Certainly not for wimps, lunch is the time to feast like a prince without taking too big of a hit on your wallet. And during the summer it can be an opportune time to avail of quieter dining rooms, with business lunches tending to be on hold until autumn. It also means that it can be easier to get a reservation at much-coveted venues.
Some of the country's most illustrious restaurants do not open for lunch, with Michelin-starred restaurants such as Kilkenny's Lady Helen at Mount Juliet, or Cliff House in Ardmore, Co Waterford, and new kid on the block Heron & Grey, in Blackrock, Co Dublin, serving dinner only.
But that doesn’t mean that summer does not bring opportunities to dine in style at many others. When you consider that you could easily spend €18 on fish and chips in an everyday restaurant, splashing out a little bit more for a Michelin-starred dining experience – which as our survey shows may only cost you the bones of €23 for a two-course meal – is something to consider.
If you’re travelling with young children this summer, it may be safest to stick with the casual option; but for older children and diners à deux, there is great value to be had.
Just watch out for summer dining hours, too. Kilkenny’s Campagne for example is closed between July 4th and 11th, while Dublin’s Greenhouse is closed between July 16th and 31st and Forest Avenue is closed from August 21st to September 6th.
Michelin-starred restaurants at home:
All of these restaurants have one Michelin star, except for Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, which has two.
Ox
Oxford Street, Belfast
It must be the cheapest Michelin-starred meal you can have on the island of Ireland; and thanks to the decline of sterling it has become cheaper for those converting from euro. Yes at Belfast's Ox, where emphasis is placed on the seasonality of the produce, you can enjoy a two-course lunch for the princely sum of less than €23. Offering relaxed dining overlooking the river Lagan, Ox could tempt Irish visitors travelling north to visit Titanic Belfast or the W5 science museum.
Two courses: £20
Three courses: £30
The Greenhouse
Dawson Street, Dublin
Eating at chef Mickael Viljanen’s Dawson Street restaurant may be an experience that will linger in the mind as well as on your palate, but it can also severely dent your wallet. So why not consider swapping a €79 or €85 evening menu for something a little less pricey – and you can still get to eat your foie gras and smoked eel at lunch time.
Two courses: €35
Three courses: €39.50
Five-course tasting menu: €65
Campagne
The Arches, Kilkenny
Its two-course lunch was recently described by our food critic as offering “some of the best value in the country”. Kilkenny’s Campagne earned its first star back in 2013, offering diners a classic French experience, and today serves lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
If you fancy eating a bit later in the day, then the restaurant’s lunch menu is also available as an early-bird option from 6pm-7pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 5.30pm-6pm on Friday and Saturday.
Two courses: €30
Three courses: €34
L’Ecrivain
Lower Baggot Street, Dublin
Open for some 27 years now, if you haven’t yet made it to this classic of the Dublin dining scene, then lunch, available on a Friday, at this Michelin-starred delight is a chance to experience it.
Two courses: €35
Three courses: €45
Tasting menu: €60
Aniar
Lower Dominick Street, Galway
Lunch comes just once a week to this Galway restaurant. It’s a five-course gastronomic delight every Saturday, offering a five-course tasting menu (plus three snacks) and changes weekly. But you can expect a somewhat unusual approach to dining, with sample courses including “potato, ham” and “beef, gooseberry, pepper dulse”.
Five courses: €55
Chapter One
Parnell Square, Dublin
It’s one of Dublin’s best known restaurants – and one of the trickiest to get a table in – but opting for lunch can smooth the reservation hurdle, as well as putting less pressure on your wallet. The savings are considerable and represent very good value, with two courses on offer for €32.50.
Two courses: €32.50
Three courses: €39.50
Tasting menu: €60
Eipic
Howard Street, Belfast
Visit the Giant's Causeway in the morning and stop by Eipic in Belfast for lunch, to enjoy a meal cooked by Danni Barry, Ireland's first female Michelin-starred chef since Myrtle Allen.
Three courses: £40-£60
Patrick Guilbaud
Upper Merrion Street, Dublin
It may be the most expensive lunch on our list, but it is also the most dazzling, and Guilbaud's Ireland's only restaurant with two Michelin stars. Its dining room beside the chic five-star Merrion Hotel offers contemporary Irish food on the plate and some keen people watching for the eyes.
Two courses: €50
Three courses: €60
No star but they’re still a treat:
It’s not just Michelin-starred restaurants that offer culinary delights and keener prices at lunchtime; many of Ireland’s top restaurants can also be relied upon for better value early in the day.
Forest Avenue
Sussex Terrace, Dublin
It may not (yet) have a Michelin star, but Forest Avenue is fine dining with a difference. Enjoy cured sea trout, kohlrabi, pea, smoked turbot roe, finished off with some pistachio ice cream.
Two courses: €26
Three courses: €32
MacNean House
Blacklion, Co Cavan
It’s not particularly cheap, but opting for a Sunday lunch rather than an evening prestige menu at Neven Maguire’s acclaimed MacNean House in Blacklion, Co Cavan, will help keep the cost down while not sacrificing on flavour. You can tempt your tastebuds over lunch by feasting on guinea fowl supreme and panna cotta for significantly less than an €85 evening meal.
Three courses: €45
Ballymaloe House
Shanagarry, Co Cork
It’s a classic of the Irish culinary world, and is known perhaps as much for its illustrious owners, the Allen family, as it is for its old-school dessert trolley.
Two courses: €32
Three courses: €40
Sunday lunch: €45
One Pico
Molesworth Court, Dublin
Eamonn O’Reilly’s classic restaurant, reached by a lane off Molesworth Street, offers lunch every day, with an extended Sunday lunch sitting until 4pm. Early diners can also avail of a two- course pre-theatre menu for a slightly more expensive €29.
Two courses: €25
Five-course surprise tasting menu: €55
Bastible
South Circular Road, Dublin
Newcomer on the block Bastible is a contemporary neighbourhood bistro on Leonard’s Corner. Lunch is served on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Two courses: €24
Three courses: €28
Chef’s menu: €35
Sunday lunch: €34-€38
Locks Restaurant
Portobello, Dublin
It may have changed hands several times in recent years, but old-favourite Locks Restaurant is still charming diners with its canal-side views.
Two courses: €25
Three courses: €30
InterContinental Dublin
Ballsbridge, Dublin
If the thoughts of scallop and pork belly, or lobster mac and cheese don’t take your fancy, these two words might: “dessert buffet”. Yes, Seasons restaurant at the former Four Seasons in Dublin entices diners with a taste of the classic dessert trolley, allowing you to choose from a selection of desserts.
Three courses: €45
The Tannery
Dungarvan, Co Waterford
Have a morning dip in Guillamene outdoor swimming cove to build an appetite in nearby Tramore, then drive up the coast to The Tannery, where chef Paul Flynn is still delighting diners. The restaurant serves lunch on both Friday and Sunday, but it is Sunday's set menu that offers perhaps the best value, allowing you to taste the best from the sea and the land.
Three courses: €33
Abroad:
If you’re heading off to some warmer climes this summer, don’t discount foregoing your moules and frites for something a little bit more upmarket – although you’ll have to leave the flip-flops outside. All of the following restaurants have one Michelin star.
Le St Placide
St Malo, Brittany, France
Three courses: €29
Le Carré d’Alethius
Charmes-sur-Rhône, Ardeche
Two courses: €24, or €30 with cheese
Three courses: €30, or €36 with cheese
Murano
Mayfair, London
Two courses: £28
Outlaw’s at The Capital
Chelsea, London
Two courses: £29
Sao Gabriel
Quinta do Lago, Portugal
Three course Sunday lunch: €32
Gardenia
Caluso, Italy
Two courses: €25
Two-course vegetarian €20
Three courses, including glass of wine: €30
