema Catalana, but our hearts broke once again to be told they didn't have it, but had a cheesecake with red berry sauce in its place. They told us all desserts were made in the Wood Fire Café, and it did taste homemade, but it was a dull, heavy ending to a dazzling meal. A silky-smooth, flan-like Basque cheesecake would have been a far better fit. What about drinks? Wines are a mixed bag, with some decent bottles on there like Zarate's Albariño, Domaine De La Pépière's Muscadet, and the brilliant co-op Les Vignerons d'Estezargues' Southern French red blend, 'Cuvee des Galets', for €32. It's a bit muddled though with no theme or thread running through it (e.g. Mediterranean), and they're in desperate need of some sherries/Vermouths/aperitivo offerings. By the glass options are very limited, but we tried the Jurtschitsch Grüner Veltliner which was a nice easy drinker served very chilled, and a perfect match for the seafood. There are also some beers on tap, and flavoured San Pellegrino as well as the usual soft drinks. How was the service? Lovely, friendly, and the food came out at a good pace. They didn't charge for the extra bread, or a juice they poured from their own staff stash - a nice touch. And the damage? €128 for a generous feast for three (who rolled out after lunch and could barely face dinner that night), with one glass of wine. We'd throw it at them every day of the week. What's the verdict? We love The Seafood Bar. We can't stop thinking about The Seafood Bar. We want to move into The Seafood Bar and have Joe feed us all day - crab on toast for breakfat, clams for lunch, that big dish of paella and a cold glass of wine for dinner. It's not an inexpensive place to eat, but there's a big difference between cheap and value for money, and we thought that what we got for our spend was remarkable. Sometimes places open with a serious generosity of spirit (and ingredients) and then reality (and bills) hit and everything gets pared back. We really hope that doesn't happen here, because right now it's the perfect little restaurant to gorge on the very best of Irish seafood. The Seafood Bar 1 Blessington Street, Dublin 7 seafoodbardublin.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Little Canton A smart switch to Cha Chaan Teng classics Posted: 14 Jul 2026 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What’s the deal with Little Canton? Spend five minutes in the front window of most restaurants and you’ll get a good sense of the distance they’ll go. We had that perch at Nan back in the winter, and wondered over an affordable dim sum deal to compliment their higher-end Huaiyang cuisine, if the passing crowds that barely seemed to see the place could be bad news for its long-term future. Two seasons and a canny refit later, Ryon Weng and Ian Keegan have pulled the plug and pivoted to Little Canton , a cha chaan teng. We’re settled in the same spot, the glass between us and a growing queue fogging up from gasps at our lunch bowls, and the whole roast duck from the chef’s counter behind. Safe to say they've made the right move. Cha chaan teng? In a nutshell, it’s a diner done Hong Kong-style, with the madcap mix that comprises the international city’s cuisine at the heart of a largely cheap and cheerful menu. Despite what you might have seen on social and at least one national review (sigh), it’s not a new concept to Dublin – or even to D2. Eva Pau’s Hong Kong Wonton , where Duck used to be, brought the idea and much of the same interest to the area in the dying days of 2024, but just fifteen seats and a chaotic order-and-collection setup put a ceiling on its success (though they’re not taking the new neighbourhood competition lying down ). Wen and Keegan lean into opportunity just as often as innovation, so scaling up a similar concept is small surprise – just look at Chongqing Hotpot . What’s on the menu? Steamy summer or no, don’t skip the soup (€3.50). A small bowl of the daily rotating special is as good an appetiser as it gets, light broth shot through with aromatic airs and golden fat from pork chunks plunked plentifully within. Rehydrated lily flowers bring crunch and complexity in every ladle. You’ll get no clearer taste of the East-West fusion emblematic of Hong Kong cuisine than in the curry fish balls (€6.50), whose neon yellow soup has the distinctive bang of a suburban Chinese circa 1994. You’re clutching the wrong kind of pearls if you reckon these squidgy specimens are an acquired taste – we popped them like the down and dirty candy they are. We still think back on the duck spring rolls we had at the late, lamented CN Duck (whose menu Little Canton brings to mind more than once) – we were nostalgic for their sub-€6 price point after chowing down these two (€9.50). Inflation, we know, but that’s a helluva leap the relative quality just can’t cushion. Save your spend for elsewhere. Like, for one, the weekday lunch deal, where from 12:00 - 16:00 any roast meat is heaped on top of a generous bowl of rice for €9.99, with a €3/5 supplement to add one or two meats (plus €1 to debone the poultry), and €2 to upgrade the base to egg fried rice or noodles. A final bowl of bone-in chicken and duck on fried rice (€14.99) is stellar value for the provenance of free-range chicken and Silverhill duck. The latter deserves all the window-side gawping it got, air-dried skin shattering to a treasure of melted fat beneath – we’d never dream of deboning and depriving ourselves of the joy of gnawing off every last ligament of marinated meat. But going again we’d skip the soy chicken, where neither skin nor meat are half as penetrated with flavour and feel flabby and lifeless by contrast. Char siu pork hovers on the verge of the same turf, for all the eye-catching colour shot through these slices. This leaner-looking cut lacked the marbling we’d want to really achieve the signature succulence of this Cantonese BBQ classic – we’ve had a lot better. Stick to the crisp pork belly, where skin and fat layers yield the same crack-to-chew ratio we relished in the duck. We had it over stirred lo ding instant noodles (€16, or €11.99 for weekday lunch), a HK classic whose nostalgic feels explains its popularity throughout the room. Who’d have guessed the vegetables section would throw up one of the top talking points – though Nan’s green beans did the same. They’re back here too but it’s the salt fish aubergine clay pot (€15) that called out to us – and us to it, with squeals of joy at each chunk of fermented fish we found in the bubbling cauldron. We only wished there were more hiding amidst the ginger-rich stir fry. It sums up the speed of service here that we were warned one dish might take up to fifteen minutes, as though it were an eternity, but twenty later there was still no sign. A complimentary portion of salt and pepper chicken wings (€6.50) was flown down to distract us – it did that and more. The great gush of meat juice that bursts forth from crisp skin is a lesson in why to never settle for less than free-range, and a vision of what the roast breast could be with the right rethink of the glaze. The delayed dish was roast pork chop with tomato and cheese (€16), another HK staple ordered by at least half the tables around us. Too low an oven heat was the reason for the delay, and our cracked crater of a plate versus their gushing volcanos the result – the dried-out crusty cheese had all the pull of Temple Bar at 2am. Underneath we got more of the intended taste, with fresh and full-flavoured cherry tomatoes bringing tang to the typically ketchup-spiked sauce, and chunks of fried rice crisped off the piping plate like a paella’s socarrat. However even done right this would be too dense for our tastes. Not worth the wait, or the weight. Hong Kong-style French toast whisked out to neighbouring diners didn’t look half as appetising as the Hong Kong Wonton take , not that we’d have had stomach space for something so soupy-sweet either way. A lighter option in the pineapple bun (€4) is where it’s at, stuffed with a fat pat of butter like the best jambon-beurre. This sweet, soft, salty confection will be a breakfast hit if they ever open earlier than 12. The name’s a nod to form rather than flavour, with the cross-hatched sugar coating a riff on Mexico’s concha. There's more migration routes in the egg tart (€5), a play on the Portuguese classic but one whose crisp visible layers slope to a soggy bottom – skip it. Anything to drink? A small, serviceable wine list and better-fitting beers by the bottle are there for anyone in for dinner, but it’s the assorted hot and iced teas that you should sample for the real cha chaan teng vibes. A bear-shaped ice mould might yield Weng and Keegan’s best ROI yet if its ubiquity on TikTok already is anything to go by – made with tea rather than just water, it melted into our lemon tea (€5) without dulling the fresh flavours that were very welcome of a sunny summer afternoon. Hot milk tea (€3.50) is less tannic than the one we had at Hong Kong Wonton, both silkier and sweeter too – it would wash down a pineapple bun wonderfully. How’s the service? Briskly efficient – the walk-in only setup makes for some craned-neck queues and a heavy demand for the metal-topped tables to be wiped down and turned over, stat. Food comes fast, with wide-rimmed bowls leaving little space alongside blocky wooden cutlery caddies, so order in stages if you’re out to try a lot. What’ll it cost? Come for weekday lunch and you’d struggle to spend more than €20 unless you’re really doing the dog on it. But even a by-night blow-out with a whole roast duck, beers and sides to share wouldn’t likely see you inch over €50 a head. So, should we go? The “grand opening” balloon columns still fluttering in the summer breeze almost a month on speak as much to the lessons learned from Nan’s slow decline as the duck draped in the window behind and the heavy branding – give ‘em something to stop and stare at. They might not find food as good when they get in, but at least they’ll find it. Even great restaurants can’t survive empty seats. Little Canton is a market spotted and served, sometimes very well, and almost always at a fair price. Between this, the branding and the outside optics, we'd wager a bet that this group are onto another winner. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Bastible A new reason to visit the Dublin 8 favourite Posted: 25 Feb 2020 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Bastible opened in 2015, the first restaurant from couple Barry Fitzgerald and Claremarie Thomas (who also own Clanbrassil House and Coffee Shop ), and after Catherine Cleary called it the best restaurant she'd been to that year, there was something of a stampe, with months of tables booked out in an instant. Since the initial pandemonium it's enjoyed steady success, and it's safe to say it would feature on most (if not all) food writers and critics' 'best restaurants in Ireland' lists, but in the middle of last year there was an interesting development when it was annouced that ex-Geranium (three-Michelin starred restaurant in Copenhagen) and Noma (two-stars, also in Copenhagen) chef and Dublin native Cúán Greene had come home and taken up the mantle of head chef. Cue mammoth excitement about having someone who's worked at that level of globally recognised dining home and cooking in Ireland. They kept it quiet to start, letting Greene find his feet and explore the local (and greater) Dublin area for what could be foraged, fermented and found in woodlands, fields and probably even gardens, but you can't keep a secret long in this town, and as soon as Catherine Cleary found out there was fresh blood in the kitchen she was straight in. Another rave review followed, with her saying "there's a new level of cooking in town", and Leslie Williams in the Irish Examiner following close behind saying that what's happening here "needs to be experienced". We don't need any more convincing than that. Where should we go for a drink first? If you're after bubbles or wine, recently opened The Wine Pair on Clanbrassil Street should be top of your list. The neighbourhood wine bar has a mostly European selection, with plenty of organic and natural options and €10 corkage on anything off the shelf. If it's a pint or a G+T you fancy head for 57 The Headline who specialise in craft beer and have an enormous range of gins. Where should we sit? The dining room is pared back and minimalist, with lots of wood and steel, and moss green on the walls - very Scandi-esque. There are tables against the wall and in the centre of the room, and a six seater at the window. We do prefer a window seat, but if there aren't that many of you we'd opt for the wall every time. There's also some counter seats with a good view of the kitchen, which we imagine are in demand on busy evenings. What's good to eat? We visited for Sunday lunch which is the best value meal of the week at Bastible. The 'set menu' (really a tasting menu) is €45, whereas on other days a similar spread costs €52 at lunch or €65 at dinner. Just think about the extra money you'll have to spend on wine. It opened with 'ox tongue shish, kelp and dried mushroom', and if the thoughts of eating that part of an animal has the potential to turn your stomach, this is the tongue to change your mind. We're talking "OMG what is happening in my mouth right now and how can I make it last longer" levels of deliciousness. It had been sliced wafer thin, threaded onto a branch made of beech (for the flavour), barbecued and glazed before serving. Imagine the softest, most melt in the mouth, deeply-flavoured brisket, which had finished over fire to make it extra 'extra', and given a sticky, slightly sweet coating. What an opener. Next up came doorstop sized slices of homemade sourdough bread with Greene's cultured butter, the bread soft and tangy, the butter creamy, sweet and almost fluffy. We're also not sure whether it was deliberate or not but we're really on board with the idea of serving the bread and butter as its own course, rather than as an accompaniment to more exciting dishes. What's more exciting than really excellent bread and butter? After that came what felt like a beautiful looking palette cleanser of very finely sliced kolhrabi, sorrel and orange blossom, served cold and eaten in one or two bites. It was an interesting, light bite, but it won't be consuming our minds like some of the other dishes. Then it was back into OMG territory with a dexter beef tartare topped with a Jerusalem artichoke cream and cep crumbs. If there's a better tartare in the country we need to know about it, because it's unimaginable to think of any tasting better than this. The cream was almost like a rich, earthy custard, with the slightest crunch from the crumbs contrasting with the velvet softness of the tiny cubes of meat. A perfect plate of food. After that life high came a dish we'd been lusting after on Instagram for weeks - the baked swede with pumpkin seed mole, pumpkin seeds and ginger oil. It's one of the prettiest plates of food you're likely to eat this year, with soft, delicate flavours, but it didn't have the oomph or impact of some of the other dishes so felt over-shadowed in the grand scheme of the meal. Although 10 points for making turnip not taste like turnip. Then it was onto the main course proper - quince lacquered sea trout with glazed potato flatbread, smoked yoghurt and fermented gooseberries. The fish was rich and sweet and flaking apart, the potato flatbread pillowy, chewy and slightly sticky, and the smoked yoghurt with sea lettuce on top jacked everything up to peak flavour. The only thing we didn't get was the fermented gooseberries, which were tangy and sour in a very funky way that we found marginally unpleasant. They also only brought one tiny bowl of each for three people which felt a bit mean. They brought more on request but there was a five minute wait while the chef prepared it. Nevertheless this is a spectacular combination of flavours and textures, and much moaning was uttered during its consumption. Dessert was a beautiful, unusual combination of sheep's milk yoghurt mousse, fermented plum, marigold leaf sugar and woodruff oil. After so many rich flavours it was nice to end on something so light and delicate, with the sugar giving a lovely crunch against the airy mousse, and each flavour defined yet melding together so well. Plates were scraped clean. Finally as a petit four we were brought a juniper caramel wrapped in blackcurrant leather, a sweet, sour, salty, satisfying end to a pretty spectacular meal. What about the drinks? The wine list here is impressive, with many of our favourite winemakers featured and loads from the natural canon, as well as sherries and grower Champagnes - notoriously hard to find on Dublin wine lists. We loved the Gaston Chiquet Champagne and the Emmerich Knoll Riesling, but you can't go far wrong with a list like this. And the service? Staff were all lovely and accommodating, and knew exactly what was in each dish and how it had been prepared - a rarity. We did have to flail around a few times trying to flag someone down to order more wine or request more of that immense smoked yoghurt, but once they got there they were very helpful. The verdict? Bastible has been one of Dublin's top restaurants since it opened in 2015, but the arrival of Cúán Greene has taken it to the next level, where foraging, pristine sourcing and defining Irish food takes centre stage, and stars undoubtedly await. It's no secret that Greene harbours ambitions of opening his own restaurant, and how far away that is we don't know, but we'd recommend trying his food here as soon you can, and you'll be guaranteed to follow him wherever he goes next. Bastible 111 South Circular Road, Dublin 8 bastible.com New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Izakaya Japas & Sake Class-act cocktails and diverse sharing plates, but not the sushi we're searching for Posted: 3 Oct 2023 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What's the story with Izakaya Japas & Sake? Probably the most common query we receive via ATF Answers – our Insiders-only direct line to advice on eating out – is some variation on where's the best place to get great Japanese food in Dublin. Sadly, friends, we’re largely as bereft as you: despite its capital status, Dublin has lagged behind both Galway (with Wa Sushi ) and Cork (with Miyazaki and the Michelin-starred Ichigo Ichie ) for far too long, with only a handful of passable options studded around the city. The recent arrival of Matsukawa has thankfully (finally!) set a new Dublin bar, but between the €90 price tag and its being booked out clean through to the end of the year, it’s not much help to the casual diner looking for a sushi fix on short notice. So off we went to size up Yamamori Izakaya Japas & Sake after hearing increasingly positive grunts around town, and letting ATF Insiders pick our next review. It's one of the longstanding local chain mini-empire of outlets, open on George’s Street and in recent years pushing itself more and more as a traditional take on the casual Japanese sake and snacks bar. Where should we sit? The Victorian building’s high ceilings and a whole host of nooks and crannies give Izakaya a cavernous feeling that, even if the place is packed to bursting, lets its little corners feel nicely intimate. The sectioned bar seats are just a little too poky for our tastes but otherwise you can’t go far wrong from the main dining space spread with leather-backed booths and high tables and a window-side area with prime people-watching potential onto George’s Street. There’s also a downstairs dining room that was empty on our Friday night visit – it’s probably kept aside for brunch spillovers. What did you eat? Traditional izakayas are usually just as much, maybe more, about the drinking as the eating, so options here are broadly pretty simple, broken into sections of sashimi, nigiri, sushi platters, chef’s specials, and “Japas” – Japanese tapas. The vibe is very casual, with every opportunity to order a few dishes to start, and dip back in as and when it takes your fancy. We started with (complimentary – it’s the little things) edamame, fresh and firm beans in coarse-grain salted pods: the vigorous steam rising from the bowl is a good promise that things will be coming out fast and furious. We skipped past sashimi and went straight in with three nigiri, all served in prettily-plated pairs topped with edible flowers and paired, as per, with a ribbon of ginger and blob of wasabi – these are plates that look the part. The spiced hamachi was a solid start, the mild fatty fish given a gentle kick with duelling sauces of togarashi-based shichimi and citrusy-soy tataki: we might have preferred a more assertive spice, but it’s a matter of taste. Unagi foie gras was always going to need to be tried, roasted slivers of eel topped with a torched smear of liver paté. The slightly bitter brûlée treatment brings an interesting taste and texture to a bite that’s skirting excess richness with the butteriness of both meats – the combo makes for an off-beat interlude, if never quite the showstopper we might have hoped on first sight. The otoro – or bluefin tuna belly, among the most prized of sushi fish cuts – kept things suitably simple with a little smear of wasabi mayo, and while the marbled meat’s saltwater taste attested a freshness, we’ve had substantially better iterations of this elsewhere (not least just recently in Matsukawa). At €15.50 for the plate, this one’s a bit of a letdown. On the level of fundamentals across the three nigiri, there are a few tell-tale drawbacks that hold Izakaya back from being the answer we wish we could give to everyone’s Dublin sushi woes. We found the rice fine but less well seasoned than you should be getting in top-tier sushi rice, while the less said about the grainy, over-processed wasabi paste the better – steer clear. Happily the rest of the menu skewed to a slightly higher standard, with our venture into the chef’s specials a particular standout. These are all norimaki with presentation a major focus, and the ebi dragon we opted for definitely looks the part with plump, juicy katsu prawn wrapped in rice and overlain with thin-sliced avocado, wasabi mayo and capelin roe. You’ll be offered a choice of black or white rice; the black brings a delicate nuttiness that plays well with the sweetness of the prawn and saltiness of the roe. Onward to the Japas options, and we kicked off with takoyaki, the popular Osakan octopus ball snack. There’s good contrast here between the crisp fried exterior and the gooey pancake batter innards studded with chewy diced octopus, but the over-enthusiastic sprinkling of bonito flakes on top slightly dulled the flavour of the sour-sweet tonkatsu sauce. It’s not a bad dish, but there are others around town (hello Kakilang ) doing it better. Gyoza options hadn’t exactly gotten us excited – next to the nigiri, a lot of the Japas menu reads as pretty standard fare – but we gave the yasai option a go for good measure. They came out bearing the tell-tale burnt-bottom signs of a proper pan-frying, and while these crisp undersides give just the right crack as you bite in, the veggie filling is a dud of soggy spinach and soft squash. We’d pass on these. We were on firmer ground with the potato korokke, croquette-style breaded discs of creamy mash with a spot-on golden crust and just the right sprinkling of salt – this is the kind of side snack plate the whole table can agree on. Mileage may vary with the tonkatsu sauce on the side; while it’s flavourful in its own right, we felt these played better with a wasabi mayo. Agedahi nasu – or deep-fried aubergine – arrived in a still-searing pot with the wafting air of dashi broth making its way across the table. The traditional version of this dish uses a Japanese species of aubergine with thinner, more absorbent skins – here, with the more familiar, fatter form of the fruit, the skin still feels slightly rubbery. Thinner slices might have helped. We can’t fault the flavour though, with the scored flesh hiding rich pockets of dashi umami. The seared skin of the 'sea bass & kuro ninniku' is a sight to behold and has the flavour to match: the fish has been cooked in a black garlic butter that gives it a deep, rich, bitter-sweet intensity that’s a joy to savour. Beneath the charred skin, the flesh is soft and succulent with all the buttery goodness it’s known for. This is a standout. Sides of steamed rice are solid, with a varied texture from tempura flakes and sesame seeds keeping it interesting, but given how broadly sauce-free the dishes at Izakaya are, this is one you could easily go without – particularly if you’ve already gone down the norimaki route. With a deeper and nuttier flavour, the black is probably the way to go if you're just looking to get a fix of carbs. What about drinks? Sake is a specialty here with several varieties on the menu, but we’d had a tip that the cocktails are where it’s really at – we’re happy to report it was on the money. The complimentary notes of the Fashioned Brandy and Japanese Old Fashioned highlight the impact of little touches, with the former’s black walnut bitters bringing an earthiness against the apple overtones of the Nikka Days whiskey in the latter. The Toki sour was a knockout, a fresh and sour-sweet mix of Suntory whisky, plum sake, lemongrass syrup and plum bitters topped with a sprinkle of matcha – we loved it. How was the service? Staff are exceptionally friendly and all over the menu – give them your preferences and they’ll give you a very knowing helping hand. Dishes come quick but not overwhelmingly so, and there’s a clear rhythm to the way they'll roll out the next stages according to what you've ordered. The layout of the space can mean you’re waiting a little longer than you’d like to get some attention if you find yourself tucked away in a corner, but service is sharp once you have caught an eye. What was the damage? For a just-right share of food and those rock-solid cocktails, it came to just shy of €70 a head for three of us – that includes a 12.5% service charge added on automatically, something usually only seen in bigger groups. It’s not wildly out of step with expectations in Dublin these days, but it does put Izakaya on a price par with many better options out there. A recently-added brunch menu is much better value, with €35 four-serving cocktail pitchers and a choice of five Japas for €45 (albeit from a much slimmed-down menu) meaning you could eat and drink well for closer to €40 before service – it runs from 1pm to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays. What's the verdict? A great place to get sushi it ain’t, but Yamamori Izakaya’s class-act cocktails and diverse selection of sharing plates, never mind its central location and surplus of space, make it a solid choice for group dining. There’s plenty here to suit most dietary needs, and a just-right blend of mainstream and more adventurous choices – if you’re struggling to keep a mixed crowd happy, this might just be the answer for you. New Openings & Discoveries More >>

La Gordita Exciting, original Spanish cooking, in a Bodega-style setting Posted: 4 Apr 2023 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What do we need to know about La Gordita? It's the second, more "grown-up" opening from Las Tapas De Lola 's Anna Cabrera and Vanessa Murphy, just around the corner. It's been pitched as 'bodega-style', but they're not actually looking for people to pitch up at the bar sipping sherry and eating olives. Instead this is somewhere to settle in for a three-course meal with all the wine, and leave feeling spoilt. The head chef here is Maria Luisa Moraleda, who was cooking with Killian Walsh at Clanbrassil House before being nabbed by the Lola girls, and he's clearly a fan . She seems to have been a brilliant and perhaps lucky hire, being on the ground, ready to make a move, and fitting the restaurant's spec so perfectly, coming to Dublin by way of Sevilla and Donostia. We'd imagine the opening menu is a collaboration between Maria and the owners, but she seems like someone with a strong style and a lot of confidence, so we can see her fully taking the reins before long. Where should we sit? It's a long, narrow room, with a few tables for two, four or six, and the rest bar seating. You know the story. Solo diners will love the bar option, as will a lot of couples. Any more than two and you're probably better off at a table for conversational reasons. They're aren't many though, two in the front and three in the back, and the maximum booking they can take is for six people. When we booked the website said there was only bar seating available, even though there were empty tables when we got there, and a staff member told us they're trying to keep the tables for bigger groups. If you're a two and would prefer a table, it's worth giving them a call to ask. Two of the tables in the front offer a great people watching vantage point onto Montague Street, while the ones at the back will give you views right into the kitchen. Again if you have a preference it's worth calling and asking if your preferred area is available. What's the lowdown on the menu? Something that may or may not come as an unwelcome surprise is the stipulation that you must order a main course, as part of a minimum two courses per person. A minimum order is never an issue, but when faced with 18 snacks and small plates before the "main deals", each sounding better than the last, being forced to use up so much of your budget and stomach space on the bigger plates might not be what you want. Our server explained that "we're not a tapas bar, that's around the corner in Las Tapas de Lola", but as it's been pitched as 'bodega-style' we assumed there would be more flexibility around ordering, especially as we (and we know most of you) want to try as much on a menu as possible. We pleaded with our server that we'd already picked what we wanted online (three snacks, three small plates, the lobster main and two desserts), and after some back and forth he agreed to let us go forth and eat. We know that being forced with a minimum spend on a menu doesn't sound great either, and that they can't survive unless people order an adequate amount of food, but would that many people really rock up and sit over a plate of almonds for a couple of hours? We don't know what the answer is other than trusting that diners who come to a restaurant actually want to eat, and if they don't having them justifiably removed by the heavies. We started with a couple of gildas, which are the only way to start a meal in any respectable Spanish establishment. Pair with a Manzanilla sherry for the perfect opening to dinner. Before these came a little bowl of complimentary olives from Antequera in Spain, which were richly flavoured, salty and tangy. Then the La Gordita version of garlic bread, or really garlic on toast. So simple, so perfect, so hard to understand why no one else has done this here. This isn't your 49c garlic from the fruit and veg aisle. Staff told us it's coming from Spain each week, and after a low, slow roast is so sweet, so savoury, so perfectly salted, squeezed out and slathered all over the crunchy toast. Our love for vinegar-soaked boquerones runs deep, but the ones here weren't the best we've had. The best ones are bright white, with plump juicy flesh, tang and oil beautifully intertwined. These ones had clearly been doused in some quality olive oil, but were greying and on the tougher side. An 'Asadillo con melva' - salad of roasted red pepper, melva tuna from Barbate in Cádiz, and garlic - on the other hand was simple and perfect. This is the good tuna, the one that makes John West look and taste like cat food, sitting on a bed of sherry vinegar marinated roasted red peppers and slivers of white onion. It tastes like sitting on a Mediterranean beach sipping a cold glass of white wine, feeling the sand between your toes and the sun on your arms. We were advised to order the bombitas de morcilla, one of their most popular dishes, which are Spanish black pudding balls with goat's cheese, served with tomato marmalade. The excellent morcilla is silky soft, and while you might not spot the goat's cheese amongst all the black, every so often you'll get a pleasing whack of it. We can never resist some berenjenas fritas con miel de caña (f ried aubergine with sugar cane honey for the uninitiated), and these were very good but different to every other example we've tried. They're cut so finely they're more like crisps and you don't get any aubergine texture, but once you pop you won't be able to stop, and the sugar cane honey was the ideal consistency, not too thick and treacly as is sometimes the case. For the 'main deal' we couldn't see past the 'Bogavante de Formentera' - fried lobster with potatoes, padrón peppers and fried eggs. It's €37 so it's a splurge, and you only get half a lobster so it's a tricky one to share - we wouldn't advise even attempting if there are more than two of you. It's a beautiful dish, the fresh Irish lobster just cooked, the potatoes cut thin as crisps, padrons oily and salted, and the fried eggs crumpled with all the right crispy edges, and oozing yolks. It's pretty plush, but you're worth it. We'd ordered the patatas panaderas (because trying all and any form of potatoes as an Irish person is mandatory), but as the lobster already came with potatoes our server suggested we try the 'espinacas cremosa' - creamed spinach with pinenuts and raisins, and we scraped every last sliver from the dish. It's the type of side you might try to make at home for steak night, but yours never ends up as silky and creamy and utterly delicious as this one. There are four desserts on the menu and a cheeseplate, but we think they've missed a trick not using the latter as an opportunity to showcase some of the incredible Spanish cheeses available in Ireland, like Manchego, Monte-Enebro and Cabrales. When we visited it was Comté, Delice de Bourgogne and Cashel Blue, which jarred with the rest of the menu and feels like an attempt at appealing to the masses rather than committing to the bit. We were recommended the Tarta de Manzana, a Spanish apple tart not unlike a Tart Tatin, with richly flavoured rum & raisin ice-cream, and while enjoyable, it needed to have been cooked for longer to up the caramelisation - we saw another leaving the kitchen beforehand which was a lot darker and looked more like it. The other headline-grabbing dessert is the Torrijas - almond milk-soaked bread with almond cream. It's a heavy choice to end a meal with, and one you might regret while walking for a taxi/DART/bus, but you'll have no regrets while spooning the burnished, milky, marzipan-esque toast into your mouth. What about the drinks? There are seven sherries by the glass, which is admirable by any Dublin restaurant's standards, but they're all Lustau bar one. Lustau makes some really great sherry, and the three we tried (a dry Palo Cortado, a 25-year dry Oloroso, and a sweet 'Solera' with dessert) were choice examples, but in a city where superstars like Callejuela and De La Riva are readily available we would have liked to see more breath. There's plenty of interest on the main wine list too (more so by the bottle), but we would have loved to see them do a solo Spanish deep-dive like Grano or Apertivo have done for Italy, and left the people pleasing Picpouls and Pouilly Fuissés to the others. Our advice - stick to Spanish, like Raventós' cava-style (but better than most you've probably tried) 'I Blanc', Raul Perez's Godello 'Ultreia', or Comando G's cult Garnacha 'La Bruja De Las Rozas'. There's a classic cocktail list too, plenty of spirits, and beer from Estrella. How was the service? Delightful, charming, hospitality personified. You know immediately that they're going to build up a roster of regulars, whose likes and dislikes they'll get to know, who'll have their favourite spot at the bar, a comped drink before going home. It's just that kind of place, and was always going to be coming from the same team as Las Tapas de Lola, known for one of the warmest welcomes in Dublin. What was the damage? This amount of food which happily fed (stuffed) two with five drinks will cost you €163 before a tip. And the verdict? We always think the mark of a great restaurant is when we're walking out the door looking for reasons to return, and in a city of constant new openings that we're occupationally compelled to try, that's not often the case. We were thinking up excuses to go back to La Gordita before we'd even left, for the caviar and crisps, the anchovies with blue cheese butter, the lamb ribs, the octupus with romesco, the weekend arroz special. Head chef Maria's cooking is exciting, original, honest, and we want more of it., We'd love to see the must order main course stipulation changed to a minimum spend (or dropped altogether), but if this doesn't happen we'd suggest going as a four or six so you can try as many snacks and small plates as possible. Otherwise the sadness at leaving so much unordered may be unbearable. On the other hand it's an excuse for another visit, not that you'll have to try too hard to come up with one. La Gordita 6 Montague Street, Dublin 2 lagordita.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Eleven All the potential in this roadside restaurant with wood-fired food and great cocktails Posted: 18 Apr 2023 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Ronan Doyle What should we know about Eleven? Named in tribute to its roadside position just off the N11, the latest addition to John Farrell’s portfolio of Dublin diners (Dillinger’s. The Butcher Grill, 777, Amy Austin, and the late Luna are among the others) opened above Whelehan’s Wines in Loughlinstown late last month. Farrell’s MO is well-established by now, offering up conceptual dining experiences fronted by his own painstaking attention to interior design detail. At Eleven , it’s a smart-casual neighbourhood vibe they’ve gone for, with two distinct relaxed spaces set either side of a zinc-topped wraparound bar with counter dining. The Butcher Grill ’s Atish Bhuruth has been drafted in to design the menu in an Executive Chef capacity, and the wood-fired grill as well as a couple of other menu items clearly bear his mark. Where should we sit? The bar’s 20-or-so seats make a good choice for solo diners or duos who delight in watching the magic of cocktails in the making - more on those later - while the main open dining space is saved for four-top tables. The combination of deep red walls, warm wood tones and geometric rugs make this main area an especially welcoming first sight as you walk through the door. Down the back, there’s another area with two high tables that seat ten each, and are tailor-made for bigger groups or those who don’t mind sharing. Both areas are bright, open spaces by day and more intimate lamplit affairs by night - in the evening, there’s an ambient slide guitar soundtrack provided by a house musician tucked away in the corner. What’s on the menu? It’s a simple and streamlined menu neatly divided into small plates and mains, with standalone sections for the wood-fired grill and sharing steaks and fish dishes. The small plates mostly skew cold and cured, with seafood a recurring theme. We started with a hamachi ceviche bathed in blood orange, red onion, ginger and tapioca pearls. While the firm-fleshed fish was flavourful and well-textured, the salsa was more mush than fresh, with overly assertive ginger spoiling the balance. Between that, the fridge cold temperature of the fish, and the sad puddle on the plate, we couldn’t help but wonder if this had been assembled earlier rather than being made to order. We were surprised to see a summery dish like heirloom tomato, peach and burrata salad on offer in April, blue as the skies outside may have been. Neither the multi-coloured tomatoes nor the peach - served in both lightly-salted slices and a concentrated gel - at their very best this time of year, but the more muted flavours still played well off the mild bitterness of black and pink radish and lightly pickled lengths of fennel. Amidst all that colour we almost missed the measly mound of burrata, less the centrepiece ball we expected than a subtle spoonful. We couldn’t fault the flavour, but the serving size did seem to take the idea of a small plate a little too far, especially at €14 a plate. There were no notes needed for the sourdough on the side, with its crispy-chewy balance, and irresistible whipped smoked honey butter - a smartly sweet match for all of the small plates’ acidic overtones - keep this one on hand to balance out all the citrusy sauces. Bhuruth’s a noted fan of the flavours wood-firing brings, so be sure to order at least one of those options for the table. We found the prawns the most tempting of the bunch (there's also tuna and steaks), and our expectations of "grilled prawns with lemon and herb oil" came true on the plate. The blackened antennae speak to the high and dry heat of the grill, caramelising the meat to emphasise the natural sweetness of the shellfish, and a zippy lemon and herb dressing complemented the smoky-sweet meat for a dish that really gets across what Eleven is trying to do. We thought the same about the wolffish, definitely one of the menu’s standout attractions for us. You don’t see this ugly bottom-dwelling monster on Dublin menus all too often - more’s the pity, as its imposing size and diet of scallops and crabs make for sizeable and delicately sweet fillets. They’re given excellent treatment here, grilled to a perfect crust and bathed in a bonito butter so tasty we ate it by the spoonful. It's a great pairing of quality ingredients cooked in a simple style that let's it all sing. On the side we went with the parsley-buttered heritage carrots and smokey beans. Your choice of the six options is served with the wood-fired grill plates, while the other mains come unaccompanied - a distinction that left the wolffish especially feeling a little short-changed, especially with the €30 price tag. Both sides satisfied but neither were overly exciting - most of the choices have been brought over from The Butcher Grill’s menu and there’s a sense that these are meant more as supporting players than standout dishes in their own right. Also imported over from that menu is the Sauternes crème caramel, the only dessert option on offer (an unspecified selection of cheese for €14 is also an option). It’s a pretty and unpretentious plate, with the sweet wine-soaked golden raisins bursting with beautiful, boozy flavour, and the simple custard flan offsetting the rich intensity of the caramel sauce. What about the drinks? Wine is supplied by Whelehan’s downstairs, with bottle prices starting out reasonable and heading sharply upward from there: if there’s an occasion to celebrate, you can definitely do it here. By-the-glass options are fairly middle-of-the-road, though the earthy and fruit-forward Château Beauchene Côtes du Rhône we tried worked well with the smoked sweetness of the prawns. If you're there for a long lunch from Wednesday - Friday and the wine list doesn’t take your fancy, they also allow you to bring in anything from downstairs for €10 corkage. That got our attention. What caught our eye more were the cocktails. The bartender who’s developed them has previously been in 777 and Dillinger’s and was enthusiastically training up colleagues on his creations while we were in. He’s just as keen to walk you through what’s in them and tailor them to your tastes, right up to very considered non-alcoholic twists - an essential skill in a location likely to play host to plenty of designated drivers. The concoction he crafted for our non-drinker was a well-balanced tart-sweet blend of yuzu juice and pineapple shrub, finished with a liberal misting of orange blossom water from a perfume bottle - as much a performance as a pour. From the alcoholic options we tried a brown butter-washed bourbon, sage and celery bitters short-serve, with a delicious depth of nutty flavour. It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to skip dessert altogether and drink it instead. How was the service? Friendly and informal, nicely grounding the atmosphere - a room like this might easily feel stuffy if the staff weren’t as warmly welcoming and ready to chat. Bar seats are best to get the full experience if you want to explore the cocktail options, while the main area has a slightly more formal feel with suited servers mainly keeping a low profile. And the damage? Our bill came in at €138 before tip, a little on the steep side for a feast that didn’t quite fill and three drinks (one N/A) - but we feel like we're saying that about everywhere these days. You could easily go beyond €100 per person with a few more small plates and another round of drinks. There’s €2 oysters with €2 off cocktails from 17:00 - 19:00 Wednesday - Friday if you wanted to make it a little more budget friendly - or head in for the Sunday roasts, ranging from €23 to €27 and served with all the trimmings, to try it out for less. What’s the verdict on Eleven? There’s all the potential in this roadside restaurant, even if it might need a little more time to seek out and settle into its own niche. For a location like this to work, it’s going to need to become something of a destination - landing the Sunday roasts and making the most of the back terrace through the summer months might just make it that. We’d love to see the same attention and unique personality put into the small plates, but for now we're betting the cocktails, top-quality mains and those Sunday roasts will be enough of a draw for the curious to keep Eleven buzzing for the foreseeable. Eleven Bray Road, Loughlinstown elevendublin.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Vibrant, joy-inducing Middle Eastern food, whose flavours far surpass the very cheap prices. Shouk brought something to Drumcondra that it was desperately missing, and it's been packed every day since. The outdoor terrace at the back (covered in winter) is the place to be on a sunny day, and don't miss the arayes and the mezze. There's a wine list but you can also BYO. Shouk Website shouk.ie Address 40 Drumcondra Road Lower, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Vibrant, joy-inducing Middle Eastern food, whose flavours far surpass the very cheap prices. Shouk brought something to Drumcondra that it was desperately missing, and it's been packed every day since. The outdoor terrace at the back (covered in winter) is the place to be on a sunny day, and don't miss the arayes and the mezze. There's a wine list but you can also BYO. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Big Fan Big flavours, sake cocktails and hiphop tunes on Aungier Street Posted: 7 Jul 2021 Neighbourhood Neighborhood Name Address Restaurant Address Website Website Name Restaurant Info View the Listing >> Written by: Lisa Cope What’s the story? Big Fan was another one of 2020's mid-pandemic openings - not the way they envisioned their first year in business but plans were already in motion when the world as we knew it ended last March, so they made the best out of a bad situation. They started with take-away, then a brief spell of indoor dining in December, then some seriously delicious at home meal kits (one of the overall standout ones for us) and now they're back with outdoor dining. The owners have a background in burger restaurants and art galleries, but their head chef Tom is from Hong Kong and has been cooking Chinese food for over 30 years, and Big Fan was a chance for him to really unleash what he could do. They say they want to bring something different and genuine to the Dublin restaurant scene, the best Chinese food in town (set to a back drop of Hiphop tunes), and after what we sampled at home we were keen to try the full Big Fan experience. Where should we sit? They've done a really good job of maximising their space for outdoor dining, including taking out the window at the front and seating people technically inside the restaurant - some of you who are still unvaccinated and/or anxious about being around strangers might not be comfortable with this. If that's the case they have tables outside on the path too, which are well sheltered from the elements - on the night we were there it lashed but we didn't feel a drop. Just make sure you specify any preferences on booking. What's the food like? There's quite a large menu, with bao, jiaozi (dumplings), small plates, big plates, sides and sauces. Our eyes were popping at all the inventive dishes, each sounding more appealing than the last, and we were pretty pleased that so many were in the €6.50 - €10 bracket so we could justify ordering too much food. First up were crispy wontons filled with Toonsbridge scarmorza and squash, and a plum sauce for dipping. Often this kind of 'Asian fusion' is a complete car crash, but not at Big Fan. This kitchen has a a bit of magic when it comes to flavour and texture, and if they're not careful they might give Asian fusion a good name again. Next up were duck wings (which must have been legs unless there are mutant ducks walking around St. Stephen's Green that we don't know about), deep-fried and tossed in Big Fan seasoning. We'd initially asked for a sauce to come with them thinking they might be dry, but we were very wrong. These bad boys are so good you won't want to dilute the flavour with anything. The juiciness, the spice mix, the crispy bits - we haven't seen or eaten anything like this in the city before, and that goes for a lot of the menu here. We'd surprised ourselves by falling hard for the cheeseburger spring rolls at Hawker, so when we saw that Big Fan had put cheeseburger jiaozi on the menu it was only going to end one way - in our mouths. Once again a restaurant has managed to take a processed, corporate (albeit delicious) piece of fast food and morph it into something we feel much better about eating, complete with burger sauce and gherkins. It might sound easy but it's so hard to get right, and again here they've nailed it. A few more of these inventions and we'll be able to write a piece on "where to eat a cheeseburger when you don't want to eat a cheeseburger". Cheeseburger salad? Cheeseburger sushi? The options are endless. Last for the ones we loved was the 'Legend of the Ox' - a juicy beef shin ball wrapped in kataifi pastry on a bed of sweet soy mushrooms. The meat was juicy, the pastry crispy, and the soy mushrooms were the umami bed it was all wrapped up in. Another really excellent, different plate of food. We'd ordered the 'Black Dragon' bao - who could resist the promise of Irish lobster tail and Wagyu beef on a squid ink bun - but it wasn't what we were expecting, and we initially thought they'd brought the wrong dish. The bao came as a flat rectangle which had been deep-fried (leaving it greasy), as was the lobster tail, and everything combined just felt too rich and unbalanced. Big talk, unfortunately didn't deliver for us. Prawn toast was perfectly good but no better than most other good Chinese restaurants, and after the plates that had come before we were expecting something more exciting. The pineapple salsa was a bit underwhelming, and serving it on the plate with the toast caused them to get soggy bottoms - not a good look, or texture. The most disappointing was the Taiwanese fried chicken with Big Fan chilli sauce. The outside wasn't crunchy, the chicken tasted wooly (no mention of provenance or free-range, which was strange considering the other Irish producers name-checked), and the sauce was all heat and not much else. Our mouths were burning uncomfortably for about 5 minutes afterwards, at which point we realised we'd never been brought any water - that was a speedy run to the desk. There were so many more dishes we wanted to try (the pork kou rou, cucumber jelly fish salad, what will their chicken balls and rice be like!?), but we were defeated, except for the obligatory part of the stomach that saves itself for dessert. There are two non vegan options - deep-fried mantou (dough) with coconut condensed milk, and a coconut and mango parfait. We went for the latter, thinking that anything else deep-fried might push us over the edge, and the parfait was perfect. Light, cooling, creamy and fruity, it was like a delicious digestif in dessert form. What about the drinks? It's a simple list but well thought out. There's a small selection of wine on tap (we liked the Lo Pateret orange, also in Sprezzatura up the road), a sake, a few cocktails (some with sake, Sichuan pepper and pandan leaf) and a nice selection of beers. This isn't somewhere you're going to be drinking vintage champagne or top shelf cognac and it's all the better for it. There's also kefir and kombucha for the non-drinkers/drivers. What about the service? Staff were lovely and very welcoming, but service was quite loose. We had to get out of our seats several times to ask for water, napkins, drinks, and they're weren't at full capacity. They've clearly hired (successfully) for personality, but the ship could be run a bit tighter (which to be fair is a far easier fix than if you had unlovely, unwelcoming staff). And the damage? €104.08 for eight plates of food and four drinks, which felt like very good value. We would have been full with less. The verdict? When Big Fan hits its mark it's startlingly good. For a good portion of the meal we sat there shaking our heads at the creativity, flavour and sheer originality of what we were eating. There are bags of potential here, despite every dish not being a home run (yet). We'd like to go back and put another eight dishes through their paces, and the taste memories of the knockout ones ensures it's on the return list. There's nowhere in the city quite like Big Fan, it really does feel different and innovative, and you get the sense they're not going to be sitting back and phoning it in any time soon. We'd hedge our bets that there's a lot more to come from these guys. Big Fan 16 Aungier Street, Dublin 2 bigfan.ie New Openings & Discoveries More >>

Greek Souvlaki Bar where gyros stuffed with flame grilled meats are the speciality. The pitas are fluffy, the dolmades are fresh, and the chips are crispy. A little slice of Greece in Glasnevin. Yeeros Website yeeros.ie Address 19 Prospect Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Greek Souvlaki Bar where gyros stuffed with flame grilled meats are the speciality. The pitas are fluffy, the dolmades are fresh, and the chips are crispy. A little slice of Greece in Glasnevin. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Walk through the door of this Lebanese restaurant in The Liberties and it feels like you could have walked in off a Beirut side street. Stone arches, a mosaic ceiling, and Arabic lighting set the Middle Eastern scene, while the three mixed ‘mezzas’ are the perfect way to get a taste of their hummus, arayes, falafel and more. Prices are in the bargain category and they offer free corkage (yes free), so meals out of this quality don’t get much cheaper. Don’t miss the fattoush salad with crispy bread and pomegranate molasses. Fayrouz Website fayrouzrestaurant.com Address 117 Cork Street, Dublin 8 Good For Tag 1 Cuisine Tag 1 Once Over Read our Review >> The Story Walk through the door of this Lebanese restaurant in The Liberties and it feels like you could have walked in off a Beirut side street. Stone arches, a mosaic ceiling, and Arabic lighting set the Middle Eastern scene, while the three mixed ‘mezzas’ are the perfect way to get a taste of their hummus, arayes, falafel and more. Prices are in the bargain category and they offer free corkage (yes free), so meals out of this quality don’t get much cheaper. Don’t miss the fattoush salad with crispy bread and pomegranate molasses. Where It's At Nearby Locales Goat's Gruff Banco Bah 33 Mark Moriarty Studio Gaffe at Leonard's Corner Sano Pasta Yibu by Janet Little Canton Dak @ Bar Anam Mongoose Chongqing Hot Pot Boco Clontarf Bell Pesto Bang Gloria Osteria Cantina Valentina D'Lepak Pera Borgo Amai by Viktor Kaizen Chubbys Badam Table 45 Comet

Where to eat and drink in Dublin, Ireland. Dublin restaurant reviews and reviews of Dublin pubs, cafes, wine bars, and bars. Where to Eat & Drink in Dublin Dublin Restaurant Reviews Once Overs Is a restaurant worth your time and money? Where should you go for a pre-dinner drink? When you get there, where are the best seats? What's good on the menu, and what should you drink with it? Our reviews give restaurants the full once over, from snacks to sides, seating areas to service, and all the cocktails, open kitchens and cheese selections inbetween. Looking for something specific? Filter by neighbourhood, cuisine or 'good for'. Neighborhoods Cuisine Good For Reset Filter Oh No! Looks like we don't have any results for that search. But don't worry - good food is out there! Search again to find something wonderful. Goat's Gruff 6th October '26 Sano Pasta 22nd September 2026 Fade Street Tavern 8th September 2026 Gaffe 25th August 2026 Mark Moriarty Studio 11th August '26 Bah 33 11th August 2026 Yibu by Janet 28th July 2026 Little Canton 14th July 2026 Banco 14th July 2026 Moenjo 30th June 2026 Tang (Cumberland) 16th June '26 Mongoose 2nd June '26 Dak @ Bar Anam 19th May 2026 Xi'an Street Food 5th May '26 Chongqing Hotpot 21st April 2026 Boco Clontarf 7th April '26 Note 24th March '26 Forest Avenue 10th March '26 Bell Pesto 24th February 2026 Bang 10th February 2026 Vada 27th Jan '26 Gloria Osteria 13th Jan '26 Díon 9th December '25 Cantina Valentina 25th November '25 Terra Madre 11th November 2025 Join ATF Insiders Make the Most of Every Meal. Join Us