Jessica Weld

Over the last few years, the food and drink scene in Dublin has become a quick-moving conveyor belt of sparkly new concept destinations, each trying to win foodies over to be crowned the best in its particular niche in the capital.

One glaringly obvious reoccurrence has been the short-lived nature of most of these ventures. In Dublin these days, it’s feast or famine – miss a beat and due to the extortionately high overheads of rent, labour and utilities and not to mention the ever lingering cost-of-living crisis hampering footfall, your new venture won’t be long going under. 

The Restaurants Association of Ireland reported that in the first three months of 2025, a whopping 150 restaurants closed across the country, citing rising operating costs as the reason for closure. In this report, RAI CEO Adrian Cummins called on the government to reduce the VAT rate on food and beverage sales to 9% in order to prevent further closures.

While many new entrants to the Dublin food scene typically fail after one year, there are some popular spots that stand the test of time and are regularly booked up and thriving. Social media has become an invaluable marketing tool for hospitality startups seeking to make their mark on the Dublin food scene. The reality of the current state of the Dublin hospitality trade is that the entire scene is being determined by online influence and for lack of a better word – “hype”. 

There are a growing number of Dublin based “foodie” influencers that fuel this hype, adhering to a whole range of different tastes and targeting very diverse audiences. From dual-threat DJ and Chef Marcus O’Laoire to the edgy and alternative vibe of former TV presenter Cassie Stokes, representation of the Irish food and drink scene on social media is at an all time high. 

Additionally, the rise of “User Generated Content” attributes to the Dublin foodie hype train. Everyone wants to be credited with finding the next “hidden gem” and gaining their own individual fame from a popular video on TikTok or Instagram.

This influence doesn’t just hit Dublin, shockwaves quickly ripple abroad leaving people from all over Ireland in a state of puzzlement over makeup guru James Charles’ TikTok video review of a Spice Bag from Xi’an Street Food in the centre of the city. The video posted in October 2024 garnered a whopping 6.3 million views and brought the restaurant international acclaim, causing an influx of tourists that were travelling to Dublin specifically to try their newly “viral” Spice Bag.

It’s these “viral” moments that are keeping the lights on in Dublin’s current flavour-of-the-month food spots. Popular steak restaurant Boeuf and Frites cultivated its own social media frenzy ahead of its opening in February 2024. The rapidly expanding restaurant group exploited a gap in the market for a good quality steak in the centre of the city – without paying the steakhouse premium price. 

They struck a very hard-to-find balance in the Dublin hospitality game and a lot of their success can be credited to their strong social media presence, appearing regularly on TikTok and Instagram feeds of Dublin locals through both their own content and masses of User Generated Content. Due to their consistent presence and a well-received “good bang for your buck” offering, Boeuf has continued to thrive in the local market despite the poor economic conditions.

Despite Dublin’s hype economy keeping some of the city’s old and new favourite institutions afloat, this whole situation begs the question of how much more can Dublin’s food and beverage scene really take? 

With an exponential rise in restaurant closures and the industry’s outcry for a VAT decrease being ignored in the latest budget, will our favourite hotspots be able to survive on vibes and hype alone? Or are spoiled dishes and closed doors the price of dining in Dublin?