Restaurants in Southside suburbs (Dublin)

Johnnie Fox's Pub

Johnnie Fox's prides itself on being "the highest pub in Ireland". A trip up the Dublin mountains to this pub should certainly give you the chance to immerse yourself in Irish culture. It also happens to have won the Egon Ronay "Best Food Award Winner" for four years running, as well as the "James Joyce Pub Award". The atmosphere is everything you'd want in a traditional Irish pub and, despite the traditional choice of ingredients, the food is better than you'd think.

Sean Doherty's Pub and Restaurant

Ireland comes to life at this old classic tavern fraught with mystery and delight. Do not miss its famed  'Hooley Nights' with the traditional Irish dancing, Irish music and great food. If you want to have fun, this is where you should be.

Cafe Moda

Café Moda is a café with a wine license that allows it to sell alcohol until 5a during the weekends. This makes it a very popular place in Rathmines as the bars and clubs are shut by 3a. But the café is also a great place to go for breakfast and lunch. Their menu includes all day breakfast, gourmet pizzas and pasta. It has one of the best smoking areas in Dublin, with large external heaters and raised decking on the roof at the back of the premises. The interior is fronted with tables and chairs, but in the basement and on the first floor there are couches and low coffee tables, perfect on which to spread your Sunday papers. Café Moda is a great example of a European café in Dublin.

Russell's

Russell's of Ranelagh is a large pub with two floors and a famous summer haunt, the roof garden. The pub also serves a good food menu, which is much more than just pub grub. The bar sits on the corner in Ranelagh and the beer garden sits facing the main street. This is a very popular place during the summer months. The prices are average for Dublin, and Russell's is an ideal pub to relax, grab a drink, and fill up on tasty entrees. If you are in Dublin during the summer, be sure to visit here, if just for the beer garden. - Gerry Coburn

Furama

Furama remains something of a local institution in Dublin, producing good and authentic Chinese cuisine that never fails to satisfy. The restaurant is situated in the upmarket south Dublin district of Donnybrook, close to green Herbert Park and to the many fine hotels in this part of the city. It offers a wide range of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes to suit most tastes and pockets. A good choice, then, for a pleasant night out.

Punjab Balti House

The Punjab Balti House offers a sublime array of intriguing dishes (along with the more traditional) with the emphasis firmly on Punjabi and Pakistani cuisine. The restaurant has now established something of a distinguished reputation in the city. Excellent service compensates for the lack of drinks licence but even this can be bypassed through the bring-your-own bottle policy.

Dunville Place

The proprietors of this restaurant have been on the road for ten years as rock and roll head chefs, serving amongst others Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, and Paul McCartney. Their international lifestyle is reflected in the eclectic menus with dishes from the Far East, North Africa, the Pacific and Asia as well as the best of modern European. The place smacks of cool sophistication, and their Sunday brunch is a great way to spend a lazy day.

The Purty Kitchen

Located south of Dublin's city centre, the Purty Kitchen offers all the atmosphere of an old seaside pub but serving suprisingly light, fresh food. The menu runs mostly to seafood, as would be expected, and is basic but with nice touches; dishes such as baked black-sole with a fresh prawn and basil sauce, and poached wild mussels in a white wine, cream and garlic sauce all on the menu.

Dali's

Located in the pleasant suburb of Blackrock, this popular restaurant is tucked behind the local church and attracts a committed clientele who keep coming back for the imaginative cuisine and exemplary service. Managed by Gary Emmett, Dali's well-balanced menu includes a variety of pasta and seafood dishes, most of which are livened up with unusual additions. A tempting range of traditional desserts are also on offer. A set lunch is available all week.

The Old Orchard Inn

This friendly eatery provides restaurant food at pub prices. The emphasis is on fresh seafood and a speciality is the orchard chowder. The Inn contains a no-smoking lounge and has won the curious accolade of South Dublin County Council Car Park of the Year award!

Blueberry's

Located in the pleasant Co. Dublin suburb of Blackrock, this stylish but intimate first-floor restaurant has a European feel, with an interior set out in polished wood. Creative cuisine is the order of the day here, with a strong emphasis on seafood dishes and modern Irish cuisine, while vegetarians should not be disappointed by the range of dishes on offer. With a colourful and often surprising menu and fine, friendly service, Blueberry's is well worth the trip out to the suburbs.

Dunne and Crescenzi

If in Dublin you are looking for genuine Italian food get to Dunne and Crescenzi. The menu has on offer pastas, sandwiches, panini, antipasti, desserts all made from Italian risotto rice, pasta, meats, oil, cheese and wines. Every dish is cooked with great attention and the best of ingredients. The wines are listed according to the region they come from, so you have good selection. Late evenings at Dunne you are likely to meet politicians, writers and other well known people.