It doesn’t happen so often but, yes, even Dublin can offer great culinary experiences. Voted for best restaurant in Ireland for 2016, Luna offers a mesmorizing Italian dining experience with an 1950s American bar kind of feel.

Dimly-lit, small and intimate enough and offering tasty dishes, Luna is the brainchild of John Farrel located in the basement of Super Miss Sue on Drury Street. Luna has brought a 1960s New York mobster restaurant to Dublin, a place where there’s a big round table in a back room of the restaurant where some serious stuff is about to go down.

Salumi, artichokes, burrata, olives and sourdough

The food is so much more than the typical Italian restaurant abroad. As you go down a few steps into the red velvet entrance, you notice this place’s got character. Passing through the burgundy curtain and landing in front of an Italian’s grocer counter you feast your eyes with the fine charcuterie immediately fixing you up for an enjoyable dinner.

The starter you need not miss out on is the Uovo Forestale (codename for warm egg, parmesan and mushrooms) although lately they sometimes don’t include it on the menu. If you can brave the cheese and the umami filling up your tastebuds you can go for the Truffle Spaghetti. If you feel even more festive, you can opt for the Spaghetti al Tartufo Bianchetti or the Pappardelle Ragu adding some extra parmesan shavings to top it off!

Poached egg, mushroom and parmesan cheese

Truffle spaghetti

Papardelle Ragu, a feast for both the eyes and the stomach

Cover photo: Super Miss Sue