2024 Award Winners HAPPY PLACE AWARD 2024

Osteria Lucio, Dublin

‘The food of friendship’ is what they say on their website and, when it comes to explaining why Osteria Lucio might be the restaurant for our ‘Happy Place’ award, that says it all really. It’s an award that we introduced as a ‘cheerer upper’ during the pandemic and it’s been doing the job so well that we’ve kept it going. It certainly fits the bill for Osteria Lucio, which cheers a lot of people up on a regular basis. Tucked beneath a railway bridge near the Grand Canal Theatre with a covered terrace spilling onto the charming cobbled street, it’s owned by acclaimed Ross Lewis of Chapter One and mentored by his friend, the esteemed Italian chef Luciano ‘Lucio’ Tona. Long established as one of the most authentic and stylish Italian dining experiences in Dublin, you’ll probably find Ross himself manning the wood-fired oven at the heart of the action - but, with dishes like Suckling Pig Shoulder al forno also coming in for special praise, it’s not all about gourmet pizza delicious as that may be. Casual, lively and chic, it just hits the spot. As one diner put it recently: “From arriving to leaving and saying wow, that was a pleasure - such amazing food and service, the rumbling trains overhead adding to the novelty… And the thing is, we can't wait to go back again.” Yes indeed, a ‘Happy Place’.