Christmas sambos are great. At first. The turkey, the stuffing, the bit of cranberry sauce smushed into soft white bread—it’s bliss in hand-held form. But we’re on week three of December. Actual Christmas dinner is enroute. And so are the days of sambos that follow. If you’re dreaming of eating anything else, then it’s time for a change.
Thankfully, Dublin’s food spots are here to save you with festive specials that’ll hit the Christmas notes while swerving sandwich fatigue.
1. Lambay Island Crab Fried Rice – Camile Thai
Where: Camile Thai, Various Locations
This is rice as the deity of your choice intended. Camile’s festive fried rice features Irish crab caught by Lambay fishermen Robert and Garry. It’s processed the same day by seafood wizard Niall Sabongi, and wok-tossed into something wholly scarfable. Think delicate crab meat, tender veg, and a flavour-packed base. Beaut of a festive special.
2. Truffle Wagyu Shoyu Ramen – Nomo Ramen
Where: Nomo Ramen, Dublin 8
If you want to feel deeply smug while slurping, get to Nomo. Their Truffle Wagyu Shoyu Ramen is winter comfort at its absolute peak. Shoyu ramen (shoyu = soy sauce) is a classic for a reason. It’s lighter than tonkotsu but still full of complexity—a perfect base for those decadent toppings. The hint of truffle makes it fancy, but not in a “small portions, big price tag” way.
Nomo’s the kind of place where ramen skeptics leave as believers. If turkey fatigue is real, this bowl will cure ya in a festive special way.
3. The Sprout Christmas Bowl – Sprout & Co.
Where: Sprout & Co., Various Locations
Sprout’s Christmas Bowl serves “What if Christmas dinner didn’t ruin my digestive system?” It’s fresh, seasonal, and still festively special. Featuring herb-roasted chicken, sweet potato, pickled cabbage, and miso-glazed Brussels sprouts it’s a chonker but still a salad. This is perfect for if you can’t face another carb bomb. It’s the kind of bowl you can eat at lunch and still feel alive enough to hit the pubs after.
4. House Sausage, Roasted Sprouts, and Hegarty’s Cheese Pizza – Mani Pizza
Where: Mani Pizza, Drury Street
Sprouts on pizza might sound mad, but trust Many Pizza to make it genius. They’ve taken house sausage, roasted sprouts, Hegarty’s cheese béchamel, guanciale herb stuffing, and a dollop of Ballymaloe cranberry sauce, and piled it all onto a beautifully charred base. It’s sort of festive sandwich adjacent. Even more so now that focaccia has a hold over artisanal sambos in the city. But it’s also a pizza – so by definition not an actual sandwich which is key here. Also, any pizza that includes béchamel automatically deserves your respect.
5. The Christmas Loaded Fries
Where: Harbour Bar, Bray
This is not subtle food. This is a box of Christmas decadence: proper chips packed with turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, crispy onions, mozzarella, a breaded brie wedge and a drizzle of cranberry to bring it all together. Oh, and a side of gravy—because if you’re not dipping chips into gravy in December, are you even trying?
You’ll need napkins. And maybe a lie-down afterward.
Go forth and eat merrily—no cranberry-stained bread required.
