This year, our hungry travel adventures took us to Dublin, Ireland’s capital and hidden gem of a foodie paradise. This city is truly a hidden secret of fantastic food in Europe. We had such a great time exploring the city and meeting so many amazing people that it left a special place in our hearts. The city was entire of nomnom cuisine from all over the world. We just fell in love with all of it left as delighted foodies. An interesting food fact from the trip is that most restaurants were not Irish. According to some locals, Irish places are primarily for tourists, and Dublin is more known for its French and Italian food. Here are some of our favorite dishes that you must try on your next trip. We are sure to come back to a few of these places.
Bolognese of Calamari & Chorizo @ Sophie’s
Enjoy a perfect Italian dish from a rooftop bar-restaurant, Sophie, with a beautiful Dublin viewing, especially on a nice day. This was probably one of our favorite dishes from the trip. Both attractive and one of the best-tasting pasta dishes we’ve ever had. It is the perfect combination of calamari and spiced chorizo with aged parmesan. The hand-rolled pasta was very light and soft. Every bite was pure joy, and it’s one of those dishes we had to enjoy slowly to savor every bite. It’s not the cheapest dish for €25 ($27), but it’s worth it when you want one of the best Italian dishes ever. Stop by Sophie’s for good food, drinks, and the view.
Comeragh Mountain Lamb @ MV Cill Airne
Ahoy, the fun begins at the boat pub that serves up some fun drinks and fancy food on the River Liffet in the middle of Dublin. How often can you enjoy a nice dinner on a boat? It is not something we usually do, so we decided to go all out. There was lots of drink and lots of eating. When they brought out this dish, we were amazed by its beauty. The meat was cooked to perfection, glistening on the outside and juicy on the inside. Plus, a little bit of fat made it even better. It was just falling off the bone. Served with a side of amazing potatoes, eggplant, and sauce. I liked how potatoes were cut into rectangles and small slices stacked on each other. This is a cheap dish for just €9 ($10). You are more likely to get more for your buck here. Sadly, the boat doesn’t move and always stays in one location, not decreasing the fun experience.
Wild Boar Porchetta @ Drury Buildings
Oh my, I like my meat, which is big and tasty for appetizers like this Wild Boar Porchetta from Drury Buildings, a modern Irish restaurant in Dublin. After exploring the city all day, we were super hungry and wanted something quick and tasty. This was pure perfection, and the wild boar literary exploded with flavor in our mouths. It was fragile and light, yet the flavor overpowered all senses. I am a big fan of olives and pickles, which add that extraordinary and intense flavor. We don’t share this dish with friends because it is all mine, and no one can have it! It was not the cheapest dish for €13 ($14) but a zero-regret dish. Everything about this dish was pure joy, making it one of our favorites from the trip.
Truffle Pappardelle @ Drury Buildings
It’s all about the pasta fun times when trying Truffle Pappardelle dessert at Drury Buildings, a modern Irish restaurant. Who would have thought that Ireland’s capital is also home to some of the best Italian pasta dishes in the area? I just fell in love with hair-thin wide pasta with truffle pecorino cheese and white sauce. The thinnest of each noodle makes some wonder how they do it. Not the cheapest dish, with lunch for 14 ($15( and dinner for 23 ($24). Still, this dish is worth every euro!
Pea & Leek Risotto @ Pichet
You are about to have risotto like any you’ve ever tried: Pea & Leek Risotto, a fantastic appetizer from Pitchet, a French restaurant in the heart of Dublin city. This was a pure accident kind of a place, and we had to stop here because we got soaked in yet another rain and needed a place to dry off, get a few drinks, and some snacks. We are big fans of poached eggs, and we just had to try it when we saw an appetizer with one—this mesmerizing flavor with a combination of perfectly poached egg and soft risotto. The texture alone made this an excellent dish. We enjoyed this as part of their 3-course meal for €25 ($26), which was worth a fantastic deal.
Pork Fillet @ Pichet
Upscale your pork with an order of Pork Fillet from Pitchet, one of our favorite French restaurants in Dublin. Just look at this dish. The presentation alone would make you fall in love with it. Pork fillets were prepared and seasoned perfectly. The brown sauce added a nice pinch of intense flavor to excite your taste buds even more. Went great with roasted vegetables, lentils, and bacon cream. This is the kind of dish you enjoy slowly and a little bit of everything in every bite to savor it all. Like the appetizer, this dish was small but delivered big on flavor and enjoyment. Not every dish must be giant and food coma-inducing. Leaves more space for dessert. We enjoyed this as part of their 3-course meal for €25 ($26), which was worth a fantastic deal.
Passion Fruit Mix Drink @ Pichet
Get passionate about drinking with Passion Fruit Mix Drinks from our new favorite French restaurant in DC Pichet. We are in Ireland; there should be more drinking than usual. We asked the waiter for something lovely, and he recommended this beauty. I’m not sure I can even drink this piece of art. We finally broke down and tried a bit and then some more until we realized we were drinking the whole thing—a very fruity and delightful drink, perfect for those of us with a sweet tooth.
Bean & Pulled Pork Special @ Brother Hubbard
Sometimes, it’s not just the hype when trying the Pulled Pork Special at Brother Hubbard, a popular Middle Eastern restaurant in Dublin. Several people highly recommended this place, and it was a food site, so we were very excited when we finally made it. We have to try anything that comes with an egg on top. Plus, it came highly recommended by the waitress when we told her how hungry we were. This will satisfy any hungry nomster because it’s an overnight roasted pulled pork sandwich covered with beans, eggs, and pickled onions. Plus, it comes with turmeric-lemon yogurt and hazelnut dukkah. A lot is happening in this pile of nomnom awesomeness, and we love it all. It’s the kind of sandwich you must eat with a knife and a fork. Pretty much a pile of nomnom awesomeness. Lots of food for a low price €10 ($11).
Brother Hubbard
Banoffee Pie @ Foam Cafe
More pie means more happiness globally, especially when enjoying a lovely Banoffee Pie from the popular and quirky dessert place Foam Cafe in the heart of Dublin City. It is an artsy and unique place everyone must visit for a nice coffee and tasty sweets. There were so many choices that it was a bit hard to pick. We never had a banana pie before, and it was a very nomnom experience. I fell in love with the thick yet soft layer of banana whipped cream on top and crumbled biscuits with toffee crust on the bottom. It wasn’t overly very sweet so that you can enjoy another slice. It’s a great price, too, for just €5 ($6) for one slice. This place was highly recommended to us by the awesome @GastroGays, so follow them for more great food.
Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake @ Queen of Tarts
Eat like a queen with cheesecake for breakfast with Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake from Queen of Tarts, a famous breakfast & brunch dessert cafe in Dublin. Is it not an Irish experience unless everything has alcohol in it? Now that’s a cheesecake, a very dense chocolatey cheesecake. It alone might just fill you up, but fear not, they have other great dishes there. Great price for such a good cake for just €4 ($5). Another place that came highly recommended to us was worth it for desserts and complete brunch.
