Once a rural village in county Dublin, Stillorgan has long been a major suburb of the city - its importance confirmed by the fact that it boasts Ireland's very first shopping centre, Stillorgan Village.
Aside from that, it retains a charming old village centre with the striking thatched roof of the Stillorgan Orchard at its heart.
The historic gastro pub just one of many fine establishments that keep the people of this part of Dublin satisfied with high-quality food and drink on a daily basis.
This is the Taste of Stillorgan.
Donnybrook Fair, Stillorgan Village Shopping Centre
The Stillorgan branch of Donnybrook Fair is open from 8am, Tuesday to Saturday. When you call in for your morning coffee, you can browse a foodie’s paradise of fresh Irish produce from cheese, meat and fish to seasonal fruit and veg, and much more besides.
The Village Café, Glenalbyn House, Glenalbyn Road
Located at Kilmacud Crokes GAA Club, The Village Café bills itself as “a hidden gem” and “the heart of club and community”.
The café is located upstairs in the clubhouse, overlooking the tennis club, and it opens from 8am every day except Sunday, serving a selection of hearty cooked breakfasts, French toast and pancakes. No nonsense, traditional fare and enormously popular in the area.
Gotham South, 4 Lower Kilmacud Road
Weekend brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 4pm, and you’ll be spoiled for choice in this American-style diner.
Go traditional with The Gotham Breakfast, go healthy with avocado toast with poached eggs or go big with the breakfast pizza.
That’s right: smoked bacon, house-made sausage, mushroom, baby potatoes, fresh tomato, poached egg and a rocket crème fraïche dressing, on a pizza.
Monsoon, 4-5 The Hill
In the heart of Stillorgan village, Monsoon has been serving up fantastic Indian cuisine for 25 years. Last year, manager Arun Jaryal and chef Alok Kumar took over the reins of the restaurant after having worked there for many years. Newly refurbished and with a talented team of native chefs, Monsoon prides itself on “simple, authentic and fresh” Indian food.
"Stillorgan is like home to me and I’ve spent almost half my life here," says Arun. "I love meeting customers at the front door and welcoming them to Monsoon."
Some of the restaurant's most popular dishes include chicken tikka masala, lamb rarha gosht and vegetable dal makhani, while they recently launched a new dish to celebrate Indian Independence Day on August 15:
South-Indian Thali (pictured) is a vegan combo that is served on special occasions in India. It includes crispy dosas (stuffed crispy pancakes), idlis (steamed rice cakes) and vadas (doughnut-shaped lentil fritters) served with zingy lentils and a variety of coconut chutneys.
Mao at Home, Stillorgan Village Shopping Centre
One of six locations across the city, the Stillorgan branch of Mao at Home offers fresh Asian flavours in an informal setting, with an extensive selection of appetisers.
There are classics like chicken satay skewers, spring rolls, wings and ribs – or specials like crispy duck with pancakes and hoisin sauce, the Mao spice box of tempura chicken and potato wedges, or the sharing dish combo.
RIBA, 4 Lower Kilmacud Road
Since 2013, RIBA has prided itself on simple, seasonally focused, Italian-inspired food – they cite fresh hand-made pasta, dry-aged steaks and the freshest seafood as their touchstones.
The current menu showcases all of this to full effect – highlights include wild mushroom panzarotti pasta, pappardelle al ragu, and whole sole with crushed herb potato, caponata, caper butter.
You can also tuck into an 8oz fillet steak or the RIBA beef burger, which is served with smoked scamorza, smoked bacon, beef tomato, baby gem, red onion jam and mustard mayo, on a seeded bun with fries.
Aprile, 10 Lower Kilmacud Road
Sticking with the Italian theme, where better to end up for dessert?
The menu at Aprile is not short of options, including Italian classics like tiramisu, panna cotta, semifreddo and gelato in a variety of flavours.
Stillorgan Orchard, 1 The Hill
This landmark gastro pub with its iconic thatched roof has been serving the locals for more than 100 years, and it remains a pillar of the community in Stillorgan village.
Expect a cosy atmosphere, a wide range of drinks and delicious cocktails – good food too if you’re still feeling peckish.
