Casual dining in Dublin

[Clerkenwellian]

Hi,

Am spending a few days in Dublin next week, have never been before and am loathe to trust guidebooks: would be really grateful for any casual dining recommendations.

What's the Dublin restaurant scene like? Are there places comparable in terms of atmosphere, quality and value for money with the likes of Moro, Real Greek Mezzewhatever, New Tayyab, Royal China etc?

thanks!

[Suzi Edwards]

i've only been to dublin once but ate at a great place called "the chilli club" it's a tiny, tiny thai place with about 10 tables. it is at:

1 Anne's Lane

Off South Anne Street Dublin 2

T: 01 677 3721

[Andy Lynes]

My dining experiences have all been qwite formal in Dublin, except for "Captin Americas" in Grafton Street, which is a sort of "Hard Rock" type of place. Perfectly acceptable, lots of U2 memorablia on the walls. Steak was nothing whatsoever to write home about however.

I am not aware of anything comperable to Moro etc in Dublin, but I don't know the place that well. One restaurant that did look quite interesting but that I didn't have the chance to try is "Bleu Bistro Moderne" in Dawson street. Theres a little bit about it here along with some other restaurants in the city.

[Clerkenwellian]

My dining experiences have all been qwite formal in Dublin, except for "Captin Americas" in Grafton Street, which is a sort of "Hard Rock" type of place. Perfectly acceptable, lots of U2 memorablia on the walls. Steak was nothing whatsoever to write home about however.

I am not aware of anything comperable to Moro etc in Dublin, but I don't know the place that well. One restaurant that did look quite interesting but that I didn't have the chance to try is "Bleu Bistro Moderne" in Dawson street. Theres a little bit about it here along with some other restaurants in the city.

thanks, that's a really useful link: shall try Bleu Bistro Moderne (and report back) and shall do my best to avoid "Captin Americas".

[Blondie]

I haven't lived in Dublin in several years, and I'm hoping the scene has improved since then. I'd invest in a Bridgestone Guide. I found John and Sally McKenna's recommendations consistently good.

[Blondie]

Here's a review of Bleu Bistro Moderne from March of this year.

[Wild Pigeon]

We also haven't lived in Dublin for a while but always found Caviston's to be excellent value for money. They have two small restaurants, one at Glasthule (7/8 miles south of Dublin) and one in Liffey St.

Caviston's Seafood Bar

Epicurean Food Hall Liffey St Dublin 1

Phone 00 353 1 8782289

HTH.

[Corinna Dunne]

We also haven't lived in Dublin for a while but always found Caviston's to be excellent value for money.  They have two small restaurants, one at Glasthule (7/8 miles south of Dublin) and one in Liffey St.

Caviston's Seafood Bar

Epicurean Food Hall Liffey St Dublin 1

Phone 00 353 1 8782289

HTH.

←

An old thread I know, but I thought it important to update a little. There is now only one Caviston's which is the one in Glasthule (so ignore the Liffey St address). The Glasthule/Sandycove area is part of a lovely stretch which includes Dun Laoghaire, Dalkey and Killiney by the sea in South County Dublin. This is a really beautiful part of Dublin with a dramatic coastline and some of Dublin's finest houses. If you are in Dublin for more than a few days, I would definitely recommend a visit. But regardless of all of this, Caviston's is my favourite place for lunch in Dublin. And lunch is all they do from Tues - Sat with 3 sittings per day.

It is a small, family run, seafood restaurant and the menu is completely dependant on what has been freshly landed down in Dun Laoghaire harbour. I was last there about 4 weeks ago and had grilled sardines to start and grilled sea bass for main course. They don't waste their time garnishing unnecessarily or trying to be too inventive, they just let the quality of the wonderful seafood sing through, and the salad of mixed leasves they serve with the mains are always fresh and flavoursome.

My advice would be to go for the first sitting (noon - 1.30pm) as you will get the pick of the catch. When I was there, the first 5 diners all went for the seabass, and then it was off. The desserts are simple enough and have a slightly homespun quality to them. I mention this because I generally avoid desserts in mid priced restaurants in Dublin as they are mostly bought in and mediocre at best. The wine list is reasonable enough by Irish standards, we had a St Veran for around Euro 30 as far as I remember.

After lunch, you can wander into Caviston's shop to buy some wonderfully fresh seafood, chesses or seasonal vegetables. A few shops down from here, you will find Mitchells, which is a good wine merchants with helpful and well informed staff.

Edited to add Tel: + 353 1 280 9245

Edited April 16, 2005 by Corinna Dunne (log)

[ljr]

As Corinna says this is an old post but in case you stumble upon it looking for info on Dublin. First off I do not particularly recommend Capatin Americas unless you have kids - it is in the not bad category rather than the good category. Even if you do have kids I would suggest the Elephant and Castle in Temple Bar instead (though admittedly not as good as it used to be), or better still try Odessa off Dame St.

I endorse everything that is said about Cavistons in Glasthule and would go further and say it is one of the finest fish restaurants for lunch anywhere. Relaxed and informal with outstanding quality seafood. Fair point about first sitting of the day but I also recommend the last sitting for lunch which gives you more time to linger. Try squid, halibut, cod, mackeral, scallops (queen for starter, king for main) - hell it is all good.

Bridgestone guide reviews are best found in the books - the all inclusive Irish Food Guide or the more circumspect top 100 guide; Some othre reviews to be found in the megabytes newsletter at this link:

http://www.bestofbridgestone.com/mb/index.html

home page here:

I need to declare an interest here as I am one of the guides editors at large and you will find some of my reviews at the link above.

Some recommendations:

Indian: Vermillion in Terenure, Jaipur in various locations including Dalkey and city centre, Rasam in Dun Laoghaire

Chinese: Generally quite ordinary so Dim Sum is the best way to go for interesting flavours - the best by far is the Ming Court in Blanchardstown (terrible location but the only place native Chinese recommend unreservadly), Universal on Sth King St., Imperial on Wicklow St. and Good World on Georges St will also suffice if you are in town. For the cheapest (and one of the most enjoyable) meals in town try China House on Parnell St. with starters for one Euro and mains for around 6-9 euro.

For general Good but not too expensive: try Town on Kildare St, Bang on Merrion Row (the head chef used to be sous chef in the Ivy - he was the one that turned Madonna away from the Ivy at 1.30 am), Cellar Rest. at the Merrion Hotel, Gueuleton on Fade St, Mermaid cafe on Dame St., Eden in Temple Bar (lunch outside on Sat. recommended as the Temple Bar market is on), Franks at the Malting Tower on Grand Canal Quay, Rolys in Ballsbridge (prepare to be crammed in but food is usually reliable if a little overpriced), La Mere Zou on Stephens Green - think old fashioned french bistro - good for lunch

Very good Wine Bars that serve food: Dax on Pembroke St, Ely on Ely Place, Enoteca delle Langhe near Morrison Hotel on the Quays (my definite favourite), La Cave on Sth anne St., French Paradox in Ballsbridge

Lunch spots -Dunne and Crescenzi on Sth Frederick St and related outposts such as Bar Italia on the Quays, La Corta in the Epicurean Mall Middle Abbey St. (most places are good in this mall - including Itsabagel), Gruel on Dame St. (same owners as Mermaid next door), Cellar Bar in the Merrion Hotel, Cafe Bar Deli on Georges St and soon to be in the old Bewleys on Grafton st., Steps of Rome for Italian style pizza - staffed and frequented by Italians.

Fancy and expensive: Best food is Thorntons (2 michelin) best fun is L'Ecrivain (1 michelin), most formal is Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud (2 mich star), most creative is Chapter One (looking for a star), best (and ludicrously expensive) steak is Shanahans (they have their own herd of cows), most ambitious: One Pico off Molesworth St. (also owns Bleu Bistro Moderne and Ocean), for politician spotting go to the Unicorn on Merrion Row for lunch

In the Other category - Aya for sushi (some think it is the world class some think it is mediocre - I am somewhere in the middle), Mao - asian fusion usually full - be careful what you order..., La Maison des Gourmets on Castlemarket for takeout baguette (artisanal) sandwiches and excellent pastries etc. aslo a small restaurant for lunch, Burdocks Fish and chips on Werburg St. near Christchurch Cathedral - batter is too heavy but if eaten straight away can be fab - cooked in beef dripping

[Andy Lynes]

Thanks ljr for taking the time to compose such a detailed post, much appreciated.

[brr]

yes, ljr - an excellent and informative post - I have only 1 question

Rolys in Ballsbridge (prepare to be crammed in but food is usually reliable if a little overpriced)

Are you talking about the a la carte menu? As a former Dubliner who still gets back there once a year, I always try and make a stop at Rolys - in a town full of overpriced restaurants I find their 20 or 25 euro prix fixe lunch to be the single best culinary value in Dublin. Wonderful food at a very reasonable price.

I really need to get to Caviston's one of these days.

Have you ever travelled down to Cavan to the McNean Bistro? One of my favorite places to eat anywhere!

[ljr]

Maybe I was a little unfair on Rolys in calling it overpriced... I probably just order too much wine when I go there and only remember the final bill!

Sadly I have never been to McNeans but hear nothing but good reports. I have no reason to go to Cavan except to go to this restaurant, and I keep promising myself to do this very soon, but I end up in Galway, Clare or Cork instead... It is also possible i am put off by the terrible TV persona of the chef proprietor Nevin McGuire! He is just too nice!

Edited May 3, 2005 by ljr (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

When I was living in Enfield, we used to drive into Dublin frequently for parts (I was building a brewery) and try to time it for evening beers and food at The Porterhouse. The food, primarily various sandwiches, pub type food, and great mussels and oysters, is really good and very dependable. It's a great place with exceptional beers. If you feel like you just want to get all liquored up, you might want to try a couple of these babies or, since you are very near St James Gate, how about a stout? Maybe an

Oyster Stout? It's like drinking your meal. It's much better than it sounds.

I was once in the Porterhouse and witnessed, easily, 300 Irish guys in full on cowboy gear downing pints and getting ready to go to a Steve Earl show just down the way. It was a very funny, and oddly disconcerting sight. Irish cowboys are usually wearing threadbare sweaters and muddy wellies, but these guys cleaned up right nice.

[brr]

The Porterhouse. It's a great place with exceptional beers.

it is indeed, I am quite partial to their 'Plain' Porter...as the old song goes, "when times are tough and you're feeling down, a pint of plain is yer only man!"

[Johnsonic]

Roly's in Ballsbridge gets my vote, great for lunch but be sure to book.

I'd agree the Elephant and Castle is a good place to visit if you have kids in tow, their hot wings are pretty authentic.