Coffee & tea

With its bright white tiles artfully mismatched with pretty wallpaper, old wooden chairs and dainty granny’s crockery, Union Square is a lovely place to sit and chat. Its adjoining parent cafe, the more diminutive Mayfield was an instant hit when it opened – and this seems more popular yet. Get in before rush hour to get a lunch table.

The food really is exquisite – and the extensive menu is packed with everything that I want. There’s a fresh, fragrant chickpea tagine topped off with toasted coconut and served with pitta and natural yogurt. There are mouthwatering sandwich options – and portions are very kind. There are all manner of traybakes and plenty of teas, coffees and fizzes to linger longer over.

Union Square has an evening menu now too – and there’s a performance space next to the main restaurant offering deals on dinner & a show (€ 25 for the evening – see website for current programme). The pretty front terrace is a great sun trap when the weather obliges – and a buzzy, atmospheric spot to while away the hours.

Situated on the front of the road at the lower end of bright and breezy Terenure village, it’s a bit of a hop up from town, but the bus services are excellent (there’s the 16, 16a and plenty besides) and it’s well worth the trip. Tip on up to Bushy Park if you fancy some recreation after…

Only after I had visited this Dublin 1 eatery a few times did I realise that Emilia did not mean the woman but the foodie’s paradise of Emilia Romagna in Italy (and I thought I was good at Geography!)

Yes, it’s Italian but don’t expect to find spaghetti bolognese here. This is a salumeria so instead you will find a generous menu full of delicious bruschette and panini as well quick and friendly staff.

It’s their panini that I recommend in particular. I had gone off them for a while especially because in Dublin most panini on offer begin to look and taste the same (as well as being toasted to within in an inch of their life) but not here. Emilia’s panini really are the best in Dublin.

Also, what more perfect location could there be? Right in the heart of Dublin 1, just a stone’s throw from the Liffey and Ha’Penny Bridge. 

Soup Dragon is something of a Capel Street institution by now. Indeed, many similar-type establishments have come and gone since this place opened its doors in 2000.

Although it has now expanded its range to include sandwiches, bagels, salads and so on, its specialty remains the delicious soups and stews made fresh on the premises each day. The soup menu changes daily, but staples include the likes of beef chilli with rice, Thai green chicken curry and various vegetarian options.

They currently have a special offer of soup + bread + fruit to go, all day long, for only €3 – probably the best value in town right now.

Soup Dragon is pretty cramped inside, with only a handful of seats available at a narrow counter, and it gets awfully hot on a warm day. A better option is to avail of that take-way bargain and grab a seat on the nearby Liffey Boardwalk.

One of my favourite spots in Dublin to grab lunch or a quick snack, The Bakery is tucked away in the quieter, more sophisticated corner of Temple Bar, near Christchurch.

It seems to attract large numbers of Spanish, Italian and other visitors at lunch-times as it is a popular stop-off point with the local tour guides.

As you walk in, you can see the ever-friendly and efficient staff in the background baking the fresh loaves of bread and delicious array of cakes, pastries, quiches, vol-a-vents and sausage rolls on offer. Soups and sandwiches are also available.

Seating inside is very limited, but there is a nice seating area on the opposite side of the street if the weather permits.

The “Pav”, as its usually referred to, is a bar situated at the back of the sports grounds in Trinity College.

If you are over a certain age, sitting outside a cricket pavillion surrounded by students knocking back cans of cheap lager may not be your idea of fun. Bear with me on this one, however.

There are remarkably few good places in Dublin to sit outside and enjoy an alcoholic drink on a sunny day (and we do get the odd one). Our authorities love banning, regulating and controlling public behaviour, so having a drink in the park or any other public space is a complete no-no. The few bars that have good outside seating areas fill up quickly, and are usually in the shade anyway.

This is what makes the Pav a real Dublin institution, even for people like me who didn’t go to Trinity. There is simply nowhere else to stretch out on the grass on a sunny day and enjoy a cool beer without incurring the wrath of the Nanny State.

Even the Pav experience itself has been spoilt somewhat in recent years by a heavier security presence at times. Given the lack of alternatives, however, its still a great spot on a sunny day. As an added bonus, the cans of beer and cider are cheap by Dublin standards, and you do get to feel like you are nineteen again. Almost.