Restaurant review: Things will be great when you're Dinetown
The Food Market beside the Iveagh Market on Francis St Dublin .which is open weekly from Thursday to Sunday inclusive. Photographs: Moya Nolan
- DinetownÂ
- Gursha Ethiopian; Hangar Steak & Seafood; The Sambo Ambo; Ciao Cannoli; Serious Dough Pizza
- Times: Thursday - Sunday 5pm-9pm (note: times may vary per food truck).
- The Iveagh Market, Francis Street, Dublin 8.
- dinetown.ie
The Liberties between Christ Church and the Guinness Brewery is as old as Dublin. Having long been neglected and with little investment, it has now become one of the best places in the city for good food.
Of course any proper Dubliner will tell you of one longstanding culinary highlight in the shape of Fusco’s chipper on Meath Street — probably my favourite place in the city for Fresh Cod and Chips (yes I prefer it to Burdocks). But that was about it until Spitalfields and Variety Jones opened in 2018-2019 and hopefully they will be back open soon for indoor dining.
In the meantime I recommend a visit to Dinetown and the Roe & Co. distillery, where Nightmarket Thai restaurant will be in residence from this weekend followed by Matsu Ramen and Lil Portie Caribbean in subsequent weeks. As a guest of the distillery, I got to try the outstanding Bahay pop-up a week ago where creative tasty Filipino food was matched with specially created cocktails. Hats off to the Roe & Co. mixologist who is creating bespoke cocktails for each new restaurant dish. I'll return to Bahay another day but do follow them at @bahay_dub to see where they move next.
But back to Dinetown, which is a brand new food truck space beside the old Iveagh Markets at the top of Francis St. The beautiful old Edwardian market was created by the Guinness family so that market traders in the area could operate in some comfort but in recent years it was in development hell and had fallen into disrepair.
Dinetown is curated and directed by Marcus O’Laoire who owns the Anti-Social Pub further down Francis St. O’Laoire’s food truck, the Sambo Ambo, is in Dinetown from Tuesday to Sunday with toasties for lunch and hamburgers for dinner.
My lunchtime Reuben Toastie (€6.50) was solid and tasty with lots of Pastrami, Pickles and Sauerkraut on good Bretzel bread but the Ambo’s finest offering is their meaty, juicy hamburgers. My ‘Ambo Burger’ (€10) had two smashed 4oz burgers made from good quality beef topped with bacon, cheddar, grilled onions and ‘Ambo’ sauce in a Blaa style bun — tasty, meaty and richly flavoured and as satisfying a burger as I’ve had all year.
Late in 2020 I lucked out and scored a reservation at Gursha Ethiopian Supper Club Pop-Up, and brought an Ethiopian friend. We were blown away by the food which managed to be both sophisticated and comforting but my review was put on hold once indoor dining ceased. The good news is that Gursha is now in Dinetown every weekend and the food is as good as ever.
Ethiopian food is served on injira bread, a slightly sour fermented flatbread with a texture not unlike a thick pancake. It is best to allow Gursha to select some meat or vegetarian dishes to go on top but I recommend the spicy Misir Wat lentils, Keysir Wat beetroot, onion and potatoes with ginger and Doro Wat chicken stew. It is tremendously satisfying tearing off pieces of injera and picking up pieces of meat, veg. and spicy lentils. Note, you should bring a friend too so you can practice ‘Gursha’ which means to feed a loved one with your hand as an act of friendship or love.
Hangar might be the crowd-pleaser of Dinetown, as who doesn’t crave properly grilled beef and crispy chips cooked in beef fat — some of the best chips I’ve ever eaten. Over my two visits I tried the Picaña rump steak and the Hangar Steak (Onglet) with fries (€14) which came with outstandingly rich and complex gravy or fruity, zingy chimichurri for dipping. The steak was excellent quality and expertly cooked - watch too for the delicious Beef Heart and Onions and the Beef Tartare (€12) with Bloody Mary Ketchup and Parmesan.
I'm out of space now but I also enjoyed the light crispy base and Gubbeen toppings of a 'Serious Dough Pizza' and an extra creamy Pistachio flavoured 'Ciao Cannoli' for dessert.
A drinks licence for Dinetown is imminent (fingers crossed) but I noticed that some people brought their own. Francis Street is already a wonderful street filled with beautiful antique shops and while Dinetown is only getting started, they have the potential to be a destination in their own right.
