Where To Eat In Dublin With Children

We struggle to understand why so many Irish restaurants are unwelcome to tiny diners - if they don't get the chance to eat out, how can they learn how to behave in those spaces. Plus food-loving parents are the perfect early evening table-filler, back out the door before 7pm to tackle bedtime. We have a way to go to compete with places like Malaga, Milan or Madrid, where young diners are often welcomed with more fanfare than their parents, and everywhere from corner cafés to Michelin-stars, well-behaved children sit calmly for meals, their parents enjoy a carafe of wine, families get together, all is right in the world...

The good news is there are plenty of Dublin restaurants (41 in this article!) choosing not to freeze out the next generation (and their tired caretakers), trusting parents not to let their child run riot, throw food, or ask for chicken nuggets when they're not on the menu. We have our favourites, but also periodically ask you guys where you and your little ones feel welcomed and looked after. This article isn't about places serving margherita pizzas and chicken goujons, it's about where we want to eat, where taking kids doesn't make you feel like a pariah, with places that have high chairs, and either changing facilities or enough space to change a nappy without baby/Mum/Dad having a claustrophobic meltdown on the floor...

GOOD FOOD FAST

Caribou, Stephen's Street Lower

You might not think of one of Dublin's most modish bars as the ideal place for a family meal, but the daytime food menu in Caribou is a dream for people who love fast food done the right way. Everyone will love the smash burgers, fish sandwiches and steak frites with peppercorn sauce, and there's loads of space for buggies, bags and whatever else you're dragging around with you. You'd be advised to avoid Sundays when the roast draws the hungriest of crowds and can make for a squeeze.

Bujo, Sandymount

Neighbourhood burger joint BuJo cook their grass fed, chargrilled burgers fresh to order, and it's one of the best burgers in the city. They're the only fast food restaurant in Ireland and the UK to hold a 3 Star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association, they take their environmental responsibility for the local community and the planet very seriously. It might be more expensive than Maccy D's, but it's worth every cent. There's a great kids menu, and it's counter-service so no need to book.

Gaillot et Gray, Dublin 8

Wood fired French style sourdough pizzeria, with an outdoor terrace, and a bookshelf bursting with kids books, colouring pencils and paper. Serving artisan breads, pizzas, speciality coffee, indigenous herbal teas, wine and beer, Gaillot et Gray is one of the most kid friendly restaurants in Dublin.

Chimac, Aungier Street

Korean-fried chicken draws the crowds to Chimac, either in a loaded burger or on generous plates of wings and drumsticks. There's frosé and beer for Mum and Dad, and the whole family will dive on the ice-cream cookie sandwiches for dessert.

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