Food Markets in Dublin

Temple Bar Food Market

Every Saturday and Sunday 10am - 5pm

Meet Marco – a connoisseur of Mediterranean delights. From olive oils, feta cheese and hummus to sundried tomatoes and anchovies, his stall is a delectable pick ’n’ mix for adults. Marco himself is an irrepressibly cheery character – the fun facts he indulges you with make the perfect side dish to his culinary treats.

For example, did you know the real reason women wear handbags is because way back when, when we were hunter-gatherers, the women-folk had to create a pouch to put their gatherings in? Birthplace of the purse, he says.

But it’s his culinary knowledge that got us – even on the subject of the humble carbonara, which he insists should never contain cream or milk. We didn’t know this, but he does! So to find out more about the true art of ‘Cucina Mediterranea’ take a trip to Meeting House Square in Temple Bar where you’ll find him alongside a whole host of world cuisine. Who knows what else you’ll learn?

Irish Village Markets

Lunchtimes: 11am - 2pm Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
Found in various locations around the city

The Irish Village Market has 18 different varieties of food on offer, so if you can manage to pick only one thing for lunch we salute you. One vendor who caught our eye was Stephen Harper aka ‘the Fish and Chips Guy’. He and his son have created a new take on an old classic. None of your greasy chipper type stuff here – this is about putting some class into your battered cod.

Hand-cut chips are blanched and reheated for the perfect crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside texture. Panko crumbed fish prepared on the day is coated by hand and if you choose a cajun spiced fish, you’ll get a whole new level of flavour in your Dublin fish and chips.

There’s something about the outdoors, good food and friendly faces that perpetuates positivity and if that suits your pallet, check out the website for a full list of locations and timetables.

Howth Market

Every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 10am - 5pm

What better place to have a market than by the seaside? Jump on a northbound DART and you’ll find a quaint little spot on the shore where Howth Market hosts an array of artisan foods and crafts.

We suggest visiting the enigmatic Paddy McDonnell at the Irish BBQ stall. Not only will he happily have ‘the chats’ with you, (the man is so much fun!), but he also stocks locally famous and locally sourced Irish meat. He is all about quality, spending his life tripping from the west to the east side of Ireland and back in search of the best cuts.

He tells us “when people taste the meat they come back for more.” So if you want to delve into famous Irish cuisine at its meatiest, then his burgers and pork steak rolls are for you. He does a mean sausage too!

Dún Laoghaire People’s Park Market

Every Sunday 11am - 4pm

Every Sunday, the beautiful seaside town of Dun Laoghaire (served by the southbound DART) hosts the People’s Park Market. Located near the East Pier, the park comes alive with over 50 vendors trading everything from hot food and baked goods to Irish artisan ingredients and seasonal produce.

We met Mohammad Allaw, a specialist in Lebanese cuisine in Dublin, who told us that he and his father are responsible for bringing ‘the taste of the Lebanon into Ireland’.

He and his father are a dynamic duo, priding themselves on bringing the first traditional Lebanese food to our green shores over twenty years ago. The pair create the cuisine fresh each day at People’s Park Market in Dun Laoghaire – “no one else is allowed to” he assures us. So if they can’t make the food, no one else will – that’s commitment! 

Find your way to good food with this handy map!

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