Top restaurants and wine bars in Dublin

Green Man

Run by the wonderful David Gallagher (aka the nicest man in the Irish wine industry) and his lovely wife Claire, this wine bar and shop has a great selection of natural and classic wines. A bit further out but worth it for the opportunity of being ‘Green Manned’. Anyone in the know buys their wine here.

Green Man Wines, 3 Terenure Road North, Dublin 6
Wine bar opening hours: Wednesday-Saturday 5pm-10pm, Sunday 12.30-8pm.
Shop opening hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday 12.30pm-8pm.

Fish Shop

Owners Peter and Jumoke Hogan have come a long way from the converted shed where they first started serving fish and chips. Nowadays, Fish Shop is made up of two sites: a fish restaurant, and a wine bar where they serve their perfect fish and chips alongside fabulously interesting wines by the glass.

Fish Shop, 6 Queen Street
Opening hours: Wednesday-Saturday from 6pm. Closed Sunday-Tuesday.
Fish Shop, 76 Benburb Street
Opening hours: Monday 5pm-9.30pm (closed Bank Holiday Mondays), Tuesday & Wednesday 12pm-9.30pm, Thursday-Saturday 12pm-10pm, Sunday 12pm-9pm.

Piglet

This wine bar is the brainchild of Toulousain Thibaud Harang and Venetian Enrico Fantasia. Located on the more attractive fringes of Temple Bar, Piglet is a retreat from it all. The wine list specialises in eclectic Italian wines and old vintages from the Rhône and southwest France. Try the octopus!

Piglet Wine Bar, 5 Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin 8
Opening hours: 12pm-10pm daily (Sundays from 1pm).

Variety Jones

Exciting, beautifully presented food, executed by Keelan Higgs, the head chef and owner who happens to have one of the best beards in town. The wine list, carefully curated by Vanda Ivanči, is all natural but manages to have something to win over everyone, even the sceptics.

Variety Jones, 78 Thomas Street, Dublin 8
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 5.30pm-9.30pm. Closed Sunday & Monday.

First Draft Coffee & Wine

Dubliners take their coffee very seriously. None more so than Ger O’Donohoe, who runs this picturesque café in Portobello. O’Donohoe likes his wine just like his coffee – with the least amount of intervention possible. Try a homemade gougère while sipping a chilled glass of Lambrusco or Palomino under flor.

First Draft Coffee & Wine, 34 Lennox Street, Portobello
Opening hours: 8am-10pm.

Loose Canon

Full of cult classics and skinny jeans, Loose Canon is the place for natural wine. This tiny wine bar is famous for its cheese toasties and nights that can get out of hand. When you hit that second bottle you will need one of the excellent cheese and charcuterie boards. The coppa is particularly good.

Loose Canon, 29 Drury Street, Dublin
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 10.30am-10pm, Sundays 10.30am-8pm.

Forest & Marcy

This light-filled wine room is Sandy and John Wyer’s second restaurant. Carefully constructed dishes are paired with well-selected wines by the glass and served from behind a long zinc bar. The menu is seasonal but the fermented potato bread, bacon and cabbage has very deservedly become a staple here.

Forest & Marcy, 126 Leeson St Upper, Dublin 4
Opening hours: Wednesday-Saturday 6pm-9.30pm, Sunday 5pm-9.30pm. Closed Monday & Tuesday.

Bastible

Run by chef Barry Fitzgerald and his partner Claremarie Thomas, Bastible is a wonderful neighbourhood restaurant near Portobello. The well-priced menu often includes great plant-based dishes as Thomas is veggie. In fact, its vegetarian nights sell out in minutes. Wines from artisan producers are carefully selected by the staff and are rotated regularly.

Bastible, 111 South Circular Road, Dublin 8
Opening hours: Wednesday & Thursday 5.30pm-9.30pm, Friday 12pm-2pm & 5.30pm-9.30pm, Saturday 12.30pm-2.30pm & 6pm-9.30pm, Sunday 12pm-3.45pm.

Montys of Kathmandu

A Nepalese restaurant with a surprisingly eclectic wine list. From Tibetan wine to Krug Clos d’Ambonnay, this Temple Bar legend has it all. You are just as likely to find a tourist with a curry craving here as a Michelin-star sommelier hunting for great Riesling on his night off.

Montys of Kathmandu, 28 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 12pm-2pm & 5.30pm-11pm, Sunday 5.30pm-10.30pm.

Sheridans Cheesemongers

If you’re not Irish, you may be forgiven for not knowing that Ireland makes some amazing cheese. This tiny shop off Grafton Street is full of tempting morsels: from Irish charcuterie to artisan bread, wine and lots of perfectly ripe cheese, it has all the makings of a perfect picnic.