We all know that salad and sunshine go together like… well, tasty cold food and hot weather. We’re officially at that time in the year where eating salad for at least one meal a day stops being an unchecked item on your to-do list, and turns into an activity to plan your day, and Insta stories, around. In an attempt to appease the Weather Gods, here’s our favourite spots to eat salad in Dublin.
Tiller + Grain
After over a year of limited social contact and severely curtailed travel, we’re all feeling the need for some sun on our faces and a serious injection of vitamins. While we may or may not get away on holidays this year, at least we can order sunshine in a bowl from Tiller + Grain, and be instantly transported to Greece, Spain or Morocco through their vivid salads, which are really in a league of their own.
Shouk
When in doubt, add cheese. Shouk in Drumcondra is one of our go-tos for excellent salads, like Morroccan carrot, aubergine and red pepper, and fried cauliflower, but their whopper 'Shouk Salad' will show you the light. Rocket, cucumber, cherry tomato, mushrooms, red onion, scallions, radish, olives, parsley, fried pita bites, and sumac za’atar olive oil dressing under a mountain of Turkish cheese equals good salad times.
Nutbutter
Picture a small child who has just discovered a forgotten pack of Smarties and has managed to snaffle them all before the box can be prized out of their clammy little hands; that’s how excited we were to have Nutbutter back at the end of 2020, after a short hiatus to move to different premises in Grand Canal Dock. While we’re going to have to wait a while to be able to sit in the restaurant and enjoy their décor, their salads are always beautiful, healthy, and basically a hug for your insides.
Kale + Coco
We’ve long loved Kale + Coco in Stoneybatter for their fresh and vibrant salads, but their ability to come up with punny names gives us additional joy. Their menu currently boasts the You Guac My World (lettuce, quinoa, spicy roasted veg, black beans, corn salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips with a spicy cashew and lime dressing) and the Miso Hungry (miso-roasted aubergine, black rice, spinach, sweet potato, broccoli, pomegranate, and a tahini, lemon and garlic dressing).
Tang
Tang is really good at adding vegetables to dressings and making it all look and taste incredibly beautiful, and the good news is that both of their locations - Abbey Street and Dawson Street - are now open. The salad selection changes daily but always comes with their amazing hummus.
Little Bird
Little Bird, the vegetarian café and yoga studio on the South Circular Road, creates seriously beautiful salad plates and salad-based specials, that frequently make us think our Instagram timeline has been infiltrated by rainbows. Like this recent special of roasted beetroot, pearl barley, feta, toasted walnuts and mixed leaves with a raspberry vinaigrette. Magnificent.
Laine My Love
If you’re a regular at Laine My Love, and you totally should be, you'll know that it's important to get there for a salad box before they run low on hummus. We’re so looking to sitting in one of their window seats eating salad from an actual plate, looking out at the equally colourful Talbot Street, but until then we'll settle for a street bench.
As One
After over a year of pretty much constant anxiety and pastries, now is probably a good time to get a little more health-conscious. As One on City Quay has a menu focused on gut-health as a way of improving overall wellness and their menu has lots of great salad options designed to make your body very grateful to you.
Toonsbridge Dairy
Are you going to be able to go to Toonsbridge Dairy and come out with just enough from the deli counter to make yourself lunch? No. Are you going to be able to resist the cannoli? Also no. That’s okay, a salad and a dessert is the best mid-week summer lunch option ever. You deserve it.
Honey Truffle Kitchen
Some cafés do one thing really well, and then others seems to just turn out magic dish after magic dish. Honey Truffle Kitchen is the latter. Back in normal times, the queue at lunch was out the door with hungry students and local office workers happily waiting for sweet and savoury bakes, sandwiches, and especially salads. The selection constantly changes but is always fresh and interesting.
Press Café
You’ll find Press Café at the National Print Museum on Haddington Road and we hope that their suntrap courtyard will be put to good use this summer. Lots of salads and salad-based specials are available, including a breakfast salad of poached egg, grilled chorizo, tomato, avocado, and rocket with sourdough. Ideal Monday-morning option when you’ve overdone it at the weekend.
Póg
Would any list about Dublin salads be complete without including Póg? Sure, we’d probably all prefer to be eating a stack of pancakes but we can’t do that every day so branch out and opt for a salad with halloumi, chicken or eggs, or opt for the pad thai salad when you feel like something a bit more exotic.
What are your favourite places for a salad in Dublin? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie
