Exhausted and still jet-lagging on my second day in Dublin, I let myself sleep-in and wasn’t up till 11am. Disappointed after that first crisp sunny day in town – I could hear the early October rain beating firmly on my hotel window sill. The rain served to warm Dublin a bit, but a depressing trade-off. It was only raining softly, but was still miserably damp and a battle to fight through the phalanx of umbrellas on the cobble stoned streets. This grey, wet day called for comfort food at Boxty.
Located in the Temple Bar area of Dublin, Boxty is casual but elevated pub food with vegetarian-friendly options and a focus on craft beers. Its namesake boxty dish was traditionally Irish peasant food, essentially a griddled dumpling consisting of grated and mashed potatoes, flour, and milk. Boxty, the restaurant embodies the idea of modern Irish cuisine through this concept of embracing this traditional dish and weaving it into a contemporary concept.
While Temple Bar at night is tantamount to a hipster invasion of Bourbon street, in the daytime it is a quite pleasant stroll featuring shops, restaurants, a weekly outdoor book market and, of course, the usual-suspect wall-to-wall pubs. 
Boxty is decidedly modern, and although casual seems almost a little out of place in Temple Bar. Its spare interior has lots of clean wood floors and furniture, with traditional architectural details, and feels cozy.
An excellent folk sub-pop soundtrack enhanced the comfy mood. Perfect for a rainy day where you would be happy to spend a few hours drinking a couple of beers and reading a book or hanging out with friends.
Like gelato in Italy, when in Ireland I must have potatoes everyday. Today it would be the dressed-up baked potato. 
Boxty’s version is the largest potato I’ve ever seen and loaded with veggie chili, cheddar, and sour cream. Comfort, indeed. But I couldn’t resist having just of couple of bites of Colcannon as well – mashed potatoes with cabbage mixed in – how often do you see that on a menu? I had a delicious on-tap craft beer from Galway called Independent Golden Ale.
But Boxty is not all about potatoes. It has a well-rounded, extensive list of dishes from burgers to chicken to fish. I lingered in this cozy space as long as I could before my Georgian Architecture tour. But first a pot of hot black tea to steel myself against the cold before venturing back into the rain.
Gallagher’s Boxty House
20-21 Temple Bar
Dublin, Ireland
