I’ve been there once - it’s only a 5 min walk from the office I’ve been working in (when in Dublin). The mackerel starter was excellent, the fish pie pretty mundane. Nice and bright in there. I’m told there are better fish places.
Patrick Guilbaud is a truly superb restaurant (Michelin 2 * if that matters). They have a 40 euro and a 50 euro lunch that are bargains.
Dublin has great theater. A lunch there, a walk, a pint and a show makes for a great day.
Can’t help you much with Dingle and Ring of Kerry Brad, didn’t spend a lot of time there, but Beara—you have to take the cablecar over to Dursey Island and spend a little time there—preferably bring a lunch, best to catch the cablecar before 11 am, after that only starts up again at 2:30. The part of the Beara Way walk that leads to it is lovely. It is as far away from a city environment as you will ever get and one of the great spots–and moments–I’ve ever had in my life. Plus, if you’re lucky to have local passengers with you, you may get to hear the true and mesmerizingly beautiful gaeltacht spoken.
Lori, if you’re heading to Belfast at all, you need to try and reach Sean Hardon there—wonderful bloke and much connected with the Wine-Pages group in London----I met him this past May and can try to connect you if I have his email.
I was in Dublin the same time last year. Here is what I recommend:
Catch a play. We had dinner at Chapter One (excellent) and saw a show at the Abbey. A fantastic night.
For other meals, I would look at Pig’s Ear and Pichet. Fade Street Social was just good the night we went.
Of all the sights to see in Dublin, I found Kilmainham Gaol to be the most fascinating. It is a must.
1 last rec is the Food Trail Walk. Dublin Fab Food Irish Walking Tour — Fab Food Irish Walking Tours You will find tourists and locals alike on this cool walking tour through culinary Dublin. Our guide was also extremely well versed in Irish history and that only made the walk more special.
When we go over to Dublin we usually stay on St. Stephen’s Green at The Shelbourne Hotel. The Saddle Room restaurant and The Horseshoe Bar there at the hotel are both great, and we almost always have a dinner at Shanahan’s on the north side of the green. Patrick Guilbaud is also an excellent choice and you will certainly enjoy it.
A bit of thread drift, but I am in a group heading to Killarney next week and would love to hear food, wine or activity recco’s for SW Ireland. We plan to spend a bit of time in Kinsale, Dingle and the Ring of Kerry.
I would love to see you write a follow up post here. I’m going to be on the Ring of Kerry (near Kenmare) for for days in October, and would welcome some recommendations.
I can tell you that Kinsale is renowned as a foodie haven, so I’m sure you’ll do pretty well there. But ai don’t have a specific rec for you.
Back from my trip to SW Ireland and Scotland. Had a blast. 8 days in Ireland with my wife and another couple. Highlights for scenery were the Dingle Peninsula, The Gap of Dunloe and Kenmare. Dinner in Kinsale at Fishy, Fishy was memorable. Stayed mostly in Killarney and had some very good seafood meals there too. Very little wine action, most lists were very forgettable. Excellent Guiness and whiskey made up for it. Got in 2 rounds of golf. One at Old Head near Kinsale, and the other at Ballybunnion. Both were experiences of a lifetime–Ballyb for the golf, Old Head for the location. It is simply the most spectacular course I have ever seen. Loved the pubs. Kick back with a pint and listen to trad music. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
For me, Brad, parking the car, walking a bit of the Beara Way and taking the cablecar across to Dursey Island is an absolute must. It’s as far away from city civilization as you’re likely to get, a very moving few hours for me.
I also stay at The Shelbourne, and I don’t think you can beat the location. Rooms sizes may vary, but nice service and great bars and food downstairs. Fine dinners at the Green Hen, Peploe’s, and Thornton’s, I think you can consider passing on often-mentioned Shanahan’s, which I found good but not great. (Ymmv.) Patrick Guilbaud is on my list to try, but I must say my Dublin friends describe it as a bit stuffy, supposed to have an awesome wine list though. Enjoyed a very pleasant pub lunch at The Duke, and I highly recommend drinking at the Stag’s Head and Kehoe’s. Agree you should avoid Temple Bar. Visiting Guinness and Jameson’s are fun, and easy to do with the hop-on-hop-off buses that are waiting across the street at St. Stephen’s Green across from the Shelbourne.
Back from our trip to Ireland over Labor Day. A couple of things to note:
All of the activities for our “American” football game in Dublin was centered in Temple Bar. It was a fun atmosphere given that there were thousands of peope from my alma mater and all in college gear. Other than that, I stayed out of the bars as I found them way too crowded and loud. There is a very nice farmers market on Saturday mornings in the Temple Bar area where they have Irish breakfast sandwiches cooked to order, as well as the local farm fare.
We ate at Patrick Guilbaud on our first night in Dublin and it was so good that we booked a return trip on our last night. It is very low key for a Michelin starred restaurant. There are lots of servers and white table cloths, but the wait staff was helpful and we enjoyed both visits. The spring pea agnolotti is too die for and I’m still dreaming about it. They also offer wine pairings per course by the glass.
We had dinner one night at the Winding Stair - a highly rated dinner place on the Liffey River. It was the worst meal of the trip. The portions are huge, but other than that I found it boring, non-inventive, and bland.
In Dublin, don’t miss the GAA Museum/Skywalk and the Book of Kells exhibit at Trinity College. The library is worth the visit alone and reminded me a bit of the library at the abbey in Melk, Austria.
We stayed at both the Morrison Hotel (across Liffey from Temple Bar) and at the Westin (next to Trinity College). Both were excellent choices for the activities that we had planned. Without the football game, I’d likely return to the Westin and not the Morrison.
Cabs are inexpensive in Dublin and we generally walked to cabbed it everywhere with no problems.
Outside of Dublin, we drove north to the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, and the Innishowen Peninsula. We enjoyed the differences in the topography and the beautiful day and sunshine on the coast.
We headed west to Cong, visited Cong Abbey, and then stayed for a few nights at Ashford Castle. The highlight of the trip (other than our team winning the game in Dublin) was the Hawk Walk - hubby and I took two hawks for about 1 mile walk letting them fly and return across the castle ground and through the woods. Amazing experience. We had one dinner at the fine dining restaurant, George V. I was hesitant to try the tasting menu as they are usually too much food for me, but this one was perfect. Excellent meal. We also dined in the “Dungeon” and chose the “Old Ireland” menu. Duck confit, Beef with Guiness, and Ham Steak with Potatoes. Very good and a fun atmosphere in the Dungeon. Highly recommend a stay at Ashford Castle!
Sounds great, Lori, glad you were able to fit in Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede. Ashford—the whole country is dotted with places like this, I think. Mine was Ballynahinch castle out west of Galway. The hawking experience sounds tremendous. I love the Book of Kells exhibit. Thanks for the detailed rundown of your meal experiences.
Lori, thanks for reporting back. Mike and Ian, thanks for the continued tips. I have three more questions related specifically to Dublin. We are staying there one night (before the marathon), but will be spending our last four nights only 45 minutes outside of the city, and can make day trips.
I need to eat a bland, high-carb meal the evening before the marathon. Staying at The Dawson. Doesn’t necessarily have to be pasta. I’m sure I can find a good enough meat and potatoes place, but 'll take recs.
Dress code, if any, at Patrick Guilbaud?
For our one night in Dublin, I would prefer to leave the car outside the city, and take public transportation into the city. Is there a place to safely park the car for 24+ hours (there will be luggage in the trunk)? Or do yo think drivng in and out of the city will be okay? The car will have a navigation system. I’ve driven on the left side of the road in England (but not in large cities). I’ve driven in large cities in Spain, France, Germany, and Italy (but not on the left side of the road).
Meat and potatoes will be easy enough to find. Green 19 on Camden St do a suitably filling sausages plus mash/cabbage ‘colcannon’, but such dishes should be easy to find. The food at Il primo is excellent, but bland would not be a word I would use - very good Italian food.
The driving in Dublin can get very scary at times, and the taxi drivers seem to have supernatural judgement. Even in quiter times I’d say it woyld be difficult. There is crime, but if ypu can get advice on a good parking location, then that would probably make life easier. The taxi fare from the airport to the city is c. 25 euro, and I reckon the airport would be as safe as anywhere. Otherwise look for stations on the dart train route, maybe Howth?
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