Vada — Restaurant in Dublin

I'm sorry we didn't take photos of the wonderful selection of dishes we sampled at Vada. The whole experience was one we'd highly recommend to others. From the friendly, welcoming & helpful staff to the wide range of delicious picky bits, small plates and large plates which were on offer. If anything we ordered far too much, so that when the large plates came after several small plates, we found it difficult to finish the large plates. We'll know better the next time. The sweetcorn fritters with crab mayo were excellent along with the butternut squash, stracciatella, baby carrots, baba ganoush, flank steak and spud ends. When we tried to book a table online at short notice, there was only a 5.30pm option for Saturday. We weren't sure if there would be another booking after us, requiring that we vacate the table, so we initially just ordered a glass of wine each. As it became clear that we weren't going to have to leave, we should have ordered a bottle of wine instead of several glasses! Again we will know...

Vada is the kind of place that makes you want to quit your job, start a Substack about “conscious dining,” and spend your days swanning around Stoneybatter in an organic linen smock. The food is sublime—fresh, clever, and just the right level of smug. You’ll leave feeling like a better person, but not in a tedious way.

The menu changes with the seasons, which is great, because it means I’ll have to keep coming back. Everything is beautifully plated, but not in that “four-smears-of-foam-and-a-microherb” kind of way—there’s actual food on the plate, and it tastes divine.

Service? Spot on. Friendly, knowledgeable, and just the right side of relaxed. The whole place has a quiet confidence, like it knows it’s excellent but doesn’t need to shout about it.

Vada is a Stoneybatter star. Book a table, bring someone you fancy, and prepare to wax lyrical about sustainability while...

We were lucky to visit Vada on their opening weekend, and what a start! The food was exceptional from beginning to end. We started with the tempura devilled egg and the Ardsallagh & leek rissole—a perfect balance of texture and flavour.

For mains, we had the Andarl Farm pork fillet and the Higgins flank steak, both cooked to perfection and beautifully plated.

Dessert was another highlight: the blueberry cheesecake was rich yet light, and the Cnoc Liathroma with apricots and house crackers was a beautiful savoury-sweet finish. We also enjoyed a stunning Slovenian white wine that paired beautifully with the meal.

Service was warm and seamless throughout—Ana in particular made us feel so welcome and really elevated the experience.

Vada is off to a flying start. We’ll...