A Little Time and a Keyboard: Our Favorite Places to Eat in Dublin
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Our Favorite Places to Eat in Dublin

Tuesday, May 19, 2015


Ok, so we were only in Dublin for a week so we are hardly experts on where to eat. However, we do have a few places that we quite enjoyed that we would like to mention. On our first day in the city, we actually found two restaurants that we quite liked--one in Temple Bar and one closer to our hotel near St. Stephen's Green. Isn't amazing when you find success right away?



During our first afternoon in Dublin, we were still getting our bearings and we ended up asking around for a place where we could have great Irish fare. Oliver St. John Gogarty's is right in Temple Bar so a very touristy area but was recommended by locals. Even though the pub is right within the tourist thoroughfare, we felt that the food was overall delicious and plentiful. We loved Oliver St. John Gogarty so much that we came back at the end of our visit for a dinner. We had a vegetable soup, farmhouse sausages and a platter of Irish cheeses for lunch. (I know, not the healthiest but we definitely made up in the vegetation area later.) We enjoyed everything but I have to say that the sausages were among the best I have ever had--which says a lot because I normally do not eat them. Our lunch was in the the pub which has a lively ambiance and live music later in the day.

The restaurant at Oliver St. John Gogarty
When we came for dinner, we ate in the restaurant portion which is upstairs and quite a bit more sedate than the pub downstairs. Of course, this is just what you might need after a day of travels! For dinner, I had the Irish Lamb Stew which was amazing! My husband had a Guinness Stew which by this time had been his third in Ireland and not his favorite. Well, you can't win at everything!

Quite the atmosphere at Foley's!
The first evening of our visit we tried Foley's which is not too far from St. Stephen's Green. Oh my, did it have a cool atmosphere! Armchairs and fringed lamps--it was a bit beatniky and totally cool! We had a nice sit down meal that was relaxing without being overly formal. We ate dinner early, so were fine with our daughter. However, I probably would not have brought her for a later dinner there--it seemed like it would be more of a date night place later in the evening. My husband had a cottage pie which was amazing! I had a fish stir fry which was a special and equally yummy and our daughter had a hamburger which she loved. Without hesitation, we would definitely go back.

The delicious stew platter at Gallagher's.
On a recommendation from a fellow travel writer, we headed over to Gallagher's Boxty House in Temple Bar for dinner one evening. Now, I am definitely a fan of the boxty so I was excited to try one in Ireland. A boxty is an Irish potato pancake that can be served with all sorts of fillings including meat, vegetable and cheese. At a boxy house, we most certainly had to order a boxty and order we did! We tried the chicken and smoked bacon boxty which was quite tasty but I think we all preferred the stew sampler which had a sampling of Guinness Stew, Dublin Coddle and Irish Lamb Stew. Totally yummy and the sampler was a great way to try a few more things! Gallagher's was quite busy when we got there. We were lucky to get a table, so it is somewhere you may want to make a reservation.

Chicken and Smoked Bacon Boxty at Gallagher's

Sweet Treats in Dublin

Of course, we did have to satisfy our sweet cravings while in Ireland so a trip to the ice cream shop was in order! On another recommendation, we indulged at Murphy's Ice Cream. From our very initial taste, we could tell that Murphy's is expertly handcrafted. Truly premium ice cream! Murphy's is handcrafted in Dingle of all natural ingredients and you can tell! We tried the Dingle Sea Salt and the Chocolate Chip. Both were quite enjoyable but the Dingle Sea Salt was outstanding!



I previously wrote about Queen of Tarts where you can have a spot of tea and a scone or any one of their delectable pastries. We also enjoyed KC Peaches which had the most amazing caramel square that we have ever had! However, I must admit that it was super-sweet so splitting it was a must!  Butler's Chocolate is a great place to pick up chocolate made in Ireland, so not only a great option for a treat while there but also for a little something to bring home.

A delightful raspberry scone at Queen of Tarts.
As you can see, we had quite the time! Vacation is about exploring and exploring we did! We had a fabulous time in Ireland from the food to enjoying the cities to just relaxing and being present. A wonderful time and we would love to go back!

If you have missed our other posts on Ireland, check:

Family Vacation in Dublin, Ireland in the Spring!



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