Country Article / Postcards

Eating Well in Dublin

Date: 03/16/2004

Dear Reader,

You'll find hundreds of restaurants in Dublin; some are great, others are merely good, and more than a few are dreadful. But if you're only visiting for a few days, how can you make sure you eat very well while you're here?

Following are recommendations from the Irish staff (some are from Dublin; all visit regularly) at International Living's headquarters in Waterford.

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Best For Sunday Lunch
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Shanahan's on the Green; 119 St. Stephen's Green; tel. (01) 407-0939. Housed in an old Georgian building with period railings and old gas lamps, Shanahan's do the best stake in town (sourced from Shanahan's farm in County Meath) with enough choice of American-style side dishes to make most U.S. diners feel at home. Formal.

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Best For Vegetarians
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Govinda's; 4 Aungier Street; tel. (01) 475-0309. Most restaurants in Dublin offer one or two vegetarian options, but everything at Govinda's is meat-, caffeine- and alcohol-free. Cheap and cheerful.

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Best For Seafood
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The Red Bank; 7 Church Street, Skerries, County Dublin; tel. (01) 849-1005. Probably not worth the effort of a trip out of town if you're only here for a few days, but perfect for a break from the city. All ingredients are caught or grown locally.

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Best For Views
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Forty Foot; The Pavilion, Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin; tel. (01) 284-2982. Make sure you get a window seat for the views of Dublin Bay. Expensive.

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Best For Japanese Food
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Yamamori; 71 South Great George's Street; tel. (01) 475-5001. Big portions, good for groups. Not recommended for a quiet meal for two.

Above all, stay out of the Temple Bar area--it's where all the tourists go and is largely overpriced.

Enjoy.

Lynn Chestnutt
For International Living

P.S. If you're researching your Irish ancestry, there's a website we've recommended to you before: http://www.otherdays.com/. You can search online through various censuses, parish records, directories, records for births, deaths, and marriages, wills, land and property deeds, newspapers, maps, original photographs and prints, collections of rare books, and even gravestone inscriptions.

For St. Patrick's Day, they're waiving their usual membership fee; just enter your e-mail address and you'll have free access all day.