What is the best market in Dublin for food?

The Temple Bar Food Market in Meeting House Square (Saturdays only, 10:00–16:00) is the best single place for artisan Irish produce — Gubeen cheese, Wicklow smoked trout, artisan bread, and seasonal vegetables. George's Street Arcade is the best permanent covered market for a mix of food and everything else.

Dublin markets and street food: best markets, street food spots and when to go

Dublin’s markets and street food scene in 2026

Dublin’s market culture has expanded considerably in the last decade, driven by the same craft food movement that produced the distillery revival and the serious restaurant scene. The best markets in Dublin are legitimate producers’ markets where you can meet the person who made the cheese or smoked the fish — not tourist souvenir markets with incense sticks and second-hand paperbacks.

This guide covers the food markets and street food worth your time, by day of week and location.

Temple Bar Food Market — Saturday essential

Meeting House Square, Temple Bar. Saturday 10:00–16:00.

This is the anchor of Dublin’s artisan food market calendar. Located in the cobbled Meeting House Square just off the main Temple Bar strip (and therefore slightly hidden from the tourist flood), the Saturday market draws genuine producers from across Ireland.

Regular stalls worth seeking out:

Gubeen Farmhouse (West Cork) — smoked charcuterie and farmhouse cheese from the Fergusons, one of Ireland’s most celebrated artisan producers. The smoked chorizo is exceptional.
Wicklow Way Produce — smoked trout and salmon from the Wicklow hills, cured using traditional methods.
Arva Oatmeal — stone-ground oats from Arva, County Cavan, a product largely forgotten for decades and now revived.
Bread stalls — several, including wholegrain sourdoughs and traditional soda bread loaves baked that morning. Buy bread here over a supermarket without hesitation.
Shellfish — oysters, Dublin Bay prawns, and mussels from various West Coast producers, depending on the week.

The overall atmosphere is far more local than the adjacent Temple Bar streets. Arrive by 11:00 if you want the full range before the popular items sell out. A delicious Dublin walking food tour covers the market and surrounding area, which gives context to what you are tasting.

George’s Street Arcade — permanent covered market

South Great George’s St., Dublin 2. Monday–Saturday 09:00–18:00, Sunday 12:00–18:00.

The George’s Street Arcade is a Victorian covered market building (1881) that functions as Dublin’s general-purpose independent retail and food market. The food offering includes:

A health food deli with good salads and hot food for lunch
A cheese stall with Irish farmhouse and Continental varieties
A crêpe stall that produces some of Dublin’s better sweet street food
A Vietnamese street food counter (Pho Viet) — one of the best quick lunches in the city centre for under €12
A fishmonger with Irish Atlantic fish at prices well below supermarket rates
Second-hand books, vintage clothing, and independent retailers that make it worth browsing beyond the food

The arcade is indoor and weather-proof, which matters in Dublin. It is a genuine local institution rather than a tourist market, and the eating and shopping reflects that.

Iveagh Markets — the Liberties institution

Francis St., Dublin 8.

The Iveagh Markets building on Francis St. in the Liberties is a 1906 Arts and Crafts building designed by Frederick Hicks. It has had a complicated recent history of planned and failed renovation, but the building is extraordinary — a grand indoor market hall with a glass and iron roof that was intended as a market and social facility for the Liberties’ working-class population.

The current situation is evolving; check current operating status before visiting. When operational, it hosts a mix of antiques, vintage goods, and occasional food market events.

Francis St. itself, the antique dealer’s street adjacent, is worth a walk regardless.

Dún Laoghaire Farmers Market

People’s Park, Dún Laoghaire. Sunday 10:00–16:00.

One of the best suburban food markets in the Dublin area — consistent, producer-led, and set in the Victorian bandstand park of Dún Laoghaire. The range is wide: Irish farmhouse cheese (Knockanore, Killowen, Cooleeney), artisan bread, organic vegetables, Wicklow honey, artisan chutneys, and reliable cooked food stalls. Worth combining with a DART coastal day out — Dún Laoghaire is 30 minutes from Pearse Station.

Street food in Dublin city centre

Street food in the traditional sense is limited in Dublin compared to London or Berlin — licensing and weather both constrain it. But some options are worth knowing:

Gerry’s Diner (Phibsborough Road): a neighbourhood diner institution that consistently delivers the best full Irish breakfast outside of proper restaurants.
Bunsen (various locations): the best burger in Dublin by common agreement among locals — beef from a named farm, made to order, with a short menu that does not overcomplicate things.
Herbstreet (Grand Canal Dock): a market-style restaurant at the Docklands that sources locally and changes menus seasonally. The weekend outdoor trading makes it function like street food in good weather.
The Rolling Donut (Grafton St. kiosk): a Dublin institution for fresh yeast doughnuts — the glazed original is the right choice.

Street food tours and guided market visits

If you want context alongside the tasting, the street food tour with local guide (~~€40) covers the key market areas with a guide who can explain the producers and the food culture. The walking tour for foodies with tastings (~~€40) has more structured tastings alongside the market exploration.

Planning your market visit

Saturday is the peak day: Temple Bar Food Market is running, George’s Street Arcade is fully open, and weekend atmosphere is at its best. If you are in Dublin for a weekend, build a Saturday morning around the Temple Bar Food Market and George’s Street Arcade before the afternoon tourist crowds descend.

Sunday is the day for Dún Laoghaire Farmers Market, which is quieter and more local in character.

For a full picture of eating in Dublin, read best restaurants in Dublin and traditional Irish food. The afternoon tea in Dublin guide covers the formal end of Dublin’s food offer if you want the full spectrum.