What to Eat in Dublin
Dublin is the capital and the largest city of Ireland, and the best place to get to know Irish food and drink - especially the liquid side of it. Guinness is brewed here, whiskey matures here and there's a pub on every corner. I got to Dublin on a Friday evening and on the way from the airport I walked straight through Temple Bar, the district famous for its pubs. I have to admit, though, that the queues at the doors and the crowds of drunk tourists in the narrow streets put me off going in - the best of Dublin is somewhere else entirely, if you ask me.
Dublin, Beer and Whiskey
The most famous Irish beer, Guinness, has been brewed at St. James's Gate since 1759. The seven-storey Guinness Storehouse is one of the most visited places in all of Ireland - and I walked in expecting very little, and it blew me away. You can touch everything, smell everything, and at the top there's the Gravity Bar, with a view over the whole city.
The other Dublin legend is Jameson whiskey. The Jameson Distillery on Bow Street runs a tour with a tasting, and for an extra fee you can taste straight from the casks where the whiskey ages. Book ahead, it tends to sell out.
What to Eat in Dublin
- Guinness beer. A dark stout with a creamy head, brewed right here in Dublin since 1759. The locals swear it doesn't taste this good anywhere else in the world.
- Coddle. A slowly simmered dish of sausages, bacon, potatoes and onion. It came out of Dublin's working-class neighborhoods, where leftovers went into the pot as well, and it is so much a part of the city that even James Joyce mentions it.
- Dublin Bay prawns. Small Norway lobsters named after Dublin Bay, known elsewhere in the world as langoustines. They are a fixture on the menus of Dublin restaurants.
- Dublin Lawyer. Lobster in a creamy sauce with Irish whiskey. As the old joke goes, it is named after Dublin's lawyers - it's just as rich and just as soaked in whiskey.
- Spice bag. A bag of fried chips and pieces of chicken with chilli peppers and spices. It was born in Dublin's Chinese takeaways and has become late-night food for the walk home from the pub.
- Gur cake. A dark, spiced slice with a filling of leftover pastry and dried fruit between two sheets of dough. A specialty of Dublin bakeries, named after the "gurriers" - the street kids who used to buy the cheap treat.
- … and if you want a few dozen more Irish dishes, here is the full list: What to Eat in Ireland.
Where to Eat in Dublin
- Oh'Rourke's. A small, no-frills place where at breakfast time you will only find locals. A full Irish breakfast of eight items on the plate, with coffee or tea, costs next to nothing here, and the staff happily pointed me to a pub with live music in the evening. I'd go back without a second thought.
- Tasty 8. A slicker place with quick, professional service. Breakfast works out a bit pricier than at Oh'Rourke's, and alongside the full Irish breakfast they do excellent eggs Benedict.
- The Cobblestone. A pub outside the center where locals come for traditional live music. The regulars break into dance and song without warning, and once the session ends they will happily lend out the instruments and carry on playing in the beer garden. For me the most powerful moment of the whole Dublin trip.
- The Long Hall. One of the oldest pubs in Dublin, open since 1766, with a Victorian interior of wood and glass. A wide range of beers and an even wider choice of Irish whiskeys; in the afternoon it's quiet enough to chat with the staff.
- Guinness Storehouse. An interactive exhibition of the Guinness Brewery across seven floors. The ticket includes a drink in the Gravity bar with a view over Dublin; buy it online in advance.
- Jameson Distillery Bow St.. A tour of the former Jameson Distillery with a tasting of four whiskey samples and a drink at the bar. Tasting whiskey straight from the casks costs extra.
When you're in Dublin, give the places outside the famous Temple Bar district a chance too. You will find the best Irish pub atmosphere wherever the locals are drinking.
Enjoy your food in Dublin!
Guinness Storehouse: A Tour of the Dublin Brewery
The Guinness Storehouse is a seven-floor interactive exhibition about Ireland's most famous beer, set in a former fermentation house by St. James's Gate in Dublin. You dig your hands into roasted barley, walk through a whole floor of the famous toucan ads, and right at the top there's a drink with a view over the whole city. A corporate museum that can win over even a skeptic.
The Long Hall Pub, Dublin
These days an Irish pub comes as a kit you can put up anywhere in the world. The Long Hall in Dublin is the original all those copies are trying to imitate: a Victorian interior from 1881, a licence going back to 1766 and a name that probably comes from the corridor behind the bar. Plus two lessons: how Guinness is poured and why whiskey takes a drop of water.
The Cobblestone Pub, Dublin
Ask the guidebooks where to go for a pint in Dublin and they all say the same thing: Temple Bar. After two evenings of long lines and drunk tourists I gave it a miss and, on a tip I got over breakfast, ended up in The Cobblestone - a pub in Smithfield where they play Irish music around a table and the regulars borrow the band's instruments after closing time. The pub Dublin defended against a hotel.
Jameson Distillery: Tour and Tasting
The Jameson Distillery on Bow Street in Dublin is the birthplace of the best-selling Irish whiskey - except that the whiskey has been distilled in Midleton for half a century now, and Bow Street is a museum with a tour and a tasting. Plus the founder's Scottish roots, the difference between whiskey and whisky, and the angels' share you can smell in the air of the barrel warehouse.
Full Irish Breakfast: Ireland's Classic Fry-Up
Bacon, sausages, a fried egg, two puddings and soda bread - the full Irish breakfast keeps hunger at bay till the evening. In this article you'll find out how the Irish breakfast really differs from the English one, why the hash brown on the plate isn't Irish, how bed & breakfast guesthouses made its name, and which two Dublin places I ate it in alongside the locals.