The best places to eat in Dublin for vegetarians and vegans - Special occasions and casual meals

Lisa Cope
1 hour ago
7 min read

Veganism seemed to peak in Dublin pre-pandemic, and the city's lost some big names over the past few years, like V-Face, Kale + Coco, Flip Burger, The Vegan Sandwich Company and more. Vegetarianism however is still on the up, with 25% of meat eaters saying they're actively trying to reduce meat consumption. It helps that we have so many places in the city doing spectacular things with vegetables, cheese and eggs, and we've rounded up the places we think are the top of the pile for meat and dairy free meals, with part two coming next week...

*Anywhere that caters particularly well for vegans has a (V) next to it*

Special Occasions

Etto/Uno Mas, Dublin 2

We're lumping these sister restaurants in together, as they both generally only have one vegetarian starter and main option, but they're so good that veggies won't care about the lack of choice. We frequently pass up meat and seafood options for Etto's aged Parmesan gnocchi with gremolata, or Coolea agnolotti with hen of the woods mushrooms, and Uno Mas' potato tortilla is a reason to go out all on its own.

Stuffed agnolotti at Etto; the tortilla at Uno Mas

Gloria Osteria, Westmoreland Street

OTT dining experience Gloria won't leave your night out lacking in glamour, but it can happily be lacking meat if that's your wish. Cheese has a starring role across antipasti and pastas, and the Datterini tomato tart; stracciatella and giroles, and three cheese fazzoletti were some of our favourites from multiple visits. Read our once over here.

Vada, Smithfield

Vada's head chef Hannah O'Donnell puts vegetables on the highest pedestal, and with beetroot bhajis, caramelised onion croquettes, and panisse with creamed kale, it would be very easy to skip the meat and fish dishes altogether. Don't miss their homemade focaccia, one of the best in Dublin right now, currently served with burnt onion curd. Read our once over here.

Borgo, Phibsboro (V)

When a restaurant has a separate vegan menu on their website, you know they're taking inclusivity seriously. There are ten vegan dishes on the menu at Borgo, and another eight that are vegetarian, so there's no need for compromise whatever your dietary requirements. We loved the oyster mushroom pizzette with stracciatella and Highbank apple balsamic, and the Ballymakenny Queen potatoes with herb cream and Clonbrook reserve deserve their own moment. Read our review here.

Floritz, Dublin 2 (V)

Floritz might be better known for sushi and a general Japanese sensibility, but the vegetarian options are really impressive (there's even a full veggie tasting menu). Swap the beef yakitori for leeks, the salmon bao for tempura shimeji mushrooms, and the blue fin tuna hosomaki for cucumber and sesame, and you'll get all the Floritz flair with none of the meat. It's easy to eat vegan here too - we counted ten different meat and dairy free options on their current menu. Read our once over here.

Pickle, Dublin 2 (V)

Indian restaurants are always a go to for vegans and vegetarians, with meat free ingredients like potatoes, lentils and paneer showing up again and again. Some of our top picks here include their aloo tikki, 36-hour black lentil dahl, and the vegetarian thali if you want a bit of everything. It's definitely possible to eat vegan here too, but you might have to ask them to leave the raita off some dishes for more choice.

Glas, Dublin 2 (V)

Glas is dedicated to vegetarian and vegan fine dining, with no meat or fish to be seen, but enough cheese to keep non-vegans happy. The terrace outside is a dream on a sunny day, but the floral, plant-covered interiors are also a lovely place to wile away an evening. They're also completely gluten-free, in case your dining room has multiple dietary requirements.

September, Blackrock

Blackrock wine café/wine bar September takes seasonal eating seriously, and that translates into finding as many meat-free dishes on the menu as meat-filled. Recently we've seen burrata with candied beets and pecans, cavolo nero risotto, and pumpkin agnolotti, and the chef's menu can be fully veggie too on request. Read our once over here.

Glovers Alley, Dublin 2 (V)

Michelin-starred Glovers Alley has both vegetarian and vegan tasting menus, and is the only Michelin-starred experience on this list. With vegan dishes like 'Cucumber Ceviche, Apple, Basil, Chilli, Togarashi' and ‘Beet “Tartare”, Hazelnut, Dill’ , this is as special as vegan dining gets, and it's much the same for vegetarians with the addition of cheese and eggs to the same dishes. Priced at €135 per person it's one for celebration occasions, but meat free tasting menus don't get better.

Big Fan, Dublin 2 (V)

Another cuisine that naturally works well for vegetable lovers is Chinese, and Big Fan on Aungier Street go the extra mile for meat-free dining (head chef Alex's Mum is vegan so he's used to getting creative with vegetables). Their tofu edamame croquette bao is every bit as good as the pork, the lingfen summer wontons are outrageous, and you'll be thinking about the enoki mushrooms with garlic and chili for a long time after you've left. We counted ten vegan dishes and loads more vegetarian.

The Merrion Hotel, Dublin 2

If you're feeling foncy, get your glad rags on and head to The Merrion Hotel for a meal in their Garden Room. Best-selling cookbook author Holly White has collaborated with the kitchen on a vegan menu that changes with the seasons, and they have some interesting options including Vietnamese rice paper rolls, spinach and basil linguine with sundried tomatoes, and a peach and raspberry tart for dessert.

Casual Bite

Reggie's, Rathmines

Dublin's go to pizza palace always has the most carefully created veggie options, featuring lovely things like McNally Farm crown prince squash, and pumpkin seed salsa verde. Four out of eight pizzas, five out of seven snacks, and two out of three salads are vegetarian, so you might end up ordering fully veggie without even realising it, and there are sporadic vegan options if the need arises. Read our once over here.

Lucy, Clanbrassil Street

Lovely Lucy serves Ukrainian food from breakfast until dinner time, and the Syrnyky (cottage cheese pancakes), Varenky (dumpling), and potato pancakes all come in vegetarian versions. Some of the dishes like borscht and holubtsi (cabbage rolls) are even vegan, and it's another place you could easily order meat-free without even realising it.

3 Leaves, Blackrock (V)

Another go to for vegetarians, 3 Leaves in Blackrock is one of the city's most loved Indians, whatever your diet. They're only open for lunch from Thursday - Sunday, but a lazy afternoon here over a vegetarian or vegan ‘Taster Thali’ is never a bad call. If you haven't been before it will take approximately one sniff for you to understand what the hype is about.

Gursha, Dublin 2 (V)

Gursha started as an Ethiopian supper club, holding intimate evenings in the Cloud Café on North Strand Road, but luckily for all of us they moved into a permanent premises on Poolbeg Street a few years ago. Ethiopian cooking and curries use very few meat products due to religious practices, so Gursha is naturally vegetarian and mostly vegan bar a bit of egg. Get those sleeves rolled up and dig in.

Pho Kim, Dublin 1 (V)

Parnell Street restaurant Pho Kim are a family run restaurant whose owners moved to Ireland in the 70's, and is now run by the next generation. They've been cooking some of the best Vietnamese food in Dublin since 2012, and have a full vegan/vegetarian menu to cater to the herbivores, from spring and summer rolls to a veggie Bánh xèo.

Shouk, Drumcondra (V)

Shouk is the kind of place you could bring that person who thinks a meal without meat is no kind of meal, and ensure that they'd spend the next few months telling everyone who'll listen about the mixed mezze. Dishes like roast cauliflower with tahini and zhug, and baked sweet potato with sumac labneh sauce almost make the meat dishes here an ordering afterthought, and their group 'Middle East Feast’ comes in vegetarian and vegan options at €40pp.

Badam, Clontarf

Indian/Pakistani restaurant Badam in Clontarf might be a casual place to grab dinner, but not so casual that you've any chance of getting a table for either the early or late sitting without advance planning (locals have it perennially packed). The food here will transport you to another realm of flavour, and with six vegetarian starters and six mains (many vegan too) it's so easy to skip meat and fish. Read our once over here.

Umi Falafel, various locations

Umi Falafel is a mainstay of unfussy Dublin eateries, consistently delivering top quality food at very good prices. Their main offering is (no surprise) falafel, and apart from some cheese (halloumi cheese fries are always a good idea) the menu is predominantly vegan. It’s always a great option for a quick bite, and they have three locations in Dublin - Mary Street in Dublin 1, George's Street Arcade in Dublin 2, and Rathmines.

Nutbutter, Grand Canal Dock, Smithfield & Dundrum

A Californian-inspired menu made with local Irish ingredients sounds positively perfect, and Nutbutter deliver exactly that. Largely plant-based, their menu features healthy tacos, rice bowls, salads and loads more, all in the most vivid of colours, and there's plant-based chocolate mousse for dessert. Their newest location in Dumdrum Town Centre is their biggest, and most impressive one yet.

Lucky Tortoise, Temple Bar (V)

Lucky Tortoise in Temple Bar is the kind of quick, eminently reasonable eating option we all need in our back pocket for when funds and/or time is short. With dishes like okonymiyaki, scallion pancakes, and sticky chilli tofu bao buns, their set menus start at €28pp or you can order your veggie and vegan dishes a la carte.

Bell Pesto, Dublin 8 (V)

Sweet family-run Italian Bell Pesto have loads of choice for non-meat eaters, and even do a vegetarian carbonara - if that doesn't signal inclusivity what does. Between parmigiana melanzane, caprese salad and breaded tofu with polenta chips, there's loads to keep vegetarians happy, and every section of the menu, from pizza to salads to panini has a vegan option, which is impressive.

Cornucopia, Dublin 2 (V)

A vegetable institution since 1986, Cornucopia was Dublin's only decent option for non-meat eaters for years, and is fully plant-based. It's cafeteria style, serving hot dishes and salads in their spacious but cosy restaurant, and they operate from 8am until early evening seven days a week, so they're always there for vegans in need of a good feed.