Updated personally in 2023, after a second visit to the city. Updated in 2024 with some changes that were sent to me on Instagram by followers who used this post for their trip to keep it as up to date as possible.

I first visited Dublin for three nights in 2018 as a long weekend catch up with friends (one of who is vegetarian to add to the dietary requirements!) We would normally head to Spain or Portugal but as we were catching up in August we decided to avoid the school kids and headed to Dublin for a city break instead. Two nights were spent with my friends but a third night I added on for work, but it meant I got to try out a couple more gluten free options. We rented out an apartment on air b n b which was located in Temple Bar, a little on the noisy side but a perfect location for our weekend!

I went back for a second business trip for two nights in January 2023, and I have updated this post as a result.

Here’s a round up of where I ate on my two trips.

Breakfast/Brunch 

Lemon Crepe and Coffee Co

My friends research for our 2018 trip led us to Lemon Crepe and coffee co for us to be able to start the day with crepes! They had buckwheat crepes suitable for those with Coeliac, I had mine with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and chives. I almost went back for a second for dessert as the ones coming out loaded with Nutella looked and smelt divine! This is another must visit if you want crepes and they label allergens on their menu so could also be one to check out if you have multiple dietary requirements.

Brasserie Sixty 6

Found thanks to Bryony Hopkins article in the metro for gluten free restaurants in Dublin, we opted for Sunday brunch at Brasserie Sixty 6. It was a great spot with a menu with Coeliac (C) and Coeliac adaptable (CA) dishes marked on the menu. We did book a table for 10:30am but at that time we probably didn’t need to but it definitely picked up during the course of the brunch. I opted for the beautifully presented eggs salmon that had perfect poached eggs, and actually came with a gluten free muffin rather than just a bread replacement.

The dish, and hollandaise sauce were perfect. It did also come with a side of fries that I’m not sure were required, but possibly handy if you’re fighting off a hangover! I washed all mine down with a berry smoothie, grateful that I’d read Bryony’s recommendations and wishing I’d have time to try some more.

Kale and Coco – 100% Gluten Free

If you’re looking for a dedicated restaurant or somewhere healthier to start your day, head to Kale and Coco. I was hoping to visit myself but didn’t get a chance so it is on the list for next time. Think smoothies, overnight oats, chia pudding, smoothie bowls, salad bowls and banana bread that is all gluten free, vegan and refined sugar free to set you up for the day.

Lunch/Dinner

Millstone

One of my friends spent some time researching for restaurants that could cater for both coeliac and veggie requirements and we ended up at Millstone restaurant on the first night, just a few minutes walk from the air b n b. It’s a good idea to book if you’re visiting over a weekend as the restaurant was busy.

Many restaurants have ‘gluten free menus’ now in England but it’s probably the first time I’ve seen a ‘Coeliac menu’ which made me relax so much quicker, something that I actually saw a lot during my weekend.

I opted for Millstones Irish seafood chowder to start, the same dish as two of my friends – it just came with different bread. The taste of the chowder was absolutely amazing and it was so good to be able to eat something like this with everyone else.

My main was the trio of Wicklow lamb that came with minted crushed baby potatoes and a red wine thyme jus. I loved this dish too but it defeated me – I was too full to get through it all!

I was far too full to contemplate dessert but there was a chocolate brownie, Cointreau creme brûlée and apple pie as the Coeliac options.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our food here and would definitely recommend this restaurant, Coeliac or not!

Beshoff Bros

Next to our apartment there was a Co-op and Beshoff Bros fish and chip shop. On Saturday we decided just to grab a quick lunch and have it back in the apartment. This worked for me as my friends all got some toasties from the Co-op, whilst I went to Beshoff Bros to get some chips. I walked out with calamari and chips, as when it’s on offer I just can’t resist!! So much of their menu can be made gluten free using a separate fryer including things like scampi that are hardly ever a gluten free option! I would definitely recommend this fish and chip restaurant on a trip to Dublin, they had plenty of tables to sit in too if you don’t want a takeaway.

Mak at D6

Through following @coeliacdublin on instagram and a well timed post the week before my trip I found out about Mak at D6, a gluten free Chinese that actually has a Coeliac menu. I was so excited especially when checking for veggie options I realised that lots of their dishes could be made with tofu so lots of choice for everyone. It’s a little further out of Dublin than all the restaurants around Temple Bar but it’s really worth it. Gluten free Chinese is such a treat anyway, but my non gluten free friends also loved the food. One of them thought it was the best Chinese they had ever had – high praise indeed! We walked there, I think it took about an hour but we stopped at the park and at gift shops along the way. After the meal we just got a taxi back at around €15.

My starter was salt and pepper prawns in a tempura batter, anything battered is a treat if you’re Coeliac!

My main meal after a lot of deliberation was the sweet chilli chicken.

We also all shared some egg fried rice and veggie noodles and I was in heaven! I did post my meal on Instagram and I had a few comments about the price, however Dublin as a city is pricey so we didn’t pay anymore for this meal than a lot of others I was researching. If you visit Dublin and like Chinese then do yourself a favour and go to this restaurant!

Hanley’s Cornish Pasties

My local Coeliac friend Gill, @thegf_gf on Insta very conveniently visited Dublin the weekend before me and tipped me off about Coeliac safe Cornish pasties. They come wrapped so you know they haven’t been contaminated! There was a cheese and onion pasty and a Cornish pasty which I opted for. I ended up not eating mine for a while as my friends were leaving Dublin for their flights and I picked this up on the way to my hotel that I was staying at for work. This was a mistake as it went a bit soggy in the packet.

Milano

Otherwise known in England as Pizza Express, Milano is located in Dublin with the same gluten free menu. As I had overindulged all weekend and wasn’t hungry enough for a full pizza, and wanting garlic dough balls I ordered a kids meal to the hotel using uber eats! I got a kids size pizza, dough balls and a bottle of diet coke to replace the gluten free bite size brownie that they had run out of. I’m not sure they will serve you the kids deal in the restaurant but it was just what I needed to have a bit of everything whilst chilling out in the hotel!

Beshoffs Fish and Chips

Whilst working on the Monday I needed to find some lunch and I wasn’t located in Temple Bar or the main part of the city centre. I used the find me gluten free app and it took me to Beshoffs that had a gluten free menu. I wouldn’t normally have fish and chips twice in one weekend but I needed something to get me through the day at work and late night flight home and there wasn’t much else around.

I opted for the kids size fish and chips so that I could also order some gluten free onion rings to have on the side. I definitely didn’t eat all of this but it was really good!

As I was working in the same location for my 2023 visit and stayed at a hotel near here, I revisited Beshoffs and had an excellent portion of calamari and chips.

Flanagans Bar and Restaurant 

Also in this area of Dublin, Flanagans was the restaurant I was taken to on a business lunch. Fortunately they had a couple of gluten free options so I had the Irish stew with gluten free bread. The stew was ok, the bread was very gluten free, and the service wasn’t that friendly with my meal served so sloppily and all over the bowl, so honestly I wouldn’t hurry back but it could be an option if you are staying near here like I was.

Bunsen 

I was really looking forward to trying Bunsen and I have seen their burgers recommended by so many online. It has a simple menu focusing on burgers and fries and from what I could work out it is just the normal buns and beer that contain gluten. However, despite all the rave reviews I didn’t find the experience that friendly. When asking about gluten free they told me the disclaimer that it was a mixed kitchen and that they couldn’t guarantee anything so many times I almost left. However, I did establish that they take cross contamination measures and tried their best with the normal buns kept separate so I stayed. I wouldn’t recommend that you head here though over other places on this list, especially as the burger in my opinion was pricey and nothing special.

The Port House 

The other restaurant that I ate at in Dublin was The Port House, one of the evenings with colleagues. This is a restaurant that I know and love in London (a hidden gem on The Strand that seems to remain under the radar for gluten free in London). The Port House uses gluten free flour and dedicated fryers for the fried food options resulting in calamari, breaded cheese in honey and ham croquettes all being on the menu in Dublin.

I have visited the London branch with friends and eaten so many of their dishes – it really is one for the gluten free bucket list. Order multiple dishes and share as many as you can, because you can!

The Porter House

Completely separate to The Port House, The Porter House bar has a gluten free menu with options such as bangers and mash, mussels, wings and chips. Sadly the Irish stew is no longer gluten free.

Spar

On Monday morning the hotel did breakfast and they marked allergens on the menu, but I instead just grabbed some cereal bars from the local Spar to keep me going! I spotted all sorts over the weekend in Spar including some gluten free crisps, Foods of Athenry cookie bites and lots of gluten free snacks. We also got some Cadbury’s buttons to share at the apartment one of the nights, but they were expensive. If you visit Mak then the prices at that Spar were a lot cheaper than the ones around Temple Bar.

Dublin Airport

I found lots of sweet treats at Dublin Airport – Foods of Athenry cake bars and cookies in particular sold in a few of the shops.

Marquette also had a gluten free chicken salad sandwich, at both their branches that I saw – one in the arrivals hall and one in departures, but the bread again looked pretty gluten free!

Other Recommendations

• Definitely check out Bryony’s Metro article too for some recommendations.
• Follow @coeliacdublin on Instagram to keep up to date with places to go in the City!

Sightseeing In Dublin

We didn’t actually do much whilst in Dublin, using it as a weekend to catch up and relax.

We did go to the Castle and have a wander around the shops, Temple Bar and university. The weather, despite being August was grey and bleak. I had similar weather in January but the city was still decorated for Christmas.

If I went back with Paul I would also go to the Guinness Factory but as a Coeliac away with friends that don’t drink that much we were the wrong audience. It was a great place though to get away with plenty of places to eat, drink and overindulge Coeliac or not and I would love to go back with Paul for a long weekend. Temple Bar may be touristy and expensive, but we loved the vibe and live music and would definitely go back.

Tips for Dublin

• Hotels, food and drink in Dublin is expensive so do make sure you budget correctly for your trip, it’s easy to get carried away due to the cheap flights but it may not be the budget trip you’re planning just because you’ve found some bargain travel.
• Getting a bus from the airport to central Dublin is really easy and I did it on both trips with no problems.

Whatever you plan for a weekend in Dublin I hope that you have an amazing time, especially if it is the start of a longer trip around Ireland which is definitely on my bucket list.

Wishing you happy travels, with no gluten.

Note: Writing a gluten free travel blog is a passion project of mine but the website has an annual subscription cost so it actually costs me money to run. If you find my guides helpful please consider buying me a virtual coffee through my kofi link to help me run this free resource for gluten free travel. Thank you!