Etto

Here’s the weird thing about Etto: it’s one of the best-loved restaurants in Dublin. And it’s one of the worst dining rooms in the city. It’s uncomfortable, and crowded. It’s too noisy and, if you sit near the front doors, your nether regions get nicely frozen in winter when the wind whips in off Merrion Row whenever a customer opens the door. And everyone who loves Etto says: so what? Are we here to look at the wallpaper? Or, are we here to – once again – eat hashed potatoes with Lyonnaise onion, the cóte de boeuf, the mussels with n’duja, the red wine prunes with mascarpone? It’s these signature dishes, and a host of others created by the restaurant’s succession of three superb head chefs, along with one of the best wine lists, which bring everyone back to Etto, time after time. Hang design: let’s eat.