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# How To Find a Good Place to Eat In Ireland
- URL: https://www.irelandbylocals.com/how-to-find-good-restaurants-in-ireland/
- Published: 2026-09-02T15:59:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-02T16:00:28.000Z
- Author: Ireland by Locals
- Tags: Local Observations

When you're wandering any Irish town looking for somewhere good to eat, stop staring at your phone and start looking at the front doors.

The entrances to our best restaurants display plaques from Irish food critics like **Lucinda O’Sullivan’s stars**, **McKenna’s Guides**, or **Georgina Campbell**. 

These are the critics for Irish newspapers & for locals. They would go hungry rather than eat at a tourist place. 

They’ve eaten all over the country, they're fussy eaters, and they don't hand out awards easily. An award don't mean expensive, it means quality. 

A plaque from a single year is a good sign (though less so if it’s from ten years ago). But if you see a doorway stacked with stars over multiple years? Stop walking. You’ve found your spot. 

But beware the TripAdvisor rating signs, that tells me it’s a tourist trap with good marketing.

[Where Dubliners Eat. Trust locals, not other tourists.Get Dublin restaurant recommendations by someone who actually lives here. Skip the places other tourists suggest and eat with the locals instead![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4a/e7/4ae734df-56b6-4aa1-8dd1-dce3c399fce4/content/images/icon/Logo-fin-copy-1-4524786f-7758-4906-b523-49f55817295b.png)Ireland By LocalsIreland by Locals![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4a/e7/4ae734df-56b6-4aa1-8dd1-dce3c399fce4/content/images/thumbnail/Where-To-Eat-In-Dublin2-1-848d3e71-4dee-40dd-844a-26b1580d319c.jpg)](https://www.irelandbylocals.com/dublin-where-dubliners-eat/)

👀

This is part of my Observations Series. 2-minute snippets of inspiration from around Ireland. [Read more of them here.](https://www.irelandbylocals.com/tag/quick-tips/)

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