Top 4 family friendly restaurants in Dublin
We have always enjoyed dining out as a family – both with my own parents when I was just a kid and now with my own children. I live in the UK now (though I’m from Ireland originally) and love taking my kids to family restaurants in Dublin when we go ‘home’.
So here are my 4 family friendly restaurants in Dublin:
Eddie Rockets
I have been going to Eddie Rockets for years and years and it’s always on our ‘must visit’ list when we go back to Dublin. They have branches all over Ireland though the Stillorgan and Blackrock branches are probably my favourite. You must try the cheesy chips with garlic mayo dip and the milkshakes are to-die-for!! Plus their burgers?? You need to have one! Very casual dining and perfect for eating out with your kids if they are anywhere near as noisy as mine…
Milano
This is actually the Irish version of Pizza Express! Yes it’s true….Pizza Express has 15 restaurants in Ireland that are known by the far more eloquent name of Milano. We tend to go to the Milano in Dundrum and combine it with a visit to some of the toy shops in the shopping centre or a cinema trip. They do a fab kids’s menu with dough balls, pizza, drink and dessert for a reasonable price. It’s one of the main places we can go as a family of five and I know everyone will enjoy it!
Avoca
Oooh Avoca, how I miss you! I grew up not far from the original Avoca in Kilmacanogue and a trip to this gorgeous place really feels like coming home to me. Not only do they have fabulous Irish-made products in the shop, the cafe sell delicious wholesome food. Not a fried chip in site!
The food is beautifully presented and their chefs obviously come up with a varied and ever-changing menu. Although they don’t really mention much about the cafes on their website, I can tell you that they are definitely a big draw to this lovely place. Take the kids for a wander around the grounds of the Kilmacanogue premises, enjoy the gorgeous cafe at the beautiful grounds of Powerscourt or go to the North Side and visit the Avoca Cafe at Malahide Castle – there is loads for the kids to do there too.
Gotham Cafe
I used to pop in here for lunch or dinner during my Uni days when I went to Trinity College in the heart of Dublin. Gotham Cafe uses some super Irish ingredients and has a relaxed feel but is still a step up from the Eddie Rocketts style dining.
Gotham Cafe is fairly good value and the kids can watch their smiley faced pizza being cooked in the woodstone pizza oven in the open kitchen. There’s plenty to do around this area. Take the kids up to Stephen’s Green for a post-meal stroll, watch the buskers on Grafton Street or step back in time at Dublinia!
