What Time is Dinner in Dublin?
Before you read about Dublin’s romantic restaurants, and before you make that dinner reservation. Here are some timings you need to note. Lunch time is usually from midday, that’s 12pm, and it goes on until 2pm. 1pm is normally the busiest time for lunch, and some restaurants stay open until 3pm. Dinner time is usually from 6pm to 9pm. Some restaurants open earlier at 5.30pm, others close later than 9pm. If you’d like to dine early be sure to check for an ‘Early Bird’ or ‘Pre-Theatre’ option in your chosen restaurant. These menus usually offer special prices and set menus that are less expensive than their ‘à la Carte’ option.
Skyscanner Travel News & InspirationRomantic Restaurants in Dublin City
1. Chapter One
Address: 18-19 Parnell Square N, Rotunda, Dublin 1
Open: Tuesday through to Saturday
Type of Food: Michelin star restaurant serving local, seasonal food.
Chapter One is a multi-award winning restaurant and without doubt one of Dublin’s best romantic restaurants. The most well known of these awards has been is its Michelin star status. Based in the basement of what was once George Jameson, the whiskey maker’s home – Chapter One is elegant and its service supreme. There’s an option to reserve the Chef’s Table or a room all to yourself – the Demi-Salle.
Romantic Tip: Why not book a ticket for a show at the nearby Gate Theatre. And if you do so and reserve a table for Chapter One’s Pre-Theatre menu – the restaurant will pick your tickets up for you!
2. Glovers Alley
Address: 128 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2
Open: Tuesday through to Saturday
Type of Food: Unique fine dining dishes executed to Michelin standards
Overlooking St. Stephen’s Green, Glovers Alley offers fine dining in a luxurious space. French influenced and using local produce, dishes are refined and unique. Tasting menus are available. However if you’d like to go a step further you can always join the kitchen brigade by booking ‘The three-hour Glovers Alley Kitchen Experience’, where you’ll witness your four-course lunch being prepared up close and personal.
Romantic Tip: Take in a show in at the Gaiety Theatre; a few minutes walk from the restaurant. Or wait until dusk and stroll hand in hand through Dublin’s famous St. Stephen’s Green.
3. The Greenhouse
Address: Joshua House, 21 Dawson St, Dublin 2
Open: Tuesday through to Saturday
Type of Food: Contemporary Irish cuisine using local and French produce.
The Greenhouse is a Michelin starred restaurant found on Dawson Street just off St. Stephen’s Green. The food is French influenced and contemporary, and rather exciting because Head Chef Mickael Viljanen constantly updates it. But what might be as impressive as the Michelin stars is the fact that The Greenhouse was ranked in the top 50 of cheapest Michelin meals in the world.
Romantic Tip: Reserve a table to enjoy the Pre-Theatre Menu and catch a show, or slip across the road to Peruke & Periwig – a gorgeously romantic bar with romantic interiors and lots of nooks to get cosy in.
4. The Port House Pintxo
Address: 12 Eustace St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Opening Times: Monday through to Sunday
Type of Food: Authentic Spanish style tapas.
The Port House has a number of establishments in Dublin; South William Street, Dundrum and Temple Bar. The Port House Pintxo is located in Temple Bar. It has an ‘underground vibe’ to it with a cellar-like basement floor, booth style seating and an outdoor terrace that overlooks Dublin’s Meeting House Square. The tapas are authentic in flavour and variety and there’s a great Sherry menu, should you be tempted. Overall it’s the dimly lit and cosy atmosphere that makes it one of Dublin’s best romantic restaurants.
Romantic Tip: Go to a gig at the Olympia Theatre, a few minutes walk away on Dame Street. Or see a play in Smock Alley Theatre on Exchange Street, or The New Theatre on Essex Street, both in Temple Bar.
5. Locks
Address: 1 Windsor Terrace, Dublin 8
Opening Times: Tuesday through to Sunday
Type of Food: Modern Irish and fine dining cuisine using locally sourced ingredients.
You’ll find Locks Restaurant nestled among the houses on Windsor Terrace, about a fifteen-minute walk from Grafton Street in Dublin 2. It looks out onto the Grand Canal, so sets the romantic scene immediately. Downstairs is great for groups but upstairs has an intimate setting. Awards have included ‘Best Private Dining and Club Restaurant in Ireland’ at the 2018 Restaurant Awards. Which gives you an idea of what to expect when it comes to taste!
Romantic Tip: Take a stroll hand in hand along the Grand Canal. Even though in the city you’ll feel far away from the hustle and bustle.
6. Mr Fox
Address: 38 Parnell Square West, Dublin 1
Opening Times: Tuesday through to Saturday
Type of Food: Modern and international cuisine made with local and seasonal produce.
A sister restaurant to The Pig’s Ear on Nassau Street, a notable restaurant in it’s own right, Mr Fox opened it’s doors in November 2018. And to much fanfare. Run by Head Chef Anthony Smith, the restaurant, in Dublin’s ‘Cultural Quarter’ offers its guests an informal dining atmosphere with Michelin standard dishes. In fact you’ll find the restaurant listed in the most recent Michelin Guide.
Romantic Tip: Catch a show a few minutes walk away at the Gate Theatre or the Ambassador. Fancy yourself as a ‘Ulysses’ lover? Then you’ll be happy to know the James Joyce Centre is a five-minute walk away. Or if a movie is your thing for a romantic evening then there’s always the five-minute walk to Cineworld, on Parnell Street.
7. Terra Madre
Address: 13A Bachelors Walk, North City, Dublin 1
Opening Times: Monday through to Sunday
Type of Food: Real, authentic Italian cuisine
Dublin must have a thing for great restaurants in basements, because Terra Madre is just that, great. The restaurant itself is quaint, and a no frills affair but that’s exactly its attraction. Because you are transported to a village in Italy once your chosen dishes arrive at your table. The service is warm and friendly and the food, which is sourced locally but also imported directly from Italy, is something special. Perfect to share with that someone special. And definitely one of Dublin’s romantic restaurants.
Romantic Tip: Looking out onto the River Liffey, you could take a stroll. Or if something cultural and theatrical tickles your fancy then the Theatre Upstairs and the Abbey Theatre are minutes away on foot.
Looking for more options for romantic restaurants in Dublin?
Watch the world go by from the gates of Dublin Castle at Chex Max on Palace Street. Bring your own wine and an old LP to play at the The Vintage Kitchen on Poolbeg Street. Take in an art exhibition at the Royal Hibernian Academy, then dine at Etto on Merrion Row, or Pearl Brasserie on Merrion Street. Go see a gig in the Button Factory after a romantic meal for two at La Caverna in Temple Bar. Or get away from the city and head north to Howth and reserve a table at Aqua, looking out over Ireland’s Eye and Howth Harbour.
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