More than Guinness: Inside Dublin's Thriving Restaurant Scene

A mere five years ago, Dublin was celebrated more for its pint of Guinness than for gourmet food, but the city has had a dining revolution. Imen McDonnell explores Dublin with a New York appetite.

By Imen Mcdonnell

November 13, 2014

Sheridan's Cheesemongers
Sheridan’s is the top purveyor of cheese in Ireland. Their shop on St. Anne’s Street offers a large selection of Irish farmhouse cheeses as well as imports from France, Italy, and beyond.
Etto
ETTO is a chic casual restaurant and wine bar that features Italian fare made with Irish ingredients. Signature dishes include veal sweetbreads with nettle tea and bone marrow or mussels with 'nduja (a Calabrian spreadable sausage). Budget travelers should stop in for the lunch special, where you can get fantastic meatball and mozzarella sandwich with soup for just a tenner.

Fallon & Byrne
Every city needs a proper gourmet food shop and Fallon & Byrne is Dublin’s answer to the Dean and DeLucas of the world. This food hall, restaurant, and wine bar is located right off Grafton Street (Dublin’s shopping central.) On any given day, you will find everything from foraged mushrooms to Irish-made charcuterie.
Industry
I never miss a visit to Industry when traveling to Dublin. This independent store offers an evolving collection of carefully curated objects, furniture and wares for the home and everyday life. Some are new, some are old, some industrial and some recycled. All are hand chosen for their beauty, function, quality and uniqueness.

THE GARDEN
Situated in a Georgian mansion in Dublin’s city centre, The Garden's owner Mark Grehan uses the sweeping granite steps as his window, drawing the eye up to his shop entrance by dressing them with alluring seasonal plants and flowers year round. Inside is a charming boutique filled with fresh and unique, seasonal flowers and greenery with candles and art as well.
Lolly & Cooks
Eating a sausage roll from Lolly & Cooks is an absolute must when visiting Dublin. This fun, family-run café specializes in soups, salads, sandwiches and sausage rolls—and makes a mean cupcake, too.

Love Supreme
Love Supreme brings together the crafty creations of artisan cake maker Kate Packwood of Wildflour Bakery (Irish sea salt caramel brownies and vanilla, pear and smoke cakes) and coffee by the aficionados of Roasted Brown Dublin.
Murphy's
Sean and Kieran Murphy grew up in New York and moved back to Ireland years ago to establish their own ice cream business. Using milk from Kerry cows, Murphy's boasts creative, natively Irish flavors like Guinness, brown bread and whiskey, and even gin. While their flagship store is in Dingle, County Kerry, lucky Dubliners can nip into this convenient location for a lick anytime.

Picado Mexican Pantry
Ireland’s first and (so far) only boutique Mexican grocer Picado Mexican Pantry is located in Portobello across from the classic and funky Bernard Shaw pub. Owned and operated by Lily Ramirez-Foran, a Mexican expat who married an Irishman, imports authentic goods like rare smoked chilis and Luchito honey from her native country. Ramirez-Foran also makes her own corn tortillas and teaches cooking classes.

Sister Sadie
Sister Sadie, located on tree-lined Harrington Street, is minimalist, accented with soft copper pot lighting and honeycomb tile, making it a mellow place to linger, sip coffee, and chat. But, the menu is fierce, featuring classics dishes made with exotic ingredients. The menemen (a Turkish breakfast dish made with eggs, peppers, tomatoes, and spices) is a force to be reckoned with.

Ely
Both a brasserie and wine bar, Ely is set in Georgian Dublin close to St. Stephen’s Green. Enjoy a glass of the 400-some wines, or gorge on food sourced from the restaurant’s organic farm in the countryside of County Clare.

Slice
Slice may be small, but it's brimming with character and with home-cooked comfort fare: think veggie stew or ham hock for dinner and stewed apple and farmhouse cheese on toast for brunch. But the real highlight is in the name: a simple slice of cake. They're classics like granny would make, but vegan. Try the avocado toffee cake with 3FE coffee, some of the best java in town.

The Winding Stair
Named after a Yeats poem, The Winding Stair is both a restaurant and a bookshop. The room is cozy and stylish; with high ceilings, stripped floors, bentwood chairs, wooden tables, and an amazing view over the River Liffey. The food is "upscale Irish comfort food": think potted crab with soda bread and smoked haddock with cheddar mash.

Wall & Keogh
If you spend enough time in Dublin, you will find that the cure to almost any ailment is not a pint of Guinness, but a cup of tea! Wall & Keogh is a boutique with a massive selection of looseleaf teas and a great place to sample some new blends.
DUBLIN BIKES
See more of Dublin by bike! Dublin Bikes is a self-service bike rental system open to everyone from 14 years of age. It enables you to travel through the city centre, commute between home and work and get out and about to enjoy Dublin city at your leisure. Stations located throughout Dublin City.

L. Mulligan Grocer
Dublin’s first true gastropub, L.Mulligan Grocer opened its doors in 2011 in Stoneybatter, arguably Dublin’s trendiest neighborhood. The menus come inside vintage books and the bill inside classic candy tins. Don’t miss the scotch eggs!

Sheridan's Cheesemongers

Etto

Fallon & Byrne

Industry

THE GARDEN

Lolly & Cooks

Love Supreme

Murphy's

Picado Mexican Pantry

Sister Sadie

Ely

Slice

The Winding Stair

Wall & Keogh

DUBLIN BIKES

L. Mulligan Grocer