What to Eat in Dublin: Local Dishes, Where Locals Eat & Drink, and the Best Food Tours

The short version: in Dublin, drink a properly poured pint of Guinness in an old pub, then eat seafood chowder with brown bread, fish and chips, Irish oysters and, when it is cold, coddle or Irish stew. For the pint, go to Mulligan’s on Poolbeg Street, Kehoe’s off Grafton Street or Bowes on Fleet Street; for a special dinner, Variety Jones in the Liberties. Spend an afternoon at a city distillery (Teeling, Roe & Co or Jameson Bow St.) and an evening at a trad session at The Cobblestone. On a short visit, a food or whiskey tour is the shortcut to the right pubs and plates. Below: where to eat and drink it, by neighbourhood.

What to eat in Dublin, and where to eat it

Dish	What it is	Where to eat it in Dublin
Full Irish breakfast	The fry: eggs, rashers (back bacon), sausages, black and white pudding, tomato and toast, with a pot of tea	Bewley’s Grafton Street; Lemon Jelly Café
Seafood chowder	A creamy soup of smoked and fresh fish and shellfish, served with brown soda bread and butter	Arthur’s Bar at the Guinness Storehouse
Oysters and a pint	Irish rock oysters, raw or dressed, with a glass of stout on the side	The Seafood Café; Fish Shop; King Sitric in Howth
Fish and chips	Battered cod, hake or ray with thick chips, known locally as a “one and one” from the chipper	Leo Burdock; Fish Shop; Beshoff Bros
Dublin coddle	The city’s own one-pot supper of sausages, bacon, potatoes and onions simmered together	John Kavanagh’s (The Gravediggers) in Glasnevin
Irish stew	Lamb slow-cooked with potatoes, onions and carrots; beef and Guinness stew is the darker cousin	The Brazen Head, for its beef stew
Boxty	A potato pancake made with grated raw and mashed potato, wrapped around a filling such as beef and Guinness	Gallagher’s Boxty House
Cheese toastie	The pub snack: toasted cheese on white bread with mustard, eaten with a pint	Grogan’s
Irish farmhouse cheese	Cashel Blue, Coolea, Durrus and other cheeses from small Irish dairies	Sheridans Cheesemongers; Temple Bar Food Market on Saturdays

Where to eat in Dublin

Dublin is compact, and most of these areas are within walking distance of each other. The rule is simple: eat in the restaurants, drink in the pubs. Most traditional pubs serve little or no food, and the best of them are about the pint and the room. Book dinner on Friday and Saturday a few days ahead, especially at the Michelin-listed places, which mostly take bookings directly. Chippers, oyster counters and pubs are walk-in.

Temple Bar and around

Temple Bar is fun for an hour, but the pubs on its cobbled main streets are loud, crowded and expensive, and locals drink a few minutes’ walk away. Go to its edges instead. On Fleet Street, The Palace Bar is a Victorian pub with mahogany partitions, stained glass, a snug and more than 100 whiskeys, including its own 12-year-old single malt. A few doors along, Bowes is small, has no television and pours one of the best pints in the centre. For trad music in Temple Bar itself, The Old Storehouse has sessions in the main bar every afternoon.

For food, Gallagher’s Boxty House is the place for boxty, made from scratch alongside Irish classics; book for dinner. The Seafood Café in Sprangers Yard, off Fownes Street, is a casual seafood bar for oysters, lobster and a menu that changes daily with the catch, open for lunch and dinner. Across the Ha’penny Bridge on Ormond Quay, The Winding Stair does a plate of Irish smoked fish, hand-smoked haddock and potted crab with a view of the river.

West of Temple Bar, below Christ Church Cathedral, Leo Burdock on Werburgh Street is Dublin’s oldest chipper, in business since 1913: cod and chips to take away. On Lower Bridge Street, The Brazen Head claims to be Ireland’s oldest pub; it is touristy but good for beef stew or fish and chips, with music every night from 21:00 and on Sunday afternoons.

The Liberties: Guinness, whiskey and Thomas Street

The old working quarter west of Christ Church is Dublin’s brewing and distilling district, and now has some of its best restaurants. At the Guinness Storehouse at St James’s Gate, buy a timed ticket online and finish with the pint in the Gravity Bar, the glass rooftop bar over the city. Inside, Arthur’s Bar serves seafood chowder with brown bread, and the 1837 Bar & Brasserie, named for the year Guinness and oysters were declared a perfect match, has an all-day brasserie menu with beer pairings; booking ahead is suggested.

Three distilleries are a short walk apart. Roe & Co Distillery on James’s Street, in the old Guinness power station, runs whiskey tasting experiences, and its Powerhouse Bar serves whiskey cocktails; book online. Teeling Whiskey Distillery on Newmarket is a working distillery with guided tours that end in a tasting; book ahead. Pearse Lyons Distillery is a boutique distillery in the former St James’s Church, with tours, blending sessions and a gin school.

For dinner, Variety Jones (Michelin listing) on Thomas Street holds one Michelin star for a generous surprise tasting menu, much of it cooked over fire, with a signature spaghetti Alfredo; dinner Wednesday to Saturday, booked by phone. Spitalfields (Michelin listing) on The Coombe is a Bib Gourmand pub-restaurant where drinkers are welcome downstairs; order the cock-a-leekie pie to share. It serves dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 17:00, booked directly. Then have a pint at Tom Kennedy’s at 65 Thomas Street, an old inn said to date back to the 1700s, with good pints and live music five nights a week.

South city centre: Grafton Street to Camden and Wexford Street

This is where Dubliners go out, and the famous old pubs sit on the side streets off Grafton Street. Kehoe’s on South Anne Street is a carved-mahogany Victorian time capsule; go upstairs if the bar is packed. The Long Hall on South Great George’s Street is a 250-year-old room of red leather stools and old clocks. Grogan’s on South William Street is for people-watching from the outside seats with a cheese toastie. Neary’s, behind the Gaiety Theatre, has one of the city’s most beautiful interiors. O’Donoghue’s on Merrion Row was the centre of the folk and trad revival that began in the late 1950s and still has live Irish music sessions, starting earlier on Saturdays.

For breakfast, Bewley’s Grafton Street is the grand old café with stained glass and a full Irish. Buy farmhouse cheese at Sheridans Cheesemongers on South Anne Street (Durrus, Coolea and many more), or browse the food hall and wine cellar at Fallon & Byrne on Exchequer Street.

The best-value dinners in Dublin are here, several of them Bib Gourmands, the Michelin award for good cooking at moderate prices. Amy Austin (Michelin listing) on Drury Street does small plates such as tacos, crudos and yakitori. On Aungier Street, the start of the Camden and Wexford Street strip, Uno Mas (Michelin listing) cooks Mediterranean plates, with signature creamy croquetas and an all-Spanish wine list, and BIGFAN (Michelin listing) serves bao and xiao chi (Chinese small eats). In Portobello, Richmond (Michelin listing) cooks a seasonally changing modern menu. After dinner, Devitt’s at 78 Camden Street has trad sessions every night.

Smithfield and Stoneybatter

North of the river, the old market district of Smithfield and the village streets of Stoneybatter are where young Dubliners eat and drink, a short walk or Luas ride from the centre. On Bow Street, Jameson Distillery Bow St. is the original Jameson distillery, now a visitor experience: a 45-minute guided tour ending with a tasting of three whiskeys, from about 26 euros; book online. Round the corner, The Cobblestone is the city’s best-known trad pub, run by a family of musicians, with sessions every night and a learners’ session in the back room on Wednesdays.

Fish Shop on Benburb Street is a tiny seafood restaurant with a menu that changes with the catch: fish and chips, cockles cooked in sherry, squid with capers. It is small and fills up at weekends, so go early or on a weekday. In Stoneybatter, L. Mulligan Grocer is a gastropub with Irish craft beers, a seasonal menu, artisan scotch eggs and a whiskey list sorted by flavour; closed Monday and Tuesday. Further up the main street, Grano is a small Italian restaurant whose tiramisù is a local legend; book.

A short bus or taxi ride north, John Kavanagh’s (The Gravediggers) in Glasnevin shares a wall with the cemetery, has no TV and serves coddle with a pint that has a big local reputation.

Docklands and Grand Canal Dock

The Docklands are mostly offices and new hotels, so eat here if you are staying nearby or going to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. In the Millennium Tower on the dock, Charlotte Quay serves a fish-forward menu of Irish produce with a Mediterranean feel, plus signature cocktails, with views over the water; closed Mondays. On the way back into town, stop at Mulligan’s on Poolbeg Street by Tara Street station, licensed since 1782 and famous for a perfect pint; it gets busy after work.

By the sea: Howth

Howth, a fishing harbour on a headland north of the city, is a short ride on the DART from the city centre and the easiest half-day food trip from Dublin. Walk the cliff path, then eat by the harbour. Beshoff Bros is the classic chipper: fish and chips to eat on the harbour wall. Octopussy’s Seafood Tapas on the West Pier is a small seafood tapas bar for sizzling prawns, mussels, calamari, crab and oysters; it takes no bookings, so share several plates and expect a wait. At the end of the West Pier, Aqua is the dressier choice, with locally caught fish and views across Howth Sound to Ireland’s Eye, and at the foot of the East Pier King Sitric is a seafood bar known for its oysters. Mamó (Michelin listing) on Harbour Road is in the MICHELIN Guide for contemporary cooking with Irish cheese, Wicklow pork and harbour fish; closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Quick picks

• Best pint of Guinness: Mulligan’s, Kehoe’s, Bowes or Tom Kennedy’s.
• Trad music tonight: The Cobblestone, O’Donoghue’s or Devitt’s.
• Cheap and fast: fish and chips at Leo Burdock, Fish Shop or Beshoff Bros; a toastie at Grogan’s.
• Irish classics: boxty at Gallagher’s; coddle at the Gravediggers; beef stew at The Brazen Head; smoked fish at The Winding Stair.
• Good-value dinner: the Bib Gourmands Uno Mas, BIGFAN, Amy Austin, Spitalfields or Richmond.
• Special night: Variety Jones, one Michelin star.

Names link to Google Maps for directions. We checked these places in October 2026. Opening days change, especially out of season, so check before you go.

The markets

Dublin is a city of food shops more than markets, but two are worth planning around. Temple Bar Food Market in Meeting House Square runs every Saturday from about 09:30 to 15:30: Irish farmhouse cheese, oysters shucked on the spot, smoked salmon, sourdough and hot food stalls, so go for a late breakfast or early lunch. Howth Market runs on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays from 10:00 to 18:00, with food stalls by the harbour; combine it with lunch on the West Pier. For food to take home, use Sheridans and Fallon & Byrne.

What to drink in Dublin

Dublin drinks stout and whiskey, and the pub is where the city socialises. Order “a pint” and you will usually get Guinness, poured in two stages and left to settle, so wait for it.

Where locals say the pint is best

The same names keep coming up: Mulligan’s, Kehoe’s, Bowes, Tom Kennedy’s and the Gravediggers in Glasnevin. The pint at the top of the Guinness Storehouse is part of the visit, but the one in a quiet old pub is the one people remember.

Irish whiskey and the city distilleries

Irish whiskey is often triple distilled and smooth; look out for single pot still, the style unique to Ireland, made from malted and unmalted barley. To taste across brands, sit at The Palace Bar or Bowes, try the flavour-sorted list at L. Mulligan Grocer, or go to the Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson Street, a shop with a bar that sells single drams of rare bottles. Nine Below, an underground bar on the edge of St Stephen’s Green, pours rare Irish whiskeys by the glass, and the Irish Whiskey Museum runs a brand-neutral tour that ends with three whiskeys.

Pubs with traditional music

A session is musicians playing around a table, not a stage show: buy a drink, sit near the edge and keep the talking down. Go to The Cobblestone or Devitt’s (every night), O’Donoghue’s or The Brazen Head. Times change, so check the pub’s social pages on the day.

Food experiences to book in Dublin

On a short visit, the hard part in Dublin is not finding food or drink but finding the right pub and the right plate among hundreds. A guided food tour takes you to the chowder, the cheese, the chipper and the old pubs in about three hours, with tastings at each stop. A whiskey tasting or distillery tour explains pot still, malt and blend, and a Guinness and pub tour adds the stories behind the snugs. These are the best-rated options on GetYourGuide.

Experience	Length	Rating (reviews)	Best for	Book
Street Food Tour with a Local Guide	3 hours	4.9 (457)	A first day	Check availability
Guinness Storehouse Entry Ticket with a Pint	Self-guided visit	4.7 (27,004)	Guinness	Check availability
Jameson Distillery Bow St. Tour with Tastings	45 minutes	4.7 (7,929)	Irish whiskey	Check availability
Authentic Local Food Tour with Tastings and Drinks	3 hours	4.9 (386)	Food and history	Check availability
Irish Dinner and Dance Show at Johnnie Fox's	4 hours	4.8 (394)	A night out	Check availability

Our pick: the Street Food Tour with a Local Guide, rated 4.9 (457) on GetYourGuide.

Ratings as shown on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Check the listing for live prices and availability.

Frequently asked questions

What is the one thing to eat and drink in Dublin?

A pint of Guinness in an old pub such as Mulligan’s or Kehoe’s, then fish and chips from Leo Burdock or from Beshoff Bros on the harbour in Howth. If it is cold, add coddle at the Gravediggers in Glasnevin.

Where is the best pint of Guinness in Dublin?

Locals most often name Mulligan’s on Poolbeg Street, Kehoe’s on South Anne Street, Bowes on Fleet Street, Tom Kennedy’s on Thomas Street and the Gravediggers in Glasnevin.

Which whiskey distillery should I visit in Dublin?

Jameson Bow St. for a 45-minute tour and tasting, Teeling for a working distillery, Roe & Co for tastings and whiskey cocktails, Pearse Lyons for a small tour inside a church. Book online, especially at weekends.

Do I need to book restaurants in Dublin?

For Friday and Saturday dinner, yes. Variety Jones and Spitalfields take bookings directly, and Gallagher’s Boxty House and Grano are worth booking. Chippers such as Leo Burdock and Beshoff Bros and most pubs are walk-in; Octopussy’s in Howth takes no bookings at all.

Is a Dublin food tour worth it?

Yes, on a short stay: one walk covers Irish cheese, seafood, a traditional dish and a proper pub. Compare the options above or on our Dublin food tours and Dublin whiskey and Guinness tours pages.

Plan your Dublin food trip

Dublin food tours · Dublin whiskey and Guinness tours · Food and drink tours in Ireland · What to eat in London · London pub tours