Review: Glas, Fine Vegetarian Dining in Dublin

Address: 15/16 Chatham St, Dublin 2, D02 FV50, Ireland

Something I’ve been keen to do is increase my visits to independent restaurants, especially those that focus on local and seasonal produce. I was doing pretty well at one point last year, visiting several in neighbouring towns, but then I slipped back into the safety net of the chain restaurants that our town does so ‘well’.

For Valentine’s Day 2025, my boyfriend surprised me with a special lunch at Glas in Dublin. According to them, Glas is an innovative vegetarian and vegan restaurant in Dublin, using seasonal vegetables and local produce to create sustainably sourced, gourmet food. Not only is Glas twice-Michelin starred, the Coeliac Society of Ireland has given it their ‘Best Practice in Gluten-Free Catering’ seal of approval. The setting is beautiful and elegant with ambient lighting, plenty of plants and seating that allows for a little privacy at each table – lovely.

We opted for their three-course menu, although there’s also a two-course option, and standard a la carte brunch, lunch and dinner menus. And it’s incredibly affordable for great food – our three-course meal was €30 a head.

To start, I chose their Marinated Kale. Served with flamed radishes and a burned parsley crumble, this was truly moreish and a great way to start my meal. Kudos to the show-stopping spiced sweet potato ice-cream tucked in the centre – a great texture and taste sensation. My boyfriend chose the Mushroom Brisket, an aesthetically pleasing dish served on fermented red cabbage with parsnip cream and crispy salsify. This worked well too, although I personally wanted a touch more flavour on it.

Our mains were utterly delicious! I went for the Saffron Kohlrabi and have been dreaming of eating it again ever since. Kohlrabi is a German turnip cabbage, and was perfectly dressed amongst braised savoy cabbage and gloriously sweet-and-sour Romanesco. The salty crunch from the schupfnudeln – a German potato noodle – was the pièce de résistance, though. So moreish. My boyfriend ordered the Charred Butternut Squash, which looked incredible on the plate. It was plied with cashew cream and a coffee sausage that intermingled salty, sweet and smokey flavours, layered with flamed halloumi that he was very complimentary of. To accompany our mains, we added the Dillisk Polenta Fries with kimchi aioli. We probably could’ve gone without a side, but I’ll always order polenta!

Finally, to complete our meal, we both chose the Bread & Butter Pudding for dessert. I’d never had a bread and butter pudding before, but I can’t say I’d choose it again anytime soon. Paired with a pear sorbet and celeriac caramel with puffed rice on the side, it was a great way to cleanse the palate but I think I simply may not be one for bread and butter pudding.