One of the very few places you can enjoy the delight that is teppanyaki in Dublin is Rathmines' restaurant aptly named Tippenyaki. The word Teppanyaki derives from the words teppan, meaning iron plate, and yaki, meaning grilled, and teppanyaki dishes are typically comprised of beef, chicken, prawns, and veggies, cooked in soybean oil. This style of cooking, alongside sushi, makes up the backbone of modern Japanese cuisine, and the live-cooking element that you can experience at Tippenyaki is some of the most fun. They do two-hour live cooking sessions Tuesday through Sunday. Seats are limited and require advance booking, which you can do here.

The second teppanyaki spot on this list is Chai Yo, which has been based on Baggot Street for many, many years now. The live cooking element is of course why it features on this list as one of the most fun restaurants to dine in in Dublin, but that's not the only entertainment they have live for you. If it's a special occasion at Chai Yo, you will also be treated to some live music just for your table. For my 21st birthday, I was treated to several songs, not just the classic "Happy Birthday" anthem, with my personal favourite naturally having to be "I Will Survive". Add in the impeccable food, which let's be real, tastes better once you've seen it cooked before you, and I dare you to say this isn't a fun place to eat. Definitely one of the most fun places to eat Dublin.

The Saucy Cow remains a shining light for plant-based food that actually tastes great and has the same sort of fun vibes normally befitting of an American diner - sans the hamburgers. This colourful little spot does vegan fast food like no other in Dublin, ideal if you don't always want to eat a mountain and veg and fruit, but are devoted to the plant-based lifestyle. Instead, they do beyond meat smash burgers, loaded fries, as well as wraps and sambos, and this saucy restaurant has garnered so much popularity, that you can now find them in Cork too. If we had to recommend something in particular, it would be the salt and chilli hash browns that are nothing short of stunning.

Two words. Seafood boil. This New Orleans tradition is where people come together at certain times of the year to boil pounds and pounds of fresh shellfish and tuck in, often accompanied by veg and potatoes. The Krewe edition of this dish is made with langoustines prawns, mussels cockles, clams, monkfish cheeks, cod and smoked andouille sausage, all boiled in a spicy Cajun broth with potatoes and corn on the cob. If you're looking for a sharing food experience that will keep you more full than small plates and is also a lot more fun. Get your bib on and dig in. How can you not have fun somewhere it is socially acceptable, and advised, to wear a bib as an adult? Exactly.

If you're someone who always orders the Mighty Meaty pizza at Domino's, then a visit to Bah33 is a must for you. Serving up all kinds of flavoursome eats, the menu is packed full with a range of different Brazilian specialities - all cooked in the traditional way. What makes Bah33 a fun dining experience however is that the serves come around all night with different cuts, and you can have as much as you like.

We all associate Maneki with roaring out Total Eclipse of the Heart at karaoke. But if you're the kind of person who finds themselves starved after belting out eighties classics, then a dinner before you start necking the sake pornstar martinis is in order. The Dawson Street restaurant serves modern Japanese cuisine, with several kinds of sushi rolls and sashimi depending on your taste.

Step into The Big Romance, and you’ll immediately get it. Pints come with a side of jazz. By day, it’s the kind of place where vinyl obsessives nurse coffees and debate the best Coltrane record. By night, it transforms—groups huddle over pints of Whiplash, couples share plates of El Milagros finest, and someone’s inevitably explaining why a pint of Kellerbier is the only true beer worth drinking. It's a small wholesome taco focused menu that pairs perfectly with the rotating tap list. Expect the odd free pour if you catch the bartender in a chatty mood. So obviously this had to rank on the most fun places to eat Dublin list.

Hang Dai has to be on any list of most fun places to eat Dublin. One of the coolest restaurants to open up in recent years is Hang Dai. This futuristic Chinese/Asian restaurant and bar not only serves some of the most delicious and creative food on the south side of the Liffey. It also provides a space to boogie later on in the evening. From the moment you step into Hang Dai, you're transported somewhere that doesn't resemble Dublin at all. Hang Dai has a space kind of theme, where you dine and drink in what looks like a vibey subway station. They serve everything from street food, including their famous cheeseburger spring rolls, to wholesome mains such as chilli bean hot pot, or Irish wagyu. The menue ensures you won't come away from your meal hungry.

As for the music, the restaurant's massive love for vinyl and analogue sounds has led to a detailed focus on Hi-Fi and acoustics. Hang Dai has a custom-built sound system, an isolated DJ booth, an acoustically treated room, and even a "Saturday Night Fever" dance floor on the ceiling. DJs such as Fett Burger, Bjorn Torske, Donna Leake, Monk One, and Jeremy Spellacey, to name but a few, have all taken to the decks in Hang Dai. We're sure they have a class line-up coming for 2025.

Row Wines feels like it landed fully formed—one of those rare spots that just gets it. Inspired by Tokyo’s listening bars, it pairs a best-in-class sound system with a menu that’s just as sharp. The vinyl collection is deep, running from jazz to house to disco, but this isn’t a place where the music drowns the conversation—it underscores it. The food is the real reason to stay: Kilkee crab flatbread that’s an instant classic, beef tartare on crisp rösti, and a natural wine list that reads like a love letter to fermentation. Cocktails are dialled in, the room glows just right, and if you pop in for a quick glass, good luck leaving before the record flips.

When Big Fan announced they were setting up shop inside Fidelity, the reaction was immediate. Excitement. Intrigue. A collective “this makes so much sense.” A high-fi bar with one of the best sound systems in the country, now serving some of Dublin’s best small plates? No notes. Sister7 is a dimly lit, vinyl-spinning, cocktail-slinging dream. Here prawn toast meets natural wine and Whiplash beer gets a second life in their spent grain specials. The menu is as dialled-in as the playlist. And with a dining room that wouldn’t look out of place in Soho or the East Village, it’s got that rare thing: a Dublin spot that feels like a city spot.

A disco lounge with vintage wine and a Negroni list? Of course it works. Bootleg is what happens when the minds behind Big Fan, Bow Lane, and Sprezzatura decide to throw a party. The room glows under disco balls. DJs keep the energy at just the right simmer. The menu leans into the good stuff. It has morphed and changed a good few times meaning evry time you go there's a little something different. The Negroni variations alone are worth a visit. Especially if you're into Lemon Cello. It’s the mix of old-school fun and slick execution that makes Bootleg feel like the kind of place you could go for dinner and end up dancing on the tables at 2am.