My Dublin - Alex O’ Neill

Writer Elizabeth Winding meets the fast-rising food writer hangs out in Portobello, orders way too much at Kopitiam, and unwinds in the Dublin mountains – in a sauna, if she can.

Talking to Alex O’Neill, the conversation soon turns to food – which dominates her waking thoughts (and, truth be told, sometimes her dreams). Outside her full-time job at a charity, she’s the co-founder of Bahay, a freewheeling food project she runs with her partner, chef Richie Caldero. Their latest project? Acclaimed Irish-Filipino restaurant Kaldero, which opened in the summer. As if all that wasn’t enough, she moonlights as a food writer and has co-authored a cookbook, Masarap. ‘It’s too much, but I love it,’ she laughs. ‘Food is what we talk about constantly, so I might as well write about it too.’ When we finally catch up – her schedule’s non-stop – she’s excellent company too, and the greatest of guides to Dublin, the city she calls home. 

What brought you to Dublin, and what’s made you stay?

I’m Dublin born and bred, eighth generation. I was born in the hospital in Holles Street, just off Merrion Square, and was always extremely proud to be a Dub. There’s just this deep connection. 

Do you have a favourite neighbourhood? 

Portobello! I lived there in my twenties, and though I’ve moved out to Rathfarnham now, it still feels like home. It’s beautiful: I love the red-brick Georgian houses with cats in the windows, and the way the trees change with the seasons. You’ll see young families on posh electric bikes, but you'll also get people walking around in their pyjamas. 

The food scene is equally varied, running from Asian shops selling great mangos to fancy foodie places like the Lennox Street Grocer. I love the south Indian-style breakfasts at Hyderabadi Kitchen, and the chai at Adda – it’s a coffee shop with a sideline in biryanis, which just blows my mind. The Last Bookshop is another great spot, with a secret courtyard café beyond the stacks of second-hand books.

What’s Dublin’s greatest street? 

Clanbrassil Street in The Liberties. Although some great addresses have been pushed out by developers, it’s such a vibrant, busy space; there’s so much life there. Wine shops will pop up next to shisha places, or you’ll find a phenomenal Pakistani grill beside an old-school chippy. The Fumbally is here too, and one of the city’s best spots for lunch, with a focus on seasonal ingredients, pickles and house ferments. Close by, Hen’s Teeth is a hub for local creatives, while Peadar Browns is a self-proclaimed Irish rebel and ballad bar. I love how they’re all neighbours. 

We hear you’re a pastry obsessive. Which bakeries make the cut?

Bread 41 are consistently amazing; you never get them on a bad day. The cruffins are superb, as are the almond pains au chocolate. There’s always a crazy queue, so my trick is to catch them at the farmer’s markets at St Anne’s Park and Herbert Park, where they have a little van. 

My second pick is Elliot’s, in Northside, whose honey and sea salt croissant is possibly the best croissant on the planet. Finally, Fable Bakery, for its dependably gorgeous chocolate twists and cinnamon buns.  

What’s your coffee order, and where does it best?

A short black or a long black. I usually just ask for an americano in a flat white cup, to get it right. I love Vice Coffee, but also Indigo & Cloth, on the edge of Temple Bar. I order the special roast and sit in: I love the space and vibe, and the cobalt-blue bench at the front. The top floor, with high Georgian ceilings, is a lifestyle and homeware space. I like to pretend it’s my loft apartment, dotted with jugs and vases that look more like pieces of art. 

Are you a regular at any restaurants?

They literally know our order at Kopitiam. We always get the seven spice aubergine, which is like fluffy clouds; the salt and chilli calamari, the roti canai – a flaky Malay bread – and two rendangs (prawn for me, lamb for Richie). We also like to throw in a wild card dish. Last time it was coconut jam toasties, but they also do banging Marmite chicken wings.  

For comfort food, I go to Bigfan Bao. Get the cheeseburger dumplings, the pork snowflakes, the enoki fan mushrooms, and whatever bao special they have. It’s all really good – just book ahead. 

Describe a dish that blew you away

At Daruma, an izakaya-inspired restaurant in the city centre, I ate a skewer of Irish baby potatoes, cooked in wagyu fat on the yakitori grill. It was off the scale; I immediately wanted to eat at least two more.

What excites you about the city’s food scene?

The shift that’s happening in how Dublin thinks about food, identity and place. For a long time, this city didn’t quite know how to define itself – and when you look at our history, you can see why. Centuries of colonial rule decimated our agricultural systems, demonised native foods, and used hunger as a tool of control. Even after independence, we were fed narratives that Irish food was bland, backwards, and best forgotten. 

As a result, we looked to what London, New York and Copenhagen were doing and tried to replicate that. Spaces opened that were beautiful but hollow, with menus that could have belonged anywhere. Dublin was trying to play catch-up without asking what its own story was, while dealing with the fallout of the financial crash. 

Now, there’s a new energy building. People are interested in who’s making the food and what story it tells. The best places are doing one thing, and doing it well, whether it’s a bakery, a pizza slice shop, or a tiny ramen spot. The city still has its challenges, from high rents to unsupportive planning. But amid all that, people are building, cooking and creating; trying to make something that feels like it belongs here. To me, that’s the most exciting thing.

What’s one thing every visitor to the city should do?

Go to a museum! Something I cherish about Dublin is that our museums are free to visit, and it’s always a shock when I go to another city and have to pay. I’d start with the archaeology section of the National Museum of Ireland, with incredible objects going back to the neolithic and bronze ages. 

Where would you go for a memorable date?

I’ve not been on one since we started the business, so I may not be the best person to ask! Perhaps a walk around the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin? A gallery’s always good, too. I love the Hugh Lane and the National Gallery of Ireland, which has some incredible pieces by two of my favourite Irish artists, Jack B Yeats and Louis Le Brocquy. Afterwards, head to the upstairs room of one of the quieter pubs, where the old Dublin poets and writers worked. There’s a real romance to places like Neary’s, off Grafton Street. 

What’s the pub scene like, as a non-drinker? 

I still love a good Irish pub; you can walk in at any time of day and just feel at home. They often have non-alcoholic Guinness on draught, so I get to read my book and sip my pint just like everyone else. Fallon’s – AKA The Capstan – is my local. I always meet friends here by chance, and that even though it’s tiny, it still has a snug. The Lord Edward on Christchurch Place is another phenomenal spot, despite being in a touristy part of town. Walking in there’s like stepping back a century or two. 

By College Green, Bowe’s Bar is a real Dublin pub, with no messing and no food: your food is crisps and peanuts. It’s hard to know what year it is in there, never mind what time of day. 

Describe your perfect Sunday in the city

I’d start the day with a hike. I live near the Dublin mountains and love getting out into nature. I’d do a quick loop around Tibradden, which has a neolithic burial chamber at the top. After that I’d head into town for the Herbert Park Farmers Market, stopping for a pastry at Bread41’s van, then picking up a fat samosa with minty yoghurt for lunch. 

In the afternoon, I’d drop by a bookshop. Time stands still at Books Upstairs, one of my favourite independent bookshops. It has a real sense of calm, and laptops are banned in its café. Instead, it’s a space for talking, thinking, writing and reading. I’m also very fond of Connolly Books, Ireland’s oldest radical bookshop. My great grandfather was one of the founders of the Irish trade union movement, and it’s a place he would have gone to.

Later, I’d head to a sauna, which I try to do at least once a week. My favourite’s up in the mountains, close to where I live – Tigh N’Alluis. The surrounds and views are stunning.