It looks like we won’t be sitting down in a restaurant for some time yet, so it’s a reboot for the meal kit business.
After a short break from the kitchen, many chefs have returned to the production line to bring us a restaurant experience at home. Some are bringing us a top-end cooking experience with sophisticated kits that require a bit of skill and cheffing, and others have set up trucks in temporary locations with tasty takeaways.
So, this is an update on what’s available. The offerings are loosely categorised, with those delivering nationwide, or at least over a wide area, listed first, and then the others grouped by the type of dining experience you might expect.
In the current climate, things change on a regular basis, particularly collection and delivery days and times, so be sure to check the respective websites for details before you order.
NATIONWIDE DELIVERY
Beach House
Tramore, Co Waterford; click and collect, Thursday; €10-€15 delivery nationwide, Friday; beachhousetramore.ie
Peter Hogan and Jumoke Akintola are now offering nationwide delivery. Rather than a meal kit, it is a range of heat-at-home ready meals, with the weekly changing menu posted on Instagram each Thursday. Cut-off for orders is Sunday night. The dishes can be refrigerated for up to four days and most are suitable for home freezing. Each menu has about five starters, ranging from €7.50 for country pâté to €13 for crab mayonnaise; main courses, which could include braised squid, braised Comeragh lamb, and vegetarian options, are priced €9-€14; and desserts are along the lines of almond tart, and chilled custard with Agen prunes, €6.50.
Baste
Dublin 8; click and collect, Thursday to Saturday; €7.50 delivery nationwide, Thursday and Friday; bastebbq.com
Andy Noonan has launched a new range of meal kits, sold cold and delivered nationwide. They include nacho kits, taco kits, and a range of grill-at-home kits, such as chicken-thigh burgers, flank steak, choripan, whole cauliflower and some more adventurous smoking kits. A weekend roast kit for two is planned for March, €45-€65, for two to four people. It will feature a choice of smoked free-range chickens, Hannan Meats picanha (rump cap), and Dermot Allen free-range pork belly, with all the trimmings. He's continuing with his takeaway barbecue at Clanbrassil Street, sliced to order every Saturday, which can be ordered online.
Fallon & Byrne
Dublin 2; click and collect; €10 delivery nationwide; Monday to Saturday; fallonandbyrne.com
The go-to range from Fallon & Byrne keeps things deliciously simple with its reheat and eat dishes. The €22 family-size range includes beef Bourguignon, cauliflower and chickpea tagine, Indian turkey curry and beef ragù pasta bake. Single portions and vegetarian options are also available, and there is a vegan chilli and a sweet potato falafel. You can include shopping with your order. Groceries delivered nationwide, meals Dublin delivery only.
BuJo
Dublin 4; click and collect daily; €7 delivery nationwide, Friday; bujo.ie
Gráinne O'Keefe has put a lot of love and skill into developing this burger kit, using whole cuts of meat that have a good fat-to-lean ratio to ensure that the meat is basted as it cooks and doesn't dry out. The home kits, for €40, have 12 patties, brioche buns, sauce, dill pickles, and instructions. Vegetarian and vegan options from Beyond Meat are also available. And if you live nearby, BuJo operates a click and collect take-out service for hot food.
Uno Pizza
Dublin 6; click and collect daily, €3-€10 delivery nationwide, Tuesday to Friday; unopizza.com
There are five different kits for making Neapolitan pizzas at home, ranging from the margherita for two for €18 to the family kit for four at €36. With full instructions for cooking using the frying pan and grill method, the kit includes dough balls and topping ingredients such as fior di latte mozzarella, San Marzano tomato sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh basil and virgin olive oil.
The Dough Bros
Galway city; click and collect Thursday and Friday; €3.50 delivery nationwide; thedoughbros.ie
If you don't live close enough to pick up a pizza, the vac-packed pizza at home kits, €35, deliver a restaurant experience. Included are the bases for three pizzas, San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh basil, Parmesan, Toonsbridge Mozzarella and a choice of three additional toppings – pesto, nduja, Wooded Pig fennel salami or Real Olive Co pitted olives, and two portions of wild garlic dip.
BROAD DELIVERY RADIUS
Allta
Dublin 2; click and collect, Friday, €9.95 delivery Saturday, to Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow; alltabox.ie
This meal kit, which sells out in minutes, goes live on Mondays, so follow Allta on Instagram and set your alarm. It's €80 for two, includes a bottle of wine and a changing menu of Allta favourites, starting with their hand-made sourdough and famous shiitake miso butter, and house charcuterie; followed with freshly prepared pasta dishes, and finishing with a dessert. They are also putting together some drinks packages from €45, which will be a mix of their favourite wines, craft beers and cocktails.
Featherblade
Dublin 2; click and collect; €5 delivery Dublin city and county, Friday and Saturday; featherblade.ie
You may remember that I reviewed these utterly delicious burgers in January. Featherblade is now back open and its blend of cuts, which includes smoked brisket, aged striploin, chuck and beef suet means that the burgers have a deeply savoury flavour with a hint of smoke coming through. It's €30 for four burgers, and the kit also includes brioche buns, thick slices of dry-cured, free-range bacon and aged cheddar, and black garlic mayo. You can add on extra house smoked bacon for €13 for 500g.
Mister S
Dublin 2; click and collect for hot meal menu Wednesday to Saturday; €5 delivery for BoSsäm, Dublin city and county, Friday and Saturday; misters.ie
The click-and-collect hot-meal menus from Mister S range from €11-€17 per person, and include smoked Angus short rib, chicken thighs piri piri, smoked pork belly, grilled whole prawns, and salt-baked celeriac. The €80 BoSsäm feast for six, which is an impressive slab of dry-brined 12-hour smoked Andarl Farm pork shoulder with flat breads and sides is back. There's a new €49 box for two, which includes burnt end rendang nuggets, prawns pil pil, focaccia, smoked short rib or smoked pork belly rib, chimichurri, gratin chips, smoked celeriac remoulade, and raspberry and chocolate fondant for dessert. There's an option to leave a Helping Hand Donation €2.50-€10, which goes directly towards production of meals for the homeless from Mister S every Sunday evening.
Smokin Bones
Dublin 2; click and collect; €4.95 delivery, Wednesday to Saturday; Dublin, Kildare and Meath; bbqinabox.ie
The barbecue in a box kit from Smokin Bones in Temple Bar, is delivered to the door chilled, and starts at €39.99 for two to three people. It includes smoked brisket, North Carolina pulled pork, and baby back ribs, as well as smoked pitt beans, corn on the cob, red slaw, slider buns and sauces. The meat just needs to be reheated in a hot oven for 35 minutes. Order before 9pm for next-day delivery. Orders must be in by 4pm the day before delivery.
Kinara
Clontarf, Malahide, Ranelagh, Dublin; click and collect; Thursday to Sunday; kinara.ie
An extensive a la carte menu is available, priced at 15 per cent less than dine-in prices. Starters include malai tikka, roasted chicken in a garlic, ginger and turmeric yogurt dressing, €8.90; and main courses include nehari gosht, beef in a spicy curry sauce, €19.99; and jalfreezi jhinga, jumbo prawns, €19.50. Vegetarian options available. Check website for WhatsApp numbers to order.
Ripasso Restaurant and Wine Bar
Bray, Co Wicklow; click and collect; Wednesday to Sunday; €2.50 delivery Friday and Saturday, south Dublin and Bray area; ripasso.ie
Dinner boxes, €60 for two, are available Friday to Sunday once pre-ordered on Wednesday. The three-course menu is posted on the website on Sundays, and has included calamari and nduja in lemon and parsley to start; mains of beef saltimbocca alla Romana and tiramisu for dessert. Operates as a takeaway Wednesday to Sunday.
Oliver Dunne Restaurants
Malahide, Co Dublin, and Drogheda, Co Louth; click and collect, Thursday to Sunday; €6.25 delivery, Dublin, Friday to Sunday; oliverdunnerestaurants.com
There's no shortage of meal boxes to choose from on Oliver Dunne's website, with Italian, Indian and Spanish tapas among the 14 options that are covered off. Prices range from €25 for the kids' option to €65 for the four-course date night. There's home delivery in Dublin, and collection from Bon Appetit in Malahide, and Bryanstown Social in Drogheda.
Pudding Row
Easky, Co Sligo, click and collect daily, local delivery Thursday and Friday, delivery nationwide for comfort kits, puddingrow.ie
There are quite a lot of treats from this bakery and deli. Their seriously good comfort kits, €50-€55, which include gluten-free and vegan options, are delivered nationally, ideal for gifting. Available locally, the weekend burger box, €22.50, includes four Andarl farm pork and apple burgers, home-made floury baps, chutney, house pickles, and Knockanore smoked cheddar.
FAMILY FAVOURITES
Riba
Stillorgan, Dublin 18; click and collect; €3 delivery 5km radius; Thursday to Sunday; ribarestaurant.ie
A venison lasagne meal kit for two, €49, has been added to the delivery and collection menu here and comes with sourdough, and a range of antipasti as well as tiramisu for dessert. Also available for four people. An a-la-carte menu has further options, with starters for €6.50-€11.50; mains for €14-€26; and desserts for €5. Wines are at bottle shop prices.
Fade Street Social
Dublin 2; click and collect; €5-€8 delivery Dublin city, Thursday to Sunday, fadestreetsocial.com
Meal kits, which change weekly, will resume at the beginning of March, costing €35 per person for four courses, and meal trays start at €8.50. Kits include bites and a range of nibbles, a starter such as pickled and baked beetroot salad with whipped ricotta, a main course of 72-hour smoked and braised featherblade beef with roasted carrots, and a dessert of passion fruit and vanilla cheesecake. A four-course Sunday roast is also available at €35 per person.
Le Perroquet
Dublin 4; click and collect, €5 delivery Dublin, Thursday to Sunday; leperroquet.ie
There are plenty of options on this meal kit, €35 for one, with meat, fish and vegetarian menus. Starters vary on the menus, from chicken and black pudding terrine to white onion soup; mains include striploin, salmon, and mushroom and leek pithivier; and chocolate tart for dessert is followed with petit fours.
One Society
Dublin 1; click and collect; delivery Dublin city, Wednesday to Sunday; onesociety.ie
Ready-to-eat meal deals, €29, include two mains, two soft drinks and a garlic flat bread. There are 15 pizza options, all 12in, and range from €10.50 for a marinara to €16.50 for the fiery feast, which includes tomato sauce, Toonsbridge mozzarella, slow-cooked pulled brisket, nduja, chorizo, caramelised onions, Parmesan shavings, and fresh fiery chilli.
The Fumbally Stables
Dublin 8: click and collect; Wednesday and Friday; thefumbally.ie
Sign up for the Fumbally's newsletter to get updates on their click-and-collect meals. The €18 dinners feature dishes such as hearty tagines, with a meat and a vegetarian option, and include desserts such as pear and ginger cake with cardamom custard. Friday lasagne with a salad and focaccia is €13.50. Get there early and pick up some fresh organic produce from their local farm suppliers, including cheeses, fresh-baked sourdough bread and natural wines.
Keshk Cafe
Dublin 4; click and collect, Monday to Saturday, €3-€5 delivery Dublin Friday and Saturday, also Deliveroo; keshk.ie
For a Middle Eastern fix, the lunch and dinner meal deals cost €38-€66 for two, and €66-€75 for four people, with lunchtime specials available in store daily for €9.95. Hummus, falafel, charcoal grilled chicken, lamb kofta and chicken shish taouk all feature on the menu here.
Roly's
Dublin 4; click and collect; delivery in Dublin, Monday to Saturday; rolysbistro.ie
Fans of Roly's can order plenty of their comfort food classics online, including Thai spiced fish cakes, chicken liver paté, confit of Cherry Valley duck with braised red cabbage, rotisserie chicken and chips, fish pie, roast vegetable and goat's cheese tart, and an impressive selection of wines from top end importer, Pembroke Wines.
Michael's/Little Mikes
Mount Merrion and Sutton, Dublin; click and collect; Thursday to Sunday; michaels.ie
Gaz Smith and Talha Pasha continue to work their magic with the sort of freshly prepared, ready-cooked meals that give people a proper night off. The crab claw and prawn gratin, surf and turf, and seafood platter are just a few of the favourites; and their cook-at-home meal kits, fresh produce and an impressive selection of wine mean that the two Little Lockdown markets are hopping.
Little Forest
Blackrock, Co Dublin; click and collect, Tuesday to Saturday; littleforest.ie
By the time John and Sandy Wyer's long-awaited Blackrock restaurant opened its doors for takeaway, the word was well and truly out about the quality of the Neapolitan pizza there. It's a short menu – six pizzas, a few dips and some antipasti – but the 48-hour fermented pizza dough and carefully sourced ingredients used by Reggie White and Shane Windrim for the toppings, make this one of life's simple but wonderful pleasures. Pizzas are €12-€16. Orders go live at 10am every Monday and sell out fast.
Meltdown
Dublin 2; click and collect, Friday and Saturday at Montague Street; meltdown.ie
It's best to follow Meltdown on Instagram to catch details of when it is releasing its six-course "Winedown" meal kits, €35 per person. Expect an interesting line-up such as seafood chowder, Sri Lankan beetroot curry with Irish hake and sambol, asparagus with garlic butter, confit duck with home-made gnocchi, buttermilk panna cotta with mixed berry coulis and popping candy, finished off with a selection of artisan cheeses and crackers.
Fish Shop
Dublin 7; click and collect, and limited walk-in, Thursday to Sunday; fish-shop.ie
They may have upped sticks to Tramore, but Peter Hogan and Jumoke Akintola's fish and chip shop on Benburb Street is keeping the Dublin love going with takeaway food. You'll find the squid tempura and smoked haddock fish cakes on the click-and-collect menu, as well as the €15.95 fish supper, which includes a beer-battered fillet of line-caught hake, pollock or haddock, depending on the day's catch, hand-cut chips and green salad – or alternatively, you can have the supper with their signature fillet o'fish shop hake burger on a brioche bun, €17.95. It's worth checking out the new wine shop, with more than 100 bottles.
Juniors Cafe & Deli
Dublin 4; click and collect, Thursday to Saturday; juniors.ie
Fiachra Kenny continues to dish up the favourites each week. There are plenty of options on the menu, including the much-loved pint of prawns with lemon mayo and home-made sourdough, his venison Wellington with roast root vegetables for two, €50, which has become a bit of a signature, and other dishes include côte de boeuf, and monkfish and mussel bouillabaisse. Vegetarian options are also available.
Richmond Restaurant
Dublin 2; phone and collect, 01-4788783, Thursday to Saturday; richmondrestaurant.ie
The menu here changes weekly, so check the website on Monday to see what's coming up. Rather than a meal kit, there are two starters, two mains and a dessert to choose from. Prices are reasonable, with starters for €7.50 and mains for €13.50. Gnocchi, cannelloni and the like cover vegetarian options, and tasty mains have included hake and mussel gratin, and buttermilk fried chicken thigh.
Mr Fox
Dublin 1; click and collect, Saturday; mrfox.ie
With a weekly changing set menu for two people for €80, or €40 for one, this kit is easy to prepare, with just a little reheating and assembling involved. Nibbles of smoked almonds, smoked trout rillette, olives and sourdough baguette with cèp butter, are followed by a starter such as chicken liver parfait. The main course has in the past featured Challans duck; and is followed by a cheese course and a dessert. It also includes a treat of something like a choux pastry with chocolate and Earl Grey.
Bistro One
Dublin 18, click and collect, Friday and Saturday; bistro-one.ie
Anyone yearning for smokies should take a look at Bistro One's online a-la-carte menu, where it features along with other favourites such as Kilkeel crab, halibut in a herb crust, fish and chips with mushy peas, and half a Thornhill roast duck. Most dishes serve one, but the curry is for two, and the lasagne for four people.
Farmgate Restaurant & Food Store
Midleton, Co Cork; click and collect, Thursday to Saturday; €10 delivery 30km radius on Thursday; farmgate.ie
Take an extended break from the drudgery of the kitchen with the various food boxes offered by Farmgate, ranging from €65 for five single dinners to €110 for five meals for a family of four. The family box includes a large shepherd's pie (beef), seafood pie, beef lasagne, steak and mushroom pie, and broccoli bake. There is also a hot food "kitchen to kerb" menu on Fridays and Saturdays, noon-3pm both days.
The Twelve
Barna, Co Galway; click and collect; Wednesday to Sunday; thetwelvehotel.ie
The takeaway menu here includes roasted celeriac and wild mushrooms with Velvet Cloud sheep's cheese, confit duck spring rolls, fried potato hash browns, seaweed battered fish and hand-cut chunky chips and a wide selection of pizzas from the wood-fired oven. Also available is a pizza kit for four people with all the toppings, €39.
The Baker's Table of Lismore
Lismore, Co. Waterford; phone and collect, 085 809 9885, Friday to Sunday; Instagram @thebakerstableoflismore
Check out The Baker's Table's Instagram page where they post a handwritten menu for Friday and Saturday. It's €18 per person for two courses on Friday, with options such as home-made pasta, meat, and fish; and it's a three-course menu on Saturday for €30. Reheat-at-home meal kits with, for example, slow-braised duck breast with home-made pappardelle are available on Sunday for €10 per person. Vegetarian options available, and vegan on request.
Cian's on Bridge Street
Westport, Co Mayo; click and collect; €4 delivery 5km radius, Friday to Sunday; ciansonbridgestreet.com
Locals have welcomed the much-loved brunch menu, which is available for collection, 10am-2pm, at weekends. And the takeaway service continues, with American-style burgers, their own special take on mac'n'cheese, and the new "Slim-Jim" burger for a healthier option. The brunch menu starts at €6.90 and the burger menu begins at €9.90. There are plans for a Sunday dinner menu.
Noble
Holywood, Co Down; click and collect, Saturday; nobleholywood.com
Saul McConnell and Pearson Morris scooped the Michelin 2021 Welcome and Service Award, and although we'll be waiting a while before they can greet us again, their four- course Noble at Home menu, at £25 per person, has treats for those who live locally, with dishes such as red prawns with chimichurri, lamb rump with cavolo nero, chocolate fondant, and "fancy" cheese and crackers.
Kingdom 1795
Killorglin, Co Kerry; click and collect, Saturday; facebook.com/kingdom.1795
Set in an old pub that has been recently refurbished, this restaurant, after several iterations, has settled on an a heat-and-eat menu. The weekly three-course menu with a choice of meat or vegetarian main course is €22.50/€20 per person. Dishes have included potato and beetroot tarte fine, espinacas con garbanzos, cheddar pie, and desserts.
Wild Catering
Doolin, Co Clare; click and collect; local delivery, Saturday; wildcatering.info
By delivering to a number of collection points, free of charge, Wild Catering has expanded the availability of its weekly changing, reheat at home three-course menu, which is €30 per person. Dishes have included pear and Crozier Blue cheese salad, duck confit, and yogurt cremeaux with shortbread, and blood orange. Vegetarian options are also available.
The Villager Bar & Restaurant
Athlone, Co Westmeath; click and collect; Thursday to Sunday; Instagram @thevillagerglasson
Pizzas, burgers, fish and chips, and steaks are all available from the well-priced takeaway menu here, where you'll also find Mumbai street food, crispy duck spring rolls, and falafel and halloumi kebab with a home-made flatbread from the wood-fired oven.
Knead Pizza and Bottle Shop
Dublin 3; click and collect, Wednesday to Sunday; kneadpizza.ie
Recently opened above the Cat and Cage pub, the takeaway pizzas, €10 to €12.50, include the Margh, with a vegan cheese option; a beetroot and Bluebell Falls goats' cheese pizza; a smoky option with smoked wild boar, smoked pork belly and Toonsbridge scamorza; and a weekly special. Sides include beef dripping twice cooked chips.
Hen's Teeth
Dublin 8; click and collect, Wednesday to Sunday; hensteethstudio.com
Open for takeaway food, coffee and treats; the click and collect menu will be operational from 24th March. Lunch offerings include crispy fried squid, smoky brisket focaccia, and barbecue paneer focaccia, and loads of new stuff is on the way, including ice creams – basil and caramelised white chocolate, and black sesame with Mexican dulce de leche.
Éan
Galway city; click and collect; Friday and Saturday; eangalway.com
This meal kit serves two generously for €75 and includes vegetarian and meat options. There's sourdough and wild garlic butter to start, followed with Jersey curds with organic salad or duck liver pate; there's beetroot wellington or duck confit for mains, and desserts could be quince, white chocolate and salted honey cake.
FOOD TRUCKS
Ted's Gaff
Dublin 6; food truck; phone and collect, 089 -965 1246; Thursday to Sunday, Instagram @franksdublin
Parked on Washerwoman's Lane behind SuperValu in Rathgar village, this new truck from Frank's, the hip wine bar on Camden Street, will be serving their much-loved chipotle chicken wings, pork dumplings with kimchi and chicken ramen; as well as La Cocina Cuevas tacos, burritos and wraps.
Salty Buoy
Dublin 8, Greystones, Wicklow; food truck; saltybuoy.ie Instagram @saltybuoytruck
On the move, so you'll need to check Instagram to see where and when Niall Sabongi's vintage Citroën van is parked. For now, it's the Digital Hub on Thursday and Friday, 4pm-7pm, and Greystones on Saturday and Sunday. You'll get chowder, monkfish scampi, scallops with black rice, and lobster rolls, as well as some pre-order specials such as Portuguese stew and baked sea bream.
Cluck
Dublin 12, food truck at Walkinstown roundabout, Thursday to Sunday, Instagram @cluckchicken_truck
Enjoy the puns while you wait for your order of fried chicken. The new chuck on the block is the Hot Clucker, €8.50, which is buttermilk fried chicken, roast garlic mayo, pickles, dripping cheese in a toasted bun smothered in Cluck buffalo sauce. Sticky Korean wings, €8.50, tenders and fries are all in the line-up. There are plans to move into a shipping container, or get a second truck to hit the road for summer.
Chicc
Dublin 2; click and collect, Deliveroo, Tuesday to Sunday; deliveroo.ie/menu/dublin/st-stephens-green/chicc
Yet another new chicken joint, and this one, which will in time be a restaurant, is temporarily located in the Xico premises on Rogers Lane, off Baggot Street. It promises to be interesting as Daniel Hannigan, formerly of Mister S, and Jacob Long and Jack Brennan from Griolladh are the people behind it. The good news is, they're using free range Glin Valley chickens, which are buttermilk-shake brined for 24 hours before being doused in a crispy coating. The chic dogs are served in a blaa, and include a take on a chicken Kiev, as well as soy glazed nuggets with pickled red onion. There are also plenty of sauces and sides.
Órale Street Food
Dublin 7, food truck at Eatyard, Thursday to Sunday, Instagram @orale_street_food
Eatyard in Drumcondra is back open, and Órale has moved there from its previous base at the Bonobo Market in Stoneybatter. Dishes at this food truck change weekly and have included cochinita pibil, which is slow-cooked pork shoulder rubbed in achiote paste; masa fried chicken with pickled daikon and gochujang; and a vegetarian option such as carrot tinga, a smoky carrot stew. Tacos cost from €12.50 for two, and €16.50 for three; quesadillas are €11.50-€14.50.
The Sambo Ambo
Dublin 8, food truck, 12-4pm daily, Instagram @thesamboambo
DJ and chef, Marcus O'Laoire, is back serving "life saving sandwiches" from his repurposed ambulance. Toasted sandwiches are taken to a new level, from classic ham and cheese toasties, to grilled halloumi, with Thai coconut curry sauce, pickle and herb salad, and crispy onions. Smash burgers and an evening menu are planned.
SOMETHING SPECIAL
The Shelbourne at Home
Dublin 2; phone and collect, 01-6634500, Friday to Sunday, €10 delivery 10km radius, daily delivery of afternoon tea; theshelbourne.com
The newly launched Shelbourne at Home menu, which can be ordered on Wednesdays, changes weekly, and kicked off with beef Wellington and all the trimmings for €70 for two. Also available, and a perfect present for a special occasion, is the Shelbourne's classic afternoon tea for two, €100, or €170 with Champagne. It comes in beautiful boxes, with a selection of dainty sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, gingerbread, and stunning, intricate cakes.
Liath Uncut
Blackrock, Co Dublin, liathtogo.com
After an enticing line-up of street food in lockdown two, Damien Grey moved back to top end meal kits with Liath Uncut. This is coming to an end, with the boxes for March 6th already sold out. Grey will have one more box running, the Liath birthday box, which includes two bottles of wine. It will be interactive, he'll be cooking live on Zoom, so you can expect this to be both enlightening and delicious. He hopes to re-open for outdoor dining, when allowed.
Host
Dublin 6; click and collect, Thursday to Saturday; hostrestaurant.ie
Host at home is back, and there are three options on its signature four-course chef's menu, €60-€70 for two, so you can choose between chicken, Andarl pork chop and striploin. As you'd expect, the menu includes a pasta course such as venison ragù pappardelle and a dessert such as burnt ricotta cheesecake. Menus go live at midday on Sundays.
Locks
Dublin 6; click and collect; Friday and Saturday; locksrestaurant.ie
Locks is back in action with meal kits. Menus go online and orders open on a Sunday for the following week. Menus for two cost €70-€80 for four courses, and could include spiced lamb rump and braised shoulder; Thornhill duck a l'orange or salt-aged côte de boeuf. The vegetarian meal kit for one, €32, also has interesting main courses, with a spinach and mushroom Wellington, with Noilly Prat sauce, featuring recently.
Peploe's
Dublin 2; order online for €5 delivery only, Friday and Saturday, Dublin; peploes.com
The newly launched menu, which will change regularly, is for two, and options so far have included a Rick Higgins côte de boeuf, a beef Wellington, and pan-fried black sole, costing €60-€90. There are also weekend boxes of treats that are suitable for gifting.
Mulberry Garden
Dublin 4; click and collect; €5 delivery, Thursday to Saturday, in Dublin; mulberrygarden.ie
The folks at Mulberry Garden have been acing the reheat-and-eat meal kit thing from the get-go. It's three courses for two, plus bread and petits fours, for €65. The dinner box can be refrigerated and kept for the next day, as most of the time only the main course requires some heating. Be sure to include cocktails with your order.
Dax
Dublin 2; click and collect; Friday and Saturday; dax.ie
Leave the cooking to us, says Graham Neville, the chef at Dax, where a three-course meal with bread and petits fours is €48 per person, offering two choices per course. The menu, which changes weekly, always has a restaurant level of precision, and has included a terrine of Ring Farm organic chicken and foie gras to start, and roast Challans duck breast or wild Atlantic hake for main course, and desserts such as pecan tart. A vegetarian option is available for €35.
Bastible
Dublin 8; click and collect; Thursday to Saturday; bastible.com
This kit really delivers the restaurant experience at home, and although there's a bit of work involved, it's worth it. It starts with Bastible-cooked sourdough bread and cultured butter, and the courses that follow are layered with flavour – perhaps fine discs of celeriac on top of a sunflower seed mole, followed by ricotta dumplings with Hegarty's cheddar cheese sauce, beef shin, and finishing with a chocolate mousse for dessert. It's €70 for two, and a vegetarian option is available.
Circa
Dublin 6W; click and collect, Friday and Saturday; restaurantcirca.com
Circa@home comes as a set menu for one for €35, or for two at €80 including wine. Menus change every two weeks, but typically could include lamb carpaccio, smoked almond and house pickles to start; a main course of cherry-roasted whole duck with duck fat potatoes and red cabbage and a choice of dessert or cheese to finish. Menus are updated at the start of the week.
Clanbrassil House
Dublin 8; click and collect; Friday and Saturday; clanbrassilhouse.com
The Teeling Whiskey-aged côte de bœuf for two is a signature dish at this restaurant, where Gráinne O'Keefe is head chef. At €80, it is something of a treat, and would be wonderful for a special occasion. The family-style menu, €62 for two, is also worth checking out. It consists of a selection of snacks and small plates, a main course for two to share, plus a dessert each.
Uno Mas
Dublin 2; click and collect, Thursday to Saturday, €7 delivery Friday and Saturday, Dublin; unomas.clickandcollection.com
All the things we miss about Spain are available to order online from Uno Mas: gildas, padrón peppers, and tortilla, which you can make yourself with a special tiny frying pan; and of course flan de queso. Newer to the line-up is their roast suckling pig feast for two or four, €76/€149, which can be ordered for collection or delivery on Saturday and is suitable to be prepared and eaten on Sunday. This is in addition to the weekly menu, which is €62/€64 for two people, depending on what's featured.
Aimsir
Celbridge, Co Kildare; click and collect, €10 delivery Dublin and towns close to restaurant, Saturday; aimsir.ie
Jordan Bailey, the head chef at two-Michelin-star Aimsir, has managed the seemingly impossible and designed an exquisite eight-course meal kit, €210 for two. It is a taste of Aimsir at home, with impeccable ingredients and dishes that are layered with tantalising flavours. There's work involved, but every step is guided by Bailey on video, so this will appeal to people who are fascinated by how these dishes come together and appreciate a top-end dining experience. Follow their Instagram page to see when each week goes live.
Back to Dine with Anna Haugh
Dublin 2; click and collect at San Lorenzo South Great George's Street, Friday and Saturday; backtodine.com
Anna Haugh of Myrtle restaurant in London features in the third of Temple Garner's Back to Dine series, which continues until Easter. Once again it's €99.95 for a seven-course menu, and this time a wine pairing by sommelier Cathryn Bell Steunenberg of Wild Rover will be an optional extra.
Mamó
Howth, Co Dublin; click and collect; Friday and Saturday; mamorestaurant.ie
The reheat-and-eat collection menu here has featured dishes to really get your mouth watering – such as pheasant tortellini with celeriac and kale in a pheasant consommé for €13, côte de boeuf with garlic and rosemary potatoes and béarnaise sauce for €60 for two people, and market fish with Lambay island crab claws, and garlic and rosemary potatoes, €65 for two people. Desserts are equally good – salted caramel parfait, and treacle tart with blood orange mascarpone, €6 each.
Potager
Skerries, Co Dublin; click and collect, Thursday to Saturday; potager.ie
A six-course tasting menu is just the thing for a special evening, and here the ready-to-eat boxes are €45 per head. The snacks could include a choux bun, chicken liver parfait, truffle, and tawny port. This is followed by a starter, such as warm, home-smoked salmon with pickled lemon and clams; a main course of chicken breast and leg, with smoked bacon, celeriac and roasted cabbage; finishing with something such as rose geranium panna cotta with pink rhubarb, and petits fours.
Woodruff
Stepaside, Co Dublin; click and collect; Thursday to Sunday; woodruff.ie
The menu here changes weekly, and follows the format of snacks/breads, three starters (vegetarian, fish and meat) three mains (same choice), and two desserts. Starters are priced around €9-€12, mains €18-€24, and desserts are €7.50. There are always inventive dishes, such as Rockfield and sage agnolotti in caramelised onion broth, perhaps charred line-caught winter mackerel with beetroot kimchi, and desserts too are a treat, with white chocolate, clementine, lavender and pistachio mille feuille. It all comes out at about €40 a head for snacks, three courses and sides, but you can order as much or as little as you want.
L'Atitude 51
Cork city; order via Instagram or Facebook; collect Friday; Instagram @latitudefiftyone
Beverley Mathews's €50 weekend take-out boxes use wine as the starting point. A recent box, based around a Tuscan wine, included ribollita (the traditional Tuscan bread and bean soup) schiacciata with rosemary (Tuscan focaccia), crostini with fegatino (chicken liver paté), malfatti with sage butter (spinach and ricotta dumplings), ricciarelli (almond and orange biscuits from Siena) and cantuccini.
Everett's
Waterford; phone and collect, 051-325174; Friday and Saturday; everetts.ie
The weekly changing, three-course meal kit, at €30 per person, is designed to be finished at home and includes starters such as smoked mackerel pâté, with cucumber, chive and yogurt; a main course of braised duck leg, with roast root vegetables, and boulangère potatoes; and chocolate mint profiteroles to finish. Vegetarian options also available.
Square Restaurant
Dundalk, Co Louth; phone and collect; 042-9337969; squarerestaurant.ie
There's quite a touch of refinement to this four-course meal kit for two, €58, from Conor Halpennny, a former Euro-Toques Young Chef winner. It takes a little bit of finishing at home, and offers dishes such as spiced carrot soup to start, followed by Riverside Farm beetroot with spiced yogurt, roast duck for main course, and choux bun with blood orange, chocolate cream and pistachio for dessert. Also available for one person, €29.
Lignum
Loughrea, Co Galway; phone and collect; 087-3300559; Saturday, lignum.ie
Danny Africano and the team in Galway run a Lignum a Casa menu, with pick-up, 4pm-7pm on Saturday. It's €40 for two, and the menu, which includes wood-fired sourdough, their cultured butter, a main course and dessert, changes weekly.
1826 Adare
Adare, Co Limerick; click and collect; Saturday and Sunday; 1826adare.ie
Back open after a break, the three-course Bia So (comfort food) menu here is €40 per person, and includes dishes such as roasted celeriac soup; crab croquette; treacle braised beef short rib; 1826 fish pie, which comes with treacle brown soda bread and sides; and chocolate, hazelnut and malted orange profiteroles for dessert.
Gregans Castle
Ballyvaughan, Co Clare; click and collect Friday; and delivery to pick-up points in Ennis, Lisdoonvarna, Ennistymon, Kinvara and Oranmore; gregans.ie
Gregans at Home dinners are back, after €5,000 of the proceeds from the pre-Christmas dinners were donated to Pieta House and Clare Haven Services. It's a weekly changing, three-course menu for €32.50 per person, with dishes such as terrine de campagne, free-range Irish pork, North Sea cod, and an apple tart fine with a Calvados creme fraiche.
1 Pery Square
Limerick; click and collect, Friday to Sunday; oneperysquare.com
There's a huge focus on local suppliers on the menu here, with Scibeen smoked salmon and Bally goat's cheese among the local starters, along with Thornhill duck from Cavan. The mains are all about comfort, so you'll find familiar flavours such as braised featherblade beef and perhaps a deep caramelised red onion tarte tatin for those who prefer a vegetarian option. For dessert, it may be a sharing platter of spiced orange cake, dark chocolate tart, rhubarb and polenta crumble with white chocolate mousse and buttermilk whipped cream. A three-course menu is €35 per person.
Gourmet Chef
Co Dublin and Dublin 14; order online, pick up in Churchtown; delivery Killiney to Blackrock, Thursday and Saturday; gourmetchef.ie
With a Michelin background – Jean Christophe Novelli, Raymond Blanc and Guillame Le Brun – Tracy Rennie is a low key but highly rated private chef. Her weekly changing, restaurant at home menu, €22.50/ €25.50, has included oven roasted chicken with truffle and cep jus; rump of lamb; and fillet of salmon; with passion fruit tart for dessert.
SUNDAY ROASTS AND STEAKS
The Legal Eagle/Winding Stair
Dublin 7, click and collect, delivery Dublin county, Friday to Sunday, thelegaleagle.ie
It is well worth checking out the different meal kits offered by the Legal Eagle, which range from vegetarian to fish and meat. The latest offering is a selection of Sunday roast dinners, such as roast beef with the full works, including Yorkshire pudding, for two for €50. It is also available for one, €25, and there's a vegetarian option. Weekly meal kits range from €90 for the Chateaubriand for two, to €70 for the meat, fish or vegetarian feast for two.
The Wild Goose Grill
Dublin 6; click and collect, delivery 5km, Friday to Sunday; thewildgoosegrill.ie
There's an a-la-carte menu on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday lunch is two or three courses for €23.95/€29.95, with pick-up 1pm-7pm. It includes the classics, such as dressed Kilkeel crab and smoked Irish salmon, and of course the duo of goose served with all the trimmings. A €15 children's menu, vegan and vegetarian options are available.
Asador and Prado
Dublin 4 and 3; click and collect, €3.50 delivery Dublin county, Thursday to Sunday; asador.ie
A Sunday roast of striploin beef for four to six people, €75, with duck fat roasties, vegetables and stuffing, is the latest addition to this menu. There is also a very good vegan and vegetarian option, €49, for four to six people, which includes celeriac burgers, chargrilled vegetables, tabbouleh, corn on the cob, and Portobello mushrooms. Still available is the very popular Deluxe BBQ box for six, €75, with chargrilled steaks, burgers, smoked ribs, wings and sides, and the surf-and-turf for two, €59, which includes a dry-aged chateaubriand, prawn pil pil kit, and all the sides.
Etto
Dublin 2; click and collect; Thursday to Saturday, etto.ie
Among the most popular meal kits, for good reason. The Etto favourites have featured over the weeks, including côte de boeuf, a beef Wellington dinner, and more recently, herb-crusted lamb shoulder for four; and suckling pig belly. Four-course menus for two people are about €62, and include nibbles, a starter such as beef ragù Bolognese with orecchiette, and a dessert-like chocolate and blood orange tart. Menus go online and orders open at 8.30am on a Sunday for the following week.
The Butcher Grill
Dublin 6; click and collect, Thursday to Sunday; €8 delivery Dublin county, Friday; thebutchergrill.ie
The €65 three-course menu for two changes weekly, with mains ranging from boeuf Bourguignon to slow-cooked lamb shoulder. Or you can opt for steaks, €50-€60 for two, depending on the steak, with sides of mashed potatoes, gravy and smoky beans and bacon. All the prep and 90 per cent of the cooking has been done. Sunday roast beef and chicken is €19 per person.
The Chophouse
Dublin 4; click and collect; Friday to Sunday; thechophouse.ie
Piri piri roast free-range chicken runs as a special on Sunday here, and comes with roasted root vegetables, duck fat potato, garlic green beans and shallot, €22.50 per person. Also on the menu is a 1kg côte de boeuf for two people, €65, cooked medium-rare unless specified, as well as fish and chips, pasta, burgers and cook-at-home kits.
Bloom Brasserie
Dublin 4; click and collect; delivery 5km radius; Wednesday to Sunday; bloombrasserie.ie
There are plenty of options on this reheat-and-eat menu, with sharing and individual dishes. Starters include chicken wings with blue-cheese dipping sauce, and sautéed gambas; mains include chateaubriand at €24.50 per person; a haunch of wild Wicklow venison for two to three people for €56; and forest mushroom risotto as a vegetarian or vegan option.
Tomahawk Steakhouse
Dublin 2, click and collect, Friday and Saturday, €5 delivery, Saturday; tomahawksteakhouse.ie
The new Sunday roast kit for four people is €99 and includes a 30-day aged rib of Irish beef, with the bone kept in for added flavour. Yorkshire puddings, herb stuffing, gravy, duck-fat roast potatoes, vegetables, mashed potato, and horseradish cream are also included.
Luttrellstown Castle
Dublin 15, click and collect, €9.50 delivery to Dublin, Friday to Sunday; luttrellstowncastle.com
The three-course Sunday lunch is one of the options offered by Luttrellstown at Home, priced at €25 per person. It is, as you'd expect, a roast with all the trimmings and has included rolled ribeye of Irish beef, or pork loin with duck-fat roast potatoes. Each week there's a choice between two roasts and a different starter and dessert. A dinner-to-go option, €30, runs on Friday and Saturday, and afternoon tea, €35 per person, is also available.
Brown Bear Restaurant
Naas, Co Kildare; click and collect, Thursday to Sunday; thebrownbear.ie
A Sunday roast for four people runs weekly but can be arranged for larger numbers. Roasts have included Feighcullen Farm free-range chicken, glazed ham, and slow-roast porchetta from Andarl Farm, roast fillet of beef from the local butcher, and roast celeriac and pickled hazelnuts. It costs €60 for four people. The meal is hot on collection and does not need to be reheated.
Sage 2 Go
Midleton, Co Cork; click and collect; Wednesday to Sunday; sagerestaurant.ie
The new family Sunday roast at Sage, €40, has everything you need on a tray for four people – a roast, glazed chicken on a bed of vegetables with champ mash potatoes, sage stuffing, and roast potatoes. Other meal kits include a fillet steak meal for two, €60, and a sharing box, €60, with lots of small dishes, dips, chargrilled flatbreads, beef brisket sliders, honey wings and dim sum dumplings.
Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel
Kilkenny; phone and collect, 056-7750200, daily; kilkennyormond.com
Hoban Bar & Brasserie recently launched a daily call-and-collect takeaway service, Hoban at Home, with a focus on local producers. The Sunday roast menu, two or three courses, €20/€25 per person, is pre-ordered by 8.30pm on Saturday, and includes starters such as Frank Hederman Irish smoked salmon with Clashduff beetroot, and Goatsbridge trout caviar; Crowe's Farm confit pork belly with all the trimmings; and Bramley apple crumble tart with crème Anglaise.
Cafe Rua
Castlebar, Co Mayo; click and collect; Wednesday to Saturday; caferua.com
Cafe Rua, very much part of the community in Castlebar, is open again, and the evening takeout menu focuses on meals suitable for families and people who may be alone. So the Sunday roast, which could be roast chicken and all the trimmings, is also available in individual portions, €15.The family feast kit, which changes weekly, is €20 for two and €38 for four, and dishes such as Mayo beef lasagne and fish pie with buttered greens have featured. There is also a good selection of organic wines.
Headfort Arms Hotel
Kells, Co Meath; click and collect; €3 delivery 5km radius, daily, headfortarms.ie
There's an impressive choice on the Headfort takeaway menu including a €50 family Sunday roast platter, for four to six people. The a-la-carte range includes 24-hour beef short rib, cod and braised fennel en papillote, Killua Castle venison bangers and mash, and a wellness Wednesday option, €7-€15, prepared by their vegan chef. Delivery is free of charge, on request, for those cocooning or the elderly.
HEALTHY, VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN OPTIONS
Tang
Dublin 2, click and collect, €6.95 delivery in Dublin county, Friday and Saturday; tang.ie
Tang's flexi dinner box for two, €47.50, is a clever idea, offering McNally Farm salads, hummus and all sorts of tasty, Middle Eastern-inspired vegan goodness, as well as one portion of Ring's Farm chicken. There are roast chicken and lamb kofta dinner boxes too. Add a bottle of keenly priced, low intervention wine for a real treat.
Jaru
Dublin 14, click and collect, Thursday to Saturday, delivery, Saturday, Dublin county; jaru.ie
Jaru, the Korean barbecue street food stall, has developed a food production end to its business based in Nutgrove, with a takeaway service, which includes vegetarian and vegan dishes. Apart from the takeaway options, each month there's a new JaruMart meal kit, €50, which is influenced by Korean culture, regions and stories. Designed for family-style dining, it includes rice, soup, meat, side banchans, sauces and home-made kimchi. Cut-off time for orders for delivery of the kit on Saturday is 9pm on Wednesday. Collection from the kitchen is also available Friday and Saturday evening.
Gursha
Dublin 7; click and collect; €3 delivery, 5km; Thursday to Saturday; gursha.ie
Operating as a takeaway with a fixed price of €21 per person for an Ethiopian meal, customers choose from nine dishes – three meat and six vegan. You get five dishes per customer if including the meat options, or six if choosing vegan/vegetarian dishes. Each meal comes with a portion of injera, a gluten-free sourdough flatbread.
Sprout
Dublin 2, 4, 6; click and collect; €3 delivery 5km radius, daily; sproutfoodco.com
Sprout offers collection from a number of its outlets. The salads and farm plates combine greens, grains, hearty warm veg and a source of protein. One of the bestselling salads is the paprika chica (€9.95) with roasted chicken, sweet potato, spinach, brown rice, spring onion, red chilli and paprika yogurt. There are two vegan and three vegetarian options, designed as a meal for one person (€9.25-€9.95). Vegetarian options include the super guacabowle salad which is guacamole, warm quinoa, Sprout Farm greens, roasted squash, carrot, red cabbage, pomegranate, apple, toasted seeds, feta and French dressing; but is it also possible to build your own salads and farm plates.
Night Market
Dublin 6, click and collect, from €2.50 delivery 7km radius, daily; nightmarket.ie
Much Thai food conveniently happens to fall into the healthy category by default, and there are a number of vegetarian options on this comprehensive menu, which is now available daily. Night Market's vegetarian gaeng gari tau hoo, €16, is a yellow curry-based dish with coconut milk, potato and mixed greens, which comes with onion, cashew nuts, cucumber, chilli relish and jasmine rice. The vegan phad pak ruam, €16, is stir-fried mixed green vegetables, garlic, water chestnuts, cashew nuts, soy sauce and crispy shallots.
Grow HQ Food Truck
Ardkeen, Waterford; click and collect, Wednesday to Sunday; grow-hq.com
It's easy to get your five a day with the keenly priced click-and-collect menu from the Grow HQ food truck at Grow HQ Ardkeen, 9am-4pm. Each day there is a variety of sandwiches, along with quiches, hearty meals and soup, and some treats too, with a daily selection of home-made scones, flapjacks, cakes, pastries and desserts. Be sure to order the beetroot and chocolate brownie .
Paradiso
Cork city, click and collect, Friday and Saturday, 4pm-5pm; paradisoathome.com
A bit of Paradiso at home, what could be more inviting? Cork's renowned vegetarian restaurant offers a menu of finish-at-home meal kits, mostly for two people, which include starters such as grilled cauliflower and cashew korma, €18, and hazelnut gougères with smoky peperonata, €16, and main courses such as aubergine parcels of kale and Knockalara sheep's cheese,€30, and desserts.
Sweet Beat Cafe
Sligo; click and collect daily; €5 local delivery to Sligo town, Rosses Point, Strandhill, Wednesday; sweetbeat.ie
This small cafe is doing an impressive selection of food to go, which includes a three-course vegan reheat-and-eat meal, €49.95 for two people. The starter is winter pastry with whipped cashew cream, roast veg, caramelised pecans, sundried tomato and smoked Gouda with organic greens. Mains include wild mushroom and butternut squash Bourguignon, or long-stem broccoli with savoury granola cauliflower puree; and desserts are beetroot chocolate fudge cake, caramelised peanuts and vanilla custard.
Phi Galway
Galway city; click and collect outside Loam restaurant, Thursday to Saturday; limited delivery; phigalway.com
The focus here is on plant-based food, although not exclusively, so you'll find some meat dishes as well as a vegan box. The €30 menu for one changes every two weeks, and features interesting dishes such as braised Chinese cabbage, carrot ras el hanout and pork belly. All packaging is either compostable, biodegradable or recyclable.
Glas
Dublin 2; click and collect, Friday and Saturday; delivery Friday; glasrestaurant.ie
Perfect for the vegetarian or vegan in your house, the four course menus are €38 for one person, and €75 for two. They includes tasty nibbles; a starter such as smoked carrot, beetroot and potato salad; charred celeriac with dill chowder and pickled sea lettuce for mains; and perhaps parsnip cake for dessert.
GLOBE-TROTTING ESCAPES
Bowls by Kwangi
Dublin 1; click and collect; delivery €7.50 Dublin city, Tuesday to Saturday; bowls.ie
It is a load of fun, and you need just a little bit of skill to assemble your own dumplings or other Asian favourites with these clever meal kits, which serve three to four people for €50. The takeaway menu includes rice bowls, noodle bowls, dumplings and bao buns, €10-€30. Watch out for Kwangi Bites, his new street food truck parked at the Leopardstown Inn, selling noodles, dumplings, Asian-style tacos, baos, Korean chicken burgers and kimchi toasties.
Bash Box
Dublin 3; delivery Dublin only (will be expanding), Friday; bashbox.ie
This newly launched kit has everything you need to create restaurant-quality feasts at home for four to six people. All the prep is done, exotic ingredients are sourced, and you can get straight into the cooking. Indian, Mexican and Middle Eastern kits are the first to be launched, with dishes that include lamb rogan josh, tamales and mole, and a heavily spiced mujaddara; and they will be expanding the offering in the coming weeks, with lots of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Prices are €30-€36 per kit.
Osteria Lucio
Dublin 2; click and collect, Thursday to Sunday; osterialucio.com
Menus change weekly and include a la carte as well as a three-course menu for €28pp. Starters have included bruschetta with Lambay crab and blood orange, and mortadella meatballs; mains typically include a pasta and pizza option such as gamberi pizza with prawns, nduja and sorrel, and a panna cotta with rhubarb for dessert.
The Ramen Bar
Dublin 2; click and collect; available daily; delivery Dublin city; theramenbar.ie
If you're missing your ramen fix, choose from the extensive menu of 22 delicious ramen types, plus bao, gyoza and rice dishes, with plenty of choice for vegetarians but limited options for vegans. The ramen dishes transport well, with the broth in a separate container to maximise freshness. Generous ramen main courses are all €15, with bao, gyoza and appetisers under €10. Wine, beer, cider and sake are also available.
Street
Dublin 14; click and collect, every day except Tuesday; streetrestaurant.ie
There's plenty to keep you coming back at Sunil Ghai's recently opened Indian street-food outpost in Clonskeagh. Among the highlights are venison mince samosa, €8.50; Kerala crispy chicken tossed with mustard seeds, €9; Goan prawn curry, €14.50; the insanely good 36-hour Punjabi black dhal, €14.50; and memsahib's rara gosht with diced and hand-pounded lamb. Pickle on Camden Street, where you can get kid goat mince curry, venison keema samosas and takda dahl, is also open for click and collect, as well as Tiffin in Greystones.
Rosa Madre
Dublin 2; call and collect, 01-5511206, free delivery in Dublin for orders over €150, Wednesday to Saturday; Instagram @rosamadredublin
If you see a Maserati pulling up in front of your house, it may be the ever gregarious Luca De Marzio, owner of Rosa Madre, delivering your food in person. Follow Rosa Madre's Instagram account to catch the week's menu on stories, from Wednesday to Sunday. Pasta is of course home-made and dishes have included scallops au gratin, risotto, lobster pasta and tiramisu and cannoli for dessert.
3 Leaves
Blackrock, Co Dublin; click and collect; Friday to Sunday; 3leaves.ie
Santosh Thomas and Milie Mathew's tiny Indian restaurant in Blackrock Market has developed something of a cult following, with slots selling out quickly when they open each Wednesday. Dishes include slow-roasted pepper beef chuck with flaky malabari paratha, €13.95; murgh bemisal, a mildly spiced chicken curry with nuts and cream, €19.00; and quinoa aloo tikki, a vegan dhal chat made with crispy quinoa and potatoes cakes over a bed of lentils €10.
777
Dublin 2; click and collect Thursday to Sunday; €7 delivery Friday, Dublin city; 777.ie
You can party Mexican style at home with this easy-to-use kit, particularly if you include a bottle of the excellent pre-mixed margaritas for €40. The taquito party kit for two, €55, also has vegetarian and vegan options. For two to three people, you can spring for the chicken al pastor dinner, €60, which includes a whole spatchcock chicken with al pastor marinade, totopos and salsas, mole, guacamole and bread-and-butter pudding.
China Sichuan
Sandyford, Dublin; click and collect; Wednesday to Sunday; china-sichuan.ie
Favourites on the takeaway menu here include golden fried soft-shell crab, with toasted almonds and chilli flakes, Haozan black sole, which is pan-fried with sweet soya and sake, and ma po tofu, a classic Sichuan spicy vegetarian dish of braised hot and spicy bean curd pieces, in Sichuan pepper and chilli. Also available are cook-at-home kits for two people, €22.50 with all the ingredients ready to go. The kits are also available in Green Man Wine, Terenure.
Hang Dai
Dublin 2; phone and collect, 01-5458888; limited delivery in Dublin, Tuesday to Sunday; hangdaichinese.com
Now with a new chef in the kitchen, it's worth keeping an eye on the takeaway menu as there are plans to add new dishes. Among the must-order items are the nibbles of chilli fried peanuts with toasted kale, and the crunchy pork skin; and for starters, opt for the sesame prawn sourdough toast and pork dumplings. For something special, the Skeaghanore Beijing duck for four, €80, comes in two courses, first with a broth and then with Chinese pancakes. Specials include a €55 family meal deal, with two starters, two mains with rice, two kids' meals and HB icebergers to finish.
Ichigo Ichie
Cork city; phone and collect; 021-4279997; Tuesday to Saturday; ichigoichie.ie
Takashi Miyazaki is offering a selection of nigiri (€15.50), maki sushi rolls (€12.50) and akadashi miso soup (€3.50) for takeaway from his Fenn's Quay restaurant, from Tuesday to Saturday, with the phone line open for orders 10am-noon, and collection noon-3pm, and until 5pm on Friday. His Miyazaki Japanese takeaway on Barrack Street is open from Tuesday to Sunday, and includes zaki's tebasaki (chicken wings), €7.50; edamame, €4; miso soup, €3.50; cod nanban don, €14.50.
Cinnamon Garden
Ashbourne, Co Meath; click and collect; delivery 12km radius; daily; cinnamongarden.ie
A much-loved restaurant in Ashbourne. There are a huge number of takeaway options, which include samosas, kebabs, bhuna, vindaloo, jalfrezi and biryani; tandoori prawns and chicken from the clay oven, a sizeable number of vegetarian dishes and vegan options. There are also homemade lassis and desserts.
Happy Endings
Dublin 1 and 15; click and collect; delivery on Deliveroo and Just Eat; daily; happyendingsfood.com
It's hard to resist a restaurant called Happy Endings, right? This pop up is located in the Dorset Lounge and Café Park, and offers street food inspired chicken with flavours from around the globe, as well as Kentucky burger, banh mi burgers, ramen poutine fries, and Veginity plant based options.
