Best Places to Eat in Dublin – Who Eats Dinner at the Pub?

I’d never thought of Dublin as a city for foodies, but we enjoyed fantastic food the entire trip! Granted, it’s a lot of meat, potatoes and seafood but that’s what, in my opinion, made it so great! And because it was so unexpectedly good,  I felt had to share our picks for the best places to eat in Dublin.  It wasn’t an article I had intended to write, but I hope it’s helpful to those planning a trip to Ireland’s capital city.

We visited during the perfect time of year, for food that is. Salmon fishing season was in full swing, so we enjoyed tons of wild Atlantic salmon for a fairly reasonable price.  I ate seafood chowder at least once per day the entire week we were there!  That might not have been good for my waistline, but it was worth it!

To help us decide where we wanted to eat, Derrick did extensive research on Dublin restaurant reviews. We were looking for places that were relatively inexpensive, served traditional Irish meals and were within walking distance to our apartment in the Temple Bar area or close to the  major attractions that we might visit.

Did you know that the best restaurants in Dublin tend to be bars? Before my visit to Ireland, I would have said you were crazy if you told me the best place to eat was at the local pub.  And I was put off by the thought of having to take my  kids into a bar.  But the bars had some of the best food and it seems you couldn’t go wrong by popping into the local pub for dinner and conveniently, you can pair it with a pint!

Please forgive us for our bad phone pictures.  They were never intended for others to see 🙂

Best Places to Eat in Dublin:

 

The Old Storehouse Bar & Restaurant – Traditional Irish
3 Crown Alley in Temple Bar area
www.theoldstorehouse.ie

Some of the best pub food in Dublin was, hands down, found at The Old Storehouse. Not only is the restaurant located in a cool historical building (you guessed right -the old storehouse), but the food is fantastic.  We ended up eating there multiple times.  I don’t usually eat at the same place twice, but it was just that good.

I think The Old Storehouse had the best seafood chowder.  Lucy agreed but Derrick and K are still on the fence.  What else did we eat?  Derrick had a huge plate of fish and chips on one occasion and the Shepard’s Pie, on another. The kids ate off the kids menu and had either Irish Stew or burgers.  The burgers were plenty for the kids, but K was still a bit hungry after the kids portion of Irish Stew.  Or maybe he just wanted more of Moms chowder….

 

The Vintage Kitchen – Fresh, local ingredients
No 7 Poolbeg Stret
www.thevintagekitchen.ie

The best lunch in Dublin was at The Vintage Kitchen.  We had fantastic food and you can bring your own wine and beer!  The menu is fairly small and changes frequently since they use fresh ingredients from the local area.

I enjoyed White onion & rosemary soup with fennel butter & bread (even though I was a bit worried about eating green soup),  Lucy had gorgonzola and panchett risotto, K devoured the cajun seafood chowder and Derrick went with the salmon.   We all practically licked our plates clean.  Everyone left full even though the portions were smaller than at the pubs.

 

The Lotts Café Bar – Traditional Irish
9 Liffey Street
www.thelottscafebar.com

We went here intending to have an Irish breakfast, but it took us a bit longer to get moving this particular morning.  Breakfast is served all day, but by the time we arrived to eat,  only Lucy was in the mood for breakfast.  Derrick had a HUGE plate of fish and chips.  It was cooked perfectly and not greasy. He also tried a Galway Hooker (beer) and it’s now one of his favorites.

K decided to go Italian and ordered carbonara off the kids menu. Lucy went with a monstrous bacon sandwich and I, surprisingly, had the soup of the day and a wrap.

This is a cool, bright bar with good service.

Quays Irish Restaurant – Traditional Irish
10-12 Temple Bar Square
www.quaysrestaurant.com

Kids menu – both kids chose the kids burger and it was pretty much the size of an adult meal. Derrick and K preferred the seafood chowder here (that I ordered). Have you noticed a pattern?  Derrick thought the steak was good, not the greatest ever, but still, quite good.

No pictures taken

Banyi Japanese Dining – Japanese
3-4 Bedford Row, Temple Bar
http://www.banyijapanesedining.com

If you want to get away from the Irish cuisine, head to Banyi for sushi.  Derrick ordered the Bento Box and the kids and I enjoyed sushi rolls. We tried the California Roll, Dragon Roll & Ebi Tempura Roll. They were different from the ones we order in the States, but still delicious. Great taste and lovely presentation.

There isn’t a kids menu and it’s pretty expensive. However, the food was delicious and the service was excellent. They also offer take out and delivery.  Had I known this in advance I would have ordered in.  I was exhausted after our day trip from Dublin to Blarney Castle and Cork.

No pictures taken

A few other foods not to miss during your visit to Ireland –

• Lamb
• Irish Ice Cream
• Irish yogurt – we had yogurt from Cork that was so good it should be considered a dessert.
• Guinness Brown bread – my seafood chowder was usually served with this bread and it was delicious!
• Cheddar – Ireland has delicious cheddar cheese.  I even brought some home since it’s hard to find in France.

We’re not a fan, but everyone says you must drink Guinness & Irish Whiskey.  If you’re not into either of those, there are a ton of microbrews you can try.  In addition to the Galway Hooker, Derrick also liked the Hophouse 13 Lager.

We did find alcohol to be particularly expensive. Maybe I’m too used to all that inexpensive French wine that paying 6€ per glass made my heart ache and my wallet throb. We solved that problem by shopping at the grocery store the first day.  Buying wine by the bottle was still more money than I’m used to spending, but it’s still much cheaper than drinking out!

A major plus for many of the restaurants was the availability of a children’s menu. Even though the kids seem to eat more than I do, I hate spending 15€ on a their burgers.

What have you found to be the best places to eat in Dublin?  Or share with us the best pub food in Dublin that you found.