Traditional Irish Food and Where to Find Them in Dublin, Ireland
To truly experience a new culture, you must embrace their traditions and their food. While a pint at the local pub might be your first thought, pubs are also a great way to taste the food of Ireland. Ask about favorite foods and places and you will get many answers. Part of the fun is finding different places to eat and sampling the food. Dublin has many options from foodie tours, which are highly recommended, as well as pubs, cafes, and fine dining. Here you will find a few traditional favorites and where to try them the next time you are in Dublin.
Irish Stew
Stew is a classic dish of the Irish because it's a one-pot dish with readily available ingredients that could quickly feed Ireland’s large families. Traditional Irish Stew is made with lamb but you will also find a beef stew, called Brown Stew. O’Neills pays homage to Irish history with their classic Irish stew made from diced Wicklow lamb, potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and a ‘bouquet’ of herbs, including thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. They are all about traditional fare so stop by and try this or any of the other wonderful traditional food on the menu.
The friendly staff at O’Neill’s know a thing or two about Dubliners’ tastes. A truly authentic Irish Pub, there is much to be savored in this 300-year-old pub. They also boast a great coddle but we’ll try that at another pub. O’Neill’s also made the list of one of the top pubs in Dublin.
O’Neill’s
2 Suffolk Street, Dublin 2| O’Neills website
Bacon and Cabbage
In the past, beef was a food for the rich, but pork was much more affordable. So, the Irish people would brine pork and preserve it with salt, making bacon and then pairing it with a readily available vegetable: cabbage.
The Stag’s Head is a traditional Irish pub featuring authentic eats. It is also one of the top ten pubs in Dublin. Around since 1770, it doesn’t get much more old Irish-culture infused than this. A favorite haunt of foodies, The Stag’s Head is known for its traditional bacon and cabbage dish. Bacon and cabbage is served with a fresh parsley herb sauce and mashed potatoes.
The Stag's Head
1 Dame Ct D02 TW84 | The Stags Head website
Boxty
Boxty has a rich history in Dublin. Because potatoes can grow in any type of soil, it was easy for the Irish to grow their own potatoes under any conditions. The name “boxty” comes from the Irish phrase “arán bocht tí”, meaning “poor-house bread”.
Food lovers give Gallagher’s rave reviews for its traditional dish boxty, in its essence a potato pancake. Gallagher’s is renowned for its Leitrim Pan Boxty, which is a light Boxty pancake served with a variety of fillings. The Gaelic Boxty contains medallions of beef filet topped with whiskey and black pepper, served in a mushroom cream sauce and all wrapped up in the infamous boxty potato pancake.
Gallagher's Boxty House
20-21 Temple Bar Dublin 2 | Gallagher’s Boxty House website
Coddle dates back to the 1700s, when the dish gained popularity. That's because an Irish wife could go to bed and leave it simmering on the stove so that it would be ready when her husband returned from the pub. Coddle was an easy dish especially on Thursdays, when people could cook up leftover bacon and sausage before the traditional Irish-Catholic meatless Fridays.
The Hairy Lemon prides itself on being an unconventional 19th-century tavern featuring traditional Irish dishes. Coddle is one of its most popular eats: their “Famous Dublin Coddle” attracts both tourists and locals alike. It consists of bacon, sausage, root vegetables, potatoes, and herbs soak in a savory broth with a side of mashed potatoes and brown bread.
The Hairy Lemon
Stephen Street Lower Dublin 2 | The Hairy Lemon website
Almost everything is sautéed, poached, or fried in good ole’ Irish whiskey, seasoned with fresh herbs and offered with a side of fresh vegetables. In the 1600 and 1700s Ireland, potatoes, cabbages, and leaks were cheap foods for common people, so a dish was developed that combined all the ingredients. The word colcannon is from the Gaelic term “cal ceannann” which means white-headed cabbage.
Oliver St. John Gogarty’s serves up traditional Irish fare, including the popular dish colcannon. Not only does Gogarty’s serve colcannon, but they also serve it as a side for every single dish! Colcannon is mashed potatoes with kale and cabbage mixed in, served warm. Although it can be served alone, Gogarty’s prefers to pair it with Irish dishes like poached seafood and Gaelic steak.
Oliver St. John Gogarty
18-21 Anglesea St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 RX38 | Oliver St. John Gogarty website
Black and White Pudding
Visitors to Dublin must try Black and White Pudding! This Irish dish contains pork fat, meat, and blood mixed with barley, suet, and oatmeal all cased in sausage. White pudding is the same dish minus the blood (thus lacking the dark coloring that black pudding has trademarked).
Kingfisher is a family-run business in Dublin. They serve up Kelly’s Black and White Pudding as a part of one of their biggest breakfast meals: “The Full Irish.” The Full Irish boasts two pork sausages, bacon, eggs any style, grilled mushrooms, baked beans, rosemary diced potatoes, and of course, Black and White Pudding. Black and white pudding dates back to ancient times, when it was mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey of 1000 BC. They are also known for their fish and chips.
Kingfisher Dublin
166 Parnell Street, Rotunda, Dublin 1 | Kingfisher Dublin website
Irish Brown Bread
In Ireland, Irish brown bread is served with almost every meal. It is tradition to serve Irish brown bread topped with Irish butter made from grass-fed cow’s milk. Traditionally Irish Brown Bread was cooked with a cross shape in the top of the bread. The cross was believed to release the devil from the bread before any Irish person would eat it.
One of the top bakeries for Irish Brown Bread in Dublin is Bread 41 (Also known as Bread Nation). Bread 41 uses local, seasonal, and organic products, and gets flour delivered from a local stone mill.
Bread 41
41 Pearse Street Dublin, D02 H308 | Bread 41 website
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