Parnell Square's two-Michelin-star Chapter One, Capel Street's wave of new restaurants, and Smithfield's coffee and whiskey row.
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.
Mickael Viljanen's two-Michelin-star basement on Parnell Square in Dublin, the city's most polished tasting room, French technique on luxury Irish produce.
Order: Whatever Viljanen is building on the surprise tasting menu, paired with the by-the-glass wine flight.
Tip: Reservations open in monthly windows; book the morning windows open. Lunch Thursday to Saturday is the same kitchen at lower commitment.
Anthony Smith's Parnell Square basement room in Dublin 1, modern Irish bistro a short walk from Chapter One, Michelin Guide listed since 2017.
Order: The pig's-head croquettes if they are on, and the eight-hour bavette with bone-marrow sauce.
Tip: The room runs Tuesday to Saturday from 17:00; the early sitting is the calm one before the post-theatre push.
Yamamori Sushi on Ormond Quay in Dublin 1, the riverside sister to the Yamamori ramen room, the city's veteran Japanese counter and donburi lunch.
Signature: Sushi platter, Salmon donburi, Robata skewers
Order: The bento at lunch; the chef's omakase platter for two at dinner.
Tip: Window banquettes face the Liffey. Lunch bento under €20 is the value play; the kitchen closes between 15:30 and 17:30.
Musashi on Capel Street in Dublin 1, Northside's regular Japanese noodle and sushi counter, the city's most reliable sub-€15 ramen and tuna nigiri lunch.
Signature: Tonkotsu ramen, Sushi set, Gyoza
Order: Tonkotsu ramen with extra chashu, a side of pan-fried gyoza.
Tip: Three Capel Street locations within a block. The original 15 Capel sits busiest at lunch; the IFSC branch is quieter for dinner.
Soup Dragon on Capel Street in Dublin 1, a fifteen-seat Northside cafe running ten daily soups, the city's most balanced sub-€10 lunch you can find.
Signature: Soup of the day, Smoothies, Daily bagel
Order: Two-soup combo with house bread and a smoothie; Thai chicken soup if it's on the board.
Tip: Walk-in only and counter seating only; arrive before 12:30 or after 14:00 to find a stool. Takeaway runs all day.
Brother Hubbard North on Capel Street in Dublin 1, Garrett FitzGerald and James Boland's original Middle Eastern brunch room, the Capel Street weekend anchor.
Signature drink: Flat white
Order: Shakshuka with house bread; a cardamom French toast and a flat white to follow.
Tip: Walk-in only Saturday and Sunday from 09:30; the queue starts before doors. Wednesday breakfast is the calm window.
Vice Coffee Inc on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin 1, inside the Wigwam bar and venue, the small-batch specialty roaster pouring espresso and filter.
Signature drink: Espresso tonic
Order: Espresso tonic in summer, the seasonal filter in winter.
Tip: Counter inside Wigwam; the bar's coffee bar runs daytime hours. Closes 17:00 weekdays.
The Bakehouse on Bachelors Walk in Dublin 1, a quayside bakery and cafe serving classic Irish brown bread, soda farls and an all-day fry-up on the river.
Order: A slab of brown soda bread with butter and an all-day full Irish.
Tip: Window stools face the Liffey; the back room sits forty. Open seven days, breakfast served all day.
Worth the queue: Brown bread loaf
Vice Coffee Inc on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin 1, the small-batch specialty roaster pouring espresso and filter from the bar counter inside Wigwam venue.
Tip: Counter is inside Wigwam bar; daytime hours only. The seasonal espresso blend is the carry-home bag.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
The Cobblestone on King Street North in Smithfield, Dublin 7, Tom Mulligan's family trad music pub, the city's reference for an unplugged session.
Signature drink: Guinness
Food: No food, drinks only
Tip: Nightly trad sessions from 19:00, free entry. The back room is the dedicated session bar; arrive 18:00 for a seat.
The Big Romance on Parnell Street in Dublin 1, an audiophile bar with twelve Irish and US craft taps, vinyl all night, the Northside's most considered late.
Signature drink: Daily craft beer pour
Food: Wood-fired pizza
Tip: Twelve taps and a serious vinyl system; the wood-fired pizza arrives until 23:00 Friday and Saturday.
Jameson Distillery on Bow Street in Smithfield Dublin 7, the original 1780 Jameson distillery turned visitor experience, three Irish whiskeys tasted and one.
Tip: Bow Street experience runs €25 with a comparative tasting; the Cask Workshop is the premium upgrade at €65.
Glasnevin Food Market, the indoor Saturday market that carried over the Honest2Goodness traders to Barrow Road in Dublin 11, the city's reference for small-grower vegetables, rare-breed meat and bean-to-bar chocolate.
Tip: Northside-only and indoors, so the weather is rarely a problem. Saturday mornings only; the market runs cash and card.
Moore Street Market in Dublin 1, the city's oldest open-air street market behind Henry Street, fruit and veg stalls plus African, Asian and halal grocers.
Tip: The traditional Dublin produce stalls run the south end; the halal butchers and African grocers run the north end of the street.
Soup Dragon on Capel Street in Dublin 1, ten daily soups, the city's most balanced sub-€10 lunch counter, the Northside's working budget lunch since 1996.
Try: Two-soup combo with bread
Tip: Counter-only seating; the two-soup combo with bread and a smoothie runs €12. Best after 14:00.
Musashi on Capel Street in Dublin 1, Northside's reliable Japanese noodle counter, the city's most reliable sub-€15 tonkotsu ramen and donburi lunch order.
Try: Tonkotsu ramen
Tip: Three Capel Street locations within a block. The original 15 Capel sits busiest at lunch; the IFSC branch is quieter for dinner.
Brother Hubbard North on Capel Street in Dublin 1, the Garrett FitzGerald and James Boland Middle Eastern brunch room, the Capel Street weekend anchor.
Order: Shakshuka with house bread and a cardamom French toast.
Tip: Walk-in only Saturday and Sunday from 09:30; the queue starts before doors. Wednesday breakfast is the calm window.
The Bakehouse on Bachelors Walk in Dublin 1, a quayside Irish breakfast room serving the Liffey view's all-day fry-up, the city's reference for a tourist.
Order: Full Irish breakfast with brown soda bread and butter.
Tip: Window stools face the Liffey; the back room sits forty. Open seven days, breakfast served all day.
Dash Burger on Capel Street in Dublin 1, the larger of Barry Wallace's two smash-burger rooms, a terrace and beers on tap with the kitchen on the griddle.
Try: Double smash burger
Tip: Walk-ins only, kitchen closes at 21:00; the double smash with cheese and skin-on fries is the order. Beers on tap at this branch.
Index Dublin moved into the former Opium Rooms on Middle Abbey Street and is now the city's serious techno and house room with Glitterbox residencies.
Tip: Doors hard close around 01:00 on the busy nights, get there before midnight or queue the rest of the set out on Abbey Street.
The Cobblestone in Smithfield Dublin is the Mulligan family trad pub The Guardian called Ireland's most famous traditional music room. Free nightly sessions.
Tip: The front bar session is free and starts at 19:00, you sit where the regulars say you sit. The Balcony TV gigs are in the back room and ticketed.
Pantibar on Capel Street in Dublin is drag queen Panti Bliss's flamboyant bar, central to the queer scene since 2007 for drag, cabaret and a community pint.
Tip: Friday early evening is when Panti tends to drop in unannounced, Sundays do the long lazy drag brunch downstairs.
The Big Romance on Parnell Street opened in 2018 as Dublin's first dedicated audiophile bar, with a custom vinyl-only system and a bartenders-as-selectors policy.
Tip: Sit at the bar in front of the speakers, the booths at the back are for conversation rather than listening. Bartenders take vinyl requests if you bring records.
Fidelity Bar & Studio in Smithfield Dublin is the 2024 audiophile listening room from The Big Romance and Whiplash, with custom speakers and Sister7 small plates.
Tip: Programming shifts from balearic and jazz early to house and disco late, book the booth in Fidelity Studio for a semi-private listening table.