The Old Spot

You'll find this spot tucked into a Victorian corner building on Bath Avenue, where the Ballsbridge crowd comes for food that actually justifies calling a pub a gastropub. The dining room strikes that perfect balance between neighbourhood local and somewhere you'd bring your parents for a birthday meal – think exposed brick, wooden floors, and tables you can actually have a conversation across. The kitchen takes Irish ingredients seriously without being precious about it. Their Sunday roast is the stuff of local legend, and weekday menus change with what's good rather than what's convenient. Staff know their wines and won't judge you for ordering a pint with your starter. It's the kind of place that proves Dublin gastropubs don't have to choose between good craic and good food.