A Selection of Dublin’s
Best Restaurants
It’s been so long since we were able to seat inside a restaurant and we start to forget what it was like.
Until then, here is a list of the best restaurants in Dublin, so you can start planning for when it’s possible again.
With a rich native supply of fine meat and seafood, Dublin boasts some of Europe’s best fine dining restaurants.
RESTAURANT PATRICK GUILBAUD
Cuisine: Contemporary French
Arguably the most respected restaurant in Ireland, the legendary Patrick Guilbaud’s opened in 1981 and since then has won every major food award going.
Currently in the hands of chef Guillaume Lebrun, the restaurant has held two Michelin stars for a number of years, and has long set the standard to which others aspire. It remains the only two-star restaurant in the country and with a wine list every bit as impressive as the food, you’ll be talking about this place for some time after. Highlights include the Blue lobster ravioli, caramelized veal sweetbreads and the contemporary dark chocolate tart. Beside the main dining room, a heated terrace looks over the 16th century garden of The Merrion Hotel and offers a charming spot for a digestif.
+353 1 676 4192 | info@restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie | 21 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2 | restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie
SHANAHAN’S
Cuisine: American-style steakhouse
A pleasure for the discerning carnivore, Shanahan’s serves some of the best beef in Ireland.
The steaks are all certified Irish Angus and cooked in a special broiler at 1,600-1,800 degrees Fahrenheit to sear the outside while keeping the inside tender and juicy. The menu also offers fresh native seafood, excellent pork and lamb dishes and a truly indulgent Oreo cookie cheesecake. Patrons enjoy all this in a majestic Georgian townhouse on St. Stephens Green, designed by Dublin’s leading 18th century architect, Richard Cassels. Complete with marble fireplaces and gilded chandeliers, the classically-proportioned dining rooms drip with history, and the attached Oval Office bar provides a splendid setting for a post-supper liqueur.
+353 1 407 0939 | management@shanahans.ie | 119 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2| shanahans.ie
One Pico
Cuisine: Modern French
Tucked away on a small lane near St. Stephen’s Green, One Pico offers award-winning fine dining in a peaceful pocket of the city center.
The fresh white exterior leads into a dining room of gold and beige, peppered with plush purple furnishings that make it easy to linger here for a while. Chef-proprietor Eamonn O’Reilly and head chef Ciaran McGill create wonderfully inventive dishes using local seasonal produce, changing the menu every month and never failing to impress O’Reilly’s many loyal disciples. Particular delights are the seven-course surprise menu and the daily table d’hôte lunch menu. O’Reilly has an eye-catching CV—he cut his teeth alongside three Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alleno at Le Meurice in Paris, and went on to top hotels in Boston and Casablanca before opening One Pico back on his home turf. A welcome return it was too.
+353 1 676 0300 | one_pico@yahoo.ie | 5-6 Molesworth Place, Schoolhouse Lane, Dublin 2 | onepico.com
Chapter ONe
Cuisine: Contemporary Irish
Book worms will the love the literary location below the Dublin Writers Museum, but the real appeal here is the dazzling, Michelin-starred food.
With an emphasis on the very best of locally-sourced artisan produce, the menu at Dublin’s Chapter One has Ireland at its heart. Chef and co-owner Ross Lewis has set a tasting menu brimming with gastronomic treats. Notable mentions go to the cured Clare Island organic salmon with smoked salmon mousse, fresh peas and yuzu jelly and the Pig’s tail stuffed with Fingal Ferguson’s bacon and lobster. The menu selection changes regularly, so you are guaranteed the best seasonal ingredients. The building was once home to John Jameson—of Irish whiskey fame—and Chapter One makes beautiful use of the vaulted basement. Certainly one of Dublin’s most atmospheric and delicious dining spots.
+353 1 873 2266 | info@chapteronerestaurant.com | 18-19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 | chapteronerestaurant.com
L’ecrivain
Cuisine: Irish with French influence
L’Ecrivain is one the capital’s most celebrated gourmet restaurants and can be found in a gorgeous Georgian neighbourhood.
Chef-owner Derry Clarke and the head chef Tom Doyle create inventive, Michelin-starred dishes and change the menu regularly to keep the ingredients seasonal. Using small, local producers, they give traditional Irish flavours a piquant French twist and the results have won the affections of many regulars. Game dishes are a specialty in season, with a menu that changes according to the produce available throughout the year, and the superb wine list is updated frequently. With an airy, blond wood interior, the atmosphere is light and relaxed, and you’ll find the staff some of the friendliest in town.
+353 1 661 1919 | enquiries@lecrivain.com | 109a Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2 | lecrivain.com
dax
Cuisine: Modern Irish-French
Tucked away discreetly in the heart of Dublin’s historic Georgian Quarter, Dax is easily one of the best restaurants in Dublin.
DAX restaurant provides thoroughly reliable Franco Irish food in the style of its native region. The menu changes seasonally, while consistently delivering a superb experience of fine dining in Dublin.
+353 1 676 1494 | olivier@dax.ie | 23 Pembroke Street Upper, Dublin 2 | www.dax.ie
Pearl brasserie
Cuisine: Contemporary French
Pearl Brasserie opened its doors on the 7th of December 2000. Their first objective was to build a team with a hunger to learn and a passion for detail. The same hard work is being asked of their Irish and Continental suppliers, so they are able to get the best Irish and French produce on a daily basis.
Culinary ingenuity and skill from the kitchen combines with warm, welcoming, professional service delivering one of Dublin’s premier fine dining experiences.
Awarded Chef of the Year 2017 in the Georgina Campbell Awards.
Travellers Choice Awards 2017 – TripAdvisor’s annual list of the top ten fine dining restaurants in Ireland.
Bon Appetit!
+353 1 661 3572 | info@pearl-brasserie.com | 20 Merrion St. Upper, Dublin D02 XH98 | pearl-brasserie.com