What’s for dinner? Our favourite takeaway options

As the lockdown enters another week, it seems that we have never been hungrier..

Thankfully, more and more food places are opening their doors for takeaways and so, we are now turning to our PC’s to see what’s for dinner!

Yes, we know that you are probably quite proud of your culinary prowess during this lockdown, as you discover skills and herbs you never knew existed and cooking utensils that you never knew the use for.

But can you still really get that pizza base just perfect? Does your Thai Chicken Curry lack a bit of oomph??

You are not alone. After almost 7 weeks stuck in our own kitchens, the nation is craving food cooked by someone else. And probably someone who might be just a little better at producing a better Tikka Masala than yourself.

In the interest of research, we decided to see what was out there right now and also, to find out who is cooking in a more sustainable fashion.

Because we believe that these are the places that will come through to the other side of this pandemic.

As people can now see more clearly the importance of the sustainability of our planet, the demand for these foods and eateries that embrace them will continue to rise.

Grab your knife and fork and let’s go!
Disclaimer – you will notice that these restaurants are predominantly in Dublin 2, as we observe the 5km limit right now. As soon as it is practical, we will look to bring you great takeaways from further afield! 
Cirillos, Merrion Row

This was a new opening in Merrion Row (2016) and we just weren’t sure how well a pizza place would fare here.

But then, we discovered two things. Firstly, it was set up by James Cirillo, who has been working in the industry with his family for years.

James is a guy who knows what he’s doing and does it with lots of attention to detail but with very little fuss. Secondly, they imported their pizza oven all the way from Naples (the home of pizza). Impressive.

Not long after the opening, we gave it a go. I defy you to find a better pizza than this in Dublin City. Thin, crispy base, fresh ingredients put together the way you would expect, with just a couple of wildcards in there to keep it interesting.

The only thing that could make it better, is by ordering the pasta too (pizza/pasta half and a half for two would be our suggestion). The pappardelle with truffle is the stuff that dreams are made of (okay, perhaps not quite, but I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!).

They opened their doors back up a few weeks ago and are doing deliveries (Via Deliveroo) or collection. The current menu is understandably a little more limited, but still plenty of options. Best pizza outside of Napoli 🙂 Check out these fines pizzas from Cirillos here

Bombay Pantry

These guys have been around for a few years now, but they have featured heavily on our radar over the past year or two.

I have found it difficult to find an authentic Indian around Dublin City, but since Bombay Pantry have been popping up all over Dublin, I found a whole other level of Indian takeaway.

Mainly because everything they served is cooked from scratch (even the naan bread!) and they insist on sticking to the traditional Indian methods of cooking.

No artificial – well, anything, can be found in the food either. Yes, we like that! Their vegan range is impressive (another difficult thing to find with most Indian takeaways in my experience). Smoked Cauliflower and Batata Vada anyone?

Bombay Pantry operates in Rathmines, Clonskeagh, Glenageary, Fairview, Rathfarnham and Walkinstown, so they’ve got us all covered! And they have a really handy App for ordering too. Order your Bombay Pantry dish here

Cliff House Restaurant, Stephen’s Green

One of the finest dining rooms in the city, this one took us by surprise when we saw a notice for takeaway outside a few weeks back! This is a very fine and fancy restaurant that we have loved over the years, so we just expected that the takeaway prices would be – well, pricey.

Not so! Head Chef Sean Smith is cooking up a storm every weekend to bring us favourites like Fish Pie and Daube of Beef, with Wexford Strawberries and Lemon and Lime Cream for Dessert.

Don’t mind if we do. And we did. A quick call to put in your order after 12 noon on Friday or Saturday and they will take your payment over the phone and tell you what time slots are available.

You drop along yourself to collect and if you’re driving, they will pop the food in your boot (and clean it down afterwards!) and off you go.

We had one each of the fish pie and the daube of beef – fabulous. And plenty of food too! If you are looking for a little weekend decadence, this is the place for you right now! Find you’re fine dining experience here

Mao at Home

We couldn’t bring you the best takeaways in Dublin and not mention Mao. This has been turning out great food for years now (although we were very sad to see the one in Chatham St go!).

This is real quality Thai food that uses the freshest ingredients in the best ways – with plenty of choices always. Mao Goodness they call it and we have to say that we have never been disappointed. With their dine-in restaurants closed at this time, they are running a busy and efficient service right across Dublin from Dun Laoghaire, Donnybrook, Stillorgan, Lucan and Tallaght.

This is great food and one of my favourite options when suffering from a case of a glass of vino too many the night before! Order your Mao at Home here

So, that’s our lot for now, but as each week passes here in Dublin City Centre, we are spotting more and more places opening their doors for takeaway. We hope to bring you more as we visit and can’t wait to bring you news from around the country too.

Stay safe. Support local.

The Wasted Team

Header Image from Ready Made from Pexels

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