The absolute do's in Dublin (restaurants and more)
Slá-what? Sláinte, or Irish for 'cheers'. If there is one country where your holiday will not be ruined if the weather is inclement, it is Ireland. In fact, it would be a disappointment if you couldn't curl up in front of the fire somewhere with a stiff drink. Ideal travel time? November and December (now). Estates with fireplaces galore Dublin is highly recommended during the last days of the year: it is one of the few European cities where New Year's Eve is celebrated as exuberantly on the streets as in the Netherlands. Here are the best addresses in Dublin for a night out, a good bed or a nice bed to sleep off your haze.
These are the absolute do's in Dublin.
Who says Dublin, says Guinness. And anyone who likes a beer from time to time also needs to make a good base. That's all true, but if it stays that way, you're doing Dublin a disservice: the city is much (much!) more than just the birthplace of the deep dark Guinness beer. And how! You will find great restaurants, the most beautiful cocktail bars and the tastiest (and hip) Hangouts for a wonderful culinary evening in this wonderfully compact, exuberant, very pleasant city.
In a city where it rains more often than not, you have to look for a place with a good terrace. We found: Bonobo in Smithfield. A spacious and relaxed café with not just any outside, but with a large one the beer garden with picnic tables to sit at with your pint of Guinness. Inside it is a brown café today, with vintage furniture, lots of wood and dark brown bar stools. Picobello atmosphere, even better pizzas. Which you simply eat from the box with your hands. Bad weather? Then the terrace will simply be covered. Win-win.
And, it is also a shame to only linger in the historic center! In fact, if you go just a little further, you will discover so much more fun: 3 x an alternative route in Dublin.
Directly opposite the Ha'penny Bridge (not to be missed) on the 'other side' of the River Liffey, there has been a restaurant for many years. The Winding Stair. It will come as no surprise that you have to climb the stairs to get to the restaurant (dude), just a small set of stairs, and then you have something. Here are really classic Irish dishes on the menu (handwritten on a chalkboard - that is often a good sign), a very excellent wine list (also on that board) and a pleasant room with a view of the aforementioned bridge. A bit classic, but in such a way that it is contemporary.
Almost right in front of the door is also the place where you start if you... Secret Street Art Route have booked: a super fun tour that gives you a crazy, arty and very surprising (and colorful) view of Dublin.
Afternoon tea the Irish wayThat's what they say about this Vintage Tea trip. We don't know exactly what they mean by that, but it must have something to do with the Irish craic. Anyway, this tour. That one is nice! In a hyped-up double-decker bus you drive through Dublin while jazz music blares through the speakers, the bus driver creates the atmosphere and all with a afternoon tea for your sniffle. All favorites are covered: freshly made sandwiches, desserts, cakes and more. And all this while the bus continues to travel through the center of Dublin. All the sights are covered: St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church, Trinity College, St. Stephen's Green, Wood Quay, O'Connell Street, Phoenix Park and the stately buildings of Georgian Dublin. Something that kills two birds with one stone.
The full name of the tiny restaurant Seafood Cafe by Niall Sabongi's but the case is also known as 'Klaw'. Nice and confusing, but the most important thing is that it is the best address for fresh fish dishes and oysters. Furthermore, a small, ever-changing menu and equally surprisingly small prices.
The most beautiful hampers full of goodies, which you can pick up (or order). Fallon & Byrne. Of course, such a hamper won't fit in your hand luggage (but nice for a picnic in one of Dublin's parks!), so having lunch or dinner in their Dining Room in Exchequer Street is a great plan. It is handsome and elegant and there is always some sunlight streaming in through the high windows. Lots of meat and fish, and good portions (we are no longer used to anything else). The wine list is also great, you will find a handful of ales on tap and cocktail lovers also have plenty of options here. The terrace is not very large, and therefore extra cozy and cozy, especially when dusk falls
We kick but right off with a golden place to drink and enjoy a beer. Roberta's in Temple Bar is a well-known and successful recipe in terms of style, namely New York meets Italy, complete with weathered mirrors and a brick wall. A staircase leads to the restaurant with round tables and leather sofas along large windows with a view of the neighborhood. You can also dine at Roberta's, but the central marble bar under the glass roof screams for a Barry's Punch or an Aperol Spritz as a starter. Once at the table, the menu does not disappoint; antipasti, steak, lamb and a small but fine selection of vegetarian options. By the way, they don't do small portions anywhere in Dublin, and neither does Roberta, but you're really missing something if you leave the tiramisu alone. For those who want to continue: there is an espresso martini menu. Yes, a complete menu. And now in a straight line down the stairs.
We make no secret of the fact that the day only starts after a cup of coffee. Especially if cocktails were downed a few hours earlier. In Dublin, the barista concept is very important and that ensures that you will find a hip coffee bar in every corner. Towards The Docklands you have to go to one of the 3f branches are, in Portobello take you your cappuccino away at References and in The Liberties you can get a shot of caffeine at one of the colored picnic tables Coffee Container next to the old Roe & Co whiskey distillery. Everything equally urban.
3f, Bear Market, Coffee Container
Image: Instagram
Actually, we would just like to say 'Savage Roll' here, but then no one might know what we are talking about and what we do Lolly and Cooks shortage. Ok, that savage roll first. That is the best sausage roll (which is almost no longer a sausage roll, but more like a mini Wellington with the flakiest pastry and a lot of taste) in the surrounding area. They do more now: salads, soups, pie and cake and now also meals for home. All the baking comes from the bakery in Central Dublin and the rest of the ingredients from a farm in Tipperary. Everything as local and sustainable as possible. Lolly and Cooks have several locations in Dublin, so if you come across one, you should definitely stop in.
In the RHA Gallery near St. Stephen's Green you will find Margadh Food & Wine. Café by day, wine by night, exactly how we see ourselves. If you come here for lunch you can choose from a small but nice selection of sandwiches and that's it. The ham and cheese baguette may not sound the most exciting, but it secretly was, so take advantage of it. In the evening, the people at Margadh go all out and you can go for a tasting menu, which means they fill the table with good food. The menu is what it is: you can't adjust it to vegetarian/vegan, so if that's your thing, Margadh is not your place.
Although these two things actually have nothing to do with each other, we will lump them together here. By Ely Wine Bar (Ely Place) you slide of course for the wine, but they also have a really good snack menu next to it and it is available until late. The latter is a really good one to keep in mind, because after 22pm it becomes increasingly difficult to find something decent to eat in Dublin.
White walls and wooden tables and a hell of a menu (which changes a little every day, which keeps it extra exciting). Mussels, beef tartar, lamb, gnocchi: the menu is varied and takes all eaters into account. A great evening out here is guaranteed.
At Loose Canon on Drury Street they have the simplicity is key mentality was kind of invented. They do (natural) wine, cheese and toasties. You can't make a reservation and they are open every day. Finished. But not of course, because this is a place you have to visit, especially because it is so nice and down-to-earth. The cheeses are almost always of Irish origin and as local as possible, plenty of choice of wine and the light makes it a mix of hip, divey and brothel-esque in one.
Speaking or cocktails en speaking of Roe & Co: this summer, the Irish whiskey brand revived the old Guinness Power Station in the Liberties district. This iconic building is now used as a distillery and is open to the public. And that is worth it even if you are not a big whiskey fanatic, if only because of the incredibly beautifully renovated building.
After the tour and tasting you know so much about whiskey that you suddenly feel like having a drink. This is convenient, because the distillery also included a picture of a bar. Here the best bartenders will build you a fresh whiskey cocktail while you look out at the boilers on one side and the old factory hall on the other. All that shaking and stirring is fun, but our favorite remains Roe&Co with tonic. Don't do anything about it anymore.
You drink more cocktails Bar 1661. Very beautiful brown-yet-hip bar with a creative cocktail menu. All cocktails also have a year in the name, so there is a bit of history behind everything. and at Delahunt, the place with the nice blue facade.
At Delahunt, the place with the nice blue facade, you can eat and drink in a modern pub atmosphere. Extra nice here: vegetarians and vegans can also choose a tasting menu here. Truly a place for everyone.
Don't miss the Camden area. How nice it is here! Hip wine bar? Cool coffee shop? Good crowd? Check check check. The neighborhood is quite raw and the not-so-hip (understatement) typically Irish or multi-cultural day to day places here alternate with some of the hippest businesses in the city.
Read more about Camden here en where to do.
Center center table you join Isabelle's. A handsome tent with lots of marble, wood and velvet benches. In the center there is a partially open kitchen where they serve hearty portions of meat and fish on your plate. Have lunch here during the day - because it is on the route to or from a cultural highlight Trinity College Library – then order a perfect eggs benedict sandwich or a serious stack of pancakes. Oh and we were told that the Bloody Marys here taste perfect. More craving for margaritas and tacos in a sleek setting? The new DOUGH a little further away is your Mexican go to.
We didn't come back fully trained, so we can still get a bowl of ice cream. With wine gums on top, yes. Bee Scoop it's allowed. Slightly fewer e-numbers, but the ice creams are just as good Three Twenty. The aim of this new 'ice lab' is to present ice cream in a completely new way with different surprising flavors every season. Just opened at a prime location, so you'll pass by anyway. It's a shame not to take two large scoops right away.
Okay, it may not be Dublin, but it's one worth the detour. It is chic at the hotel Ballyfin. Classic and quirky, and that's well done. It is the perfect place for a stately afternoon tea (make a reservation) where the silver-colored trays with very sweet sandwiches follow each other in rapid succession. You could easily have to pay around 950 euros for a room, but only the aforementioned afternoon tea is the biggest part of the fun. You just sleep at it, for example Butler House, with 79 euros for Bed and Breakfast Much cheaper but just as beautiful and romantic.
Ireland is quite an overgrown island. You might not say, but that is true. With very large chunks of nothing. Beautifully nothing, that is. In addition, the Irish have virtually invented pub life: on every street corner, from the smallest hamlet to the big city, there is a brightly colored pub begging you to come in for a drink. pint. The result is this list; the best of – the middle of – the Irish countryside.
