Taste of Dublin at Merrion Square: the best things to do, see and eat
From tostadas to toasties, Pakistani cuisine to Po Boys, there's a cuisine or a dish at Taste of Dublin for even the pickiest of punters.
Celebrating its 20th year, the event is one of Ireland's longest-running food festivals. It kicks off on Thursday, June 12th, in Merrion Square.
The four-day event has two admission times per day: from 12pm to 4.30pm and 6pm to 10.30pm. Tickets were still available for all sessions at the time of writing, although VIP tickets for Thursday and Friday evenings had sold out.
Ticket prices start at €20.50. However, a Häagen-Dazs VIP suite ticket, which includes unreserved seating with fast-track entry, a Häagen-Dazs ice cream, a glass of champagne, and a Glendalough Wild Rose Gin & Tonic, will cost up to €82.50 for the Saturday evening slot. And if you add two signature dishes, the price increases to €96.50.
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What to eat?
My first port of call will be The Salt Project for chicken & waffles with Feighcullen free-range Irish chicken tenders, Oak Forest flour and Carlow farmhouse cheese waffles (€7), or cheesy Macroom buffalo churros (€7).
Next up will be a visit to sandwich makers extraordinaire, Little Gino's, for a Philly cheesesteak (€12), the ultimate soakage sandwich.
Fanfavourite Bar Italia is back, serving up its renowned authentic cacio e pepe (€7) with fresh, handmade gnocchetti (small potato gnocchi). Braised beef cheeks in Montepulciano wine, herb, vegetable and tomato sauce (€12), will ward off any chill.
Other dishes worth queueing for include
Andhra Bhavan
's Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani (€12), Bites By Kwanghi's spice bag bao (€12), and Chimac's hella hot chicken tacos (€7). Don't skip the gunpowder masala dosa (€7) from Dosa Dosa.
Andhra Bhavan's vegetarian thali platter
If seafood is your jam, there are a few options to choose from. King Sitric will be shucking fresh oysters from the oyster bar daily, and Parilla has both crab tostadas (€7) and fish tacos (€12) on the menu every day. Bovinity will be serving up prawns pil pil (€7), and at Daata, prawn pakoras (€7) are the perfect vehicle for chutney dipping.
Bovinity's prawns pil pil
The award for the most indulgent dish of the festival must go to Big Fan for the Black Dragon, with typhoon shelter Irish lobster, in a toasted squid ink bun with lobster butter, Kewpie mayo, baby gem lettuce and a salted egg yolk (€12).
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Where can I find the best value?
If a guaranteed seat is important to you, the VIP ticketsare reasonable value, all things considered. Otherwise, pay €20.50 to get in and take your chances. Most dishes are priced at €7, although some are better value than others. The pasta and rice dishes are usually substantial, as are the sandwiches.
If you happen to get thirsty, avoid the endless queues by buying a bottle of wine to share – which usually offers better value than buying individual glasses.
What's new?
SuperValu
's new Real Food Kitchen is set to become a must-visit destination for food lovers at this year's festival, with a line-up of interactive cooking demonstrations led by some of Ireland's best known culinary talents. Expect crowd-pleasing sessions from The Happy Pear, Sarah Butler, Daniel Davey, Gareth Mullins and more, offering inspiration and a host of insider tips.
Also making its debut at the festival is an immersive Foraging Masterclass from Glendalough Distillery. Led by Geraldine Kavanagh, the brand's head forager, the experience will guide guests through the art of wild ingredient gathering. Participants will have the chance to create their own bespoke botanical tincture, perfect for adding a distinctly Irish twist to their summer soirées.
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This year's event also sees the launch of Taste of Dublin: The Recipes. The first cookbook from Taste of Dublin marks the milestone birthday with recipes from 20 Irish chefs who have taken part in the festival over the years. Contributors include Rachel Allen, Derry Clarke, Paul Flynn and Aisling Moore, to name but a few. The book is priced at €17.50, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Dublin Simon Community.
What to do when you're finally full?
The Food for Thought stage with Lovin Dublin is the perfect distraction when you exhaust your appetite. This year, the Lovin Dublin team will be hosting a range of tastings, panel discussions, masterclasses and producer showcases from an eclectic line-up of restaurateurs, chefs and artisan producers.
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Must-see events include Talk & Taste (the bakery edition) with Sceal Bakery,
Una
, No Messin and Medaluna on Thursday at 3:30pm, while on Friday,
JP McMahon
will take to the stage for a cookery demo involving all things seaweed, kōji and fermentation. On Sunday evening, award-winning food and drinks writer Shamin de Brún will be curating a Polish wine tasting with Maja Ignaczewska of Polish Wine Fest.
If you are in the mood to dance off the excess food, head to the Bulmers Live Music Stage and let loose with Spring Break, The Runaways and many more. If you plan to visit on Sunday, buy a ticket for the bingo party, Bingo Loco.
And finally, it goes without saying, comfy shoes and a brolly are a must. It is Taste of Dublin after all ...
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Irish Times
16 hours ago
- Irish Times
Notions restaurant review: This is intelligent, considered food, without ceremony
Notions Address : 74 Francis St, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 KA43. Telephone : N/A Cuisine : Modern International Website : Cost : €€€ It's called Notions – which tells you everything and nothing. Once an insidious put-down designed to keep you in your place, it's now tossed around half-laughing by the same people who used to mean it. Oh, notions! – as if ambition were something to be embarrassed about. It's an interesting name for a restaurant – either dry wit with a flick of the fringe, or a quiet middle finger with polite defiance. Possibly both. Notions is what happens after Two Pups cafe on Francis Street, Dublin 8 , closes for the day and flips from flat whites to fermented funk. It's the evening shift – a hybrid wine bar and restaurant with no minimum spend. You can drop in for a glass and a couple of snacks, or do as we do: rifle through most of the menu, which runs on a spine of nibbles, snacks, and plates (small and large). The wine is natural – of course it is – organic or biodynamic, probably foot-stomped in a 200-year-old stone trough for Percheron horses. Everything's by the glass, arranged not by grape or region but by natty wine taxonomy – Go-To, Elegant & Playful, Lil' Funky, Mad Funky – a spectrum from 'you'll like this' to 'you might not, but at least it's interesting'. [ Summer 2025: 100 great places to eat around Ireland Opens in new window ] The staff are charming and quick with tasters. A few natty heads linger outside, but most – including two high-profile influencers – are just here for a good glass and a bite. We steer clear of the funkier stuff and go for a bottle of Château Coupe Roses (€48) – crunchy red fruit, bursts of bramble, a vin vivant – which throws off a reassuring amount of debris. READ MORE We start with sourdough (€6), baked that morning in Bold Boy, the in-house bakery. It's topped with whipped cod's roe and chives chopped with the kind of precision that would earn full marks from @ratemychives on Instagram. A Connemara oyster (€4) with jalapeño granita leaves my mouth tingling, the oyster's brine a prominent note against the heat of the granita. Notions, Francis Street, Dublin 8. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times And then on to the snacks, at €9 each. Radishes are piled on top of romesco sauce and dusted with hazelnuts. The romesco delivers a rich, peppery depth, lifted with a splash of wild garlic oil. Ham hock croquettes are made with a light hand – hot, loose, and smoky with Gubbeen, with an assertive mustard mayo. If you're a little croquetas-jaded, these will restore your faith. And the tempura of purple sprouting broccoli, dappled in filaments of a light crunchy batter, is glossed with gochujang mayo and dusted with nori powder. The small plates section is where the chef starts speaking in ingredient haiku: oyster mushroom, shimeji, black garlic, tarragon (€12). It is a great dish. The oyster mushroom and shimeji have an earthy, roasted edge, the black garlic smoulders, and the tarragon adds a bit of punch. Notions: From left, radish, romesco, chive oil and hazelnuts; asparagus, guanciale, gnocchi, Parmesan and cavolo nero; Connemara oyster with jalapeño granita; caramelised white chocolate, strawberries and buckwheat sponge. Photograph: Alan Betson Ham hock croquettes, mustard aioli with smoked Gubbeen. Photograph: Alan Betson Sommelier Finn Lowney and chef Andrew Kelly. Photograph: Alan Betson Crispy purple potato, greens, anchovy dressing (€14) turns out to be the dish of the evening. The Ballymakenny potatoes are smashed, cooked in their skins, and just this side of charred. The greens are a mix of rocket, kale and roasted spring onions, and the anchovy dressing is sharp, with a smoky finish pulling the whole thing together. On to the large plates and asparagus, guanciale, gnocchi, Parmesan, kale (€18) is smaller than expected – but the price reflects it. Pan-fried spears of asparagus are nestled alongside gnocchi and crispy cavolo nero in a Parmesan cream, with crispy guanciale adding a punch of salty umami. Iberico pork cheek, nduja, butter bean cassoulet, salsa verde (€26) is a satisfying dish. The meat is tender without falling into 'melts in the mouth' territory; the cassoulet is loose, thick, and rich with nduja heat; and the salsa verde is snappy, vivid with acidity, bringing a welcome counterpoint. For dessert, there's just one option – caramelised white chocolate, raspberries, and buckwheat sponge (€10), an unfussy end. The raspberries are sharp, the sponge is light and nutty, and the white chocolate comes in just enough to soften the edges. An unfussy end: Caramelised white chocolate, raspberries, and buckwheat sponge. Photograph: Alan Betson Andrew Kelly, who heads up the kitchen, has an impressive background – Ballymaloe, Noma , Bastible , Potager – and it shows. The food is intelligent, modern and deeply considered, but never overwrought. The kitchen works with a precision that quietly outclasses the influencer glow in the diningroom. There's technique, sure, but also restraint – the rarest thing in a city still impressed by edible flowers and truffle oil. There's no plate pile-up. No ceremony. The pacing just works. And Notions? For all the irony, all the shrugging cool, here's the joke: it's not style over substance. It's quite simply, substance, styled well. Dinner for three with a bottle of wine was €165. The Verdict: Small plates, natural wine, and no minimum spend. Food provenance: Crowe's Farm, Ballymakenny Farm, McNally Farm, La Rousse and Caterway. Vegetarian options: The menu is primarily vegetarian. Wheelchair access: Accessible room with no accessible toilet. Music: Soul, jazz and reggae.
Irish Times
17 hours ago
- Irish Times
Notions review: No style over substance here. This is intelligent, considered food, without the ceremony
Notions Address : 74 Francis St, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 KA43. Telephone : N/A Cuisine : Modern International Website : Cost : €€€ It's called Notions – which tells you everything and nothing. Once an insidious put-down designed to keep you in your place, it's now tossed around half-laughing by the same people who used to mean it. Oh, notions! – as if ambition were something to be embarrassed about. It's an interesting name for a restaurant – either dry wit with a flick of the fringe, or a quiet middle finger with polite defiance. Possibly both. Notions is what happens after Two Pups cafe on Francis Street, Dublin 8 , closes for the day and flips from flat whites to fermented funk. It's the evening shift – a hybrid wine bar and restaurant with no minimum spend. You can drop in for a glass and a couple of snacks, or do as we do: rifle through most of the menu, which runs on a spine of nibbles, snacks, and plates (small and large). The wine is natural – of course it is – organic or biodynamic, probably foot-stomped in a 200-year-old stone trough for Percheron horses. Everything's by the glass, arranged not by grape or region but by natty wine taxonomy – Go-To, Elegant & Playful, Lil' Funky, Mad Funky – a spectrum from 'you'll like this' to 'you might not, but at least it's interesting'. [ Summer 2025: 100 great places to eat around Ireland Opens in new window ] The staff are charming and quick with tasters. A few natty heads linger outside, but most – including two high-profile influencers – are just here for a good glass and a bite. We steer clear of the funkier stuff and go for a bottle of Château Coupe Roses (€48) – crunchy red fruit, bursts of bramble, a vin vivant – which throws off a reassuring amount of debris. READ MORE We start with sourdough (€6), baked that morning in Bold Boy, the in-house bakery. It's topped with whipped cod's roe and chives chopped with the kind of precision that would earn full marks from @ratemychives on Instagram. A Connemara oyster (€4) with jalapeño granita leaves my mouth tingling, the oyster's brine a prominent note against the heat of the granita. Notions, Francis Street, Dublin 8. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times And then on to the snacks, at €9 each. Radishes are piled on top of romesco sauce and dusted with hazelnuts. The romesco delivers a rich, peppery depth, lifted with a splash of wild garlic oil. Ham hock croquettes are made with a light hand – hot, loose, and smoky with Gubbeen, with an assertive mustard mayo. If you're a little croquetas-jaded, these will restore your faith. And the tempura of purple sprouting broccoli, dappled in filaments of a light crunchy batter, is glossed with gochujang mayo and dusted with nori powder. The small plates section is where the chef starts speaking in ingredient haiku: oyster mushroom, shimeji, black garlic, tarragon (€12). It is a great dish. The oyster mushroom and shimeji have an earthy, roasted edge, the black garlic smoulders, and the tarragon adds a bit of punch. Notions: From left, radish, romesco, chive oil and hazelnuts; asparagus, guanciale, gnocchi, Parmesan and cavolo nero; Connemara oyster with jalapeño granita; caramelised white chocolate, strawberries and buckwheat sponge. Photograph: Alan Betson Ham hock croquettes, mustard aioli with smoked Gubbeen. Photograph: Alan Betson Sommelier Finn Lowney and chef Andrew Kelly. Photograph: Alan Betson Crispy purple potato, greens, anchovy dressing (€14) turns out to be the dish of the evening. The Ballymakenny potatoes are smashed, cooked in their skins, and just this side of charred. The greens are a mix of rocket, kale and roasted spring onions, and the anchovy dressing is sharp, with a smoky finish pulling the whole thing together. On to the large plates and asparagus, guanciale, gnocchi, Parmesan, kale (€18) is smaller than expected – but the price reflects it. Pan-fried spears of asparagus are nestled alongside gnocchi and crispy cavolo nero in a Parmesan cream, with crispy guanciale adding a punch of salty umami. Iberico pork cheek, nduja, butter bean cassoulet, salsa verde (€26) is a satisfying dish. The meat is tender without falling into 'melts in the mouth' territory; the cassoulet is loose, thick, and rich with nduja heat; and the salsa verde is snappy, vivid with acidity, bringing a welcome counterpoint. For dessert, there's just one option – caramelised white chocolate, raspberries, and buckwheat sponge (€10), an unfussy end. The raspberries are sharp, the sponge is light and nutty, and the white chocolate comes in just enough to soften the edges. An unfussy end: Caramelised white chocolate, raspberries, and buckwheat sponge. Photograph: Alan Betson Andrew Kelly, who heads up the kitchen, has an impressive background – Ballymaloe, Noma , Bastible , Potager – and it shows. The food is intelligent, modern and deeply considered, but never overwrought. The kitchen works with a precision that quietly outclasses the influencer glow in the diningroom. There's technique, sure, but also restraint – the rarest thing in a city still impressed by edible flowers and truffle oil. There's no plate pile-up. No ceremony. The pacing just works. And Notions? For all the irony, all the shrugging cool, here's the joke: it's not style over substance. It's quite simply, substance, styled well. Dinner for three with a bottle of wine was €165. The Verdict: Small plates, natural wine, and no minimum spend. Food provenance: Crowe's Farm, Ballymakenny Farm, McNally Farm, La Rousse and Caterway. Vegetarian options: The menu is primarily vegetarian. Wheelchair access: Accessible room with no accessible toilet. Music: Soul, jazz and reggae.
