Last Updated on March 3, 2020 by AIFS Abroad Customized Faculty-Led
In a city that’s renowned for its meat eaters and meat dishes alike, one would anticipate any leafy, green thing to be kept at distance. Surprisingly, there’s more to the vegan options in this town than just side salads! Adoration for dishes like mutton stew and bacon are now accompanied by many animal-byproduct-free dishes. After all, the Irish are known for loving their greenery!
My friends and I were only in Dublin for about 72 hours, which is not nearly enough time to experience the wide range of plant-based food this city has to offer. Being a mixed bunch of meat-eaters and vegans, we took turns picking which places to dine. Luckily, even the grungiest, meatiest of pubs had dishes I (as a vegan) could eat. Enjoy the list (and pictures)!
Breakfast:
The only sit-down breakfast we had time for was at KC Peaches. KC Peaches is a chain restaurant in Dublin that had everything from plant-based and gluten free to traditional breakfast choices. I had an almond milk latte and avocado toast topped with veggies and I also grabbed a vegan maple pecan bar for the road!
Lunch:
Happy Food is an all vegan restaurant about 18 minutes south of Dublin by foot. It’s a vegan must! They had an elaborate menu with options ranging from lunch to milkshakes and desserts to cocktails. The best part was that I could pick anything off of the menu! Needless to say, I stuffed my face. Pad Thai (pictured below) was my main course. For dessert, I splurged and got a chocolate milkshake and a homemade snickers bar. Both were delicious! Did I mention I have a bit of a sweet tooth? My non-vegan accomplices loved their meals too! One ordered a ‘Burger Bowl,’ or a sweet potato and black bean burger, (also pictured below) that was topped with veggies and a delectable dressing.
Dinner:
The first night we were in the city, we stopped at a pub called Bad Ass. The bar is in Temple Bar, the tourist mecca of Dublin, and the food was actually quite tasty. This place is a great stop for a group of friends with different diets. As the only vegan in my group, I had an order of steamed vegetables that were so divinely sautéed, I ordered a second portion. To add to the quintessential Irish pub experience, I paired my veggies with vinegar chips and a pint of Guinness beer. The restaurant was so good that we ended up staying for over two hours.
Cornucopia is another vegetarian / vegan friendly place we stopped at for dinner on a different night. Cornucopia is conveniently located in the city center. Discernibly, it was mine and my friend’s favorite meal that we ate all weekend! The restaurant is a counter service, home-like restaurant to casually dine at and hang out. We all chose the Indian Curry and I got a slice of floral orange cake (both pictured below) for us to share. It was very filling and reasonably priced! I would 10/10 recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Dublin.
Afternoon Delight:
St. Stephen’s Green is the perfect spot for an afternoon snack in Dublin’s city center. Adjacent to the main entrance of the park is The Rolling Donut, an amazing donut store that caters to vegans and vegetarians. The Rolling Donut had so many different vegan options, I can’t remember them all! My donut of choice was lemon poppy seed and it was super yummy.
Happy travels and happy eating, fellow Dubliners!
Madelyn Newton is a student at the University of Georgia, studying abroad in London, England through an AIFS Customized Faculty-Led program. Madelyn, or Mads, will be graduating Fall 2018 with her Bachelors in Fashion Merchandising and Sustainability.
