5 Exceptionally Delicious Salads You Need to Try in Dublin Right Now
Words: Hannah Lemass
images: Instagram
There’s something about the dawn of spring and the first wafts of sunshine that immediately make us start to crave certain things, ice cream, barbecues, day drinking, and, of course, salads.
When it gets a bit warmer, our cravings tend to turn towards lighter fare. That’s not to say it’s time for a diet. We don’t diet around here, partner. We still want explosions of flavour, comfort and satisfaction in every bite. Salads don’t have to be boring bowls of rabbit food and these restaurants are proving that.
So here are the tastiest salads in Dublin right now.
Tiller + Grain Salad Box
Anything but boring, Tiller & Grain has a real knack for putting together exciting and vibrant plates of sunshine with their salad options. Founder and head chef Claire Dowling and her team are dedicated to supporting local producers adding their little bit of magic to seasonal ingredients to create absolute masterpieces. Their salads change regularly to make the most of what’s in season, but you can always add a delicious protein too, with chicken and fish always available to give your meal a boost.
Toca Tapioca House’s Sam-Bowl
Toca Tapioca is known for its spectacular açai bowls, but don’t sleep on their salads. The Sam-Bowl is a delightful, fresh, and summery dish packed with crisp seasonal Irish leaves, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and avocado, with delicious flavour bombs of sweet and savoury from fresh plum mango and smoked farofa. A tasty bit of proof that salad can be nutritious, filling, and refreshing all at once.
Sprout’s Bangkok Fish Bowl
Obviously, Sprout is Ireland’s salad king right now, and everyone has a favourite bowl. They’re all pretty much knockouts, but one of the newer additions is a true standout. The Thai-inspired Bangkok Fish Bowl is the perfect mix of sweet, savoury, and spice. Its miso glazed freshwater trout, lemony rice, charred broccoli salad, som tam salad, fresh herbs, and sticky coconut cashews, all topped off with spicy cashew dressing and Jaew, a Thai sweet chilli sauce.
Chimac’s Sesame Caeser
Not your mama’s Caesar salad. In fact, it’s nothing like a Caesar salad. It’s a savoury, slightly spicy, and sweet symphony. You get that famous crispy Chimac-style Korean fried chicken breast atop a sesame and gochugaru kale salad. And that sriracha-candied bacon will ascend you to an ethereal plane. It still has all that moreish Chimac flavour and satisfaction just with one of your five-a-day included. This is a ‘special’ menu item but we’re praying to the Salad Gods to make it a permanent fixture.
Smokin Bones’ Asian Salad
Yes, one of Dublin’s best salads is hiding in a BBQ restaurant, and while that may shock you, it’s actually one of the best things on the menu. Fresh leaves with crunchy Asian slaw and a deliciously sweet and sticky sauce, all topped with a massive mound of BBQ pulled pork. It’s absolutely delicious. It might not be the healthiest option for salad purists, but this isn’t about counting calories, it’s about having a good time. And sure, at least you’re smashing your protein goals with this one.
