Not so long ago, Ireland was a bit of a culinary backwater, renowned chiefly for its blood sausage, crubeens (pigs’ feet), mutton stews and beef-and-Guinness pies. But Dublin now boasts a dynamic dining scene with chefs sourcing their produce from local farms or their own kitchen gardens. Below are the restaurants that we tried — both hits and misses — on our recent trip. As with hotels, we review restaurants anonymously and pay the full rate for all our meals.

Mae

Chef Gráinne O’Keefe’s newest restaurant, named for her grandmother, opened in August 2021 in the affluent Ballsbridge neighborhood. Set above the French Paradox wine shop, Mae serves “modern, seasonal cooking.” A single tasting menu is offered in the restaurant’s long, narrow dining room, which contains only six tables and three counter seats. Our friendly waiter walked us through the dishes and enthusiastically described the wine pairings. The highlight of our meal was the miso-glazed trout in a rich trout caviar beurre blanc topped with asparagus stems and paired with an aromatic and floral Château de Monterminod Roussette de Savoie.

Mae
53 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin. Tel. (353) 1-231-3903