Dublin's tourist heart, with the Saturday Temple Bar Food Market on Meeting House Square, Klaw's tiny seafood counter on Crown Alley, and the trad pubs that pay for it.
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.
The Seafood Cafe by Niall Sabongi at Sprangers Yard off Fownes Street in Temple Bar, the open-kitchen seafood bar from the team behind the original Klaw.
Signature: Half-shell Irish oysters, Lobster roll, Daily chowder
Order: Half a dozen oysters two ways; the warm Lambay crab and lobster roll; finish on the daily chowder.
Tip: Oyster happy hour daily 16:00-17:00 with around €1 off each shuck. Counter seating; the chefs work the bar in front of you.
Twist Bakery on Bedford Row in Temple Bar is a Dublin 2 artisan bakery and cafe with slow-fermented sourdough, croissants and morning specialty coffee.
Signature drink: Specialty espresso with a buttery croissant
Order: Almond croissant or a slice of sourdough with a flat white; afternoon a hand-decorated seasonal cake.
Tip: Counter is busy from 07:00 weekdays; weekends open at 08:00. Walk-in only and limited seating, so plan for takeaway.
Piglet Wine Bar on Cow's Lane in Temple Bar, an Italian-leaning wine bar from Enrico Fantasia of Grape Circus, cicchetti and small plates with European.
Signature pour: Sicilian skin-contact white by the glass
Wine focus: European natural wines, Italian-leaning
Food: Italian cicchetti, cheese, salumi
Tip: Walk-in for small plates; bookings from 17:30 require a minimum three dishes per person. Counter seats face the kitchen.
The Palace Bar on Fleet Street in Dublin 2, a Victorian pub since 1843, the literary watering hole of the Irish Times pressroom, with a hundred-bottle.
Signature drink: Irish whiskey neat
Food: Toasties only
Tip: Three rooms; the upstairs parlour is the whiskey room. Tasting flights of three for €18 Tuesday and Wednesday.
Vintage Cocktail Club on Crown Alley in Temple Bar, a first-floor cocktail room behind an unmarked door, the city's most serious pre-Prohibition cocktail.
Signature drink: Pre-Prohibition classics
Food: Cheese boards and bar plates
Tip: Ring the bell, walk up the stairs. Bookings essential; the room is two seatings per night Thursday to Saturday.
The Seafood Cafe by Niall Sabongi in Sprangers Yard off Fownes Street, Temple Bar, the open-kitchen seafood bar with the city's largest selection of Irish.
Try: Lobster roll and oysters
Tip: Oyster happy hour daily 16:00-17:00 with around €1 off each shuck. Walk-in counter; the bar dining lets you watch the kitchen work.
Hanleys Cornish Pasties at Merchants Arch in Temple Bar, the city's only dedicated Cornish pasty counter since 2009, hand-crimped pasties baked fresh.
Try: Traditional Cornish pasty
Tip: Traditional steak, gourmet specials and vegetarian or vegan options; open until 03:00 Friday and 04:00 Saturday for the post-pub Temple Bar crowd.
Temple Bar Food Market on Meeting House Square in Dublin 2, the city's flagship Saturday market since 1997, thirty Irish producers in a covered square.
Tip: Arrive 10:00 to beat the tourist queue; the oyster stall opens last around 11:00. Cash and card accepted at most stalls.
Hanleys Cornish Pasties at Merchants Arch in Temple Bar, the city's only dedicated Cornish pasty counter since 2009, hand-crimped pasties baked.
Try: Traditional Cornish pasty
Tip: Traditional steak pasty, gourmet specials, vegetarian or vegan options. Open late Thursday to Saturday; cash and card.
The Workman's Club on Wellington Quay in Dublin runs the 1888 working men's hall as a live music room with the Vintage Room basement programming club nights.
Tip: Buy your gig ticket and you stay in for the late club room, do not waste the cover by leaving at 23:00 like the tourists do.
The Vintage Cocktail Club on Crown Alley in Temple Bar Dublin sits behind an unmarked black door, three floors of speakeasy rooms and a 1600s-rooted cocktail list.
Tip: Ring the bell, the door staff are looking for a booking name. The roof terrace is the prize on a dry night, request it on the reservation form.
Street 66 on Parliament Street in Dublin opened December 2016 in the former Front Lounge as the queer venue between Temple Bar and Dublin Castle. Late licences.
Tip: The late licence runs to 02:30 Friday and Saturday, hold the courtyard tables outside in summer, the inside basement gets dense after midnight.