Irish Village Markets – Mespil Road

Great little food market that comes around every Thursday here. And just around the corner from the office so I visit on the regular.
People come out to it rain or shine, and it dose be a little crazy around the 1 to 1:30 mark you can be waiting 15 to 20 mins some peek times.
The market has 20 or so stalls varying from fish and chips to Thai to Brazilian BBQ. All good !
The Brazilian BBQ place is great I normally treat myself to their combo meal it’s Delish!

Lovely leafy location for a market, snuggled up alongside the canal, with plenty of places to sit and enjoy ones food.
I chose the Chicken Keralan from the Kerala Kitchen. It was quite hot, and quite delicious. There was sliced jalapeño peppers sprinkled on top, luckily they were not mixed through… one or two of those and I could feel the heat:-) Really nice food.

Although I do love a good market, I have to say these ones tend to stress me out. The sheer volume of people that flock here every week mean that you’d be a fool to anticipate anything less than 15min waiting in the queue before you have a hope of getting your sweaty mits on some grub!
The ambiance and the quality of (most!) food there does tend to make the chock-​a-​block crowds sufferable though. Sometimes they even have musicians playing alongside the canal, and when the sun is shining and you’ve managed to nab yourself a plastic container of something delicious-​Oooo boy you feel very metropolitan altogether!
Allow me to recommend the Kanum and The Irish Kitchen stalls!

Fact: Markets are fun.
Everyone feels good about going to markets! It’s an outdoor «activity» involving food, usually supporting local businesses, budget-​friendly… and you’re doing all this while still maintaining low-​level physical exertion.
The Mespil Gourmet Food Market that pops up by the canal every Thursday is no different. Like the name suggests, it is mainly food-​focused (of the cooked variety — no fresh fruit & veggie stalls). Your options run from rotisserie chicken, curry, fish & chips, falafel, sausages, burritos, thin-​crust pizza, coffee, cupcakes… there’s really something for everyone.
My personal favourite is the paella stall. They make the paella in giant pans, and serve up VERY generous portions packed with chicken and sausages for € 8. They also make delicious lamb meatballs served with cous cous (also € 8), or you can get combination of both for the same price! It is a substantial lunch, so expect a mid-​afternoon food coma, but honestly — worth it!

I happen to live close to the Mespil Gourment food market that pops up along the canal on Thursday. Being that I live so close to all the restaurants along the baggot street area, it’s nice to try something different than the same old take-​away places.
They have a fairly good selection of foods: Thai, pizza, noodles, sushi, cupcakes, burritos, paella, schnitzels, roasted chicken, Chinese, coffee, etc. I’ve only tried a few of the vendors up there, and so far each one I’ve tried is good. It’s a good place to go with a big group of people from work, because there’s something there for nearly everyone. The only complaint I have is that I wish they had a few more vendors that served healthier food options, but beggars can’t be choosers!
Great place to sit out and grab lunch when it’s nice out!

The Irish Village Markets (you can follow them on facebook) has a group of popups at various locations throughout the week. I am lucky enough to live near their Thursday and Friday locations on the Canal. The market is great for the days that you are not sure what you are craving because they have almost anything you can think of. I really enjoy the Kerala Kitchen’s paneer curry — nice flavors. I also had a duck ciabatta sandwich from a different popup that was okay. Between these two I’d say the food is between a 3 and 4 but I haven’t tried all the vendors so I will round up because I love the options.

Oh my goodness this is a foodies dream! So much good food and amazing smelling things. There’s enough selections to make your tummy growl in hunger and confusion (‘what to eat next?!’).
I ended up getting my lunch from the pulled pork stall — pork, potatoes, grilled onions, stuffing and gravy. WOW. The small size was more than enough for me. It was delicious and very filling.
I also got a cupcake from one of the stalls; oreo cupcake turned out to be surprisingly yummy.
You’ll see me at this market every Thursday for the rest of my time in Dublin.

The lovely Burritos and Blues have just joined up here with a limited menu. Great addition.

When the weather is shining this is probably one of the best locations for a farmers market. You can chill out by the canal with your food and read a book or talk to a friend or talk to yourself or a wall like Shirley Valentine but I digress.
I like the dessert treats there and the chicken poulet, I think that’s what it’s called is divine. Always a lovely way to start the weekend with a Friday lunch treat here!

For anyone living or working near Baggot Street or Leeson Street, you should take a stroll down Mespil Road on a Thursday to see if anything takes your fancy from the Mespil Market.
This recently started up and it’s part of the group of Irish Village Markets. Every Thursday you can find them here on the banks of the canal. There’s a great fruit seller who will practically throw berries at you to taste them as you walk by. He’ll do a deal with you for a few punnets, three for a tenner. It’s not super cheap, but it’s fresh, organic and lovely. He’ll throw in some extras for good luck.
They also have paella, cupcakes, burgers, crepes, coffees and strangely bratwurst??? Nice for a change for lunch or to pick up something tasty on the way home. They advertise that they’re open until 6pm, but will start shutting up before then so try to leave work early to catch them before they close.