Share
20th December 2016
12:10am GMT
With summer in full swing and the weather getting warmer sometimes we just crave something lighter and fresher, like a great salad. So many cafes and restaurants get this wrong with the usual boring caesar salad or soggy leaves with bland dressings being their safe but dull offerings. Eating well should be fun not a chore, and thankfully there are tonnes of places in the city that serve up really creative, imaginative salads that are bursting with flavour and leave you feeling satisfied. Read below for our top ten salads in the city.
10. Blazing Salads
If you're trying to clean up your act and get healthy Blazing Salads should be a place on your hit list. This super healthy, vegetarian salad bar which also does pretty amazing healthy cakes as we mentioned recently always has loads of salad options every day. It's a self service salad bar that is totally fresh and delicious. After you fill your salad box up they have a stand with various sauces, hummus, nuts, seeds and other tasty additions to pimp out your salad even further. This is a take away only spot nestled on Drury Street, make sure to try it out.
9. KC Peaches
KC Peaches has a few different locations in the city including Nassau Street, Pearse Street, Dame Street & Stephens Green. They sell a wide selection of healthy but hearty salads, you'll never leave this place hungry. They also have a ridiculously tempting selection of cakes which are also mouth watering, but if you cave for their brownies surely having a salad first will balance it out, right?!
I know what you're thinking, why would you get a salad in Diep when you could get a Pad Thai or Massaman curry? I was previously in this school of thought too before being told to try their must-try Yum Gai Yang chicken salad the last time I was in their restaurant hidden down on Pembroke Lane. This was so bursting with zingy flavour that I left feeling very satisfied and smugly healthy too. It comes with crushed peanuts, a ginger lime dressing and loads of other tasty stuff, this one is definitely a must try.
7. Lennox Cafe
If you want to be the person who always orders a salad but always feel ravenous about 30 minutes after finishing one, then you should go to Lennox Cafe for their Chicken Pesto Salad. It's so filling as it's packed with loads of chicken breast and also comes with loads of tasty stuff like parmesan cheese, pesto and olives. I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it.
6. Avoca
Ah Avoca... A.K.A. the place with the giant portions of everything. Avoca's salads from their deli counters are really delicious and hearty, it doesn't hurt that you can choose for your salad to accompany a big fat fish cake, freshly roasted ham, chicken legs, quiche or whatever else tickles your fancy. This is almost a cheat's salad, but it is really delicious, healthy and filling so definitely not to be sniffed at. If you're sitting down in their cafe rather than their deli, their crab salad is incredible also.
5. Bakers
Bakers in Donnybrook is a gem offering a wide selection of delicious salads. You can order a salad plate with a selection of salads of the day, or you can get your salad on the side with mac n cheese or rotisserie chicken... The choice is yours.
4. Oxmantown
Oxmantown in Smithfield is in the centre of the new foodie revolution in Dublin with plenty of amazing other food spots in the area. Oxmantown is known for some pretty incredible sandwiches (including their notorious pulled pork). However, their salads are also delicious, filling and as far from the soggy, limp salads of your nightmares as possible.
The Fumbally Cafe is a firm favourite in Lovin Dublin HQ. The building itself is just so cool on the inside, really high ceilings, really amazing distressed wooden furniture and relaxing music. When you go here you feel like you're in another world, far from the traffic and fast pace of the city centre. Their menu is amazing which an incredible breakfast and lunch menu. While they're best known for their porchetta sandwiches their salad plates are also delicious and really filling. This salad plate below with falafel, hummus and bread will definitely keep you going until dinner time!
I know we'll probably be accused of cafe favouritism but honestly, I don't think there is many other spots in Dublin city serving up take-away salads that are tastier, healthier and more varied every day than Greenbench. Every day the salads change to something new but they're always packed with delicious vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and seeds so you never get lunch fatigue there. You can choose your salad topping- pulled pork, chicken, salmon, beef, ham or falafel. You never leave hungry and it's always really healthy.
1. Staple Foods
Pretty much everyone is familiar with Staple Foods, formerly nestled away under Merchants Arch in Temple Bar. They've now moved across the road into the Crowbar on Curved Street, Temple Bar. Now you can sit down pretty comfortably (try and bag the window seat for people watching) in their new spacious location in any number of the couches and arm chairs dotted around. Their salads are amazing, I went for a pulled pork asian style salad which felt like it was going to be really indulgent (I mean... Pulled pork in a salad?) but it was really light and refreshing. They take the number one spot for being so absolutely delicious and healthy without making eating salad feel like a chore!
So there are our top picks, make sure to let us know what you think and share any spots that we may not know about that could challenge these 10!
