Recommended places to eat in and around Trinity
Trinity Global Relations recently interviewed Iseult Ward (Founder & CEO of the Irish company Foodcloud).
1. What is FoodCloud and how did you come up with the idea?
FoodCloud is a social enterprise that connects businesses with surplus food and charities in the community who need it. It’s essentially a platform that lets charities know there’s food available, and allows them to collect it, eliminating food waste too!
Why not treat yourself some morning and go out for breakfast? Dublin has tons to offer in terms of breakfast bars and early bird deals throughout the city centre. David rounds up some of his favourites and lists them here.
Two cafes in Dublin’s city centre; one on Dawson Street, (Lemon HQ) and the other on South William Street, (the supposedly trendy one) make up Lemon. Both cafes serve rich coffee and have full breakfast menus with freshly prepared crepes, sandwiches, omelettes, and pastries. The Dawson street café even does Belgian waffles. Check out the menu here.
Styled as a Parisian café, Metro is a top notch Dublin bistro. The friendly staff and outdoor seating area stretching the length of the café are only some of Metro’s many features which make it a great breakfast haunt. Open seven days a week, it offers a great choice of breakfast options, with the pancakes always being a popular choice. Check out what’s on offer here.
KC Peaches, right beside Trinity, has a great selection of food for breakfast. Ranging from organic yogurt and fruit, to hot paninis to the classic irish tea and toast. This bustling café will certainly wake you up with its lively atmosphere and great food. Their menu can be found here.
Based halfway down Dawson Street, Fixx Coffeehouse offers a huge amount of space, filled with low slung couches and even has its own library. This cosy atmosphere is only made better by the great selection of food they have on offer each morning, the greek yogurt, granola and berries being a particularly splendid way to start your day. Check them out here.
Hatch & Sons is hidden away opposite St Stephen’s Green in the basement of the Little Museum of Dublin, between Kildare and Dawson street. It’s well worth a visit, as this tiny restaurant serves up simple but really tasty local Irish cuisine. Simple, wholesome breakfast inspired by the traditional kitchen cuisine, Hatch & Sons is a charming spot for breakfast; check out the menu here.
While M&S cafe’s are nothing extraordinary, they do offer a fine selection of food and hot drinks. However it is the rooftop terrace at the top of its Grafton Street store that makes this cafe worth checking out. Visit it on a sunny day, and its lovely to sit outside with a nice cup of tea and hear the sounds of shoppers and buskers rise up to greet you.
Fancy an alternative way to enjoy breakfast, how about some frozen yogurt? You can do it yourself, filling up your bowl with all sorts of healthy granolas and berries, or choose from their Breakfast Club menu which includes options of porridge and pancakes. Only downside is it doesn’t open till 9 am. Find them on Facebook.
A charming cafe and patisserie, just off Dame Street, which is run by two sisters (who trained as pastry chefs in New York City in the 1990s). Everything is baked and prepared fresh on the premises adding to a lovely smell and atmosphere throughout the café. They offer a range of breakfast options, from homemade granola to scrambled eggs with smoked irish salmon, and all are reasonably priced. Check out their menu here.
This small cafe, based on Capel Street, prides itself on being independently run and solely focused on offering you the best food in Dublin. Their simple, but packed, breakfast menu is accompanied by a range of pastries, made fresh each day by them. They try and source all their produce from local supplier and even filter the water used to make tea and coffee; in short they do all they can to ensure you have a great meal.
David is a marketing intern working with the Global Relations team, and is a current student of Trinity College Dublin.
No matter the time of year, students are always on the look out for opportunities to eat out without breaking the bank, David rounds up some of his favourite student (and budget) friendly restaurants in the city.
Mongolian BBQ in Temple Bar prides itself on being one of Dublin’s most unique dining experiences. The idea is simple, you get a bowl and fill it with raw ingredients; from fresh meats to a huge array of seasonal vegetables. Add some Herbs and spices of your choice, and finally top off your creation from the specially selected sauces. Then just hand your bowl to one of the grillers and they will stir-fry it to perfection, right in front of your eyes. The more you can manage to fit into your bowl, the more food you can have! One trip to the buffet costs €5.90 with their Lunch Special (12pm to 4.30pm), and they offer student discounts on top! Check out the menu.
One of the closest burrito places to Trinity, Tolteca is a favourite for many students due to its good food and fast service. Located on Suffolk Street, just off Grafton Street, Tolteca offers a €6.50 Student Deal which covers a full burrito and a drink (with free refills!). Check out the menu.
One of the closest, if not the closest restaurant to Trinity, KC Peaches offers healthy and filling lunch and dinner options. They have a range of different sized takeaway boxes and eat-in plates, starting from as little as €5. With a large variety of self-serving salads and hot meals, you can mix and match what you want and fill your plate for a great meal! Check out the menu.
Less than a 3 minute walk from Trinity, Yum Thai is situated just off Dawson Street, Yum Thai is a tiny restaurant but packs a lot of punch. Choose from a range of tasty thai dishes, all for only €5 with a student card, and they’ll pack your takeaway box to the brim. Beware though, there’s hardly any room to sit inside, so keep an eye on the weather in case you don’t want to have to eat outside.
This seriously cool pizza parlour is located on Crane Lane, just off of Dame Street, and has a wide selection of tasty pizzas (which are rumoured to be named after the staffs mothers). The regular prices (€8-12) are very reasonable but they sometimes do 2-for-1 deals for students (with valid student cards) so keep and eye out for the worthwhile meals! Check out the menu.
Who doesn’t love fried chicken? Based in an old Chinese restaurant on Dame Street (it still has the original decor), CrackBird offers a simply yet fulfilling menu of fried chicken, with the quality of their chicken that really makes it a cut above the rest. You can opt for a full or half chicken in either buttermilk batter or soy and garlic. The sides are all reasonably priced and you can wash it down with a large jam jar full of lime and ginger spritz or homemade lemonade. Similar to Skinflint, CrackBird occasionally offer 2-for-1 deals for Students; making it even better! Check out the menu.
Asian Street Food is how this place is advertised, it does good food fast, not fast food. Based on Camden Street, Neon offers a wide range of excellently prepared and affordable Asian dishes, all of which you can enjoy at their large, communal tables. Each meal comes with an ice cream cone and for desert there’s a Do-It-Yourself ice cream machine; just remember to bring your own chocolate flake! Check out the menu.
Part of an international chain of Japanese Noodle Houses but much better than the average chain restaurant. You can spend a lot here – it’s definitely the upper end of budget – but students can avail of the 2-for-1 mid week meals, making it excellent value for the variety of Asian dishes you can try. Check out the menu.
Tucked away near the top of Grafton Street, Captain America’s offers classic, wholesome American food. From burgers and chips, to steaks and pizzas, Captain America’s is a lovely family diner during the day and a lively student hangout at night. They offer 2-for-1 meal deals during the week and from Monday to Wednesday. Captain America’s is worth the trip simply just to see the decor inside; wall to wall is dressed with a variety of signed music merchandise from past and present music legends! Check out the menu.
Jo’Burger’s a trendy joint; a sibling of Crackbird and Skinflint, it has a similar vibe while also being unique in its own way. There is a casual atmosphere with a menu which mainly specialises in burgers but there are other choices for those in the mood for something else, including options for those with dietary needs. Delicious, tasty food at affordable prices. Check out the menu.
David is a marketing intern working with the Global Relations team, and is a current student of Trinity College Dublin.
Trinity has the advantage of being smack-bang in the middle of Dublin city centre. This means that Trinity campus is in the middle of a sea of restaurants and cafés, from the good to not-so-good, from the cheap to the not-so-cheap.
To get the most out of your money, there are an array of student deals you can avail of. Many college societies offer exclusive deals with restaurants and cafes, but for most of the deals I find myself just using my student card and a Trinity Ents card (available for free at House 6).
My favourite deals are the two-for-ones, which are a great way of sharing a deal with a friend! At Jo Burger (off Fitzwilliam street, other branch on Rathmines road), a burger with a variety of exciting toppings would normally cost a whopping 12euros. By abiding by certain time constraints, one of these otherwise expensive, tasty burgers cost only 6euros – the price of two chicken fillet rolls from Maguires, but probably as filling.
Crackbird, a sister of Jo Burger, is a chicken specialist on Dame street. Crackbird also runs a two-for-one deal during the week. They pretty much only do chicken-based meals. For the same amount of money you’d spend for a beef burger in Jo Burger, you could get an unbelievable amount of chicken. If you like chicken, you’ll like Crackbird!
Wagamama (just off St. Stephen’s Green) also does a great two-for-one. Wagamama is a Japanese/pan-Asian restaurant with most meals costing 10-14euros without the student deal. With the student deal, you and a friend can get the notorious Chicken Katsu curry for a mere 7euros. At 1200 calories, the Chicken Katsu curry will be sure to fill you for the day. Other dishes with lower calorie counts are also available.
If the two-for-one isn’t for you, there are many other places where you could get a relatively cheap meal for one: most notably, Maguires on Grafton street do arguably the best chicken fillet rolls near campus, with contender O’Donovan’s on Pearse street also doing pretty great chicken fillet rolls all for a reasonable price.
Note: For some two-for-ones, both you and your partner will require to have a valid Trinity student card and Trinity Ents card, with Wagamama being an exception to this rule.
Faris is a Student Ambassador in the Global Room
The World of Trinity 