Gloria Osteria
Dublin City Centre | €64 PER PERSON | Maximialist Italian
Gloria Osteria is a former 19th-century bank turned 1970s Italian fever dream: glossy marble bar, scarlet chandeliers, mirrors everywhere, and a dining room already in full swing before you’ve even opened the menu. Group dining can so often feel like an afterthought, but here the €64 set menu is built with big tables in mind. Every dish is made for sharing; generous portions, satisfying, and genuinely tasty (I’m still thinking about the Sideways Lasagne). The staff is really attentive without feeling overbearing, and from the moment you sit down, it’s loud, decorative, and gleefully theatrical. 10/10, no notes.
Verdict: A visual and social feast — brilliant for loud girls’ dinners if you’re in the mood for a big night. Not the place for a quiet plate-and-wine dinner.
Atmosphere ★★★★☆
Value for money ★★★☆☆
Girls’ night friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: €64 set menu for groups; booking opens one month in advance at 9 am and fills fast. The interior is spectacular, but because the lighting is moody and low, photos don’t always do it justice.
41 Westmoreland St, Dublin, D02 VY45, Ireland
Hang Dai
Camden Street | €60 PER PERSON | DJ-led Chinese in train booths
Hang Dai is the Dublin dinner you book when you want the room to be louder than your table. It’s Chinese food with a DJ, neon lighting, and yes, train-style booths. Immediately, it feels less like a restaurant booking and more like the first stop of the night. It’s not subtle, but it is very fun — and for hen weekends when you need built-in atmosphere without doing the most, it works. Food-wise, the menu’s designed for mixing smaller and larger plates, but if you order one thing, make it the apple wood-fired Skeaghanore duck and thank me later.
Verdict: If you want your dinner to come with a soundtrack and a bit of chaos, this is it. You can’t get much vibeier than this.
Atmosphere ★★★★★
Value for money ★★★★☆
Girls’ night friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: It’s across two floors — your booking might be upstairs or downstairs — so specify if you’re set on the train booths. They also can’t accommodate severe soy or coeliac allergies, so if your group has any specific dietary requirements, double-check before booking.
20 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2, D02 T275, Ireland
Little Pyg
Dublin 2 | €€ PER PERSON | Neapolitan pizza & pygtails
Tucked inside Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Little Pyg is not your average pizza place. The cool spot leans more lively garden rather than quiet trattoria — greenery overhead, a DJ, and tables that feel like they’re settling in for the night. The pizza is the point (voted Best Pizzeria in Ireland three years in a row), and while thick-crust loyalists might hesitate, the thin, super-soft Neapolitan bases are light, fluffy, and built for ordering more than you planned. Cocktails — affectionately dubbed pygtails — are equally as good and occasionally essential if you’ve opted for the courtyard, which can run a little chilly.
Verdict: A polished, pizza-first dinner that naturally rolls into drinks — ideal for a bride-led table that wants energy without chaos.
Atmosphere ★★★★☆
Value for money ★★★★☆
Hen-weekend friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: When you’re done, Pygmalion Club — their sister venue right next door — makes it dangerously easy to keep the night going.
59 William St S, Dublin 2, D02 E521, Ireland
Lennan’s Yard
Dawson Street | €€–€€€ PER PERSON | Fire-cooked small plates + cocktails
Tucked just off Dawson Street, Lennan’s Yard is an all-in-one booking that folds a gastro pub, restaurant, courtyard, and cocktail bar into one very easy night out. Walkable from Temple Bar (about 10 minutes), but thankfully not in it. Downstairs, the courtyard has that busy, buzzy hum that suits a table of 12, while Asador upstairs overlooks it all with exposed brick, Irish art, and warm lighting for a slightly more “proper dinner” feel (without losing the atmosphere). Food is Mediterranean small plates cooked over fire, designed for sharing and ordering generously, with DJs and live music in the courtyard each week — so the place naturally leans loud.
Verdict: Dinner that turns into drinks whilst still feeling casual enough to wear flats.
Atmosphere ★★★★☆
Value for money ★★★★☆
Girls’ night friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: DJs are the main event Thu/Fri/Sat; Sunday is more “courtyard live music, daytime-to-evening drift.” If you’re set on the upstairs Asador, specify when booking — the venue has distinct spaces.
The Coach Houses, 21A Dawson St, Dublin 2, D02 X2R6
Kaldero
St Stephen’s Green | €€–€€€ PER PERSON | Irish-Filipino sharing plates
Kaldero is for anyone with commitment issues (to one dish, not emotionally). It’s Irish-Filipino small plates designed for ordering wide and trying everything, which makes it an easy win for a big group when nobody wants the same thing. It’s just outside Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, but it feels a world away once you’re inside: warm, low-lit and vibey — more catch-up than DJ disco — with an open kitchen and a satisfying hum. The food is punchy and a little adventurous, and the whole small-plates format makes it feel surprisingly affordable for trying dishes you’ve never heard of before.
Verdict: Interesting, good-value small plates in a genuinely lovely room — ideal for an early-ish dinner that sets you up nicely for drinks after.
Atmosphere ★★★★☆
Value for money ★★★★☆
Hen-weekend friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: Better as “dinner then drinks” than a late-night booking — plan your next stop. If you want max theatre, aim for seats near the open kitchen.
777
South Great George’s Street | €€–€€€ PER PERSON | Mexican + tequila cocktails
777 is a tequila bar disguised as dinner: dark, packed, with music that’s part of the concept. Food is modern Mexican built for sharing — tacos, taquitos, grill bits — but the main character is the margarita and the tequila list; time it right and it can be great value thanks to deal nights (including a very Dublin €7.77 Sunday situation). Groups of 8+ go onto a family-style set menu, which is honestly a gift for hen-weekend dinners because nobody has to do the “wait, what are you getting?” spiral — the kitchen paces it, the table relaxes, and the night can run away from you.
Verdict: Two margaritas and suddenly it’s 11 pm. Book it when the plan is loud, and you want the restaurant to match you.
Atmosphere ★★★★★
Value for money ★★★★☆ (especially on deal nights)
Hen-weekend friendly ★★★★☆ (if your group likes noise)
Good to know: Groups of 8+ are on a family-style set menu.
Unit 7, Castle House, South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2, D02 HX99, Ireland
The Collins Club
Merrion Square | €€€ PER PERSON | cocktails + supper club
The Collins Club is thirties glamour for the modern millennials: red-panelled walls, low lighting, a baby grand piano (that isn’t played), and the quiet realisation that you’re staying for the night the second you sit down. It’s technically in a hotel, but it doesn’t read lobby bar; it reads a well-kept secret that you’ve stumbled upon. With a DJ from 9 pm on at weekends, it slips from supper into supper club if you book late or linger, and the cocktails are the headline. Service is impeccable, and it’s a strong contender when the group wants polish, music, and zero faff.
Verdict: Book when the plan is dinner that segues into drinks without relocating — especially if the group wants glam, playlists, and cocktails that feel like a story.
Atmosphere ★★★★☆
Value for money ★★★☆☆
Hen-weekend friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: For the vibey version, aim for Fri/Sat after 9 pm.
The Leinster, 7 Mount St Lower, Dublin 2, D02 Y966, Ireland
Row Wines
South William Street | €€–€€€ PER PERSON | natural wine + small plates
Row is where you would find the SheerLuxe girls. Tokyo listening-bar inspired, vinyl doing the work, warm lighting, tightly packed tables, and a cool-girl vibe that’s hard to ignore. It sits in/under City Assembly House on Coppinger Row, and the food is snacky, salty, bottle-opening small plates designed for sharing. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much of the food, but I do remember the wine. Service is friendly and guiding, but stay open-minded, as by-the-glass can be hit-and-miss on stock on busy nights.
Verdict: The cool wine-bar dinner where you look up and it’s suddenly late — perfect for a hen table that wants music, plates, and “shall we stay for another?” energy.
Atmosphere ★★★★★
Value for money ★★★★☆
Hen-weekend friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: Two-hour sittings can happen on busy nights — it’s a “pace yourself” booking.
2 Coppinger Row, Dublin 2, D02 XC61
Sophie’s
Harcourt Street | €€–€€€ PER PERSON | rooftop dinner + cocktails
Sophie’s is a glasshouse-on-a-rooftop situation — floor-to-ceiling windows, terrace heaters, skyline views — and it’s lively by default: birthdays, girls’ trips, dressed-up-because-why-not energy. Food is modern and crowd-pleasing (wood-fired pizzas plus a broader menu), with decor that will have you rethinking your Pinterest board before you’ve even finished your main. The staff go above and beyond and will make a fuss if you’re celebrating, so don’t be scared to let them know.
Verdict: Book at sunset for peak main-character energy. Come hungry, stay for cocktails, and accept that “quiet catch-up” isn’t the genre.
Atmosphere ★★★★☆
Value for money ★★★☆☆ (you’re paying for the rooftop + view)
Hen-weekend friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: If you want calmer, go weekday/earlier and request a booth or window table when you book.
The Dean Dublin, 33 Harcourt St, Dublin 2
Floritz
St Stephen’s Green | €€–€€€ PER PERSON | Asian-fusion sharing + sushi + cocktails
Floritz is glam: jewel-toned banquettes, moody lighting, and front-window seats that put you on display to St Stephen’s Green. The Asian-fusion menu is big and global (sushi + small plates), and everything lands as it’s ready. Know this going in and start with sushi and cocktails, then let the table graze. It leans experience-first rather than minimalist-perfection — gorgeous room, lots going on — and that’s exactly why it works for girly nights when you want the dinner to feel like part of the night out rather than the bit before.
Verdict: Dinner that comes with a playlist, a lighting designer, and a “shall we stay for another?” storyline.
Atmosphere ★★★★☆
Value for money ★★★☆☆
Hen-weekend friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: This is grazing pacing, not strict starters/mains. For most energy, aim for Saturday.
22 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, D02 HW54, Ireland
Bobby’s Wine Bar
Baggot Street | €€–€€€ PER PERSON | wine bar plates + cocktails
Doing a 180, Bobby’s is your private party. It’s basement-y, candlelit, and stylish, but quaint enough that you feel like you’ve got it to yourself as a big group. Basically perfect for a Dublin hen weekend. The food is Mediterranean-ish small plates built for easy table maths: garlic bread with three dips, meatballs with sourdough, gambas with ’nduja in lemon butter, plus big boards when you want something low-effort and reliable. Go for atmosphere and the bottle-led night rather than expecting a huge menu; it’s more wine bar than Michelin experience.
Verdict: The place you go for “a couple of glasses” and end up ordering another board because you’re not ready to leave yet.
Atmosphere ★★★★☆
Value for money ★★★☆☆
Hen-weekend friendly ★★★★☆
Good to know: Larger parties (8+) want a full week’s notice, and brunch cancellations are one week prior — don’t leave it to last-minute group chat chaos.
