Café en Seine lets those inclined to French cuisine enjoy in abundance, splicing together the rich tastes of authentic Irish produce with an exquisite Parisian verve so often equated with gourmet dining. The interior design is a particular highlight, with glass ceilings and huge metal lanterns conferring atmosphere to the dining area. The ornate surroundings in themselves attract many, with incidental visitors so impressed they often stick around to dine and soak in the indelible ambiance.
A popular nightlife venue for its drinks selection, snazzy cocktails and friendly bar staff, the Café en Seine’s menus range across local favourites, with continental cuisine also well represented. The venue is particularly friendly to group diners, with platters designed for sharing available, and several long tables available for parties of 6 or more people to book. Quick lunches of soup and sandwiches are also popular. Factor in the great location in close proximity to Dublin’s bustling downtown – plus all that curvaceously exquisite furnishing – and you have here a sure winner for a night out.
Bloom Brasserie has the distinct upscale air of a wine bar, while having the personality that can only be imbued by two brothers working to bring out the very best in Ireland’s own vegetables, meats and seafood. The cosy meets the classy with a fireplace and sumptuous seating paired up with a chilled out, gently lit bar area. On the menu, choice is the order of the day with seafood, meats and vegetarian dishes all making a strong showing.
Enjoying your meal in fantastic style is easy at Bloom Brasserie: a mere matter of sitting back and soaking in the delightful atmosphere, which balances relaxation and modernity in a sublime manner, wherein dark, locally quarried stone meets relaxing mood lighting. The food tastes fantastic across the board; the chefs present having practiced long and hard to get the best possible tastes from every local vegetable and meat, cooking and presenting them to perfection.
Bad Bobs combines traditional pub surrounds with consistent culinary ability and a snazzy, colourfully lit bar – it’s a devilishly brilliant combination that keeps thousands coming back year after year. Proving that traditional pub cuisine needn’t be a constraint on cooking excellence, Bad Bobs offers diners excellence in sandwiches, burgers, chips and a whole load of delectable side orders. The versatility of Guinness as an accompaniment is truer here than ever, although the skilful bar staff have more than a passing experience mixing the finest cocktails!
Situated right in the midst of the Temple Bar area, Bad Bobs is a great choice for a meal or as a stop during a Dublin pub crawl. The drinks selection and courteous, accommodating bar and serving staff make visiting there an experience not to be missed. The premises are spacious with plenty of seating, and entertainments from live music to cocktail tutoring are regular draws. Summertime is blissful too, with the venue’s very own roof terrace admitting sunlight right into the joyous evening.
The Green Hen lets Dubliners and tourists alike enjoy scrumptious cuisine in lovely surroundings, surrounded by many photographs and paintings depicting the old Dublin and the old Irish life. This genuine appreciation for the local heritage doubles as a fine cue to get you talking, which is what many who visit the Green Hen do between the delightful choices that comprise its selection of meals, which superbly cross favourites from the pantheons of both French and Irish cuisine.
The selection is an impressive one: meats from venison to lamb to beef, delicious salads, plus local favourites such as Irish Stew all share the proclivity for potatoes and steaks common to both France and Irish cuisines, while classics like fish and chips also make their appearance. Desserts range from specially prepared cakes and tarts, to a locally sourced set of Irish cheeses sure to get those inclined to savoury finishes licking their lips upon sight. Topping it all off are The Green Hen’s serving staff, who approach their task with a friendliness as authentic as the décor.
JULES restaurant (situated on the former site of Les Freres Jacques Restaurant) represents one of Dublin’s prime venue for French cuisine, and perhaps the very best when it comes to affordability. Skilled chefs and friendly staff form the bedrock upon which the finest sauces and meats, cooked faithfully to France’s traditions, satisfy and impress. Menu options are wide, with seafood, fish and meat dishes receiving strong representation. Desserts meanwhile are well-presented, several of the cakes and tarts present arriving at the time aflame to gasps from patrons.
The French proclivity for braised meats and loins is in full force, with fish and seafood dishes like silver hake also making a showing. Vegetarians will be delighted by the range of salads present. When the wine selection is taken into account, JULES is really rounded out – a range of inexpensive yet delightful wines are paired with vintages from some of the best years France’s vintners have experienced. Factor in the ideal location very close to Dublin’s City Hall, and this restaurant looks like somewhere anyone would attend gladly.
Diep Le Shaker is Dublin’s answer to Thai cuisine, offering a stunning range of meals that span the entire Thai tradition. Well-known favourites such as Thai Green Curry are accompanied by delicious appetizers like Tom KhaGa – lime-scented coconut soup – and main meals such as Tao Hu Tua – snap peas stir-fried and spiced with chilli – which authentically bring the uniquely sublime qualities of Southeast Asia alive to the amazement and delight of diners.
Visitors wanting to receive a great impression of Thai cookery will be pleased to see Diep Le Shaker’s value menu, which is available for one or two customers and has the option of red or white wine accompaniment, with seared meats and salads populating the menu. Serving staff meanwhile treat their guests with an attentiveness and courtesy that many reviewers see fit to highlight. The availability of event and group bookings, plus the wine and cocktail menus, fully round out this excellent, exotic restaurant.
Dax Restaurant has Dublin’s love of making great food in its sights, offering as it does a luxury experience worthy of the most discerning of diners. The atmosphere, unique for its roaring fireplace and illustriously decorated surrounds, is a perfect one at lunch or dinnertime, with the menu encompassing many of the great foods that define Irish cuisine. Salads and soups are complimented in force by fresh-caught fish and seafood, with beef and lamb joints braised to perfection ever-popular constituents of this exclusive restaurant.
For the daring diner wanting to experience it all, Dax’s seven course meal offers a bit of everything, letting the buyer experience the panoply of tastes and delights the professionally trained team of chefs capably assemble. The serving staff are friendly, their impeccable manners matching the elegance of the surrounds – the location, right in the midst of Dublin’s city centre, brings to completion a truly sumptuous experience.
Fade Street Social makes fantastic cuisine worthy of any visitor to Dublin city centre, with its fuss-free style making it favoured among diners wanting to eat well straightforwardly. The selection is impressive, with starters evenly divided between local dishes such as oysters and scallops and more universal favourites such as pork belly. Mains are divided by how they’re cooked; the wood fired dishes including for instance lamb and veal, while chargrilled options – a long-time preference of local Dubliners – spanning pork, lamb, beef and fish choices.
The stunning surroundings act to magnify the attentive manner in which Fade Street Social’s meats are prepared, the old brick walls and ultramodern gastrobar forming a contrast between the traditional and the new that works seamlessly. Even the artwork varies between traditional scenes and the outright contemporary, while the cooks and servers both embody professionalism and good courtesy. It’s a small wonder this splendid eatery has gained so much acclaim over a few short years.
Irish Film Institute Café Bar lets purveyors of Dublin’s motion picture showings stop by for a drink and a meal. Located right inside Temple Bar, the eatery is hugely popular with film-goers eager to discuss the latest motion pictures to hit Dublin theatres in any given season, with outdoor and mezzanine seating available. Something of a gem among the creatively inclined, the IFI bar offers a bunch of great snacks and mains at reasonable prices. All-time favourites like Irish Stew are complimented by more novel offerings such as the special ‘build your own burger’ menu present.
For those in a hurry or with plenty more to see round Dublin, sandwiches are available to go, while quick bites are happily accompanied by various herbal teas and coffees. General diners or those fresh and bleary-eyed from an evening showing, will be pleased at the colourful range of main meals that span steaks, pasta, chicken foods, lasagne and much more. Wine and cocktails are served too, placing the IFI in rivalry with several of central Dublin’s classiest venues. All this is rounded off magnificently in the modern contemporary atmosphere of redbrick that defines the IFI.
Beaufield Mews is a lovely restaurant on the outskirts of Dublin that enjoys the distinction of being Dublin’s longest established restaurant. Owing to its spectacularly verdant and evocatively pastoral grounds and gardens the venue has been popular for wedding functions and large-scale events. Indoors the place charms thoroughly, with a modern, leather-seated restaurant complimented by a bar offering all the great Irish favourites. The capability of those working in Beaufield Mews cannot be doubted; years of experience have imbued their food and reception service with quality seldom equalled.
Upstairs in the roof space is the Loft Brasserie, where stunning oak beams and country views are completed by the ornate cocktail bar which sees patrons sample the best mixed drinks. The roster is made no less varied by the afternoon tea service that delights thousands who stop by to enjoy the premises every year, the downstairs lounge providing an instant welcome.
