Where To Go For A Set Lunch In Dublin

Ronan Doyle
Apr 29
6 min read

Lunch just doesn’t get the love it deserves anymore. In our fast-paced world of pre-ordered salad bowls and sad wraps to go, the fine art of the afternoon repast is being lost along the way, and if regular requests from ATF Insiders are anything to by, it’s getting harder than ever to find great places in the city for a long, luxurious luncheon. Whether you want to make the most of a midweek day off, treat yourself while the kids are safely set aside in school, celebrate a special occasion earlier in the day, or just sneak into a swish spot for a better deal than you’ll get at dinner, here’s our top picks for a set lunch in the city...

TOP VALUE

Coppinger, Coppinger Row

We’ve double, triple and quadruple checked this one – Coppinger really does a three course lunch for €20. You won’t find the deal listed on their site (maybe they don’t want to be mobbed) but keep an eye on Insta for regular reveals of the no choice, set dishes for each week, served Wednesday through Friday from 12:00 to 15:00. As if all that wasn’t value enough, you can add in a glass of house red or white for €5, but with your savings on food, you can go big on wine and cocktails with less bank balance guilt.

Note, Fenian Street

Nights out at Note don’t come cheap, but afternoons can with their eye-catching lunch deal. It’s €32 for three dishes with a choice of two mains, leaving room for any veggies at the table too - see the current menu here. That’s seriously good value for seriously good food, though if you’re anything like us you won’t be able to resist racking up a bigger bill by dipping into the BTG list. Get it Fridays and Saturdays only from 12.30 to 14:00.

The Seafood Café, Temple Bar

Temple Bar institution The Seafood Café’s table d'hôte menu runs every weekday from 12:00 to 18:30 – ideal for late lunches and early dinners. It changes on the regular with three to four dishes typically on for starters and mains, and will set you back €27 for two courses or €32 for three – unless you’re an ATF Insider of course, in which case you’ll get another 15% off. Don’t say we don’t treat you right.

Piglet, Temple Bar

A top pick for group lunches is Piglet, whose four options across each course should keep most people happy. It’s traditional French fare begging to be washed down with their excellent selection of wines – their pairing suggestions are always second to none. They serve it Thursday to Monday from 12.30 to 17.30 (hellooo long and late lunches), with two courses for €29.50 or three for €35. If you’re really treating yourself, throw in the confit duck gizzards to snack on while you wait.

Hawksmoor, College Green

Doing dinner right at Hawksmoor isn't easy on the bank balance, but we come bearing good news. Their shorter, early bird express menu is also served for lunch, with three options for each course served at €32 for two or €36 for three – you can also upgrade the rump steak option to a fillet tail for a €6 supplement. Monday through Thursday it’s on from 12:00 to 15:00, and if you fancy a later lunch, Friday and Saturday they run it right through to 18:00.

Monty’s of Kathmandu, Temple Bar

The economics of set menus mean there often isn’t a huge amount of choice – fair enough, it’s not easy making margins work at these price points, but not so at Monty’s of Kathmandu with their five starter and six main options. Two courses are €32, with three going for €37, and at prices like that, we’ll happily take the €5 supplement for bone-in goat curry. It’s available from 12:00 to 13:45 Monday to Saturday, and in the evening from Sunday - Thursday too.

TREAT YOURSELF

Woodruff, Stepaside

Sustainable, seasonal, suburban restaurant Woodruff runs straight from lunch into their early bird menu, so you’ve got plenty of time to make your way out to Stepaside and indulge in a late lunch. Their three starter and main choices are always great on veggie and pescatarian options – a group with mixed diets will be very happy here. It’s two courses for €35 or three for €42, served Thursday through Saturday from 12.30 to 19:00 (18:00 on weekends).

Mamó, Howth

Lunch overlooking Howth harbour? Don’t mind if we do. Mamó offers two courses for €39 or three for €44 on Mondays (except bank holidays), Thursdays and Fridays from 12:30 to 14.45, and the regularly-rotating seasonal selection is a real treat with a whole fish or côte de boeuf for two also available at an additional price. The iconic cod chip snack and their ever-excellent bread and butter are included in the price too - how many more carrots do you need.

Bresson, Monkstown

Make for Monkstown if you really want to feel fancy, with French bistro Bresson’s two courses for €39.95 or three for €44.95 also including a "petite soupe" on arrival and petits fours – it’s the little things. Sea bass Veronique and a poached pear and Roquefort salad are among the dishes that have us licking our lips, and you can book in from Thursday to Saturday, 12:00 to 14.30, or on Sunday until 15:30 (three courses only).

Pichet, Trinity Street

The only entry on this list that offers a single course option, which isn’t so much a set menu as… just a dish, French bistro Pichet runs the gamut from torched mackerel and salt-baked celeriac, to Barbary duck breast and Knockanore agnolotti across its four-of-each options. You’ll pay €28 for one plate with an extra €9 for every added course after that (€37 for two, €46 for three), with the set menu served 12:00 to 15:15 from Wednesday to Saturday.

The Saddle Room, St. Stephen's Green

There’s a bit of a bring your well-dressed granny vibe to the Shelbourne’s Saddle Room set menu, between the ham hock terrine and chicken supreme, but we’ll give them all the props for being the only one here to offer a whole vegan menu. They’re also the only option who offer their set lunch menu every day, from 12:30 to 14:30 on weekdays, and 13:00 to 14:30 on weekends. It’ll set you back €40 for two courses or €47 for three.

Forest Avenue, Sussex Terrace

Lunch set menus are often a chance to get a more streamlined taste of the higher end of the market than their pricier dinner tasting options – so it is at the regularly Michelin-tipped Forest Avenue, where three plates for €49 represents exceptional value at this level of cooking. You can choose between fish or meat for the main but otherwise it’s set plates, and dessert can be swapped out for a cheese course at an additional cost of €6. They serve it Wednesday through Saturday from 12:00 to 13.30.

BLOWOUT CELEBRATION

Dax, Pembroke Street Upper

Don’t let the white tablecloths put you off – for all the French formality of its style, the staff at Dax’s sheer charm will set you at ease for the most relaxed, luxe lunch imaginable. Versus the €92 bill you’ll rack up for dinner, the set lunch here is priced at €44 for two courses or €60 for three, with Castletownbere scallops, Tipperary beef tartare and Curragh Plains lamb shoulder among the provenance-forward options available. Get it from 12:30 to 14:00 Wednesday to Friday. and 13:00 to 14:00 on Saturday.

One Pico, Molesworth Place

It’s notable that One Pico’s pricing has shifted only very slightly in the nigh-on four years since we went to review lunch – you might not be likely to get turbot again at these rates, but let’s hear it for the places working to keep prices accessible. These days two courses with canapés and bread come to €48, with the option to add dessert and petit fours for another €12. It runs Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12:00 to 14:00.

Allta, Grand Canal Dock

There are seven, yes seven, dishes going on Allta’s set lunch (a further slimmed variation on their evening early bird) that comes in at €65 versus the full dinner’s €135 – a more affordable chance to try great dishes like their cuttlefish doughnut, bluefin tuna tostada and Woodtown Jersey beef. The Michelin man is likely to come knocking here before long, so this is a deal to snap up while you can. It runs Thursdays to Saturdays from 12:30 to 14:00

Glovers Alley, St. Stephen's Green

You can knock a solid third off the price of a Michelin star bill by lunching at Glovers Alley from Wednesdays to Saturday, 12:30 to 14:00 – the three course option is €75 versus the €115 you’ll pay at dinner. Dishes are different of course, but we wouldn't turn our noses up at squid tagliatelle, or wild brill with smoked eel. Go crazy and have the four course tasting for €90 if you’re really celebrating.

Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen, Parnell Square

We’re not ashamed to say we’ve indulged in lunch at Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen more times than we can count at this stage – for research purposes, you understand. €90 a head for three courses puts it squarely in the very special occasion category, but given dinner’s four courses come to €175, isn’t tasting two star food on the cheap a special occasion in itself? Find it from Thursday to Saturday between 12:00 and 14:00.