As a passionate vegan food lover in my mid-twenties, I have had the pleasure of being able to experience many delicious restaurants to fulfill my food desires. When I decided to become a vegan about four years ago, I decided that I would do some research on where to go to get the best vegan friendly food in Dublin and on the outskirts of Dublin. I began my research by hoarding Instagram with vegan hashtags and to my surprise many restaurants appeared on my feed offering vegan friendly options on menus, and better still some restaurants only served vegan dishes to their customers. After conducting my research, I realised that I was never going to be stuck for vegan food in Dublin. The restaurants are The Happy Pear, Umi Falafel and Urbanity and I will now discuss why you should go and give these restaurants your business if you haven’t already! These are my top three places to go for vegan friendly food in Dublin. Each of these places are either very high up on Irish influencer's lists of places to eat in Dublin, are either very reasonably priced or are trendy places to eat in Dublin today for those that are vegan food lovers.
The Happy Pear is located in Greystones. It was founded by two brothers, David and Steven Flynn in 2004. This restaurant is perfect for young women who are foodies and love to be influenced by Ireland’s influencer's, as The Happy Pear is at the top of Rozanna Purcell’s list of places to eat. For those of you who might not know who Rozanna Purcell is, she is one of Ireland’s top food and fitness bloggers and is also a vegan herself. She swears by the food that The Happy Pear offer, which includes a wide range of homemade vegan food, either as a takeaway or to stay in and eat in their restaurant. Another thing that is very appealing about this restaurant is that you can use it as a destination after completing a beautiful walk along Dublin/Wicklow's seafront, which is called the Bray to Gresytones walk. The Happy Pear has also been successful not only in its restaurant, but they have published many cookbooks and succeeded in breaking into the food market, and provide consumers with healthy alternatives in their local grocery stores.
Umi Falafel is another delicious restaurant for vegan food lovers, located in the heart of Dublin City Center, on Dame Street. And of course, their signature dish are their falafels, a traditional Lebanese food. Everyone that I have spoken to about this restaurant have only had good things to say, such as, “the best Mediterranean vegan food in Dublin”. This restaurant is in the style of a fast food restaurant as their service is very quick and simple. Once you arrive in the restaurant you place your order and then pay and by the time you’ve paid and sat down at your table the food is more or less at your table. This restaurant is a fan favourite for those who are constantly on the run, as your falafel is made in the same time as Big Mac, but only a third of the calories. Umi Falafel has very chique and trendy interior, which would be perfect for quick Instagram photo, as seen below.
Urbanity is the third restaurant that I have on my list for places you must go as a vegan food lover. This restaurant is situated in Smithfield, just off the River Liffey, in Dublin City Centre. Urbanity is slightly more expensive than The Happy Pear and Umi Falafel, but equally as tasty. Their menu offers a wide variety of vegan foods, from grilled Halloumi and Salmon, to eggs and avocado and much more. According to Trip Advisor, it’s the best brunch spot in Dublin and I couldn’t agree more. This is a perfect place to go if you’re feeling like treating yourself with your friends or simply feeling like some self-love on a Saturday or Sunday morning.
I hope that I have inspired many readers out there to take the plunge and become a vegan. As I have shown, there are many easily accessible, good quality, vegan food restaurants in Dublin.