Must-see restaurants in County Dublin

  • Luna

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    A contender for sexiest restaurant in the city, Luna is a sleek basement joint with intimate booths and waiters decked out in velvet smoking jackets. The…

  • Brasserie Sixty6

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    This New York–style brasserie's speciality is rotisserie chicken, done four different ways at any given time. For that special occasion, there's a whole…

  • Yamamori Sushi

    North of the Liffey

    A sibling of the long-established Yamamori on S Great George's St, this large restaurant – spread across two converted Georgian houses and including a…

  • Terra Madre

    North of the Liffey

    It would be easy to walk past the entrance to this basement restaurant. But if you did, you'd be missing out on some of the most authentic Italian food in…

  • Balfes

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    This all-day brasserie has a chic New York vibe, with leather banquettes and a small heated terrace luring a perpetually stylish crowd. While the menu…

  • Richmond

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    At first glance the menu offers nothing particularly novel, just a nice selection of favourites from a burger to a roasted breast of duck. But it's the…

  • Paulie's Pizza

    Dublin

    At the heart of this lovely, occasionally boisterous restaurant is a Neapolitan pizza oven, used to create some of the best pizzas in town. Margheritas,…

  • Gerry's

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    A no-nonsense, old-school 'caff' (the British Isles' equivalent of the greasy spoon) is rarer than hen's teeth in the city centre these days, which makes…

  • Al Vesuvio

    Temple Bar

    Pizzas – with (rosse) or without (bianche) cheese – and pastas are the speciality at this vaulted basement restaurant that is like a rustic piece of the…

  • M&L

    North of the Liffey

    Beyond the plain frontage and the cheap-looking decor is Dublin's best Chinese restaurant…by some distance. It's usually full of Chinese customers, who…

  • Gaillot et Gray

    Dublin

    Mon dieu, a French pizzeria? Gilles Gaillot and his wife Emma Gray have combined the forces of Emmental cheese and pizza (biscuit-thin sourdough bases) to…

  • Featherblade

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    With an emphasis on more unusual cuts of beef — think picanha (sirloin cap) not fillet — this steakhouse offers amazing value for money. If you spot the…

  • L Mulligan Grocer

    North of the Liffey

    It's a great traditional pub, but the main reason to come here is for the food, all sourced locally and made by expert hands. The menu includes an…

  • Fumbally

    Dublin

    A bright, airy warehouse cafe that serves healthy breakfasts, salads and sandwiches – while the occasional guitarist strums away in the corner. Its…

  • Angler’s Rest

    Dublin

    This lovely pub in the Strawberry Beds, 6km west of the city centre in forested countryside, has a decent menu of bar food specialising in seafood – fish…

  • Queen of Tarts

    Temple Bar

    This cute little cake shop does a fine line in tarts, meringues, crumbles, cookies and brownies, not to mention a decent breakfast: the smoked bacon and…

  • Roberta's

    Temple Bar

    Inside this austere-looking protected building lies a beautiful red-brick restaurant with some of the most atmospheric views you can get in Dublin while…

  • Klaw

    Temple Bar

    There's nothing sophisticated about this crab-shack-style place except the food: Irish oysters served naked, dressed or torched; Lambay Island crab claws…

  • Wilde

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    The Westbury's restaurant is one of the finest spaces in the city, with an indoor terrace dripping with greenery and flooded with light. The art deco vibe…

  • Daniel

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    The latest cafe from Colin Harmon's 3fe, Dublin's best-known coffee roasters, is this sparsely decorated cafe. The menu reflects the decor: all that's on…

  • Ely Bar & Grill

    Dublin

    Scrummy homemade burgers, bangers and mash, and perfectly charred steaks are some of the meals served in this converted tobacco warehouse in the…

  • Wuff

    North of the Liffey

    This neighbourhood bistro does excellent breakfasts and brunches – the Wuff BLT with melted cheese is divine – and the dinner menu offers great value at …

  • Bretzel Bakery

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    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…

  • Oar House

    County Dublin

    A feast-o-fish – of the locally caught variety – is what the menu is all about at this restaurant. While this might be par for the course in a fishing…

  • 1837 Bar & Brasserie

    Dublin

    This lunchtime brasserie serves tasty dishes, from really fresh oysters to an insanely good Guinness burger, with skin-on fries and red-onion chutney. The…

  • Dax

    Dublin

    Olivier Meisonnave's posh-rustic basement restaurant, named after his hometown north of Biarritz, is popular with serious foodies. They come for the…

  • Sisu Izakaya

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Japanese casual dining at its Dublin best is the order of the day at this wonderful new spot whose name translates as 'Sisu's Tavern'. Within its wood…

  • Opium

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Modelled on Hakkasan in London, Opium is a late-night restaurant and bar that serves tasty pan-Asian cuisine with a soundtrack. When you're done dining…

  • Little Mike's

    Dublin

    At Little Mike's, opened in 2019, you can sit at the counter for a few glasses of wine and some smaller plates of the seafood that Michael's, its sister…

  • Bison Bar & BBQ

    Temple Bar

    Beer, whiskey sours and finger-lickingly good Texas-style barbecue – served with tasty sides such as slaw or mac 'n' cheese – is the fare at this…

  • Grano

    North of the Liffey

    An exceptional Italian restaurant in Stoneybatter, with a rotating menu of homemade pastas and a killer tiramisu. Its lunch menu offers incredible value…

  • Bang Café

    Dublin

    Fashionistas and foodies have long been aficionados of this stylish spot, which turns out top-notch contemporary Irish fare, including Wicklow venison and…

  • La Maison

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Olivier Quenet's chic restaurant is all about French classics done just right: escargots dripping with garlic butter, wild sea bass baked in salt and…

  • Blazing Salads

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Organic breads (including many special diet varieties), Californian-style salads from a serve-yourself salad bar, smoothies and pizza slices can all be…

  • Yamamori

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Yamamori rarely disappoints with its bubbly service and vivacious cooking that swoops from sushi and sashimi to whopping great plates of noodles, with…

  • Union8

    Dublin

    A hub for the local community of Dublin 8 (hence the name), this terrific spot serves tasty breakfasts and contemporary Irish cuisine (beautifully…

  • Xico

    Dublin

    It's quite the scene at this underground Mexican restaurant, where the music is loud and the food – tacos, tostadas and main courses such as salmon…

  • Camerino

    North of the Liffey

    You can pick up some tasty sandwiches at this cute bakery (marinated kale and feta on focaccia, free-range chicken with homemade slaw and sriracha mayo)…

  • Pitt Bros BBQ

    Grafton Street & St Stephen's Green

    Delicious, Southern-style barbecue – you have a choice of pulled pork, brisket, ribs, sausage or half a chicken – served amid loud music and a hipster…

  • Caviston's Food Emporium

    County Dublin

    This is an excellent seafood restaurant with a long-standing reputation. From tuna loin to seared scallops, everything is fresh and beautifully presented…