The Experts’ Guide to the Best Irish Breakfasts in Dublin

True to its name, The Bakehouse – near the Ha’penny Bridge – makes baked goods of all kinds, from scones to soda bread. Try some with your Bakehouse Grill – a classic combination of Irish back bacon, garlic and herb sausage, black pudding white pudding, a fried egg and grilled tomatoes. If you don’t want to go full Irish, the menu lists other meals that use the same components in creative ways, mostly involving bread. The sausage sandwich, egg and “soldiers” (strips of toasted bread for dunking), and bacon buttie with a fried egg and tomato relish served on a Bakehouse bloomer are other highlights.

Up early? Look no further than O’Neill’s on Suffolk Street, which opens its doors at 8am. Its “Really Good” breakfast is a true stunner. “Our breakfast consists of 14 items, including tea or coffee and wholegrain toast with jam,” says Iveta Melgaile, general manager of O’Neill’s. “We source only locally produced ingredients, and we [even] have our own potato cake, which everyone loves – it’s a ball of mashed potato filled with Dubliner cheddar and covered with breadcrumbs.” Other breakfast highlights include Irish maple-smoked bacon and Crowe’s Farm pork sausages.

Pádraic Óg Gallagher is a genuine potato expert – so much so that he’s even written papers on the subject – and has made his career out of cooking boxty (an Irish potato pancake). In 1988, he developed the Leitrim pan boxty, which retained the traditional 70 percent potato content, yet was so thin that it could be filled like a tortilla wrap. It’s no surprise then that you’ll find a famous Gallagher boxty on the side of your breakfast, which also includes a fried egg, black and white puddings, streaky bacon, sausages, grilled tomato, baked mushroom and toast.

“A trip to Ireland is incomplete without a full Irish breakfast,” says Jitka Smolkova, events manager at The Woollen Mills restaurant in Dublin 1. “We support small, artisan producers; Pigs on the Green Farm is an Offaly-based, family-run operation and supplies us with free-range rare-breed bacon and sausages. We also use Fermanagh black bacon – a standout product in a county famous for its pork, made by Enniskillen butcher Pat O’Doherty. We add tomatoes grilled with thyme and garlic as well as locally sourced mushrooms. Sourdough toast comes from the in-house bakery, and we serve it with too much Cuinneog Farmhouse butter.”

Located on buzzing O’Connell Street, family-run Flanagan’s has been serving Irish comfort food since 1980. Its breakfast has all the classics: bacon, sausage, a fried egg, tomato, beans, mushrooms, both black and white puddings, and toast. An Irish breakfast is usually enjoyed with tea, but you may wish to make an exception here as the artisan coffee is a highlight. The 1920s-inspired decor features moody slate-grey walls and gold-coloured frames and light fixtures. There’s also an impressive array of whiskies if you want to make that coffee a little more – as they say – Irish.

If you’re looking for the hearty indulgence of a traditional Irish Breakfast with a natural twist then Keoghs Cafe is the perfect breakfast spot for you. Known for its fresh, natural and sustainable food, you can indulge in a delicious breakfast whilst knowing that you’re treating your body and the environment well too. We love Keoghs’ community focus, something that has always been such a huge element of Irish culture. All of their food is sourced locally, so you’re truly getting an authentic taste of Ireland when you eat here. Their Full Irish Breakfast is known to be one of the best, but if that’s not enough then they have a delicious range of baked goods to enjoy too.

Recommended by Maisie Green.