Best Italian Restaurants
1. ROSA MADRE
WHERE: 7 Crow Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02YT38 | 6 minutes walk from apartment | WHAT: Italian | €€€ | TIMES: Tuesday and Wednesday, 5pm to 11pm; Thursday to Saturday, 12.30pm to 11pm; Sunday and Monday, CLOSED | WEBSITE: rosamadre.ie | RESERVATIONS: Email rosamadredublin@gmail.com, call on +353 1 551 1206 or online via website.
Specialising in seafood Italian-style, this is universally regarded as one of the best restaurants in Dublin. The emphasis is on simplicity - and excellence. Rosa Madre's fresh Calamari and Gamberi, Lobster tonnarelli, and Ravioli al Tartufo have near legendary status in Dublin by now. So as well as seafood, there's a range of pasta, meat and vegetarian dishes. Intensely popular with locals who often book weeks and months in advance, it can be difficult to get a spot. Worth the effort though!
2. TERRA MADRE CAFE
WHERE: 13A Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1, D01VN82 | 8 minute walk from the apartment | WHAT: Authentic Italian | €€ | TIMES: Open 7 days a week from 12.30pm to 3pm for lunch, and again from 5pm to 10pm for dinner | RESERVATIONS: Call +353 89 244 0277 or call in during opening hours
This used to be the best-kept secret in Dublin but the secret is out now...unfortunately making it a little harder to get a table but it's still definitely worth a try. The food here is amazing - as good as any Italian food you'll find anywhere. It's not overly expensive but it's not cheap either. The setting is very casual - if you want glamour, this perhaps isn't the best option. But if you're looking for to-notch Italian food, this is the place to go. It's a family-run restaurant that serves the sort of earthy, traditional dishes you'd get in a village in Tuscany. Couldn't recommend this place more!
3. ETTO
WHERE: 18 Merrion Row, Dublin 2, D02A316 | 22 minute walk from the apartment | WHAT: Italian | €€€ | TIMES: Monday to Wednesday: Dinner from 5pm (last booking at 9.15pm); Thursday: Lunch from 12.30pm (last booking at 2.15pm) and dinner from 5.30pm (last booking at 9.15pm); Friday and Saturday: Lunch from 12pm (last booking at 2.45pm) and dinner from 5.30pm (last booking at 9.15pm); Sunday and bank holidays, CLOSED | WEBSITE: etto.ie | RESERVATIONS: Call +353 1 678 8872 or online here.
The more chic, more fashionable option in Best Italian Restaurants in Dublin, Etto is up there with the very best restaurants in Dublin. It's small - around 50 people max - and some feel it's a little cramped, but there are few complaints about the food. Whatever the main dish, be sure to order a side of hashed potatoes and lyonnaise onions! Indeed, it's so popular that it can be difficult to get a table last minute so try to book in advance - or ask for a space at the bar counter. Prices aren't cheap but there is a very good value weekday lunch menu.
