This time of year is the perfect time to spend time with family and friends, and if you’re looking for an intimate spot to spend time, Dublin is the best place for you. With Michelin star restaurants, steakhouses and many more Dublin City Restaurants, the options for a festive celebration in Dublin are seemingly endless, so to help you have a great night with some familiar faces, here are our top 7 recommendations.
SOLE Seafood & Grill:
- SOLE is a seafood and Grill restaurant on Drury Street.
- They have won a plethora of awards throughout the years, from Restaurant Bar of The Year in 2024 (Irish Bar of the Year Awards), Best Seafood Restaurant 2023 (The Food Awards Ireland) to most recently Best Luxury Seafood Restaurant Globally 2025 (The World Luxury Restaurant Awards)
- They have their very own Christmas menu with options such as whole Irish lobster, a 10oz rib eye steak and much more.
Darwins:
- Darwins Restaurant can be found on Aungier Street.
- While their menu includes a number of fish, vegan and pasta options, their specialty would have to be their extensive selection of delicious steaks, with a cube rib eye, New York striploin, rib eye on the bone and a premium eye fillet, there is no wrong choice no matter what you prefer.
Fade Street Social:
- Fade Street Social is located on, you guessed it, Fade Street.
- They have rolled out their festive menus, so now would be the perfect time to go. These menus include Grilled Seabream, Rare Breed Pork Rib Eye, Salmon Mousse and much more delightful bitefulls.
- And if you’d rather have a lunch here, you’re in luck, because Fade Street Social is currently offering a festive wreath making workshop which includes a 2 course festive lunch.
Sophie’s:
- Sophie’s is located in The Dean Hotel on Harcourt Street.
- They have a gorgeous selection of dishes, such as their 10oz sirloin steak with garlic cannelini beans, spaghetti puttanesca with gilled seabass, seafood linguine with prawns, as well as having many pizza options.
Isabelle’s:
- Isabelle’s can be found on South Anne Street.
- One of their main selling points is their open kitchen, so while you wait for your food to hit your table you can watch it be made.
- Their dinner menu selection has pan-fried seabass, a vegan cashew nut roast, a 900 gram tomahawk steak, silverhill duck breast and many more items that will help make the perfect festive night out.
Glovers Alley:
- Glovers Alley is located on St. Stephen’s Green.
- They are a Michelin star fine dining restaurant that sell only the most delicious produce made by the most well versed chefs. Their menu has meals such as Wicklow Sika Deer, West Cork Seabass, lobster and much more, including a beautiful selection of desserts and starters.
L’Gueuleton:
- L’Gueuleton is a French bistro on Fade Street.
- They combine Irish ingredients and French recipes to create gorgeous meals, for example, their current Christmas menu has dishes such as caramelised chicken breast, venison bourgignon and the classic steak frites.
And there you have it, with French bistro’s, fine dining spots and seafood specialty houses, Dublin has an unreal selection of restaurants for you to enjoy.
