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Alilang
With elements of Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisine, this Korean restaurant on multicultural Parnell St has plenty to whet Western appetites. Tasty dishes like padun (a seafood pancake) are brought to your table with gas burner, skillet and spicy marinade, for you to tuck in DIY-style, making the food a talking piece. Avoid the dull wine list in favour of the Korean Hite beer.
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Ar Vicoletto
When it's good, this cosy little osteria is very, very good, with excellent Italian dishes washed down with splendid Italian reds and enjoyed in a convivial atmosphere. But it's a little inconsistent and sometimes the standard menu of pasta, meaty mains and seafood misses the mark. At these times it doesn't seem like good value at all, although the warm Gorgonzola salad never disappoints. Absolutely worth the risk.
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Avoca
This airy 1st-floor cafe was one of Dublin's best-kept secrets (because of an absence of any obvious signs) until discovered by the Ladies Who Lunch. If you can battle your way past the designer shopping bags to a table, you'll relish the simply delicious, rustic delights of organic shepherd's pie, roast lamb with couscous, or sumptuous salads from the Avoca kitchen. There's also a take-away salad bar and hot counter in the basement.
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Aya
Aya could be in downtown Tokyo, with its chic, designer ambience and revolving sushi bar favoured by anyone looking to gossip over raw fish and sake. Problem is, the sushi belt consists mainly of non-sushi bites; the few bits you do get are generally of the salmon and fake-crab type. If you want the real deal, you have to order à la carte, and even then it's not that brilliant. Still, it's a great place to meet and greet and it looks fabulous.
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Balzac
It's official: one of the best chefs in Ireland is Paul Flynn, who made his name with the simply stunning Tannery in Dungarvan, County Waterford. His first Dublin venture will only serve to cement his growing reputation. The elegant old-world dining room is a fitting setting for the superb cuisine; how about oysters mignonette followed by champagne and truffle risotto?
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Bang Café
The problem with hype is that disappointment is invariably nipping at its heels, and so it is with this stylish spot owned by the handsome Stoke twins. The innovative and meaty modern European menu was once credited with trailblazing a touch of London to an eager Dublin palate, but that was 10 years ago and trendy diners have grown a little blasé with the always excellent fare on offer here. It's still very popular, so reservations are a must.
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Bar Italia
The food here is exactly the same as that served by its sister spot across the river but what's with the attitude? When we visited, the waitstaff were brusque to the point of rudeness, a complaint that was echoed by others during our research. More's the pity, because this could be a terrific place.
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Bistro
The real draw at this place is its outdoor seating in summer, on a lively pedestrianised strip behind the George's St Arcade. An excellent menu of fish, pasta and meat specials, a well-stocked wine cellar and efficient service make this the warm weather choice for al fresco dining.
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Bleu
With black leather seats and massive windows overlooking swanky Dawson St you can see and be seen at Eamon O'Reilly's upmarket outpost of modern Irish cuisine. Confit of pork belly, swordfish with coconut and caraway and - that trademark of trendy menus - fish and chips keep upmarket pre-clubber's hunger pangs at bay for a few hours.
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Bobo's
Cow-hide leather banquettes suggest a burger joint with a difference, and Bobo's is just that: a dozen different kinds of organic burgers with Irish names flesh out the menu at this cute spot that promotes the notion that fast food can be healthy. The burgers are exceptional but the home-cut chips, which promise so much in their old-fashioned metal bucket, are very disappointing.
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Bottega Toffoli
Tucked away on a side street running alongside Dublin Castle, which you'd miss unless you were specifically looking for it, is this superb new Italian cafe. It's the home of one of the best sandwiches you'll eat in town - beautifully cut prosciutto, baby tomatoes and rocket salad drizzled with imported olive oil on a homemade piadina bread that is just too good to be true.
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Bretzel Bakery
The bagels might be a bit on the chewy side, but they've got their charms - as do the scrumptious selections of breads, savoury snacks, cakes and biscuits that have locals queuing out the door on weekends. Recertified as kosher since 2003, the bakery has been on this Portobello site since 1870.
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Café Bar Deli
With two branches in the south city centre, the folks behind Café Bardeli have created a winning formula: great crispy pizzas with imaginative toppings such as spicy lamb and tzatziki, fresh home-made pastas or salads like broccoli, feta and chickpea, all served within the stylish environs of what were once branches of Dublin's most beloved café, Bewley's. No reservations allowed, so prepare to wait on a busy night.
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Café Bar Deli
If it ain't broke, do it again: CBD hit Ranelagh a few years back with the same no-fuss menu that made its city-centre sisters such roaring successes on Grafton and South Great George's Sts and it just hasn't looked back.
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Café Mao
Mao's often spicy mix of Vietnamese and Thai specialities, cooked to order and served with a musical soundtrack that declared its super-cool credentials, really did the business until a fire gutted the place in early 2006. A whole year and a half went by before the reopening, but once again Dubliners could feast on the likes of nasi goreng and bulkoko - best enjoyed al fresco in fine weather. A long-time favourite of the trendy lunchtime crowd.
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Cake Shop
Dublin's best-kept pastry secret is this great little café on a tiny lane parallel to Camden St. The easiest way in is through Daintree (61 Camden St) stationery shop; through the back is the self-contained yard, which in good weather is the best spot to enjoy a coffee and a homemade cake.
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Cedar Tree
An old stalwart of Dublin's restaurant scene, this marvellously low-key Lebanese eatery is still a top spot to while away an evening in the company of friends, delicious meze (falafel, spicy sausage, dips), meatballs, kofta and several bottles of red wine. The service here is warm and personable.
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Chameleon
Friendly, cute and full of character, Chameleon is draped in exotic fabrics and serves up perky renditions of Indonesian classics, such as satay, gado gado and nasi goreng. If you can't decide, you can always plump for the rijsttaffel , a selection of several dishes with rice. The top floor has low seating on cushions, which is perfect for intimate group get-togethers.
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Chapter One
One of the best restaurants in Dublin, this venerable old trooper sets its ambitions no further than modern Irish cuisine, which it has realised so brilliantly that those Michelin lads saw fit to throw one of their sought-after stars its way. Menus change regularly but the dishes are always top-notch, the service first class and the atmosphere reassuringly reserved. Get there early for the three-course pre-theatre special.
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Chez Max
By the main gate to Dublin Castle is a French cafe that is Gallic through and through, from the fixtures imported from gay Paree to the beautiful, sultry staff who ignore you until they're ready and then turn the sexy pout into a killer smile. The lunchtime tartines are good enough to get us misty-eyed for Montmartre, but its coffees are a reminder that while the French do an awful lot really well, they still don't know how to make a decent brew.
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Chilli Club
Cosy, comfy and a million miles from the hubbub of modern Dublin - well, a block - this is one of the longest-serving Thai restaurants in town. It has built its reputation on unfailingly good - and unremittingly hot - curries, satays and soupy broths served in a slightly cramped but stylish room. A great choice for a quiet first date!
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Clarendon Café Bar
Spread across three stylishly designed floors, the Stokes brothers (of Bang fame) have given pub food a go at the Clarendon, and come up trumps: the chicken burger with guacamole is about the plainest thing on a menu that changes regularly. The only difference between here and a proper restaurant is that the waitstaff won't flinch when you order lager to go with your meal.
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Cobalt Café & Gallery
A splendid little cafe just opposite the James Joyce Centre, the Cobalt occupies the ground floor of an elegant Georgian building and serves honest-to-goodness sandwiches stuffed with lots of lovely fillings. The big fireplace is the spot to warm those winter toes.
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Cornucopia
Cornucopia serves up hearty vegetarian and vegan dishes that change daily. Dine in a relaxed, country-kitchen atmosphere with hot meals that include soups, casseroles and quiches, all served with salad. There's a vegetarian cooked breakfast as an alternative to porridge, muesli and French toast.
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Dax
Olivier Meisonnave, convivial ex-maître d of Thornton's stepped out on his own with Irish chef Pól ÓhÉannraich to open this posh-rustic restaurant named after his home town, north of Biarritz. In this bright basement venue, serious foodies can sate their palate on sea bass with celeriac purée, pork wrapped in serrano ham or truffle risotto.
