Travel Guide: Why Dublin Should Be on Your Must-Visit List
Ireland’s capital city welcomes travelers with farm-to-table food, new museums, and revamped historical gems.
Protected by a historical preservation order, the restored bar at Delahunt is original to the space. / Photo by Barry McCall
EAT
Food, Not Fanfare
Dublin’s electric restaurant scene combines a foodie sensibility with the city’s storied past. And Delahunt, with its carefully edited menu and digs in a refurbished liquor shop, epitomizes this winning formula. The restaurant’s cerulean walls, graphic art, and mahogany woodwork transmit a cool vibe that doesn’t try too hard, while dishes including pork belly and loin with potato fondant, apples, and leeks attract everyone from locals to Hollywood celebs (Dakota Fanning dined here last fall).
Part of a MoLI exhibition, this 3-D model of modern-day Dublin features notable locations in James Joyce’s works. / Photo by Ralph Appelbaum Associates
SEE
Book Smart
Slated to open in the summer of 2019, the new Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI, for short) examines Irish prose from medieval times to the present, with writer James Joyce as its inspiration and anchor. But the institution, housed in three historical buildings near the Iveagh Gardens, won’t just be a quiet spot for worshipping books: Equal parts house of discovery and urban oasis, the museum will feature a variety of interactive programming and a new café.
The Shelbourne Dublin’s guests-only 1824 Bar opened in 2018. / Photo courtesy of The Shelbourne Hotel
STAY
The Suite Life
The 195-year-old Shelbourne Dublin, which has hosted the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Michelle Obama, only improves with age. Situated in the heart of the city, the newly renovated five-star property boasts elements of Old World grandeur without a speck of standoffishness (think: plush Guy Oliver–designed guest rooms and suites that overlook St. Stephen’s Green). In the mood for a cocktail after check-in? People-watch under the warm glow of chandeliers at the hotel’s glitzy Edwardian-style No. 27 Bar & Lounge, or sip brandy by the fire on a tufted loveseat in the new library-like 1824 Bar.
Delahunt’s crab salad, tempura courgette flower, and shellfish foam. / Photo by Barry McCall
