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 dishes: Boxty pancake, Dublin coddle, Smoked Irish salmon
Must 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.
Address: 20-21 Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 ET66
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.
Fish Shop on Benburb Street in Stoneybatter, Peter and Jumoke Hogan's sit-down chipper, the most refined fish and chips and oysters in Dublin.
Signature: Beer-battered fish and chips, Mackerel pâté, Daily oysters
Order: Beer-battered haddock with chips and the daily Galway Bay oysters by the half-dozen.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive 17:30 Thursday to Saturday to get a counter seat before the line forms.
Brother Hubbard South on Harrington Street in Dublin 8, Garrett FitzGerald and James Boland's sit-down Middle Eastern room and the all-day brunch reference.
Signature: Shakshuka, Lamb shawarma plate, Cardamom French toast
Order: The shakshuka at brunch, the lamb shawarma at lunch, with a cardamom-bun cinnamon roll to take away.
Tip: Walk-in only Saturday morning; the queue starts at 09:30. Bookings open Sunday to Friday on the website.
Host on Ranelagh Village in Dublin 6, a small open-kitchen room of Mediterranean small plates, hand-rolled pasta and charcoal-grilled cuts, the southside's go-to sharing kitchen since 2017.
Signature: Fresh pasta, Mediterranean small plates, Charcoal-grilled meats
Order: A round of small plates, a hand-rolled pasta off the daily menu and a charcoal-grilled steak to share.
Tip: Communal seating; dinner Wednesday to Sunday with weekend lunch added. Bookings open sixty days out.
