Like any modern European city, Dublin offers an eclectic mix of restaurants. For
Italian, head to the Quartier Bloom, opposite Millennium Bridge on the northern
riverbank. For Asian cuisine, try Chinatown on Parnell Street.
Many places serve traditional Irish dishes. Fish is a specialty; The Lord
Edward, opposite Christ Church Cathedral, is reputedly Dublin's oldest
seafood restaurant. Many upscale places offer a modern twist on the traditional
Irish formula of meat, potatoes and vegetables. They include the award-winning
Jacob's Ladder, in a Georgian building next to Trinity College,
and Chapter One, in the basement of the Dublin Writers Museum.
Remember that smoking is banned in all eating and drinking places throughout
Ireland.
Shopping
For souvenir shopping, head to Nassau Street to find crafts such as woolens,
linens, pottery, glassware and jewelry. Take home pieces by Irish designers
Jerpoint, Waterford Crystal and John Rocha, among others. Alternatively, rummage
through the second-hand bookshops around Trinity College (such as the
long-established Greene's) for a copy of Dubliners by James Joyce.
Dublin is also home to some of Ireland's oldest department stores. The
granddad of the group, Arnott's, on Henry Street, dates to 1843.
Brown Thomas, founded in 1849, stocks exclusive designers, both Irish and
international.
Things to do
Trinity College, the alma mater of Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde and Samuel
Beckett, houses the Book of Kells, an elaborate Latin manuscript of the four
Gospels that dates to 800 AD. The Dublin Writers Museum also celebrates the
written word, with rare books, letters and other artifacts from the city's
many literary lights.
Relax in the manicured Phoenix Park, also home to Dublin Zoo, or with a
freshly brewed pint at the Guinness Storehouse. In the evening, catch
high-quality drama at Ireland's national theater, The Abbey.
