Delahunt on Camden Street in Dublin, Darren Free's modern Irish dining room with head chef Dermot Staunton inside a restored Joycean grocer, the canal-side anchor.
Signature dishes: Squab pigeon, Atlantic hake, Apple tarte fine
Must order: The squab pigeon course and a glass of natural Riesling from the wine list.
Tip: Friday and Saturday book three weeks ahead. The upstairs bar serves the full menu and is the walk-up option.
Address: 39 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2, D02 K277
The Pig's Ear on Nassau Street in Dublin, Stephen McAllister's modern Irish room on three floors overlooking Trinity College, the city's reliable mid-tier.
Signature: Crispy pork belly, Shepherd's pie, Irish coffee soufflé
Order: Shepherd's pie at lunch with a glass of red; Irish coffee soufflé to finish.
Tip: First-floor window seats face Trinity's playing fields. The set lunch at EUR 30 for three courses is the value play.
The Winding Stair on Ormond Quay in Dublin 1, Elaine Murphy's upstairs dining room above the bookshop overlooking the Ha'penny Bridge and the Liffey.
Signature: Smoked Burren salmon, Irish stew, Brown bread ice cream
Order: Smoked Burren salmon, then a bowl of Irish stew with brown bread.
Tip: Window seats face the Ha'penny Bridge; book three weeks ahead for the four river-view tables. Walk through the bookshop and up.
Gallagher's Boxty House on Temple Bar in Dublin, Pádraic Óg Gallagher's three-room canon of boxty, coddle and smoked salmon, the boxty reference in town.
Signature: Boxty pancake, Dublin coddle, Smoked Irish salmon
Order: The boxty pancake stuffed with beef and Guinness, with a half pint of stout.
Tip: The middle dining room is the calm one; the front bar fills with traffic from Temple Bar Square after 19:00.
Featherblade on Dawson Street in Dublin, the small-plates steakhouse that built its room around the underused featherblade cut, the city's value steak.
Signature: Featherblade steak, Steak frites, Tallow flatbread
Order: Featherblade steak with frites and chimichurri; a side of the tallow flatbread.
Tip: Walk-in seats at the counter run fastest; the back banquette books out Friday and Saturday a week ahead.
Yamamori Izakaya on South Great George's Street in Dublin, the basement izakaya under the long-running ramen room, the city's most credible robata bar.
Signature: Robata-grilled mackerel, Karaage, Yakitori
Order: Robata-grilled mackerel, a round of yakitori, and the basket of karaage to share.
Tip: The basement runs late on weekends; the upstairs is the lunch room. Highballs at the back bar are EUR 6 in happy hour.
Drury Buildings on Drury Street in Dublin, a three-floor Italian-leaning dining room and cocktail bar built into the William Fry warehouse, a southside staple.
Signature: Crab linguine, Wood-fired pizza, Tiramisu
Order: Crab linguine and a Negroni Sbagliato from the rooftop bar before dinner.
Tip: Roof terrace opens summer only; book the first-floor dining room with a window onto Drury Street for two.
