Indagare’s Essential Dublin Restaurant List

Indagare’s favorite hot spot restaurants change all the time, but there are also some staples in each of the cities we love that never go out of style. Here is our current short list for Dublin.

Chef Stephen McAllister’s restaurant near Trinity College is a great place to get acquainted with traditional Irish cooking. In this light-bathed dining room, you can sample expertly prepared dishes with a delightfully rustic quality like crispy pig’s head croquettes or pot roast cauliflower. 4 Nassau Street

Named after the Yeats poem, this café above the bookstore of the same name and acclaim has been a long-standing Irish favorite. Winding Stair is always buzzing with locals-in-the-know, but there’s still a homey ambience that makes the restaurant feel like your own neighborhood discovery 40 Ormond Quay Lower

For those who want delicious food in a more casual bistro setting, Pichet is a great choice. Among the most beloved dishes: the lobster burger and rose veal ragu. 14-15 Trinity Street

Diners flock to Matt The Thresher for super fresh seafood—West Cork mussels, oysters from Carlingford Lough and Dingle Bay crab claws. There's also excellent fish chowder and fish and chips. 31-32 Pembroke Street Lower

Another seafood favorite, Fish Shop is a tiny Smithfield seafood counter that delivers some of Dublin’s best fish and chips and grilled fish, plus great small plates. The menu changes daily with what local fishers bring in, but the beer-battered filets with golden chips are a city reference point on any day. 76 Benburb Street

Located in the coastal village of Howth, Mamó puts Irish seafood and seasonal produce at the center of a small, ever-changing menu. The Cod Chip starter (the restaurant's beloved take on the classic fish and chips) is always a safe bet. Harbour House, Harbour Road

Inside The Merrion Hotel, the two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud has been wildly popular since opening in 1981. Chef Guillaume Lebrun maintains a regularly updated menu with plenty of international references using local ingredients. 21 Merrion Street Upper

Chapter One Restaurant is a two-Michelin-starred destination known for its seasonal offering of inventive dishes and a deep wine list of international vintage. The four-course dinner menu is packed with the unexpected such as pig tails stuffed with bacon and shrimp. 18-19 Parnell Square North

The inventive and bold flavors coming from the kitchen at Forest Avenue have made it one of Dublin’s most sought-after dining rooms. One of the tasting menu favorites is a combination of celeriac and smoked ox tongue, paired with just enough watercress for textural balance. 8 Sussex Terrace

An elegant Italian restaurant in Portobello, Lena blends traditional technique with new flourish. Antipasti could include sage and anchovy fritti or supplì al telefono (croquettes filled with rice, beef and mozzarella), while pastas might include cacio e pepe (saucier than nonnas would make, during a recent visit) and beet and ricotta ravioli. 1 Windsor Terrace

Foodies looking to celebrate Irish cuisine in a new way should make reservations early at Comet. Chef-owner Kevin O'Donnell brings experience from Copenhagen's Michelin-star scene and applies it to Irish produce like black pollock with girolles and hazelnut, or a quail lacquered in honey and confit garlic. 3 Joshua Lane

Two-Michelin-starred Liath serves a single surprise tasting menu in a 14-seat, white-tablecloth dining room fashioned from three shipping containers in a covered market in the seaside suburb of Blackrock. Dishes arrive in chapters named for the five tastes—bitter, sour, salty, savory and sweet—with the printed menu revealed only at the end. Australian-born chef-owner Damien Grey explains dishes at the table with plenty of humor, so the room stays lively—this is celebratory fine dining, not stuffy. 19A Main Street

Bread 41 is Dublin’s benchmark for sourdough and sustainable baking. The ethos is slow fermentation, organic Irish grains and almost zero waste. 41 Pearse St

Fable Bakery has become one of Dublin’s most beloved spots for pastries. Founders Kate and Elyse built their following at weekend markets before opening their bakery, where three-day buns—laminated and layered with cinnamon, chocolate, or almond—sell out daily. 1C Clarinda Park West