There is a real sense of life and genuine zest to Dublin. We may be regarded as Europe's leading cosmopolitan city but the most striking and endearing qualities of the Irish still remain. After visiting Ireland you'll know what I'm talking about. The French call it the "joie de vivre", for us it's the "craic", either way the Irish know how to enjoy themselves and not take life too seriously.
What is immediately apparent is there's no shortage of fantastic pubs, clubs, cafés and restaurants oozing out of every street. The good news is you'll be spoilt for choice, the tricky part is finding the right one.We may not be as big as other European cities but we do boast a bursting bunch of brilliant restaurants.
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud
Patrick Guilbaud created his restaurant in 1981 – 28 years ago – Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud is Ireland’s top restaurant, holder of two Michelin stars as well as virtually all the top national and international awards. It is situated in an 18th century Georgian Townhouse adjoining the Merrion Hotel. It houses an impressive collection of Irish Art.
This bright, elegant restaurant, run by Stephane Robin, serves modern classic cuisine using the best Irish produce in season. The restaurant has played host to many famous guests over the past 28 years.
Chef Guillaume Lebrun’s signature dishes include the Lobster Ravioli, Roast Challans Duck for two, Assiette Gourmande au Chocolat.
Everything is made on the premises from the wonderful selection of breads to the petit fours. The wine list is very impressive in both its depth and its range – do take time to peruse it.
The table d’hôte lunch menu at €38 is very popular with both the business community and tourists alike and is described as one of Dublin’s best kept secrets! Booking essential! As well as the à la carte, you might also like to sample our Tasting Menu which allows you to try our version of typical Irish dishes.
Chapter One
Chapter One Restaurant is located in Dublin city centre on the north side of Parnell Square. As a former home of John Jameson, it retains authentic granite walls and sash windows and has been carefully and stylishly renovated to create a wonderfully sumptuous and comfortable restaurant.
It is one of Dublin's leading restaurants having won numerous awards for both food and service. The front of house team are warm and friendly while retaining a high level of efficiency and professionalism.
The food at Chapter One is a delicate blend of old style with innovative twists, one of these being our now legendary Charcuterie Trolley using some of the finest artisan cured meats and produce Ireland has to offer. The emphasis is on organic and seasonal ingredients to produce the best possible dining experience for the customer.
It is Dublin's premier pre-theatre dining venue. Ross Lewis and Martin Corbett, Chapter One's co-proprietors, have continued to strive for excellence and this effort is manifest throughout the restaurant.
A rare treat awaits you.
L'Ecrivain
L'Ecrivain Restaurant, 109a Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, in the heart of Georgian Dublin. This modern, contemporary restaurant is run by Chef, Derry Clarke and his wife, Sallyanne, has been established since July 1989.
Room top terrace for al fresco dining. Piano Bar and Malt Room available for private parties.
This award-winning restaurant has built itself a reputation for innovative cooking Irish/French style using the very best of Irish produce from small indigenous producers all in season. It is also well known for its fish, which is caught all over Ireland on the same day as used. Derry Clarke is renowned for his culinary expertise, and together with his team of chefs, Sallyanne and the front of house team, L'Ecrivain is an experience not to be missed.
Thornton's
Set on the leafy St Stephen’s Green, on the first floor of the Fitzwilliam Hotel, the elegant and relaxed Thornton’s Restaurant provides a break from Dublin’s pounding pavements. Refurbished in 2007, the dining room is a romantic space with a classic feel created by plushly carpeted floors, marble wall panels and touchy-feely velvet seating, leading in from a coolly contemporary cocktail bar. A delicious French inspired menu presents a range of delicate dishes, so beautifully presented as to make them almost too hard to attack with your fork. Meanwhile a canapé bar, complete with low slung sofas for relaxing in to, offers a less formal experience.
Miniature creations - perhaps foie gras rolled in toasted almonds or goose with aubergine chips - can be individually ordered (€3.50 each) to accompany some exceptional wines by the glass, such as the celebrated dessert wine, Chateau d'Yquem (€40 per glass). For those who have come to dine, however, the understated linen-clad tables leave you in no doubt that the food is to be the star here. Given that Kevin Thornton is one of the most talented chefs in the country, lunch, with two courses costing just €45, represents outstanding value.
Bon Appetit
The latest out-of-towner to be awarded a Michelin star, Bon Appetit is luring Dublin's gourmets away from the city centre with the promise of culinary fireworks from young Irish chef Oliver Dunne. And dishes such as boudin of duck and foie gras with celeriac purée and fresh peas or fillet of John Dory with new season asparagus, pine nuts and salted grapes have been ensuring that they do not leave disappointed. Café Bon, the high-quality bistro operation in the basement of the beautiful Georgian building (the restaurant is on the first floor) is a good bet for those who want to see what all the fuss is about without having to shell out haute cuisine prices. Here, you can expect more low-key offerings, such as grilled fillet of Irish beef with cherry tomatoes, 'Café Bon chips' and béarnaise sauce (fancy steak and chips, in other words).
Bon Appetit confuses people. Some folk can’t understand why a chef of Oliver Dunne’s skill and reputation should work out in seasidey Malahide, and it doesn’t occur to them that he is a Northsider, who wanted to have a top-notch restaurant in a part of Dublin that has suffered from indifferent culinary standards. Others miss the point of his food, which is serious, deeply understood and beautifully executed, yet you can read reviews that suggest he should be cooking something different. So, for the record, it is necessary to state that Mr Dunne is one of the best cooks of his generation, and that the symphonic sweep of his dishes is a total thrill, with flavours, textures and colours all summoned with apainterly, pointillist perfection. His cuisine takes many elements of the modern style – taste essays in lamb, or quail, rare-breed pork, polenta, or chocolate, or prawns – but at heart he is a straight-ahead cook, and he respects his ingredients well enough to leave them alone, so flavours simply sing thanks to an amazing level of confidence. Value for money, by the way, is superb.
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