It's been a year of countless new openings, the big pizza debate and every restaurant in the city fearfully generating a vegan menu - with varying results. These were our most read stories in 2018...
Between Vietnom, Vurgerface and Scéal pastries at Pender's Market, Stoneybatter has had it going on this year. Our guide on where to eat and drink in the batter was the tenth most read article over the past 12 months. Read it here.
It's no surprise that anytime we write anything about where to eat vegan food it explodes, and the news that Beast diner and takeaway had opened on the quays was our most read vegan related story of the year. Read it here.
News in September that Farmhill in Goatstown had closed down along with four new openings in Dublin, including "Irish soulfood with an American twist", two cafés and a city centre bakery is at number eight. Read it here.
A tale of two gastro pubs in November is at number seven, where Lucinda's review featured one of the worst food photos ever published in a national newspaper (she took it), and Tom Doorley kicked off the big homemade chip debate of 2018. Read it here.
A pizza packed critics reviews in July was our sixth most read article of the year, where Lucinda rounded up the best pizza in Dublin and left Pi off the list, and Katy McGuinness had a "truly terrible" one in Clontarf, which left her stomach churning. Read it here.
This July round up of four new restaurant openings including a pizza place, a diner and two new vegan restaurants (of course) proved so popular that another online publication lifted it practically word for word. Thankfully we stumbled across it (albeit months later) and had it taken down. Read it here.
Chef Jimmy Wiley's US-inspired comfort food and Loretta's upscale fit out had everyone talking, mainly because no one knew it was opening until we published the story (and we only heard about it the day before - ninja levels of secret restaurant planning). It was also a very welcome addition to a side of the city that's somewhat barren on the food front, and Northsiders nearly lost their lives with excitement. Read about it here.
A very under the radar entry, the newest café from 3fe's Colin Harmon opened on Clanbrassil Street in August and became a solid fixture on Dublin's coffee scene within about three minutes of opening its doors. Read about it here.
The second, Spanish-focused opening from the Etto team had us seriously low on patience, after a planned June opening turned into a December one. Luckily it was worth the wait. Read about it here.
In June Dublin got a new pizza place, and we had a feeling even from the pre-opening posts that it was gonna be a good 'un. When we tried it we nearly keeled over at just how good it was, and took great satisfaction in declaring it the best pizza in Dublin before the masses descended. Despite Lucinda O'Sullivan's not at all disguised irritation at the "frenzied foodies" and their nonsense about where to find the best pizza in Dublin, we consider the spirited debate that followed hugely positive, and just went to show how much great pizza is being made in the city right now. It's also a far better conversation to be having than saying it's all shite. Read the Pi once over here.
Got any stories you'd like to see in 2019? Let us know - info@allthefood.ie.
