Out on the town in Dublin

Dublin offers it all in terms of good eating and drinking. Here is a quick reckoner of where to go for what.

Café Culture La Maison des Gourmets is a small, charming French pâtisserie with excellent French food and heavenly pastries. Dunne & Crescenzi is an atmospheric Italian café serving up crispy panini, excellent antipasto and frothy coffees. Literary types should head to the Winding Stair Café within a pretty bookshop overlooking the Liffey. A Dublin institution, Bewleys on Grafton Street may have undergone a transformation of late but it’s still an excellent place to grab a cup of coffee in the heart of Dublin’s shopping precinct. Cake fiends, meanwhile, should check out the super-tasty Queen of Tarts for freshly baked goodies. If you want to watch the world go by outdoors while sipping on a latté, then The Bailey is the place to go with one of the most popular outdoor seating areas in the city, right throughout the year.

Casual dining: among some of the most popular spots are Mao for pan-Asian fare; Gruel for hearty grub in a diner-style environment; and the pint-sized no-frills Steps of Rome where you can eat in or takeaway. Also well worth a visit is the excellent Café Bar Deli for salads, pizzas and pasta; Wagamama for Japanese food in a bright, modern environment; and the 101 Talbot for excellent pre-theatre menus. Eden, meanwhile, is a great choice for modern European cooking with a pretty terrace on Temple Bar’s Meeting House Square. Frequently buzzing is The Unicorn, a popular spot with Dublin’s media crowd. If you’re after some fish, try some low-rent dining at Burdock’s chip shop, Christchurch. But if eating out of a paper bag doesn’t appeal, then head to the more salubrious surrounds of the Mermaid Café or the newly opened Mackerel in the converted Bewleys Café. Opt for a seat on the small balcony on a sunny day.

Drinking: As well as a litany of pubs to down a pint of the Black Stuff in, Dublin has a plethora of stylish bars with cool tunes and cocktails. Check out Ron Black’s; the Clarendon; the Market Bar; Cocoon; The Globe; and The Bailey.

Fine Dining:  Indulge your palette at Dublin’s finest restaurants. Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud is the top place to dine in the city with two Michelin Stars and modern classic cuisine. L’Ecrivain is an award-winning spot that has built a steady reputation for innovative Irish/French food. Chapter One serves up innovative and delicious food in an elegant dining room with exposed granite walls and fine art. Thornton’s Restaurant overlooking Stephen’s Green also enjoys two Michelin stars Dubliners also continue to enjoy perennially popular spots like The Tea Rooms at U2’s Clarence Hotel, and One Pico.

Food halls and markets: If you like to browse around before deciding where to eat, then try the top floor of the elegant Powerscourt Townhouse Centre with an abundance of casual spots; or the very popular Epicurean Food Hall with everything from towering bagels to spicy Indian feasts. Also worth a visit is the lively Temple Bar Food Market on Saturdays in Meeting House Square, with excellent food stalls serving global and Irish cuisine.

Luxurious Hideouts: Dublin is awash with exceptional hotels that provide a tranquil retreat from the urban buzz. The Morrison, The Clarence, and The Morgan are all hip, stylish spots smack in the centre of the city and popular with the young and the fashionable. For utter luxury, try the Westin with an unbeatable location in a converted bank just near Trinity College; the Westbury in the heart of Dublin’s shopping district; the chic and minimalist Fitzwilliam; the elegant Merrion Hotel and the opulent Four Seasons, which is just outside the city centre in the district of Ballsbridge. For those after a more intimate experience, try La Stampa, Brooks, or Brownes.

Nightlife: Dublin kicks off after-dark with a hopping nightlife scene, which takes in everything from cool jazz theatre to heavy rock. Some of Dublin’s best live music venues include The Ambassador, Crawdaddy, Whelan’s, The Village, Vicar Street, and The Sugar Club. Also, try JJ Smyth’s for a spot of jazz right through the week. If you want to hit a club, then some of Dublin’s hottest venues include the ever popular Lillies Bordello and Renards; the massive superclub Spirit, or the very chic Spy. For dance music and visiting DJs, try The Vaults, Wax and The Hub.

Pub life Dublin’s pubs are legendary and are at the heart of the city’s social life. If you want to see where the writers hung out you could always try the Literary Pub Crawl. Otherwise, for a slice of authentic pub life, head to Kehoe’s; Mulligan’s; the Stag’s Head; Grogan’s Castle Lounge; Neary’s; Peter’s Pub; and the Palace.

Courtesy of discoverireland.com