Order judiciously and you can eat deliciously for less, in restaurants from Dublin, to Cork, Galway and Athlone
NOT SO long ago, a cheap meal meant an early bird dinner, and home not long after 7pm. But restaurants have been forced to massively adapt over the past year, and a growing number are now offering great value lunches and dinners right through the day. Whether going for a quick bite, casual dining, or upper end, there are simply too many good deals around to justify paying over the odds: it’s become ludicrous not to get a good deal on your dinner.
ALL NIGHT EARLY BIRD
in Fallon and Byrne
An all-night early bird offering two courses for €24 or three for €28.81, running from Monday to Friday, and with one sitting on Saturday at 6pm. The average savings are €3-€5, although one option – terrine of monkfish and salmon for starter, followed by a delicious cut of aged rib-eye with chips, leaves, and bearnaise sauce – will keep more than €6 in your wallet. Every detail is catered for here: the food is consistently impressive, the atmosphere is buzzing, and the customer service is impeccable. There’s a very clear sense that this place respects its diners. I once gently pointed out that my very tender and flavoursome steak wasn’t quite the medium rare I’d ask for; they insisted on taking the wine off the bill.
First Floor, 11-17 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 472 1010. Web: fallonandbyrne.com
SUNDAY LUNCH
in The Exchequer
Roast chicken or pork for four people, with stuffing, mash, roasties, roast vegetables, gravy, and a bottle of house wine for €39.95 – or splash out on the roast beef for €59.95. A bog-standard pub carvery would cost the same or more, but this is no pub carvery: cooked to order, an entire joint is brought to your table to carve; the vegetables are roasted not boiled, and the stuffing is chunky and fruity rather than the usual scattering of mildly seasoned dust. There’s a very tempting cocktail menu and an imaginative selection of desserts. It’s an ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
3-5 Exchequer Street. Tel: 016706787 Web: theexchequer.ie
ALL NIGHT EARLY BIRD
at The Larder
The “pre theatre” deal – two courses for €16 – runs all night, seven days a week. You can choose any option outside the early bird selection for a small supplement and still have a remarkably cheap meal. The pork belly and the fish pan Florentine are good options. Also, from Sunday to Thursday, there’s a reasonably decent six ounce rib-eye steak with chips and salads for just €10 with any additional purchase (even a soft drink or coffee will do).
8 Parliament Street, Dublin 2.
Tel: 01 6333581
DINNER
in Hilan
In the heart of Dublin’s unofficial Chinatown, Hilan is one of the city’s best Chinese restaurants. Ignore the very extensive menu: this place is all about the grill. For €39.80 between two people – although there’s easily enough food here for three people – a sumptuous banquet of chicken, beef, king prawn, potato, rice, lettuce wraps, and sauces is brought to your table. Cook it yourself over a bed of smoking hot coals, spread your meal over a few hours, drink a few beers, and you can make a very cheap evening of it. Flawless service and a lively, buzzing atmosphere seal the deal, and it’s very popular with Ireland’s Chinese and Korean community.
45 Capel Street. Tel: 018748677
LUNCH
in One Pico
If you have an afternoon off work, or if you’re struggling to make ends meet but fancy an indulgent treat, One Pico’s popular lunch menu is excellent value. Three courses will set you back €25. Although it’s silver service, there’s an electric and fun atmosphere as diners marvel at the delicious, impeccably presented food and professional service in this Bib Gourmand restaurant.
5-6 Molesworth Place (off Molesworth Street), Schoolhouse Lane, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 6760300. Web: onepico.com
FREE FOOD
Tweetseats at Crackbird
In itself, fried chicken restaurant Crackbird isn’t amazingly good value: the prices are around average at €9.95 for a half chicken or €17.95 for a full chicken. The noise level makes conversation strained and, despite the cool, hipster vibe, it’s not a place to linger. But order judiciously: one full chicken and two sides will easily feed three people for under €30. Go for the soy garlic chicken and the wonderful home-made drinks. Best of all, if you have a Twitter account, you can eat here for free. Just tweet them at @CrackBIRDdublin with your name and a proposed booking time, include the hashtag#tweetseats, and you could get fed for nothing. There are six Tweetseat sittings a day. Even if you never use your Twitter account again, it’s worth setting one up just for this freebie.
34 South William Street. twitter.com/crackbird
BURRITOS
at Pablo Picante’s
Burritos: cheap, filling, and just the right point between fast food and a decent sit-down meal. It’s a close call, but on flavour, quality, value and atmosphere, Pablo Picante’s just about edges out its local rivals, Boojum (Millenium Walkway) and Burritos and Blues (Wexford Street). The staff are really helpful and pleasant, and the portions are huge and delicious. The vegetarian Victoria Verde (€5.50) and Beefy Barbacoa, filled with shredded beef, refried beans, rice, cheese, and salsa (€5.95) are personal favourites.
2 Clarendon Market, Dublin 2 (sit-in or take out) and 131 Baggot Street (take-out with a few bar stools), Dublin 2.
Web: pablopicante.ie
OLD RELIABLES
at Le Bon Crubeen
Steak, chips, and salad for €13.50. Bangers and mash for €10. Hake with mussels for €12.95. Three glasses of red for €16.50. Casual dining, good service, great value, and very tasty fare.
81-82 Talbot Street, Dublin 1. Tel: 01 7040126.
Web: leboncrubeen.ie
GREEK ADVENTURES
at Keshk Cafe
Bring your own bottle with no corkage to this tiny Greek/ Mediterranean eatery. The food isn’t amazing but it is reliably tasty, and you can have an enjoyable meal for two, followed by coffee and shared baklava, for between €15-€20 each.
129 Upper Lesson Street, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Tel: 01 6689793
TOASTED BUNS
at Gourmet Burger Kitchen
The full-price burgers aren’t amazingly good value, but GBK runs very attractive monthly offers via its website to anybody who signs up for a twice monthly email. Indeed, you shouldn’t ever need to pay full price here, and the burgers, chips, onion rings, and dips are delicious. This month: buy any two burgers and two fries and get a third burger and fries for free. Last month’s deal was a two-for-one on any burger or salad.
Branches in Dublin city, Swords, Liffey Valley, Newbridge, Dublin airport (T2), and Belfast.
Web: gbk.ie
PIZZAS AND PITCHERSin Sober Lane
Match days aside, when Sober Lane can get horribly crammed, this place serves some of the simplest and best pub food in Ireland. One deal in particular stands out: any pizza and a pitcher of beer (three pints) or bottle of wine or two cocktails for €20. The pizzas are really fresh with tasty toppings and a gorgeous, thin crust. Go for one of the most expensive options – Serrano ham, rocket and fresh parmesan for €11 – and it works out as very good value. Chicken wings (€4), really fluffy and crispy potato wedges served with dips (€3) and tasty parsnip crisps with curry salt (€2) are other highlights on an interesting menu.
Sullivan’s Quay, Cork. Tel: 021 4677217. Web: soberlane.com
EARLY BIRD
at Cafe Paradiso
Denis Cotter’s Cork restaurant isn’t just the best vegetarian restaurant in Ireland, it’s also one of the best restaurants in Ireland, and it will excite you about the possibilities of vegetarian cuisine: no mushy curries or roasted vegetable lasagnas here. Still, as captivating and creative as the dishes are, many people will baulk at spending €35 on a meat-free starter and main. The early bird – two courses for €23 and three for €29 – sidesteps this embarrassing dilemma and offers a chance to sample this renowned, seasonally changing menu.
16 Lancaster Quay, Cork. Tel: 021 427 79 39. Web: cafeparadiso.ie
SEA SIDES
at McDonagh’s
A Galway institution, McDonagh’s is almost as old as the sea itself. It’s rightly one of the most popular and best-value seafood restaurants in Ireland. The set menu, served every night from 5-10pm, includes a starter, main, glass of house wine, and tea or coffee for €19.95. Try the chowder-like fish soup for starters and the cod and chips or Smoked Fish Bake for mains.
22 Quay Street, Galway.
Tel: 091 565 001.
Web: mcdonaghs.net
EUROPEAN AGENDA
at The Left Bank Bistro
Athlone is well served by restaurants, including Kin Khao (Thai), the Olive Grove (bistro) and the more upmarket Wine Port. But it’s the Left Bank which has carved out a reputation as the local favourite. The early bird – two courses for €20, three courses for €25 – is available all night from Tuesday to Friday and until 7.30pm on Saturdays, and includes European and Oriental dishes.
Fry Place, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Tel: 090 6494446. Web: leftbankbistro.com
Peter McGuire blogs at Cheapeats.ie
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
BRASSERIE ONE RESTAURANT
Two courses for €20, three courses for €25.
Brasserie One, One Pery Square Hotel and Spa, Georgian Quarter, Limerick. Tel: 061 402402. Web: oneperysquare.com
CAFE BLISS
Early bird: two courses plus tea or coffee for €9.95.
Cafe Bliss, 4B Montague Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 4781600
GREEN 19
All mains for €10.
Green 19, 19 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2. Web: green19.ie
SOL RIO
Set menu: two courses for €21.95, three courses for €25.95.
Sol Rio, Bridge Street, Westport, Co Mayo: one of the best restaurants west of the Shannon. Tel: 098 28944. Web: solrio.ie
CUPAN TAE
Generous afternoon tea, served on fine china, for €12 per person. Cupan Tae, Quay Lane, Galway. Two portions will serve three people.
RESTAURANT PATRICK GUILBAUD
Two courses for just €36, three courses for €48. Includes tea or coffee and petit fours.
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, 21 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2: have lunch in Irelands only two-star Michelin restaurant.
Tel: 01 676 4192. Web: restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie
CHAPTER ONE
One of the best and most popular pre-theatre menus in Dublin. Three courses for €36.50.
Chapter One, 18-19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1: Book for 6pm and be gone by 7.45pm. Tel: 01 8732266.
Web: chapteronerestaurant.com
DUBLIN DEALS
Dine In Dublin starts today and runs for the next seven days (until October 30th). It will see some of the city’s best restaurants offering special promotional rates of €15, €20, €25 or €30 per person for a three-course dinner menu. This will represent a 20 per cent saving on á la carte prices.
The participating restaurants will offer five starters, five mains and three desserts and will include tea and coffee in the deal. The 101 Talbot, Fallon & Byrne and Brasserie 66 are among the restaurants offering their three courses for €30 while Alfies and the Chilli club are among those with €25 menus.
Carluccios and Salamanca have €20 deals and, according to the Dine In Dublin website – dineindublin.ie – Kealy’s of Cloghran is the solitary restaurant offering a €15 menu.
