Eating Out on a Budget in Ireland

Eating out in Ireland is not cheap. But eating out well on a budget is very possible, and it rarely means eating worse. It mostly comes down to when you go, what you order, and a handful of habits that quietly save a lot over a year.

Go at lunchtime

Lunch is where the value is. Many restaurants offer a set lunch — two courses, sometimes with a coffee — for considerably less than the same kitchen charges at dinner. It is often the same chef, the same ingredients and a quieter room.

If there is a restaurant you would love to try but cannot justify for dinner, try it for lunch first.

Eat early: the early bird

An early-bird menu is a set menu, usually two or three courses, at a lower price for tables that sit down early in the evening. Restaurants offer them to fill tables that would otherwise be empty before the main service, which makes them one of the few genuine bargains in eating out: the restaurant benefits too.

If your evening is flexible, eating at six rather than eight can save a surprising amount.

Look for quiet-hours deals

Beyond early birds, many places now run deals in their quiet hours: a lower price on certain items on a weekday afternoon, a cheaper coffee before nine, a discount on the evening's specials. These are aimed precisely at people with some flexibility about when they eat.

On Mosey, deals and specials show on venue pages, so you can see what is on near you before deciding where to go.

Join the loyalty schemes you would use anyway

A loyalty scheme is only worth joining at a place you already go to. At your usual café, a free coffee every tenth visit is roughly a ten per cent discount on something you were buying regardless. Over a year, a few of those add up.

The ones worth having record your visits automatically, so you do not lose a card with nine stamps on it.

Order smarter

• Share. Starters, small plates and desserts are made for sharing, and sharing lets you try more for less.
• Drink water. Drinks are where a bill grows fastest. Tap water is free and nobody minds you asking for it.
• Skip the extra course, or share one.
• Ask about the specials' price. Specials can be the best value on the menu or the most expensive; it is worth knowing which before ordering.

Collection over delivery

If you are eating at home, collecting your order is usually cheaper than delivery. There is no delivery fee, and the food often arrives better for not having spent twenty minutes in a bag. Ordering ahead means it is ready when you arrive, so collecting takes no longer than waiting for a driver.

Try the places locals eat

The best-value food is often one street away from the busiest one, in places that survive on regulars rather than passing trade. They have to be good value to bring the same people back every week.

Keep an eye on offers you have paid for

Vouchers and promotions bought in advance can be excellent value, but only if you use them. Set a reminder, and remember that a promotion bought online and not yet used may carry a 14-day right to change your mind.

Use the apps that reward you for going anyway

A lot of saving comes from things you would do regardless. Paying with your phone where it counts towards a loyalty reward, ordering ahead where collection is cheaper, and keeping an eye on the deals at the handful of places you visit most will usually save more than hunting for one-off bargains.

The trick is to concentrate your spending. Five places you visit often, each rewarding you, beats twenty places you visit once.

Budget-friendly food that is genuinely good

Some of the best eating in Ireland is also some of the cheapest:

• A good chipper — fish and chips done properly is one of the great meals in the country
• Market stalls and food trucks — often run by people cooking one thing very well
• Bakeries — a proper sausage roll or a filled bap from a good bakery beats most sandwiches
• Chowder and brown bread — filling, often reasonably priced, and a fair test of a kitchen
• Ethnic restaurants run by families — frequently the best value in any town

Watch the extras

The main course is rarely what makes a bill expensive. It is the sides, the second round of drinks, the dessert nobody really wanted and the coffee afterwards. Decide before you sit down what the meal is — two courses and water, say — and the bill stays close to what you expected.

A realistic budget plan

• Once a week: a good lunch rather than an average dinner
• Twice a month: an early bird somewhere you want to try
• Every day: your usual coffee, earning towards a free one
• Occasionally: a special dinner, planned and properly enjoyed

That is a lot of eating out, and a fraction of what the same visits cost at peak times.

Where to go next

• How to find the best food deals in Dublin
• Catching early bird deals when you dine out in Galway
• How to find where locals actually eat
• Ranked lists of the best places to eat