Dillinger’s
Serving an American-influenced food menu and a mouth-watering selection of cocktails, Dillinger’s is regularly named among the best places in the city for brunch. The menu includes American classics like pancakes and steak ’n’ eggs, along with a wild baby asparagus salad and Shakshouka, a Middle-Eastern breakfast dish of baked eggs in a tomato and chilli sauce. People who don’t like brunch might enjoy their Steak Wednesdays, where patrons can choose their cut of USDA Black Angus beef, sauce and a potato-based side.
Dillinger’s, 47 Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland, +353 1 497 8010
La Réserve Brasserie
This atmospheric brasserie concentrates on offering a modern take on French classics. Under the guidance of chef-proprietor Jérôme Fernandes, the team at La Réserve create simple yet perfectly executed dishes that are authentically French: expect coq au vin (braised red wine chicken), steak frites, French onion soup, oven-baked brie and classic crème brûlée. Their seasonal ‘market menu’ capitalises on the freshest produce to be found locally.
La Réserve Brasserie, 53 Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland, +353 1 496 8825
Kinara Kitchen
This comfortable restaurant, specialising in Pakistani and Eastern cuisine, won Best Ethnic Restaurant in Ireland at the Good Eating Guide Awards. The tantalising à la carte menu at Kinara Kitchen includes popular dishes like gosht rogan (tender lamb with tomatoes, onions and garlic with a touch of yogurt) and murgh tikka masala (barbecued chicken breast mellowed in a creamy cashew and almond nut sauce). Make an evening of it and enjoy an award-winning cocktail on their roof terrace before dinner; you won’t regret it.
Kinara Kitchen, 17 Ranelagh Rd, Dublin 6, Ireland, +353 1 406 0066
Pinocchio
Pinocchio was the late Italian food writer and Michelin star-winning chef Paulo Tullio’s favourite Italian restaurant in Dublin. Though its location beneath the Ranelagh Luas station might not be the most glamorous, their flavourful menu of delicious antipasto, homemade pasta, pizza and other authentic Italian recipes earned their food top marks from the respected critic. This is genuine Italian cooking that won’t break the bank: Pinocchio offers a value early-bird-style dinner menu option seven days a week.
Pinocchio, Luas Kiosk, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland, +353 1 497 0111
The Butcher Grill
Housed in a converted butchers’ shop, The Butcher Grill does beef better than anyone else in Ranelagh, possibly better than any other restaurant in the whole of Dublin. This place is a meat-lover’s paradise: they even host a Beef World Cup event on the first Wednesday of every month, where cuts from different countries are cooked on their wood-fired grill, tasted and voted upon.
The Butcher Grill, 92 Main Street, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland, +353 1 498 1805
Brioche
Chef and patron of Brioche Gavin McDonagh trained at some of Dublin’s finest restaurants, working at the Michelin-starred L’Ecrivain and Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud before setting up on his own. His comprehensive training shines through at Brioche, where his modern Irish cuisine consists of carefully selected ingredients prepared using classic French techniques. He travels the country sourcing the highest-quality ingredients, like Hereford beef, wild sea bass and seasonal Irish cheeses, for a delectable tasting menu that brings the diner on their own culinary tour of the four provinces.
Brioche, 51a Elmwood Avenue Lower, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland, +353 1 497 9163
Michie Sushi
Starting as a take-away and catering outfit in 2007, Michie Sushi now has three restaurants in Dublin, including the Ranelagh original. The name for this family-run establishment comes from the Japanese word michie, which means ‘filled with smiles and laughter’, and refers to the joy its owners feel when customers enjoy their award-winning sushi. They have won The Bridgestone Guide‘s badge of merit for the best sushi in Ireland every year since 2011.
Michie Sushi, 11 Chelmsford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, Ireland, +353 1 497 6438