My wife and I are big foodies so we are always on the lookout for culinary walking tours. We recently took the "Guided Dublin Culinary Walking Tour" and not only was it a great introduction to Irish food culture, our guide Grainne was one of the best guides we have ever had - fun, knowledgeable, really entertaining - the type of person you'd want to spend more time with. The tour lasts 3+ hours and visits three restaurants/pubs, where you get food and beer. But the real fun is not only learning about the history of Dublin, but getting a good feel of the food scene, which has really burgeoned in the past few years. As we walked from restaurant to restaurant most of which are centered in the Temple Bar area, Grainne stopped at various landmarks to give us the background of the origins of Dublin, as well as fun little facts about everything from pub culture to the dating habits of Irish men. At each restaurant, we learned about the history of Irish food and drink as well as insight into the importance of agriculture in the country. As you might expect, we did sample potatoes although they were prepared in a number of different ways - all delicious, as well as beef, fish & chips, and Irish coffee. She also had great suggestions for other fun restaurants, pubs, music places, and the Saturday morning farmers market in Temple Bar (where we scored some amazing cheeses, bread and more.) When we told her of our itinerary, she emailed us the next day to tell us about great food places to explore on our trip. If you're coming to Ireland/Dublin for the first time, try to do this on your first night because it's a great introduction to this beautiful city and country, but come hungry. You won't leave that way.
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