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    The Really Good Gourmet Cafe

    4.0 (1 review)

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    15 years ago

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    The Pig's Ear - Oyster with beef tartare (2026)

    The Pig's Ear

    4.3(246 reviews)
    3.5 kmSouth Inner City
    €€€

    After a full day exploring the historic grounds of Trinity College, we crossed the street for…read moredinner at The Pig's Ear, a Michelin-recommended restaurant that reimagines traditional Irish cooking with creativity, refinement, and genuine respect for the country's culinary heritage. We began with one of the evening's standout dishes: A layer of finely seasoned beef tartare topped with a plump oyster. It was essentially surf and turf in an oyster shell. It may sound like an unlikely pairing, but the briny sweetness of the oysters and the rich, velvety tartare complemented each other perfectly. Warm Guinness bread served with creamy Irish butter followed--a simple offering elevated by exceptional ingredients and flawless execution. For our mains, we chose two classics that perfectly captured the restaurant's philosophy. The Dublin coddle transformed a humble working-class staple into an elegant, deeply satisfying dish without sacrificing its comforting soul, while the Barnsley lamb chop showcased outstanding Irish produce through expert preparation and an impeccable sauce. Chef Stephen McAllister has built a menu inspired by centuries of Irish cookbooks, folklore, and family recipes, elevating familiar dishes through modern technique rather than reinventing them beyond recognition. It's a thoughtful approach that honors tradition while delivering a dining experience worthy of its Michelin recommendation. The setting is equally charming. Housed in a historic Georgian townhouse overlooking Trinity College, The Pig's Ear feels intimate, welcoming, and effortlessly elegant. Warm wood finishes, leather banquettes, soft lighting, and whimsical pig-themed accents create an atmosphere that invites you to linger. We arrived just after 5:15 p.m. and were fortunate to be seated by the front windows, where we enjoyed views of the college grounds as the evening light settled over Dublin. As with many historic buildings, there are practical limitations. The restaurant is spread across multiple floors connected by steep staircases, making it inaccessible for wheelchair users. During my visit, the sink in the men's restroom was out of order, making handwashing difficult. It was a noticeable oversight in an otherwise polished dining experience. No restaurant is perfect, and the restroom issue should certainly be addressed. Still, the quality of the cooking, the warm hospitality, the beautiful setting, and the restaurant's heartfelt celebration of Irish culinary tradition far outweighed that minor inconvenience. I would happily return the next time I'm in Dublin--and perhaps tuck a small bottle of hand sanitizer into my pocket, just in case.

    If you need a break from pub food and want a real meal in Dublin, I can't recommend The Pig's Ear…read moreenough. Easily the best meal I had in the city. The chicken pie was incredible. It is perfectly cooked with great texture, and the subtle curry spice added something really special without overpowering it. The cheesecake was also a highlight, not just for the flavor but for the presentation. For some reason, it comes in a glass jar tucked inside a paper bag. The wait staff were attentive, friendly, and made excellent recommendations. The whole place has a warm, classy atmosphere. This makes it ideal if you're looking for something more elevated while still feeling comfortable. Highly recommend.

    Photos
    The Pig's Ear - The bar

    The bar

    The Pig's Ear - Appetizers

    Appetizers

    The Pig's Ear

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    Roly's Bistro - Pear almond tart

    Roly's Bistro

    4.0(96 reviews)
    1.9 kmBallsbridge
    €€€

    After a day of walking all over Dublin, we wanted to give this restaurant try since it's close to…read moreour hotel so we could eat then relax. Was Not Disappointed!! We made reservations online at the bistro--they have three areas a the bistro is laid back and bustling. The wine bar and terrace also have food and seem very low vibe and chill, a little more relaxed than the bistro if you want something cozy. The main restaurant, the bistro, was bustling and busy, with waitstaff constantly circulating to take orders and deliver food and drinks; if we needed something we didn't have to wait for our particular server to order or request anything. The atmosphere ranged from casual to business casual, so we didn't feel like we were underdressed. The menu is varied so there really is something for everybody! Roasted chicken, fish, steak, fire roasted vegetable dish, in addition to either a set course option or à la carte. I went with the 3 course set, which gave me a lot of options for the starter, main, and dessert. We both ordered the Irish Hereford steaks, which were cooked to perfection! Absolutely delicious, and excellent ambience. Definitely a good plan to reserve a spot, it was super busy! Great way to end our day! We may go back again before we leave Dublin, since we know we're going to get a fantastic experience.

    Joining the cast of thousands who think this is a trendy yet classic pick, I'll concur the Roly's…read moreexperience didn't disappoint. Visiting in the height of lunch crowds, I was amazed they could squeeze me in without a reservation, and I ended up packed tightly among the locals. As I've been on a food-fest since touching down in this fair land, I determined to "go light" in preparation for much indulging later. This state of affairs eventually led me to the wonderful Caesar, with chicken added. It was lovely and tasty, etc. I was of course full of order envy seeing all the delightful choices around me: lots of shrimp, today's roast rib special, and myriad sandwiches. Lunch dessert is real, and it thrives here. Add that to reasons why my timing was off in this visit, should I intend not to gain pounds and pounds with gelato, cakes, etc. So I'll enjoy my Americano, made decadent with the added milk, and dream of calories. I'll return for another lunch and perhaps if I'm lucky, dinner.

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    Roly's Bistro
    Roly's Bistro - Duck wonton

    Duck wonton

    Roly's Bistro

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    The Vintage Kitchen - Peach over chocolate dessert

    The Vintage Kitchen

    4.5(107 reviews)
    4.0 kmSouth Inner City
    €€€

    This is a very special restaurant. The prefix dinner-menu has lots of choices. The combination and…read morelayers of flavours in thoughtfully prepared dishes are visually appealing and mouth watering flavours. It is a small cozy restaurant with glasses or bottles of wine to accompany your meal. I highly recommend coming here if you appreciate really great food, especially for a special occasion with friends or family. Service was attentive and the menu is accommodating with vegan options. I felt very lucky to be able to get a table at the window when I popped by early in the evening and so I would recommend making a reservation.

    The stars are mostly for the starters and desserts. Service was warm and friendly, the ambiance is…read morejust amazing, such a cute little space but decorated with lots of fun musician inspired aesthetics. It is a bit of a tight space but makes it such a unique and cozy space. For a set price, they have a menu (I assume it rotates based on what is sourced for the week or season?). We started with some olives, and some bread with duck butter "Navettes of bread/Achill Island Sea salt/duck butter". The duck butter was so good, I wanted to lick the serving container. I resorted to scraping as much out as I could. My starter was absolutely amazing. It was the "Foie gras crème/Brioche/apple/sauternes/grape". So delicious, I am still thinking about it. The main I had was the Skeaghanore duck breast. The sauce was amazing, however the duck was just ok. I think if it were sliced into smaller medallions, it would have been easier to eat. I struggled to cut it into bite sized pieces even though I was provided with a good knife. The 2 pieces were a hearty serving as well. It would be more palatable (I found it a bit tough) if it were presented with smaller cut medallion pieces (with crispy skin would be amazing!) I had tasted my friend's filet of prime Irish beef, and while it is a nice presentation, they both left their sides untouched. Overall, I feel like The Vintage Kitchen had a few hits and misses. Still fun spot to try out though! Desserts were amazing, we just were so full by then! The price at the time was €72 and although there were hits and misses, the portions served imho was worth the price.

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    The Vintage Kitchen
    The Vintage Kitchen - Cajun/ Homemade Cornbread

    Cajun/ Homemade Cornbread

    The Vintage Kitchen

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    Line Out Bar - Entrance to the restaurant

    Line Out Bar

    4.0(1 review)
    2.5 kmIrishtown

    We dined here twice during our 5-night stay: once on our first night in town, and once on our last…read morenight in town. The Line Out Bar is located inside the Sandymount Hotel. We'd had a long day of travel into Dublin, and neither of us really wanted to try to learn the city with only an hour of daylight left, so that left us with very limited options for dining. The restaurant wasn't busy on our first night in, so we grabbed a table next to the windows and ordered up our first pints of Guinness. For food, I went with the Beef and Guinness Casserole, and my husband ordered the Bacon, Sausage and Black Pudding Pizza. The casserole was more like a stew, served with beef, carrots and potatoes in a beef gravy, supplemented with mash and a couple pieces of bread. It was hearty and filling to be sure, but I didn't love the flavor of it. The mash was a bit dry, and the beef was too chewy to be enjoyable. It also had a slight off-flavor that I couldn't place. My husband absolutely loved the pizza, though. They drizzled some kind of sauce - he said it tasted like a BBQ sauce - over the pizza that he initially didn't like, but eventually grew on him. It was the first time he'd had blood sausage on a pizza, and it made a fan out of him. Our second visit, on our last night in town, we were shown to a table towards the back by the same waiter we'd had on our first visit. For this meal, I'd been randomly craving chicken wings, so I went with a full portion of their Piri Piri BBQ wings. My husband got the fish & chips. We also ordered the last pints of Guinness we'd have while in Dublin. *sad face* When I asked the waiter how many pieces came in a full order of the wings, he answered vaguely with "maybe 12 to 14". The bowl that he set down in front of me had *significantly* more than 14 wings in it. I tried to count, but lost track after 20. YES, 20! I mean, I was craving wings, but that was out of control. I did like the flavor of the piri piri BBQ sauce, for the first 6 or 8 wings, at least. After that, it got to be a little too sweet, a little too cloying to be enjoyable. The dish was served with celery slices, but not enough to offset the sweetness of the sauce. (The other option was a blood orange sauce, which I think would've been too overpowering, as well). I plowed through as many wings as I could stomach, and my husband tagged in after eating his fish and chips to help out, but we weren't able to finish them. They did give us our money's worth with that meal. By the way - the hubs said the fish and chips were delightful. The fish was perfectly cooked and flavorful, and the chips were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We had the same waiter both times we were there. He was nice enough, but kept forgetting to bring the water I'd requested (on both trips). He did stop to chat with us a bit about living in the United States, as we were paying our last bill. He opened up then, and had a lot of questions about our city and our state, which we happily answered. It's nice that the hotel has so many dining options (there's another restaurant that we didn't get to try, and a breakfast option, as well). It was handy to have something with good food and good beer on tap in the same building as the hotel.

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    Line Out Bar - Dining room

    Dining room

    Line Out Bar - Specials of the day, December 28, 2019

    Specials of the day, December 28, 2019

    Line Out Bar - Menu in December 2019

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    Menu in December 2019

    A Taste Of History

    A Taste Of History

    4.8(19 reviews)
    4.4 km
    €€

    What a beautiful event!…read more i've noticed events like this creep up in popularity around Dublin and isn't it a richer place for it. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's nights like this that instill in you a pride in being Irish, and a pride in our past, present and future. Honestly there were some parts that gave me goosebumps, the type I get every now and again when I'm wandering around the city and realise that after eight years away, I can honestly say there is no place in the world I would rather live right now. It's hard to decide what the highlight is. I won't go into massive detail as those before have, but allow me to point out the bones of what makes this into such a gorgeous way to spend a Saturday; - The setting. Old Georgian wooden stairs that are worn down in the middle by hundreds of years of stepping on them, the old crumbling cornicing, the candle lit old antique tables. - The food. Each course was a perfect size, and the perfect representation of modern x traditional Irish cuisine. Quality ingredients, beautifully presented - The talks in between courses by food historian Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire. Funny, informative, nostalgic, and funny again. If you didn't pick up on it already, I would highly recommend this as a night out. For any age, those who live here and are visiting, those who grew up here and those that are now making Ireland their home.

    This night was the ultimate night of magic and delicious food - I just had the best time ever here,…read moreand am still thinking about it now. It's a wonderful way of enjoying some Irish history, poetry and music with delicious food. I knew we were in for an amazing night from Emily C's review but I was still totally blown away. Sure, the building itself is a little old and run down, but once we were seated and enjoying the food and wine, that didn't matter. Our host for the evening was awesome, lots of banter and amazing stories. It was really captivating and enjoyable hearing him speak, since and recite poems between courses. Everything was linked back to the food which was just as amazing - traditional Irish scran but served up a bit fancier than normal. Kind of like if your Mum went to a class to learn how to plate her Sunday meals in a nice way? I really enjoyed the food and only the main needed more sauce but they happily delivered us some. Yum. What a fabulous evening, this was a beautiful way to experience Dublin in all its glory.

    Photos
    A Taste Of History
    A Taste Of History
    A Taste Of History

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    Platform 61 - Andy Warhol room

    Platform 61

    4.5(36 reviews)
    3.6 kmSouth Inner City
    €€

    On our last day in Dublin, we had an early dinner at Platform 61, which we discovered through Yelp…read more-- so not quite a best-kept secret, but certainly a terrific hangout on South William Street. Usually, the dining room comprises an underground hideaway that is quite sleek and intimate. However, due to the lockdown measures, we had to do outdoor seating directly on William Street while we were there. The experience was still beautiful, thanks to the surrounding scenery. The cocktails were grand between the P61 Signature Cocktail and the Hugo -- both prosecco-based cocktails. The former was delicious between the peach puree and prosecco, while the latter was a little more tart with the elderflower cordial. For dinner, we kicked things off with gluten-free bread with a trio of dips that were quite tasty. The Tortellini I ordered was exquisite and scrumptious with how it was prepared between the goat cheese, asparagus, red onion, wilted spinach, cream sauce, and bacon. I applauded this lovely dish with the last bite. I devoured the warm almond flour brownie for dessert, served with chocolate sauce and gelato, which my wife could also enjoy since the dish was gluten-free. Overall, Platform 61 was a great way to conclude our second Irish journey. We will return, especially to enjoy the underground dining area.

    If you are visiting Dublin or new to the area, Platform 61 is a MUST! Our entire group absolutely…read moreloved everything we ordered (gnocchi, pesto pasta, risotto, cheese board, pork belly) and everyone agreed it was some of the best food we had on the entire trip! The ambiance is very nice as well, romantic but also good for a fun night out with friends. 10/10 recommend adding this to your itinerary for dinner!

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    Platform 61 - P61

    P61

    Platform 61 - AW room

    AW room

    Platform 61

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    The Really Good Gourmet Cafe - modern_european - Updated July 2026

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