Having visited Dublin a number of times in the last couple of years, I’ve made it my pursuit to explore the best of the foodie scene the Irish capital city provides. And between delightful patisseries and fantastic coffee shops, it’s fair to state that there’s an abundance of wonderful culinary experiences to be had besides the beer! One place which particularly caught my eye on my most recent visit was Dollard & Co. Food Hall, a food court offering a deli counter, coffee, along with a shop area selling unique foodstuffs…
A brief history of Dollard & Co. Food Hall
Located within the Temple Bar district of the city, an area best-known because of its wealth of pubs, inns, and taverns and proximity to the Ha’Penny Bridge, Dollard and Co is really a newcomer to town, having only opened in mid-2020. The luxurious food court is housed within the historic Dollard Printworks, a late 19th-century building with lots of of its traditional features being lovingly restored to their former glory.
Inside the spacious open-floor layout, there are many different sections where one can buy consumables in a variety of prices (if you should know before visiting that the store is a touch pricier than most of the other takeaway and supermarket-style shops in the region);
Pizza Bar: Hands down, the best corner from the shop was the pizza counter, where you can find a variety of flavours available to purchase by the slice, or entire pizza pie if you’re having a larger group. I personannly loved my slice of wild mushroom and olives pizza, though there will also be meat flavours, as well as traditional margherita available.
Pastry Corner: Almost as soon as you go into the shop, in the center of the store floor between the pizza counter and the coffee service, there’s a stand selling all kinds of freshly baked pastries. From almond croissants to melt in your mouth brownies, Personally, i enjoyed a blueberry muffin.
Deli counter: For those who are thinking about purchasing some fresh refrigerated products, a deli counter offers speciality olives, cold cuts, as well as an impressive choice of fresh cheeses from near to Dublin and beyond. You may also construct your own ‘cheese tasting board’ to take towards the chairs and tables in front of the store and pair your snack with a glass of wine.
Bakery: As you might expect from the range of artisanal foods and native authentic products available, there’s also the opportuntity to purchase delicious breadstuffs for example olive loaves, baguttes, and cheese rolls.
Supermarket area: If you are searching for dried and long-lasting supermarket style products after some small twist, there’s several well-stocked shelves. From dried pasta to American candy, you can’t help but leave having obtained a product or two!
How to go to Dollard & Co. Food Hall
Open every day each week, you’ll never be too far from a tasty morsel, snack, or indeed scrumptious slice of pizza when visiting the Temple Bar District. Generally open from between 8/10 AM to 9/10 PM each evening (check up on the web site as opening times vary during the week), wander inside at any time and you can anticipate finding hot and cold offerings, as well as a wide variety of beverages.
Before visiting, I’d read several mixed reviews online. While generally-well reviewed across general review sites, I’d read a couple of more in-depth pieces which suggested that waiting times could be a little more than you’d expect and that the caliber of the food could occasionally be hit and miss.
Well, within my recent weekend in Dublin, I actually became of visit twice; once to grab a pastry and occasional, and the other to grab a couple of slices of pizza along with a beer for dinner. Both times Personally, i found the plan to be fast and efficient; my food was fresh and while the pizza wasn’t as good as say, a slice I’d had a couple of days prior in NYC, it was certainly much better than your usual fare!
While your wine selection is a touch limited (as has been noted in other Dollard & Co. Food Court Reviews), I discovered the soda selection and beers on offer a lot more than made up for the fact. Between speciality sodas, sour beers, and traditional brews, there was ample choice for even the choosiest of consumers. Overall, I highly recommend a pit visit Dollard and Co during Temple District, if perhaps to prevent for any crumbly croissant and piping hot mug of coffee!
