3 Best Restaurants in Dublin Environs, Ireland

This new sensation of Irish cuisine was awarded not one but two Michelin stars only months after it opened. It didn't come as a surprise to those in the know, with the husband-and-wife team of Jordan and Majken Bech Bailey both having worked in some of Europe's most feted eateries. The name, pronounced "imshur," is Irish for weather, and the focus here is Irish food and produce, played with and transformed in inventive new ways. The fifteen course (don't worry, many are petite little offerings) tasting menu includes wonders like Flaggy Shore oyster in roasted koji butter and Dublin Bay skate with leeks and chicken-skin butter sauce. Each course can be matched with either wine, beer, cider or some very inventive juice concoctions. The stark, modern dining room is in contrast to the lively cocktail bar when the inventions continue.

Travel back to the 17th century at this evocatively furnished inn, distinguished by its wooden floors, dark furniture, and diamond-shape windows. The place is best known for its wonderful, hearty game and seafood lunches and dinners that are served in a nook of the bar—try the glorious cream of seafood soup. They also do a mean Sunday lunch. The menu blends Continental and Irish cuisines, reflecting the traditions of the German proprietor, Jurgen Schwalm, and his Irish wife, Aine. Highlights include an excellent seafood platter of salmon, oysters, lobster, and shrimp, along with a rich Hungarian goulash.

This cozy café—with a pine-panel ceiling, farmhouse furniture, and paintings of poppies on the walls—is a great place for breakfast, lunch, or late-afternoon tea. Expect potato cakes, shepherd's pie, lasagna, vegetarian quiche, house salads, and soups. The most popular dishes are Poppies chicken (a casserole-like concoction) and beef and Guinness pie. For dessert try the apple pie or the rhubarb crumble, which is so good that the Irish rugby team stops by after practice.