How to find the best food deals in Dublin

The best food deals in Dublin come from timing rather than coupons: lunch menus, early evening menus and midweek offers are where good places price most generously, because those are the hours they need to fill. Add rewards at the cafés you already use, bonus credit on vouchers where a place offers it, and collection instead of delivery, and you can eat well for noticeably less.

What follows is how each of those works, what to watch for, and how to spot a deal that is not actually one.

Why is lunch and early evening cheaper in Dublin?

A place pays the same rent at half five on a Tuesday as at half eight on a Saturday. It just has far fewer people in. That is why so much of the value in Dublin sits at the edges of the day and the week.

• Lunch menus. Many places that are expensive at dinner run a shorter, cheaper lunch menu from the same kitchen. It is often the cheapest way to try somewhere you have been curious about.
• Early evening menus. Often called early bird, usually a set two or three courses served before a certain time in the evening and often not on Saturdays. Check the cut-off: arriving ten minutes late can mean the full menu.
• Midweek. Monday to Wednesday is quiet almost everywhere, and offers tend to cluster there.

If your plans are flexible, moving a dinner from Saturday to Tuesday, or from eight to six, is the single biggest saving available.

What counts as a good deal, and what does not?

A few honest tests:

• Compare against what you would actually order. A set menu is a saving only if you would have had three courses anyway.
• Read the conditions. Days, times, which dishes are included, whether drinks are extra, whether it applies to groups.
• Watch for the cheap version of the menu. Some set menus quietly leave out the dishes the kitchen is proud of. Look at what people photographed and rated before you decide.
• A discount on a bad meal is not value. Check the ratings first.

The Dublin great value page lists places that people tagged as great value when they rated them, which is a better guide than a place calling itself good value.

Offers you buy ahead

On Mosey, an offer is something you buy now and use within a window: a set menu valid on certain days before a certain time, for example. Places use offers to fill the quieter parts of the week, which is why the value is usually better than anything on a Friday night.

The difference from an event is flexibility. An event is a specific night; an offer lets you turn up any time in the window, which fits around your week. See events and offers.

Free events count too. Places sometimes run free tastings, opening weekends or demonstrations, and they tend to go within hours. Following the places you like is how you hear about them.

Vouchers with bonus credit

Some places give you more credit than you pay when you buy a voucher. They choose whether to offer it and how much, so it is not always available. When it is, it is one of the best-value things you can buy, and it makes sense even for yourself: money already set aside for somewhere good, spent over several visits as the balance comes down.

The reason places do it is simple. Money now is worth something to a business with rent due, and bonus credit passes some of that on to you.

Rewards at the places you already go

The cheapest deal is the one on spending you were going to do anyway. If you buy coffee at the same café four mornings a week, joining its rewards costs nothing and turns habit into the occasional free coffee.

On Mosey, rewards are free to join, a visit counts when you pay through Mosey or when staff add it after you tap at the counter, and you are reminded before a reward expires. Places set their own: visits, spend, stamps on particular items, or tiers.

For somewhere you go constantly, a monthly membership can work out better still, but only if it pays for itself at the rate you already visit. Work it out on last month, not on good intentions.

Collection instead of delivery

Delivery costs money because a driver costs money, and somebody pays for it. Collecting the same food from the same kitchen is almost always cheaper. Ordering ahead for collection also means you skip the queue at the counter, and you can choose a slot so your lunch is ready when you arrive.

Other ways to eat well for less in Dublin

• Food markets and street food. Good food at a lower price point, especially for lunch.
• Cafés for a proper meal. Many Dublin cafés serve a substantial breakfast or lunch for much less than a restaurant dinner.
• Areas with a student population. Places near the universities often price for students, with generous portions.
• Sharing plates for a group. Ordering several dishes to share is often better value than individual mains.
• Food trails. One ticket covering something at several places is often less than one decent lunch, and you see more of the city.

For more, see our guide to eating out on a budget in Ireland.

A quick plan for a cheaper night out

1. Pick the night: earlier in the week is cheaper.
2. Pick the time: lunch or early evening.
3. Check whether the place has an offer or voucher credit before you book.
4. Check what people rated so the saving is on food worth eating.
5. Join the rewards if it is somewhere you will go back to.

The Dublin city page is a good place to start comparing.

Try it on Mosey

Follow the places you like, check their offers and vouchers before you book, and join the rewards at the ones you keep going back to.