Stop 1: Margadh

Our first bite of the day was at Margadh, where we were served a phenomenal sausage roll made with pork from Andarl Farms, black pudding, onion, and garlic, paired with Ballymaloe tomato relish (a beloved family recipe from East Cork). We also got a taste of 3FE coffee, which came with a great backstory: the founder is a champion barista who started his now successful roasting company with almost no knowledge, learning as he went.

Fun tip: Margadh offers a €59 tasting menu that locals rave about, and you can add a wine pairing for a great value.

Stop 2: Tang

Next up was Tang, a cozy spot with a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fusion menu. This place has won a ton of awards, and once we tasted the peanut butter-stuffed dates and cinnamon babka, we understood why.

We also learned that only one Jewish bakery remains in Dublin, due to the community’s migration over the years, mostly to London. It was one of many moments on this tour where we learned not just about food, but about the city’s cultural history too…something I always love.

Stop 3: Fallon & Byrne

We had visited the upscale grocer Fallon & Byrne the day before on our own, so it was fun to come back with the group. It’s a foodie paradise with a wine bar downstairs and a restaurant upstairs.

Here, we were treated to a charcuterie selection featuring:

Gubbeen Cheese from West Cork; this famous mature cheese is made by the sea and you can taste the salt from the sea in the grass the cows eat!

Chorizo made from animals that are fed the whey from cheese-making at the same farm where Gubbeen cheese is made – how’s that for sustainability?

Killeen Goat Cheese, locally sourced from a farm in nearby Galway.

Stop 4: The Seafood Café

Probably our favorite stop of the day! The Seafood Café was founded by the same passionate entrepreneur behind Sustainable Seafood Ireland. We slurped down Cooley Bay oysters (from Ireland’s East Coast), and our host Shane, a competitive oyster shucker who learned his craft in Vancouver,gave us an oyster-shucking lesson that was as entertaining as it was informative.

We also tried Lambay crab toast, layered with brown meat and yuzu mayo, topped with white crab meat. Since I have an egg allergy, I had a mayo-free version (I actually liked mine quite more than the other, but everybody said they were delicious).

Stop 5: Caribou

This cool, streetwise stop was started by three young Dublin guys who now run a small restaurant group called The Animal Collective. Caribou was originally a hip bar in Galway, named after a local DJ and transplanted to Dublin just last year, to which they decided to add an incredible bar menu.

We tried their Cubano sandwich, made with Buckfast-glazed pork, house mustard, and crusty local bread. If you’re wondering, Buckfast is a fortified wine originally made by Benedictine monks. Once associated with brown bags and park benches, it’s now finding its way into modern Irish cuisine via glazes and craft cocktails.

We also sampled Beamish Rebel, a beer from Cork. Everything was delicious, and our host Mihal (pronounced like Michael) was a joy to chat with.

Stop 6: Spilt Milk

Our final stop was for something sweet at Spilt Milk, a wildly popular spot that started as a food truck and opened its brick-and-mortar location just a year ago.

They use Jersey cow milk, and for those of us with dietary restrictions, they offer an amazing dark chocolate vegan ice cream. I couldn’t believe how rich and creamy it was… truly the best egg-free ice cream I’ve ever had.