Walking through the gates of Merrion Square this weekend, you’d be forgiven for thinking you have left Dublin far behind.
Aromas alone take you on a cuisine journey around the world. Lamb mansaf from Shaku Maku brings a taste of Palestine to the heart of the city; samosas are expertly filled and folded at Pakistani restaurant Daata; and try the renowned Tai Fai dumplings at Bigfan’s stall.
In addition to the international plate, Taste of Dublin features some of Ireland’s finest artisan produce. Among the bustling food talks, lively sample bars and the sounds of the swinging jazz band, there are chillies from Co Cork, vermouth from Valentia Island, craft beers from a distillery in Co Down and countless other local Irish food and drink offerings.
Helma Larkin has just enjoyed the dumplings from Bigfan, and says it is her fourth time at the festival.
“I love seeing what restaurants in Dublin come each year so I can try their food. I took a half day off work because I think it’s a really cool event,” Larkin says. “I like to come in the afternoon so I can really see the food, and before the crowds. I love it, I’m a bit of a foodie.”
Behind Larkin is Anna and Orla Snook O’Carroll’s Valentia Island Vermouth stand – the country’s only authentic Irish vermouth.
Valentina Island Vermouth owner Anna Snook O’Carroll at the Taste of Dublin 2026 in Merrion Square. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni/The Irish Times
Anna says that after meeting her wife Orla at art school in Bristol they decided to start the company, which was “born from our kitchen table on Valentia Island”.
Anna and Orla embarked on a “journey of flavours” for 18 months until they got the recipe just right. Anna says the secret is their handmade caramel which gives their vermouth its “bittersweet and magic flavour”.
The vermouth is filled with 20 botanicals and goes for €35 a bottle.
In front of The Salty Buoy, serving “fresh and fuss-free” seafood, Zoe Murphy is trying “duck and lobster for the very first time”. Murphy says she is at the event while “looking for inspiration” for her own work and will “try anything new” to inspire her.
The Salty Buoy’s classic lobster roll is €12. Its ceviche loco and Dublin Bay scallop are €7 each.
Another seafood stall nearby is Dec MacManus’s King Sitric, a Howth dining mainstay. It has teamed up with Kelly’s Oysters in Co Galway, one of Ireland’s oldest oyster-farming families.
Fresh oysters at the King Sitric truck at the Taste of Dublin 2026 in Merrion Square. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni/The Irish Times
While dicing cucumbers and drizzling red wine vinegar into the oysters at the stall, Ryan O’Leary says “everything is sustainable. Everything we don’t sell gets sent back to the farm, into the sea to grow for another year.”
King Sitric’s oysters are €3 each.
Siobhan Quane says that she comes here “every single year. We absolutely love it. It’s a family occasion. We love just going around and having a bit of fun together.”
Siobhan Quane at the Taste of Dublin 2026 in Merrion Square. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni/The Irish Times
Quane booked a few of the experiences on offer in advance, such as the Supervalu and Taste of Spain experiences. She is most looking forward to the St Germain class. “I have two daughters who are in their 20s. They like their Hugo spritzes,” she says, laughing.
There are two types of tickets available for the festival this weekend: the afternoon ticket, 12pm-4.30pm, and the evening ticket, 6pm-10.30pm.
The cost of an afternoon adult ticket is €28 and for children under the age of 16 it is €14.
The cost of an evening adult ticket is €35 and for children under the age of 16 it is €17.
Tickets can be bought on Equinox Events Ticketing.