Isabelle's Restaurant

You'll find yourself on Anne Street South, that quietly brilliant stretch near Grafton Street where locals actually eat rather than tourists queuing round the block. Isabelle's has the kind of unfussy elegance that comes from knowing exactly what it's doing—solid French techniques applied to ingredients that matter, without the theatre or the price tag that usually comes with that territory. The dining room feels lived-in rather than precious, the sort of place where regulars have their spots and the staff know what you're after before you've decided yourself. It's the restaurant Dublin needs more of: good cooking, decent wine, reasonable prices, and absolutely no pretence.