Food & Drink in Dublin
From Ireland's oldest pub to a Victorian covered market, here's where Dublin's food and drink culture is genuinely worth your time.
Dublin Food Markets
A Victorian covered arcade, a long-running Saturday food market and a food hall in a former telephone exchange — Dublin's main food market venues, verified and explained.
By Ireland Spots Team
Photo: Doyler79 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Dublin's food market scene is smaller than you'd find in some European cities, and it changes over time — venues open, close and relocate. Here are the market venues we could verify are real, currently operating places, with their actual history rather than assumed history. Check listed hours before visiting, since they can shift.
George's Street Arcade
On South Great George's Street, this red-brick Victorian arcade first opened to shoppers in 1881 as the South City Markets, making it the first purpose-built Victorian shopping centre in Dublin. It was designed by brothers Richard and William Mawson and built by the Leeds firm of John Hall Thorp. A serious fire in August 1892 gutted the building — no one was killed, but stallholders lost stock that mostly wasn't insured — and it was rebuilt in the same style, reopening in September 1894. Today it holds more than 40 independent traders under one roof, including food stalls and cafés alongside vintage clothing, records and other goods. It's a five-minute walk from Grafton Street and Trinity College. See georgesstreetarcade.ie for current opening hours and trader listings.
Temple Bar Food Market
A weekly outdoor market at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, held every Saturday under a retractable canopy that keeps it running regardless of weather. It was established in 1997 by a group of Irish growers and producers, making it one of the longest-running food markets in the city, and today features stalls selling organic produce, bread and pastries, meat, cheese and other artisan food. Current listings and any schedule changes are posted at lovetemplebar.com/templebarmarkets.
Fallon & Byrne
Not an open-air market but a food hall, restaurant and wine shop on Exchequer Street, housed in a former International Telephone Exchange building. It opened in 2006, founded by Fiona McHugh and Paul Byrne, and describes itself as Ireland's first combined food hall, restaurant and wine bar. The ground floor holds deli counters and artisan grocery, with a wine shop in the basement and a restaurant upstairs. See fallonandbyrne.com for current hours.
A market that's no longer running
Worth flagging so you don't go looking for it: the Dublin Flea Market, previously held at Newmarket Square in the Liberties, held its last event in 2019 and hasn't operated since under that name. A separate Newmarket Flea Market began a three-month pilot at the same square in July 2026; whether it continues past that pilot period wasn't confirmed at the time of writing, so check current listings before planning around it.
Planning a visit
- Market hours are more likely to shift with the seasons and public holidays than a fixed shop's would — check the specific market's own listing close to your visit date.
- George's Street Arcade and Fallon & Byrne are both open most days as regular retail; the Temple Bar Food Market is the one that's Saturday-only.
- All venues above were confirmed as real, currently operating businesses via their own sites or recent published sources as of this guide's last-verified date.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Is George's Street Arcade a food market?
It's a covered Victorian shopping arcade with a mix of independent traders — food stalls, coffee, vintage clothing and record shops among them — rather than a food-only market, but it's one of the best-known food-and-goods venues in central Dublin and worth including here.
Is the Dublin Flea Market still running?
No — the Dublin Flea Market held its last event in 2019 and is no longer trading under that name. A separate Newmarket Flea Market began a pilot run at Newmarket Square in Dublin 8 in July 2026; check current listings before planning a visit, since its future beyond the pilot period wasn't confirmed at the time of writing.
When is the Temple Bar Food Market on?
It runs every Saturday at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, under a retractable canopy. Exact hours can shift seasonally, so check the current listing on Love Temple Bar's site before you go.
Practical details last verified 23 September 2026. Source: https://georgesstreetarcade.ie/
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