International Food Tour: Dublin, Ireland

Grab a Guinness and Let’s Toast – Sláinte!

We love to support our fellow food tour friends by patronizing their businesses while we globe-trot.

Just last month, my husband and I traveled to Ireland to explore their quaint towns, spectacular coastlines, and friendly hospitality. Having only a short time in Dublin, we knew that a food tour would show us where to go for great food. We wanted to bypass the tourists’ traps and get a bit of local history, too.

We had purchased advance tickets for the “Irish Food Trail – Dublin.” The tour featured three restaurants, each unique in ambience and style of food.

Alex, our fearless Irish tour guide, was incredibly knowledgeable about the Great Potato Famine in the mid 1800’s, the 1916 Easter Rising, Irish politics, Irish culture, and of course, Irish food!

Restaurant 1 – Gallaher & Co. Bistro

After meeting in an old historic square, we began the several-block trek to our first stop, Gallaher & Co. Bistro. The restaurant is in close proximity to Trinity College and has a name that harkens back to the building’s original owner, Tom Gallaher, an Irish Tobacco Baron. Their menu is what I would call modern European.

Unlike most food tours, we actually got to order what we wanted from a list of three options! I ordered a goat cheese, cherry tomato, and pesto puff pastry tart topped with rocket. This was paired with a hard cider. My husband ordered the soup of the day with homemade traditional Irish “brown bread,” which was paired with an Irish Stout. (Editor’s note: this establishment is unfortunately now closed.)

Restaurant 2 – The Front Door

Our second stop was The Front Door where our craving for some traditional Irish fare was satisfied. Our table was in the back of the restaurant and featured a full bar and modern artwork. A live band played Celtic rock music in the next room.

Again, we got to choose our entrees, so I opted for the fish and chips and my husband got the Irish beef stew with homemade mashed potatoes. To drink, I had a Chardonnay and he chose an Irish Red.

Restaurant 3 – Oscars Café and Bar

To round out the tour, we visited Oscars Café Bar where we ate in a private table in a cozy library nook. To eat, we enjoyed luscious Bailey’s Irish Crème Cheesecake.

A server of the restaurant taught us how to make the perfect Irish Coffee – fill your glass ¾ of the way full with freshly brewed coffee, stir in brown sugar until dissolved, then mix with a shot of Irish whiskey. Top it off with whipped cream made in a cocktail shaker, making sure to pour over the back of a spoon so that it sits on the top of the coffee without mixing in.

Ireland is an incredible country filled with lovely people and rich culture. Taking a food tour meant that we got the insider’s look into the food scene, which is always more than what meets the eye!

When we travel, we love looking for food tours! It’s great learning from our colleagues while also spreading the message that travel should ALWAYS be combined with good food! (HINT: Read about our Barcelona Food Tour experience!)

We recommend “Irish Food Trail – Dublin,” and when you’re in Colorado, take a food tour with us!

Cheers, Samantha

(So, what’s a food tour, anyway…?)

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