Searching for a sausage roll in Dublin is like looking for a sockless barista with a beard - you’ll find loads but unfortunately not all are created equally, and the overly flaky, greasy ones that came out of a giant box in the freezer are best avoided. Yes the option of buying three for a euro in your local deli may be tempting but we would encourage you to resist the mass-produced rolls of questionable content, and present to you five alternatives that are on our list to seek-out this week. NB: This is not a definitive Dublin sausage roll list. These are just some that we currently have our eyes on. A definitive list is on the way after some more taste testing... 1) Alma, Portobello
Sometimes feels like the team in Alma don’t just feed us, they educate us. Before they came along,we didn’t realise we had a loaded batata-shaped hole in our lives, nor did we realise that the humble sausage roll could be elevated to new heights with the addition of chimmichurri. A revelation.
2) Greenville Café, Tara Street
When we heard that Tara St was getting a new café, we raised an eyebrow. Greenville Deli is within strolling distance of Shoe Lane Café, Póg, and Bread 41 so lots of competition from established names with loyal followings, but seeing these pork, pancetta, sage, fennel seed, and onion sausage rolls shot it to the top of our detour list.
3) Strudel Bakery, Dun Laoghaire
Strudel tried calling these hot dogs, but customers started referring to them as 'Frankfurter Thingies', so it stuck. They’re sausages with mustard baked in flaky pastry so we’re calling them sausage rolls.
4) Green Bench Café
We’ve long been fans of Green Bench Café and their gigantic sandwiches, but are very open to mixing it up in this cooler weather in favour of these meaty mouthfuls when they’re hot out of the oven every Friday. The start every October weekend needs.
5) Love Supreme
We couldn't discuss Dublin's sausage rolls without mentioning Love Supreme. They’re huge, beautifully misshapen, and the varieties on offer are varied and imaginative. If you’re looking for a pasty all-pork filling, you won’t find it here, but you will find pork with pear & cardamom, red bean with chilli and coconut, or lamb with cranberries, sumac, and sriracha. Consider this to be the official launch of our petition to get the turkey, ham, stuffing, and cranberry sausage roll back on the menu in time for Christmas.
