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Dublin
at Christmas If
you are planning on visiting Dublin for Christmas make sure that you are either
staying with friends or family, staying at a hotel that is going to be open or
renting a self catering property like those advertised on a holiday homes website.
Unlike France, Italy or England it is very difficult to actually eat out, or even
get a drink on Christmas day. The reason is that traditionally it is a day when
a family is meant to be together. By Philip
Suter Updated
January 2010 Here December
2011 Clontarf, Dublin 3 Restaurant and Pub reviews Here ______________________________________
If you are planning on visiting Dublin for Christmas make sure that you are either
staying with friends or family, staying at a hotel that is going to be open or
renting a self catering property like those advertised on a holiday homes website
like jmlvillas.com
for example.
Unlike
France, Italy or England it is very difficult to actually eat out, or even get
a drink on Christmas day. The reason is that traditionally it is a day when a
family is meant to be together. I
tried in both 2007 and 2008 to find a restaurant or hotel that was open for Christmas
lunch. It is nearly impossible.
Most hotels close early afternoon on Christmas Eve and don't usually open again
till lunchtime on the day after St Stephens Day (Boxing day) the 27th. The pubs
will close early on Christmas Eve and some will open on St Stephens Day. Many
Guest Houses and bed and breakfast establishments also closed. A lot of bar staff
in Ireland used to be members of a union and it was agreed therefore that pubs
would not open. Although the situation with staff will have changed a lot today,
the same rules apply to opening. They don't!!
I discovered that
a hotel in Drumcondra on the way to the airport is open for Christmas Lunch, however
their arrangements included a small entertainment variety show. A hotel that is
part of an American chain was open as well in the centre for a 4 course brunch.
The price quoted was 160 euro per person without drink or service charges. They
had two sittings and if you were a family of five after spending nearly a thousand
euro taking the first sitting you would have to vacate quite quickly to let the
second sitting take over. Another
hotel in the centre near Grafton Street that is Irish owned was also open, but
by coincidence the price was exactly the same.
Looking outside Dublin, hotels around the country that were open and took guests
for 2 or 3 nights were generally much more expensive than they would normally
be. I stayed at a fabulous hotel on the west coat for the second time last June.
Like the others I discovered their Christmas break prices had gone up considerably.
With the credit crunch biting hard in Ireland, it will be interesting to see if
this changes for Christmas 2009. If
you are thinking of taking a break in Ireland over Christmas all of this is worth
considering as the only place you might find open on Christmas day is the odd
Chinese restaurant or petrol service station.
Left: Something to do on Christmas day a walk on Dollymount Strand (Beach), Clontarf,
Dublin
The
40 Foot, Sandycove, Dublin on Christmas Day (Click on pictures to enlarge) There
is a tradional swim, more like a jump from the 40 Foot rock at Sandycove just
along the coast from Dun Laoghaire. 2009 was a sunny but very cold Friday with
ice on the pavement and roads. Hundreds of brave individuals put on their swimming
gear to climb the rock and jump or dive into the freezing cold water. Apparently
for over 100 years people have taken part in this event.
December
2012 - Reviews Picasso,
Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3 -
Visited 18th December 11 The
restaurant is located in Clontarf a suburb of Dublin and is a very short distance
from the sea just off the main Dublin to Howth Road. For some reason or other
you have to ring the doorbell to gain entry to this restaurant that has been well
decorated. It
was a Sunday evening before Christmas and there were quite a few diners in there.
The cuisine is Italian and there were three of us in the party. Two
of us had starters and all three had the same main course - Veal, with a bottle
of wine costing €29 which is about the average price. As often happens in Irish
restaurants, they do not try and sell you mineral water, but come along with jugs
of tap water, which is a very good tradition. Although
an Italian restaurant themed menu the bread was a choice of Irish brown and white,
full of it's distinct flavour that you only get with Irish bread. One
of the party had a desert. The portions were generous and we finished with coffee
and tea. We
were offered complimentary liqueurs, but two of us were driving and as Ireland
has recently introduced tougher drink
drive laws and also in the week leading up to Christmas
was not going to take any chances. The
staff were friendly and the only comment I would have, was why use bowls of granulated
sugar to accompany the excellent coffee. Maybe this is another reminder from the
past that I used to find in Irish restaurants going back 20 years. The
final bill for three came to €149 including the tip I left behind. We would certainly
return again. Moloughneys,
Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3 - Visited 23rd December 11 This
restaurant is located close to a number of smart restaurants and shops in Vernon
Avenue, Clontarf a suburb on the north side of Dublin by the sea. My
wife has been there before and dining is on two floors. The building itself looks
like a large spacious semi detached house with the interior knocked through, but
still retaining all its charm and two fireplaces adding even more atmosphere. We
were seated\on the ground floor and three in the party. We had booked as it was
the day before Christmas Eve and was very busy. There were three of us in the
party and we decided to have starters and a main course and a bottle of Rioja
that cost €29. Eating a mixture of starters costing around €7.50 and then moving
onto the main course (2 fish and 1 rabbit) costing around €17.50. I
had a dessert, unfortunately the Christmas pudding had run out by then, but the
substitute was good. Complimentary
Irish bread and fresh water tap water was provided and the staff were very helpful.
We did not have tea or coffee. The
final bill came to €137.50 including a tip and we would certainly come back there
again. The
Yacht, Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3 - Visited 28th December
11 The
Yacht was completely renovated and extended a few years ago. A great deal of money
was spent on this pub that overlooks the sea on the road running through Clontarf,
past Dollymount and onward to Sutton and Howth. After
the extension was built there is still room for parking although there is a public
car park nearly opposite. In good weather you can sit outside and eat or drink
overlooking the sea. I
have been in there several times since it re-opened and it has a great atmosphere
with open fires and friendly staff, although as there are so many loudspeakers
around it can be rather noisy. During
the day they operate a carvery and on every daytime visit I have made, it has
always been busy. In
the evenings if you want to eat or drink there is a large waiting staff team to
assist you. We went there on the 28th December and all the pubs were back in business
following the Christmas break. At
present in Ireland the law states that pubs must shut on the two holiest days
of the year. Good Friday and Christmas Day. With a much more cosmopolitan culture
this century, hopefully these laws will change. The
food in the evening at The Yacht is typical pub food. There were three of us and
at 8.30 ish the first main course choice for one of the party was not available
and a curry was chosen instead. There are a lot better curries available in pubs,
however there is quite an extensive menu. The other two main courses were a Cesar
salad and a stir fry. We did not have starters or deserts and drank a mixture
of red wine by the glass, Guinness and Smithwicks beer. The
final price including a tip was €65. I would return again, as I have been before,
however next time my feel that fish and chips could be the better option. We will
be back. One
disappointing issue with so many Irish pubs is the lack of choice when it comes
to beer. There is naturally always Guinness, but then there is in so many pubs
and bars throughout the world. You will normally find a couple of varieties of
lager, but unlike in England where you will often find a couple of varieties of
major brewery's beers plus real ale, in my experience in Ireland so many bars
have a limited choice. Caffreys,
Macardle's and Beamish are a couple of examples, but I have rarely walked into
a bar where there was anything other than Smithwicks. Ireland has come on so far
in the choice of food and drink in the last thirty years from an era where you
would ask for a "Harp" lager and be offered a bottle that was rather warm kept
on shelves behind the bar. There does need to be more choice in of beer (other
than lager and stout) to drink in Irish bars so it would be really great if the
situation will change for the better in the future. Touring
Ireland by car - need to rent a car? Click on Car Rentals for Ireland for more
information
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