It has been an exciting year for openings, with 17 new restaurants hitting our list of Great Places to Eat in Ireland, all very good and very different, ranging from fine dining and neighbourhood bistros to a top-end omakase Japanese restaurant.
We also went on the hunt for a great Sunday roast. Is there anything more glorious on a chilly day? And we list some great places to go for lunch, family-friendly venues, restaurants for special occasions, destination restaurants for a wonderful short break and where to go for a quick bite.
This time we have included a section for business lunches and dinners but we’re not talking hotel foyers and impersonal coffee shops – these are restaurants that are very good in their own right, with booths, quiet corners or private dining facilities. So they’re not just for doing business; they are places where we like to eat too.
As ever, it’s a list of 100, prioritising new restaurants, so it is not possible to include everyone. Do be sure to support all your favourites. Corinna Hardgrave
Afanti
3a Cavendish Row, Rotunda, Dublin 1; 01-8729379, afanti.ie
Dilana Halmurat arrives early each morning to make hand-pulled noodles in the restaurant run by her daughters, Elnur and Halnur, and serving food from the Uyghur province of China. Dumplings are made in-house, samsas are cooked in a clay-oven, lamb kebabs are encrusted with cumin and chewy flat belt noodles come in a gigantic steaming bowl. This is authentic cooking that is very keenly priced. CH
Bar Pez
Unit 3, College Court, Kevin Street Lower, Dublin 8; barpez.ie
The simple styling of Bar Pez, with its wood-panelled walls and terracotta-tiled floor brings old-fashioned Spanish bars to mind but it’s a deceptive simplicity as a lot of thought has gone into this wine-focused spot. Fans of sister locations Beach House in Tramore or Fish Shop will immediately feel right at home. There’s an extensive wine list, including glasses by Coravin, and the food ranges from crab toast to fried fish with aioli. Joanne Cronin
Bramley
10 Main Street, Knocknamoe, Abbeyleix, Co Laois; 087-946 6824, bramleyabbeyleix.com
It’s all about seasonality and local produce in Sam and Emily Moody’s new fine-dining restaurant in Abbeyleix. Assured technique underpins Moody’s dishes, which is to be expected as he is the former executive chef of Ballyfin Demesne and, previous to that, landed a Michelin star at the Bath Priory restaurant in the UK. There’s an option of an a la carte or tasting menu, with Kilmore Quay fish, pork from Fiorbhia Farm and vegetables from The Red Shed all featuring. CH
Brighton Road
3 Brighton Road, Foxrock, Co Dublin; 01-2897711, brightonroad.ie
Foxrock locals are beyond thrilled to welcome this pretty much perfect neighbourhood restaurant, the latest iteration of their much-loved Bistro One. Sole on the bone, roast duck and beef are all cooked with precision, and there are plenty of good choices on the well-priced wine list. The €42 three-course Sunday lunch menu has plenty of options, including roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes for a €5 supplement. CH
Daróg Wine Bar
56 Dominick Street Lower, Galway; 091-565 813, darogwinebar.com
A wine bar to its core, where you can drop in for a quick glass and a chat, Daróg is also quite a serious restaurant. You will definitely need a booking for one of the few tables or window seats. It’s run by the husband-and-wife team of Zsolt Lukács, the former sommelier at Aiar, and Edel McMahon, while in the kitchen is Attila Galambos, formerly of Aniar and Lignum. Everything about this new wine bar – the food, the wine list and the team – is truly wonderful. CH
Daruma
13 Parliament Street, Dublin 2; 01-5341595, daruma.ie
Daruma brings a true flavour of Osaka to the Dublin sushi scene. It’s cosy and casual, with an inventive sake-based, lower-alcohol cocktail menu. The kitchen team bring years of experience, turning out sushi and tasty dishes from their binchōtan charcoal grill. If you’re feeling flush, try the marbled wagu beef, seared on the grill, served simply with a pinch of salt. Place your trust in the chef with a 20-piece sashimi omakase or go for classic chicken karaage. JC
Forbes Street at Anantara The Marker
Grand Canal Square, Dublin 4; 01-687 5104, anantara.com/en/the-marker-dublin
Gareth Mullins is one of the country’s most competent chefs and at the newly updated restaurant in this landmark hotel, he has designed a menu that will work as an early-bird before a show in the Bord Gáis theatre nearby or a dinner to linger over for the evening. A seafood bar with Flaggy Shore oysters and a large fridge filled with John Stone aged beef highlight the quality produce that lands on this menu. CH
Hawksmoor
34 College Green, Dublin 2; 01-4854720, hawksmoor.ie
When news broke that UK-based steakhouse group Hawksmoor was coming to Dublin there was excitement but also some questions as to how they would fit in. Roll forward, and their stunning restoration of the former National Bank, with its gorgeous cast-iron dome, has undoubtedly given Dublin a destination diningroom. Spend big with a sharing steak for two, choose the well-priced express menu or indulge on Sundays with the roast beef. And don’t forget their excellent cocktails. JC
Homestead Cottage
Luogh North, Doolin, V95 KH30, Co Clare; 087-9466824, homesteadcottagedoolin.com
In September, the Michelin Guide named Homestead Cottage as one of its favourites from recent visits, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has eaten in this 200-year-old restored cottage. The team is ex-Gregan’s Castle, with chef Robbie McCauley, his wife Sophie and Mallory Geffroy. Produce comes from McCauley’s organic vegetable garden, his ducks have recently landed on the menu and dishes are created with a sensitivity that reflects the seasons skilfully. The cooking here is top level, and the €75 seven-course tasting menu is well conceived and well paced. A delight. CH
Indian Tiffins
53 Rathgar Avenue, Dublin 6; 087-1208006, indiantiffinsrathgar.ie
The emergence of more casual Indian eateries has been gratefully received, especially by lovers of dosa (a south Indian pancake made from a fermented batter). Located right on the Harold’s Cross crossroads, Indian Tiffins serves up a tasty, well-priced mix of filled dosa, Mumbai street food and/or intriguing Indochinese dishes. Add in a glass of masala chai or some sweet gulab jamun for the full experience. JC
Kari
205A Emmet Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8; 01-5499221, kari.ie
Vibrant flavours, individual saucing and dishes that you’re unlikely to see in other restaurants characterise the food in this Indian restaurant, which opened in March. Owned by Bala Nayak and Nidhi Joshi, the husband-and-wife team behind Konkan on Clanbrassil Street and in Dundrum, the lunch menu includes options of vegetable, vegan and meat thali (€16.50-€18.50), and a broader a la carte in the evening, featuring crisp duck samosas, kale and samphire pakoras, crab and prawn kebabs, Goan pork vindaloo and Kerala lamb and potato stew. CH
Keith Boyle at Bridge House
Kilkenny River Court Hotel, John Street Upper, Kilkenny; 056-7813225, rivercourthotel.com
Keith Boyle is cooking at Michelin-star level at this formal new restaurant which he runs with his wife and sommelier, Carmel. Delicious snacks including three-year-old Parmesan cheese gougère feature on the €80 lunchtime menu and the slightly longer €120 dinner menu, and a Dooncastle oyster encased in a gellée made from its juices and topped with caviar is a highlight. In fact you’ll find quite a bit of caviar and gold leaf adorning these very tasty dishes. Boyle’s sous chefs are ex-Aimsir and Aniar, so this really is a top team with huge ambitions. CH
La Gordita
6 Montague Street, Dublin 2; 01-5313303, lagordita.ie
The former Gerry’s cafe has been transformed beyond recognition by Anna and Vanessa, the dynamic duo passionate about all things Spanish. While the restaurant is sleek and modern, they firmly encourage sharing and getting hands on while eating. Chef Maria Luisa Moraleda produces favourites such as bombitas de morcilla, chuletón (rib-eye on the bone) or tortilla vaga con gambas. The outside dog-friendly terrace is perfect for a glass and plate of anchovies with blue cheese. JC
Matsukawa
8 Queen Street, Dublin 7; matsukawa.ie@gmail.com, matsukawa.simplybook.it
Matsukawa is Dublin’s first omakase restaurant and the result of a fortuitous meeting between owner Yu Uchida and chef Takuma Tamaoki. Omakase is a form of Japanese dining where the chef selects what the customers eat. Eight high seats surround the kitchen where Tamaoki deftly prepares each course, particularly a delectable array of nigiri including fatty blue fin tuna. Uchida, a certified sommelier, is on hand to advise on choosing sakes and wines. JC
Nan
Unit 1, Drury Hall, Stephen Street Lower, Dublin 2; 01-5169887, nanchinese.ie
Nan joins the ranks of upscale Chinese restaurants with a menu largely featuring Huaiyang cuisine, one of the four great traditions in Chinese cooking. If you’re curious, the others are Cantonese, Shandong and Sichuan, some of which also feature on the menu in Nan. Slurp on their xiao long bao (soup dumplings), try the fragrant lions head soup with matsutake mushrooms and pork meatball, or their showpiece Irish blue lobster dishes. JC
Peperina City Bistro
52 Richmond Street, Portobello, Dublin 2; 01-5983905, peperinabistros.com
The empanadas, alfajores and media lunas that feature on the menu at Peperina City Bistro, a sister restaurant to Peperina in Ranelagh, are made each day by 76-year-old Ida Landa. The menu is broad, ranging from chicken wings to Argentinian specialities, with parilla-cooked steaks that are notably good and reasonably priced. Ideal for family dining and groups. CH
Tãbú Tapas
Marsh’s Street, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny; 083-1641967, instagram.com/tabutapas/
Chilean-born Rodrigo Gonzales, formerly of the Cliff House in Ardmore and Kursaal in San Sebastián, has brought a zinging menu to this premises, previously home to Stephen McArdle and Morgan VanderKamer’s Barrow’s Keep. Brunch, lunch and tapas, and paella and pizza nights are just the thing for a neighbourhood restaurant. A private room is available for up to eight guests. CH
