(This post was written when we were still living in Dublin. We moved to Portugal after our son was born in 2018.)

Living in Dublin

When I say that Dublin is a VERY rainy city, people don't take me seriously as I tend to be a bit exaggerated...lol.

Guys, there are 300 days of rain on average per year and this statistic is not mine! Just search for it on Google. Because of this detail that we consider quite annoying and because of a limitation in the travel budget, we are taking advantage of the opportunity to put into practice our 2nd hobby: eat well.

We try to follow recipes from chefs We visit famous people at home and often the result is positive, but what we enjoy doing most is discovering restaurants and remarkable dishes (and not having to wash the dishes at home!). I think this makes us feel like locals and like the city even more, you know? It's a luxury that we've made a point of having in our lives since we met.

But, as I must have told many people, Dublin is one of the most expensive cities we know and therefore, it is not possible to go out to eat all the time and everywhere. So, we tend to plan our outings, always trying to avoid pubs and mediocre restaurants. For those who don't know the city, there are pubs that sell meals, but they are always the same: lamb stew (lamb stew), burgerif chicken fingers, almost always accompanied by potatoes, and the famous fish&chips. The dishes are usually good, but nothing “Wow!”.

Favorite restaurants in Dublin

If you want to get away from junk food, pubs or if you want to eat them in better quality, take a look at this list of 10 restaurants that we love in the city and that are our favorites so far (December 2015). I put them all on the map below and the descriptions are right after. Enjoy!!! 🙂

Elephant and Castle (American restaurant) – LETTER A

Website: http://www.elephantandcastle.ie/

Location: This restaurant is located in the heart of Temple Bar, a tourist area of the city that is packed almost every day of the week. We usually stop by the restaurant, leave our name on the list, go out for a walk around the area and only return close to the time they usually indicate. If you prefer, just call to make a reservation.

Our tip: THE chicken fingers It's simply wonderful, but be prepared because it's quite spicy. We've already tried pasta, burgers and even salads and we found everything delicious, but we always order this sensational starter.

Dada Moroccan Restaurant (Moroccan food) – LETTER B

Website: http://www.dadarestaurant.ie/

Location: This super cool restaurant is located near the street Grafton Street, in a more hidden parallel street, the William Street.

Our tip: I loved it couscous I ordered, but what caught my attention the most was the decor of the place. The restaurant is super charming, the service is very good and since they don't sell alcoholic beverages because of religion, you can bring your own drink at no extra cost. I don't know if this is for every day, so it's best to call to confirm.

Viva (Spanish food) – LETTER C

Website: http://www.vivaespanatapas.com/

Location: This one is outside the tourist area, but still in the Dublin 2 neighborhood, on the street Richmond Street South. As it is quite small, we recommend that you make a reservation to visit it without stress. 

Our tip: We celebrated my birthday there (October 2015) and it is our new favorite, because we loved the tapas we ate! For those who don't know, tapas are small portions of typical Spanish food. We ordered about 8, even though they recommend 3 per person, with a variety of seafood, vegetarian and meat options, but our favorite was the shrimp. To go with everything, a dig (a delicious Spanish sparkling wine) recommended by the owner.

Juniors (sandwiches) – LETTER D

Website: https://www.juniors.ie/deli-and-cafe.php

Location: Outside the tourist area, in the Dublin 4 neighborhood, this mini deli is packed every weekday at lunchtime, when it sells the best sandwiches in town.

Our tip: They don't take reservations for lunch, so if you get there and don't have a place to sit, don't worry, as they also sell it in the format take away. I'm so in love with the sandwich chargrilled chicken, I've never tried any other, but Celo has tried several and said they're all very good. Oh! If you arrive around 2pm, some sandwiches may already be sold out, so try to arrive closer to noon to have more options. They cost less than 7 euros and are very filling!

Paulie's Pizza (Pizzeria) – LETTER E

Website: https://www.juniors.ie/paulies-pizza.php

Location: This pizzeria is owned by the same person as Junior's (letter D on the map) and is very close to it, also in Dublin 4. We recommend that you make a reservation for dinner, because it is ALWAYS crowded. It does not open at lunchtime and is only open from 6pm to 10pm.

Our tip: All the pizzas are great, but the one I really like is the Caprese (without peppers). A 15 euro pizza that they say is individual can easily be shared by two not very hungry people.

The Counter (Burger joint) – LETTER F

Website: http://www.thecounterburger.com/dublin_suffolk_street/

Location: This American burger joint has a branch in Dublin very close to Grafton Street, in the street Suffolk Street. It's relatively big, but it tends to get crowded.

Our tip: They have a HUGE variety of burgers, but I confess that I didn't have the patience to choose. I chose to set up my own hamburger and I didn't regret it. We ordered some wonderful fried sweet potatoes, which went down really well as a starter.

Mama's revenge (Tex-Mex food) – LETTER G

Website: http://www.mamasrevenge.com/

Location: This colorful restaurant with underground space is across from the Trinity College, in the street South Leinster Street. There may be a long line, but the service is very fast.

Our tip: This is a good option if you want to save money and eat something tasty at the same time. A meatless burrito, for example, costs less than 5 euros and you will feel satisfied with all the rice and beans. The sauce I usually ask for is what they consider to be non-spicy, but that is a myth. I can't eat the burrito without drinking a bottle of water with it, but it is totally worth it. We like to pick up our burritos and eat them on campus. Trinity, especially if the day is sunny (a rare thing!).

Banyi (Japanese food) – LETTER H

Website: http://www.banyijapanesedining.com/

Location: Located in the Temple Bar area, this Japanese restaurant is very traditional and discreet, but reservations are also required.

Our tip: The cocktails are very interesting and all the dishes we ordered were great. We ordered two combos and some appetizers and left there amazed. It's expensive, but it's worth it. It feels like HIGH QUALITY food, you know? I hope it's not just a feeling. We were served by Asians, but I can't tell if they were Japanese... lol.

ZAKURA (Chinese and Japanese food) – LETTER I

Website: http://www.zakuradublin.com/

Location: This restaurant has two branches in the city, one in Dublin 2 and another in Dublin 4, where we live. We only went to the branch in our neighborhood, which recently opened and is lovely!

Our tip: I love the yakisoba of shrimp. It is very well served and costs less than 8 euros. Celo always orders different dishes and so far none of them have been negatively reviewed. They have interesting prices, especially at lunch time. The service is great and the food comes out relatively quickly. (we have only been to the one in D4 so far)

Pacino's (Italian food) – LETTER J

Website: http://pacinos.ie/

Location: This Italian restaurant is very close to the restaurant The Counter (Letter F), in the street Suffolk Street. It looks super fancy from the outside, but the prices aren't outrageous.

Our tip: We went with two other adults and all the pasta dishes we ordered were highly praised. I can't remember which ones, but we left with a great impression. I loved the atmosphere and the service, so we'll probably go back there one day (I promise to remember the dish later!).

Look on this page what we have already written about Ireland.