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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.
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Dobbins
This old stalwart, opposite a row of council houses, was where the privileged came for lunch before the Celtic Tiger brought privilege to half the city. Its traditional French fare, homely setting and old-fashioned hospitality have served it well over the last quarter of a century, and it's still a favourite with politicians, journalists and spin doctors (often at the same table).
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Dunne & Crescenzi
This exceptional Italian eatery delights its regulars with a basic menu of rustic pleasures, such as panini , a single pasta dish and a superb plate of mixed antipasto drizzled in olive oil. It's always full, the tables are just that little bit too close to one another but the coffee is perfect and the desserts are sinfully good.
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Eden
The epitome of Temple Bar chic, Eden's minimalist look - designed to look something like the interior of an empty swimming pool - and contemporary European menu has earned plenty of kudos over the last decade. The menu, which offers dishes as diverse as braised lamb shank with Moroccan spices and organic beef and Guinness stew, is generally excellent, but we enjoy it best at brunch on the much-sought-after ground-floor terrace.
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Ely CHQ
The IFSC finally has a decent restaurant to cater to the throngs of blackberry-addicted power-diners who need sustenance to fuel their busy lives - and this gorgeous tobacco warehouse conversion is the perfect spot to take a break. Ironically, the only criticism of the place is that the service is a little bit slow, although that doesn't matter too much in the evening, when there are fewer suits in a hurry.
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French Paradox
This bright and airy wine bar, over an excellent wine shop of the same name, serves fine authentic French dishes such as cassoulet, a variety of pâté de foie gras, cheese and charcuterie plates, and large green salads. All are there to complement the main attraction: a dazzling array of fine wines, mostly French unsurprisingly, sold by the bottle, glass or even 6.25cL taste!
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Gallic Kitchen
'Our food is so fucking good you won't believe it' advises the sign on the front wall of this little bakery shop. Standing at a bench, devouring a goat's-cheese brioche, salmon roulade, smoked haddock quiche and chocolate pecan tart, we - wait for it - tend to agree.
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Halo
Housed in this superslick hotel, the visually stunning Halo has soaring ceilings, a wall of mirrors and striking artwork, but don't let this distract you from the Ireland-meets-continental Europe fusion fare that includes the likes of fillet of sea bream and Carlow lamb rump. Its critics complain that the menu competes with the staff to see who can be more stuffy, but in truth it's the moneyed clientele that win hands down.
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Il Baccaro
Want a free Italian lesson? Drop into this fabulous trattoria and eavesdrop in this rustic piece of the Old Boot, where the food is exuberantly authentic, and includes bruschetta, homemade pasta, Italian sausage, cannelini beans and the like. The Italian wines are buonissimi .
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Jacob's Ladder
Looking over the playing fields of Trinity College - which counts as a view in Dublin - this fashionably formal restaurant is spread over two floors and is renowned for its exquisite and innovative Irish cuisine, which flirts with modern European influences. The food is a winner, with entrées like grilled goat's cheese and mains such as mackerel and potato terrine guaranteed to impress.
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L'gueuleton
Dubliners have a devil of a time pronouncing the name (which means 'a gluttonous feast' in French) and have had their patience tested with the no-reservations policy, but they just can't get enough of this restaurant's robust take on French rustic cuisine. The Toulouse sausages with choucroute and Lyonnaise potatoes are a reminder that when it comes to the pleasures of the palate, the French really know what they're doing.
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La Maison Des Gourmets
This thoroughly Francophile cafe changed hands in 2006 and suffered a dip in form, but it remains a wonderful spot to enjoy a tartine , salad specials or a plate of charcuterie. It also has a fine range of pastries, baked goodies and herbal teas. We prefer sitting on the street outside, where you can watch the world go by on Castle Market; the upstairs room is just that little bit too lacking in atmosphere.
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La Taverna Di Bacco
Football-mad developer Mick Wallace has managed to single-handedly create a thriving new Italian quarter with cafés and eateries popping up all over Quartier Bloom, the new lane from Ormond Quay to Great Strand St. La Taverna and Enoteca Delle Langhe (tel: 888 0834), a few doors up, serve simple pastas, antipasti and Italian cheeses along with the delicious produce of Wallace's own vineyard and others in Piemonte.
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Léon
Unashamedly baroque in style and unmistakably French in substance, this wonderful new brasserie has us humming Edith Piaf as we tuck into the sublime fresh salmon blini or the lovely salade paysanne . For something truly divine you'll have to tuck in the belly and tackle a réligeuse , a chocolate or coffee pastry so named because it looks like a nun in her habit. They are so good that you will be singing ' non, je ne regrette rien …'
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Lock's
When chef Troy Maguire left the immensely popular L'Gueuleton in early 2007 to team up with ex-Bang manager Kelvin Rynhardt to take over one of the steady stalwarts of the Dublin dining scene, the bar was suddenly set very, very high. Would Lock's shake off its old-town dust? Could Maguire recreate the informal-but-superb French campagnard cooking that made his former kitchen such a huge hit? Thankfully, yes on all counts.
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Market Bar
This one-time sausage factory, now fashionable watering hole , also has a super kitchen knocking out Spanish tapas and other Iberian-influenced bites in a light-filled, cavernous room, which is just perfect for a slow lunch. The dishes also come in convenient half-size portions, so you can mix and match without feeling like you've gorged.
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Mermaid Café
Mermaid is one of the city's favourite restaurants, as much for the superb cuisine as for the friendly and informal atmosphere. The menu is loaded with inventive ingredient-led organic food, such as roast monkfish tail with sweet potato and chorizo mash. But what makes this place that little bit extra special is the atmosphere, fostered as much by the excellent staff as by little touches like free coffee refills at brunch.
