№ 01 / THE CAPITAL
The best restaurants, pubs, cafés and food spots in Dublin — hand-picked by locals. From Michelin-starred tasting menus on the South Circular to 3am spice bags in Coolock, this is your honest guide to eating and drinking in the capital.
Updated June 2026 · 6 hand-picked spots · Curated by Dubliners
Dublin's food scene has quietly become one of the most exciting in Europe. In the last decade, the city has gone from "pints and a toastie" to a place where you can eat tasting-menu Michelin-level food on a Tuesday, brunch on shakshuka with a queue out the door on Saturday, and end the night with a 3am spice bag that genuinely solves problems.
Below are the spots we send our visiting friends to. No tourist traps. No bad pints. No sponsored placements unless clearly marked.
Temple Bar · Modern Irish · €€€
“Where the Liffey meets literature.”
An iconic riverside spot above the bookshop of the same name. Seasonal Irish ingredients, no fuss, the best window seats in the city.
Best for: Date night with a view
Capel Street · Middle Eastern · €€
“Shakshuka that'll ruin all other brunch.”
All-day Middle Eastern café from a Dublin couple who lived in the Middle East. The shakshuka is the headline act but the slow-roasted lamb is the dark horse.
Best for: Weekend brunch
The Liberties · Community Café · €€
“If a hug was a meal.”
Part café, part community living room. Sourdough, kimchi, kombucha — and the kind of crowd you actually want to overhear.
Best for: Laptop lunches
South Circular Road · Contemporary Irish · €€€
“Michelin-level plates, neighbourhood prices.”
A small, focused, big-flavour kitchen working with the best of Irish produce. The tasting menu is one of the best value fine-dining experiences in the city.
Best for: Special occasion
Camden Street · Chinese-Irish Fusion · €€€
“Dim sum with a Dublin accent.”
Dimly lit, train-carriage-inspired, and serving the most fun Chinese food in the city. Order the crispy aromatic duck and the wagyu skewers.
Best for: Group dinner
Multiple locations · Lebanese · €
“The kebab that saves 3am.”
A Dublin institution. Charcoal-grilled chicken shawarma, hand-cut chips, garlic sauce — Parliament Street's saviour after a night out.
Best for: Late-night fuel
For a special occasion, Bastible on the South Circular Road consistently delivers Michelin-level cooking at neighbourhood prices. For an iconic Dublin experience, The Winding Stair above the bookshop on the quays is hard to beat.
Avoid Temple Bar (mostly). Locals eat in Stoneybatter, the Liberties, Phibsborough, Rathmines and along Camden Street. The Fumbally, Hang Dai, Brother Hubbard and Zaytoon are all local favourites that have stood the test of time.
A spice bag is Dublin's great culinary invention — a takeaway box of crispy shredded chicken, salt-and-chilli chips, onions, peppers and a secret Chinese five-spice seasoning. Best consumed after 11pm. Coolock is widely considered to be the spiritual home of the spice bag.
Increasingly yes. The Fumbally, Brother Hubbard and Cornucopia (off Wicklow Street) all do outstanding vegetarian and vegan food. Most modern Dublin restaurants now offer proper plant- based options rather than afterthoughts.