This is a common dilemma, because regardless of budgetary issues, not everyone wants to drop a load of cash on eating out, which is perfectly understandable. Weather permitting, there are some great outdoor options in Dublin, and I’m thinking in particular of food markets.
On a sunny Saturday, the Red Stables food market at St Anne’s Park in Raheny is truly wonderful, and so too is Herbert Park in Ballsbridge on Sundays. Food trucks include Don Canizales, Burger Cartel, Pacheco Venezuelan Street Food, Love Falafel, Mama’s Boy bánh mi, Dracula’s Kitchen and Govinda’s. Go prepared for a picnic, with a picnic rug and some cold drinks. Also worth checking out is the Saturday food market at Bushy Park in Terenure and the food village at People’s Park in Dún Laoghaire on Sundays.
At Eatyard at the Bernard Shaw pub, you’ll find Janet’s, The Saucy Cow, Gaucho’s Dog and La Cucina Cuevas. There are outdoor tables and you can order a pint from the pub. If you head out to Greystones, you can spend some time in the sauna before tucking into wood-fired pizza, burritos or Root’s smoothie bowls at The Boat Yard.
Mani pizza on Drury Street is not just a great people watching spot, as well as the Roman-style carbonara slice that went viral, they are featuring a spritz menu with fritti for the summer. For something even more leisurely, head to Piglet on Cow’s Lane and grab a table on the terrace for the €29.50/€35 two/three course lunch or early bird menu. La Maison on Castle Market is also a great people watching spot from a sunny terrace with a €29.50/€37 two/three course lunch or early bird menu. And the terrace at Chez Max at Dublin Castle tops it off for a French bistro vibe.
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For classic Vietnamese food, Aobaba on Capel Street has a casual outdoor area where you can tuck into steaming bowls of handmade noodles, pho, bánh mi and bun cha. If you fancy a beer to go with your food, they’re quite chilled about buying one from the shop across the road and having it there, as long as you clear away afterwards.
If you’re looking to eat after a bracing cliff walk, head out to Howth and tuck into fish and chips at one of the outside tables at the King Sitric, or head to some of the great outdoor tables at Bubbas Fish Market in Dalkey.
