Owners Stephen Deasy and Ruth Hussey’s cafe in Blackrock Village is as popular for its gorgeous interiors as it is for the selection of roasted-in-Ireland coffee on offer. The modern, industrial-looking space is a perfect stop for a mid-morning or afternoon break from sightseeing, when you can refuel on a rich cup of espresso or watch one of the baristas work on a beautiful serving of Arabica pour-over. Heartier fare includes all sorts of delicious cakes and pre-prepared salads.

A buzzy brasserie in the city center, Sixty6 serves locally sourced cuisine with international flavor. The stylish interiors—artwork adorns the walls and a sleekly lit bar is tucked in the back—complement the creative menu, which features specialties like juicy rotisserie meats and bountiful seafood platters.

When you walk into this restaurant, the first thing you see is the chef/owner preparing meals in the open kitchen. With a simple but modern small menu and wine list, the restaurant features dishes that change daily, incorporating only the freshest ingredients. Try the duck leg with roasted potatoes and artichokes or the crabmeat with tomatoes, shallots and fresh anchovy.

Visitors can pick up a New York Times at this small bookstore, which offers a fantastic range of titles, as well as a fabulous juice bar in the back.

A chic neighborhood café, Clement & Pekoe sits right on bustling South Williams Street. Specializing in high-grade loose-leaf teas and delectable coffee, this café is a must for any tea or coffee connoisseur. Try the house blend coffee or the other local brews or choose from their large selection of caffeinated and herbal teas.

There are a number of casual restaurants and cafés in the Powerscourt Centre, which are perfect for a quick bite when shopping or touring in the city center. Free wifi is an added bonus.

This miniscule restaurant just off of St. Stephen’s Green has been named the best casual dining restaurant in Dublin. The small space with maybe a dozen seats at the bar and another 20 in the streetfront room features no ornamental design; the focus is on fresh, delicious food, not fussy or fancy surroundings. There’s a daily chef’s tasting menu with dishes based on what is in season such as mussels, leeks and samphire and seabream crudo with blood orange and rosemary oil. Open for lunch and dinner daily, except Sunday.

Dylan McGrath, who is one of the country’s best-known chefs, opened this buzzing restaurant, which includes a gastro-pub for tapas, a main dining room and a rooftop cocktail lounge after the success of Rustic Stone. While Rustic Stone uses the freshest ingredients to focus on healthy cuisine, Fade Street emphasizes indulgence. In the lively gastro pub, where diners at the bar can watch the chefs at work, small plates are made to share. Among the most popular options are: mini goats cheese logs wrapped in ham brushed with balsamic and truffle honey; pumpkin macaroni with spring onion and parmesan; and bacon and cabbage burger, fried pork belly in balsamic, smoked pudding, crispy cabbage, peppered bacon, lyonnaise and a milk bun. The dining room focuses on great cuts of meat and fresh seafood, and upstairs on the rooftop, the only food served are flat breads.

Managed by husband-and-wife team John and Sandy Wyer, Forest Avenue is named after the street Sandy lived on growing up in Queens, NY. The local press has been effusive with praise, and for good reason. The inventive and bold flavors coming from the kitchen have made it one of Dublin’s most sought-after dining rooms since opening in 2013. One of the tasting menu favorites is a combination of celeriac and smoked ox tongue, paired with just enough watercress for textural balance. And the warm rice pudding topped with spiced bread is a carb-y but delicious end to every meal.

Kaph, a hip café known for its freshly brewed coffee and delectable cakes, occupies a minimalist space. Located on Drury Street, the casual spot caters to multiple diets including vegan and gluten-free.

Considered the best seafood restaurant in Dublin, Matt the Thresher does offer burgers, lamb and pork dishes but diners should come for the super fresh seafood such as West Cork mussels, oysters from Carlingford Louch and Dingle Bay Crab Claws. There’s also excellent fish chowder and fish and chips.

Every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., various local vendors set up booths in Merrion Square to serve lunch. The Georgian park, which is surrounded by various office buildings, takes on a mini food festival vibe with cuisine from all corners of the world represented, from German bratwurst to Indian curry.

Located near Stephen’s Green, O’Donoghues is a favorite local pub. Opened in 1934, it is one of Dublin’s oldest bars where visitors are sure to get an authentic Irish experience when they come in for a pint. Known for its live music, there are often traditional Irish tunes from some of the most famous and talented Irish musicians.

Getting a table at this Dun Laoghaire hot spot is tricky since it’s become a favored go-to among Dubliners and visitors. They all come for the lively ambience at the outdoor terrace while they savor some of the best pizzas in the country. There’s also a menu of Italian favorites from savory bruschetta to linguine tossed with prawns, oil, tomato, garlic and kicked up with some chili.

Serving delicious modern but classic cuisine, One Pico is a small restaurant tucked away near St. Stephen’s Green. Run by chef Eamonn O’Reilly, this award-winning restaurant is perfect for casual lunches and formal dinners. Get a table in the old-school dining room and try the onion risotto or the braised pork neck.

This elegant bistro in the city center is a dependable choice for a great meal and an exhaustive wine list, some of which the restaurant directly imports into Ireland. There’s a pan-European menu at play at Peploe’s, where you can sample Italy and France along with Ireland in one meal. Start with a beef carpaccio and then go for the monkfish with the perfect glass of Pinot Bianco, and it’s like you’ve traveled all over Europe without ever leaving Dublin. Be warned that portions are quite large.

A visit to this quirky pub is ideal for a nightcap, particularly for whiskey aficionados. The two-story drinking establishment features antique furniture and wide floorboards, Irish curios and—curiously—a collection of wigs. The space (it was in fact formerly a wig shop) opened as a pub in 2014, and comes from the same owners behind another trendy Dublin institution, Vintage Cocktail Club.

For those who want delicious food in a more casual bistro setting, Pichet is a great choice. It is the restaurant that helped to make Master Chef Nick Munier one of Ireland’s most famous restaurateurs, though since he and his wife and cofounder Denise split up, he is no longer involved. Among its most beloved dishes from chef Stephen Gibson: the Salt and Pepper Lobster Burger and Rose Veal Ragu. Note its trademark comfy blue chairs.

This two-Michelin-star restaurant (the only one in Ireland to earn the distinction) inside the Merrion Hotel has been wildly popular since opening in 1981. Chef Guillaume Lebrun maintains a regularly updated menu with plenty of international references using local ingredients. You can order a la carte or try the tasting menus (starting from four-course spreads to eight-course entire-table feasts).

Celebrity chef Dylan McGrath opened Rustic Stone after the recession caused him to close his Michelin starred gourmet restaurant Mint. This more casual eatery was founded on the principle of using the freshest ingredients cooked in the purest way to create delicious healthy cuisine. The venture has been a runaway success since he opened it. Come for unforgettable dishes like monkfish cured in beetroot with cucumber, dill and avocado and sushi style tuna with ginger couscous on the Raw menu and “the Rolls Royce of Sirloin” and halibut with walnut relish that are cooked on volcanic stone to extract incredible flavor.

The restaurant on the seventh floor of The Dean hotel serves the best pizza in Dublin, and boasts views over the entire city. Cool Dubliners head here for meals throughout the day and into the evening, and the open plan restaurant (and kitchen) make for great people watching. The pizza with prosciutto, cherry tomatoes, arugula and tallegio is delicious, as are main courses like the seafood pasta, but the star of any meal are the views through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the city. If possible, visit both during the day- and night-time.