Destination dining means delicious plates, vibrant flavours, a finer style of service and a stellar setting.
Though Ireland's restaurant scene runs the gamut from street food, pop-ups and residencies to Michelin-starred restaurants, chef-led 'experiences’ and high end hotel tables, affordability and ‘value’ will always be subjective. What’s a drop in the ocean to one diner might feel like a one-time, blow-out treat to another.
Take it from a pair of food critics, often tasting menus, early bird offers and set lunch and dinner is the optimum way to get bang for your buck while experiencing a proper overview of a particular outlet’s offering, especially if it feels like a rare treat.
Two important things to remember when it comes to dining experiences and cost: value and quality go hand-in-hand and while what’s on the plate is incredibly important you’re also paying for the service and setting.
Here’s a short snapshot of the best, most interesting and value-focused set menu and tasting menu options around the country, from Derry to Dingle and Doolin to Dublin, all under €50pp –– 12 picks for a lavish lunch and 12 picks for a dreamy dinner.
Note: prices pp (per person) accurate at the time of publishing, however due to a variety of factors including fluctuating costs these are very much subject to regularly changing.
€50 or less at lunch
Pickle, Dublin 2
Sunil Ghai’s five-course edible exploration of North India is priced at €75pp (€110pp to include Benny’s brilliant matched wines) but lunch is the star offering here, served Wednesday to Friday 12-2:15pm at €28.50 for two courses.
Dax, Dublin 2
While the dinner menu sits just under €100 per person, lunch is temptingly good value for Graham Neville’s fine dining dishes on Pembroke Street, with two courses for €39pp (three is €52pp).
Noble, Holywood
Just 15 minutes from Belfast city centre by car or train, Pearson Morris’ Sunday Lunch at Noble offers two fantastic courses for £32.50 and three for £35.
Locks, Dublin 8
In pretty Portobello, Locks is a bit of an industry secret on Sundays, where chefs off-duty and their crews convene for great cooking and catch-ups. A really good set menu sets you back €49, served 12-4pm.
Homestead Cottage, Doolin
In West Clare, recently-opened by chef Robbie McAuley and his wife Sophie, lunch comprises two courses for €25 or three for €35 (Thursday - Saturday, 12.30pm - 2.30pm) while the seven-course dinner tasting menu is €80pp, served 6pm - 8.30pm.
Woodruff, Stepaside
Set just beyond the M50 in the neighbourhood of Stepaside, chef Simon Williams’ set lunch/early bird/weekend menu is all similarly prices, two courses for €35 and three for €42.
Artis, Derry
Great British Menu alum Phelim O’Hagan’s debut restaurant in Derry’s Craft Village offers a seven-course tasting menu for £70pp but a smaller set menu costs a more pocket-friendly £30 for two courses and £35 for three. Better yet, it’s available at both lunch and dinner.
One Pico, Dublin 2
Chef Zhan Sergejev’s dinner menu sits near the €100pp mark but lunch offers two slimmer options: two courses (€39) or three (€49) while a ‘premium’ lunch with a more comprehensive menu to choose from costs €59 for two courses and €69 for three.
Pichet, Dublin 2
Pichet is well-regarded as a dinner spot, but consider lunch at Harry Quinn’s kitchen on Trinity Street, take three courses at lunch (Wednesday - Saturday, 12pm - 3:15pm) for €44pp.
Wine & Brine, Moira, Co. Down
Restaurant power couple Davina and Chris McGowan consistently offer incredible choice for great value at their destination dining room in Moira. Enjoy three courses at lunch (Thursday-Saturday) for £30 or just two for £25, while the same offer and similar menu forms the Early Bird on Thursdays and Fridays (5:30pm - 6:30pm). For long ,lingering Sunday lunch, choose three courses from the expansive menu for just £40pp.
Forest Avenue, Dublin 4
Set on Susex Terrace, Forest Avenue’s lunch menu promises "surprises from our kitchen" and the two-course option is €39pp while three is €49pp.
Mamo, Howth
Set picturesquely in Howth’s Harbour Road, Mamo offers weekly lunch at two courses for €35, but why not go the full three for a couple more euro at €39? Only available Monday, Thursday and Sunday but does also include their iconic ‘cod chip’ and sourdough and house butter, too.
Dinner Under €50
Richmond, Dublin 2
Retaining a Bib Gourmand since 2018 remarks that Richmond in Portobello consistently offers great cooking at a value price. The ‘Early Evening’ menu (available 5:30-6:30pm, from Wednesday through Sunday) offers two courses for €38 and three for €44. Keep an eye out for their special €67pp tasting menu, only served on the first Tuesday of each month.
Thyme, Athlone
Offering impressive value for deft cooking in Athlone, John Coffey’s four-course Value Menu is just €40 and available all evening Sunday – Thursday and for the first sittings (5-5:45pm) on Friday, Saturday and Bank Holiday Sunday evenings. The main five-course tasting menu is €64pp.
Orwell Road, Dublin 6
In the heart of Rathgar, enjoy Dan Hannigan's ‘Neighbourhood Set Menu’ Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday and Sunday (served 5-6pm) for €34 for two courses and €42 for three.
Hang Dai, Dublin 2
Cheeseburger spring rolls? Black sesame prawn toast? Dumplings, croquettes and even Wagyu steak? At €40, Hang Dai’s tasting menu is forever tempting.
Cush, Ballycotton
Dan Guerin’s seasonal and elegant early bird menu at his pierside restaurant in Ballycotton runs from 5pm to 7pm at a cost of €29.50 for two courses or €34.50 for three.
La Cocina Cuevas, The Naul
An elevated Cali-Mex dining experience in the unlikeliest of locations in North County Dublin, Jeremy Cuevas’ five-course chef’s menu (€45pp) is a must, served Friday and Saturday evenings (5:30pm - 8pm). Pre-booking essential.
Charlotte Quay, Dublin 4
Being perched beside The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre means a pre-theatre perk is booking into Charlotte Quay for an early bite. Served 5-7pm, take two courses for €38 and three for €45.
Bramley, Abbeyleix
Sam Moody’s newly-opened, fine bistro in Laois offers a €70 tasting menu at dinner, to be taken by the whole table, but a ‘simple supper’ service on Wednesday and Thursday evenings between 6pm and 7pm offers €27.50 for two courses and €32.50 for three.
Campagne, Kilkenny
Garrett Byrne’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Kilkenny offers a sensational three-course Early Bird menu at €48pp, available for earlier tables only, Wednesday to Saturday.
Everetts, Waterford
You’re spoiled with value at Peter Everett’s eponymous restaurant on High Street, where the three-course dinner menu just comes shy of €50 while both lunch and pre-theatre are the same prices with three courses for €37.
Land to Sea, Dingle
While chef Julian Wyatt’s six-course tasting menu full of local Kerry ingredients is €72pp, the early bird offering of two courses for €35pp and three for €39pp is pretty fabulous value, served 5-6pm, six days a week.
The Tannery, Dungarvan
An enduring icon of Dungarvan’s dining scene, Maire and Paul Flynn’s The Tannery offers a neat early bird three-course for €40pp, served 5:30-6:30pm while Sunday Lunch comes in at €39pp.
