Cosily situated in Mount Merrion, overlooking the bright lights of Dublin city, Michael’s has been part of the neighbourhood since 1999 - old school Italian bistro in style, with a big warm welcome and walls of wine and food to buy. But since former head chef Gareth (Gaz) Smith, along with his wife Rita, returned as chef-owner in 2016, Gaz has built an enviable reputation for cooking up the bold flavours and hearty food that people enjoy from open kitchen, and especially the sutainable seafood that he loves to cook.
Italian food, long the backbone of Michael’s, still features with starters like duck and mushroom arancini, plates of antipasto, but this is now more than balanced by an exceptional Irish seafood offering. Look out for the daily specials fresh from the trawler, including delicate monkfish fritto, Howth Bay garlic crab claws, or maybe bowls of Irish wild mussels in a creamy sauce of white wine, garlic and lemon
Steak is another passion, with beautifully dry-aged Irish steaks sourced from highly regarded butcher, Higgins of Sutton - and Gaz has written a highly successful cookbook, And For Mains... with Rick Higgins. The wine list features a rotating selection of staff picks, along with the option to buy a bottle at a discount to enjoy later at home. Manager Sayid Talha Pasha is a qualified sommelier and he loves nothing better than to create refreshing, Prosecco-based cocktails to enjoy as an aperitif.
It's a very family-friendly place, with colouring sheets and crayons to keep little hands busy and the staff are wonderful with children, especially Talha. And kids enjoy going up to the pass to chat to Gareth - he makes them feel welcome and special here and many will have been brought into the kitchen to try their hand at cooking. Best of all, he serves up one of the best child-friendly menus around and encourages children to try new things, especially fish. This approach makes it extra relaxed for parents who get to escape the nuggets nightmare while enjoying the kind of grown-up food they want to eat.
Michael’s has managed to retain much of its original rustic charm, while offering genuinely friendly and warm service and a special welcome for families. All this, combined with Gaz’s genuine love for food and strong flavours, makes it highly popular with the lucky locals - and a must-visit destination for food lovers visiting the area, who will also want to sample Michael's exciting sibling Big Mike's, in nearby Blackrock.
