But walk a few minutes over the River Liffey to Talbot Street and you’ll discover Eatokyo, a gem of a place serving up Japanese street food. Talbot Street has a quieter vibe and is just a few minutes’ walks from the Spire of Dublin and GPO (General Post Office), which contains a fantastic museum about the Easter Rising. 

Eatokyo Talbot Street opened in October 2018 and is the second member of the Eatokyo family in Dublin. Owner Jie He spent three years in Tokyo honing his skills in the art of Japanese cuisine, and it is clear a lot of passion goes into the dishes here.

Jie is supported by Head Chef Alex Pang and sushi chef Lin, as well as the restaurant’s charming Manager, Jack, who first came to Dublin to study at university.

The restaurant interior is neat and cheerful, with Japanese lanterns lining the entrance and large pictures of Tokyo street scenes on the walls. As we sat down we were offered a warming cup of Jasmine tea, a welcome comfort from the nippy cold outside.

Along with the à la carte menu, there is a lunchtime special served Monday to Friday, where you can choose a bento box, sushi platter or Rainbow roll, all for €12.50 or less.

The Rainbow roll is Eatokyo’s most popular dish: a winning combo of prawn tempura topped with salmon, tuna, avocado, and spicy mayo. I ordered this as a starter and was jubilant at both the taste and presentation of the dish. Even the salad resembled a decorative garden and looked almost too pretty to eat. It was also much larger than I expected – enough on its own for a light lunch.

My partner opted for the more daring eel avocado sushi roll, and judging by the smile on his face, he enjoyed it. I had a taste myself and thought it was very fresh and complemented perfectly by the spicy punch of wasabi.

The à la carte menu is vast, with a huge variety of Japanese street food including sushi, sashimi, maki, grilled meat, noodles, wok-fried rice, ramen, and classic nibbles as well as gyoza (Asian dumplings) and spring rolls. Admittedly it took me a while to pick what to eat as there were so many delicious things to salivate over.

In the end, we shared the house yakisoba (stir-fried noodles with chicken, beef, prawns, and veg) with a side of duck spring rolls and vegetable yasai gyoza (vegetable dumplings). I also enjoyed a glass of plum wine with my meal.

All three of these dishes looked fairly unassuming at first glance, but they tasted fantastic. The duck spring rolls were paler than I was expecting but were in fact exceedingly crisp. The yakisoba was fresh and flavorsome, with a pleasing zing from the pickled ginger.

Verdict: with so many restaurants to pick from in Dublin, it can be daunting to know where to start. If you like Japanese food, save yourself the angst and head to Eatokyo, where the food is fantastic, prices reasonable, and the atmosphere friendly and welcoming.

When: Eatokyo Talbot Street is open from midday to 10pm Sunday to Thursday and midday to 11pm Friday to Saturday.

How much: Dishes at Eatokyo Talbot Street start from €3.99 for a starter, €11.99 for a main, and €3.90 for sushi.

Getting there: Walk along Talbot Street heading towards Amiens Street and you’ll see the sign for Eatokyo on your left.

For more information visit: https://www.eatokyo.ie/eatokyo-talbot-street-1