Food · Dublin · Ireland
What to eat in Dublin
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Dublin, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Full Irish breakfast, Irish stew and Dublin coddle. Musicians gather to play fiddle, flute, bodhrán and uilleann pipes in pubs most nights; Smithfield, Temple Bar and the pubs off Dame Street are the easiest places to find a session. Pubs serve food from lunchtime into the evening, but many kitchens close well before the bar, often around 9pm.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Full Irish breakfast
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 5
- Tipping
- Tip about 10–15% in restaurants if service is not already included.
- Food experiences
- 4
11 foods to try
Breakfast
1.Full Irish breakfast
Fried eggs, rashers of back bacon, sausages, black and white pudding, grilled tomato, mushrooms and baked beans with toast or soda bread; a weekend tradition and a cure for the night before.
Where: Cafés and pubs across the city, many serving it all day.
Dish
2.Irish stew
Lamb or mutton slow-cooked with potatoes, onions and carrots in a light broth; pub versions often swap in beef and Guinness.
Where: Traditional pubs and restaurants around Temple Bar, Smithfield and the Liberties.
Dish
3.Dublin coddle
A Dublin speciality of sausages, bacon rashers, potatoes and onions simmered slowly in stock, once a Saturday-night supper in working-class homes.
Where: A handful of traditional pubs and restaurants, mostly in winter.
Bakery · Vegetarian
4.Soda bread
Brown or white bread raised with bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk instead of yeast, dense and slightly tangy, served with butter alongside soups and seafood.
Where: Any pub with a kitchen; bakeries and farmers' markets sell whole loaves.
Dish
5.Oysters and stout
Irish rock oysters from Galway Bay, Carlingford or Wexford served on ice with lemon and brown bread, traditionally with a pint of stout.
Where: Seafood bars and pubs in the city centre and on the harbour in Howth.
Dish
6.Seafood chowder
A creamy soup of smoked and fresh fish, mussels and potato, served with brown soda bread; a staple pub lunch along the coast.
Where: Pubs and fish restaurants in Howth, Dún Laoghaire and the city centre.
Street food
7.Fish and chips
Battered cod or haddock with thick-cut chips from a 'chipper', eaten wrapped in paper; Italian-Irish families have run many of Dublin's chippers for generations.
Where: Chippers across the city, including long-running ones near Christ Church, and the harbour in Howth.
Drink · Vegetarian
8.Guinness
The dry Irish stout brewed at St James's Gate since 1759, poured in two stages and left to settle for its creamy head. Many Dubliners insist it tastes better here than anywhere else.
Where: Any pub; long-established bars take pride in how well they pour it.
Drink · Vegetarian
9.Irish whiskey
Usually triple-distilled and smooth, from blends to single pot still whiskeys made with malted and unmalted barley. Several distilleries have opened in the Liberties since 2015, reviving the city's whiskey history.
Where: Distillery tours in the Liberties and Smithfield, and whiskey bars in the city centre.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Irish coffee
Hot coffee with Irish whiskey and brown sugar under a layer of lightly whipped cream, sipped through the cream rather than stirred.
Where: Pubs and hotel bars; ask for it made with fresh cream.
Dish · Vegetarian
11.Boxty
A potato pancake made from grated raw and mashed potato, served as a wrap or alongside meat, fish or vegetables.
Where: Restaurants specialising in traditional Irish dishes around Temple Bar.
Food experiences
A trad session
Musicians gather to play fiddle, flute, bodhrán and uilleann pipes in pubs most nights; Smithfield, Temple Bar and the pubs off Dame Street are the easiest places to find a session.
Distillery tour
Dublin's whiskey revival means several distilleries in the Liberties and Smithfield, from Teeling to Jameson Bow St., run tours that end with a tasting.
Howth harbour lunch
Take the DART to Howth, walk the cliff path, then eat fish and chips or chowder by the harbour while seals swim between the boats.
Afternoon tea
Grand hotels around St Stephen's Green serve afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones and cakes in Georgian drawing rooms; book ahead at weekends.
Quick bites and street food
- Full Irish breakfast — Cafés and pubs across the city, many serving it all day.
- Soda bread — Any pub with a kitchen; bakeries and farmers' markets sell whole loaves.
- Fish and chips — Chippers across the city, including long-running ones near Christ Church, and the harbour in Howth.
Vegetarian options
Of the 11 foods in this guide, 5 are usually vegetarian: Soda bread, Guinness, Irish whiskey, Irish coffee and Boxty. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Pubs serve food from lunchtime into the evening, but many kitchens close well before the bar, often around 9pm.
- In pubs you order and pay at the bar; table service is mostly for food.
- Book dinner ahead at weekends; popular restaurants on Camden Street and in the city centre fill quickly.
- Tap water is free in restaurants; ask for 'tap water' to avoid being sold bottled.
- Some restaurants add a service charge for larger groups, so check the bill before tipping.
Tipping
Tip about 10–15% in restaurants if service is not already included. Tipping for drinks at the bar is not expected, and taxi fares are usually rounded up.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sláinte | Cheers |
| Dia duit | Hello (Irish) |
| Go raibh maith agat | Thank you (Irish) |
| Fáilte | Welcome |
| Craic | Fun, chat or a good time |
| Grand | Fine / OK |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Dublin famous for?
Full Irish breakfast, Irish stew, Dublin coddle and Soda bread. Fried eggs, rashers of back bacon, sausages, black and white pudding, grilled tomato, mushrooms and baked beans with toast or soda bread; a weekend tradition and a cure for the night before.
+Is Dublin good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Soda bread, Guinness and Irish whiskey.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Dublin?
Tip about 10–15% in restaurants if service is not already included. Tipping for drinks at the bar is not expected, and taxi fares are usually rounded up.