Dublin International Food Markets: Moore Street

Whether you ask someone born and raised Irish, or newly arrived in Dublin, all will tell you that Moore Street is the best place in Dublin to go to stuff your bags with healthy, international and genuinely fresh food. It is also one of the best streets in the city full of international food markets, jam-packed with untraceable spices and unusual traditional foods.

In the vibrant heart of Dublin city centre, the stalls and markets on Moore Street are brimming with colourful and healthy products, giving you many international options to choose from. If you want to try something unusual, something international, or just fancy a change from endless potatoes then there’s no better place to start than the ethnic food markets on Moore Street.

Moore Street is pretty well-known as a tourist attraction and Instagram picture opportunity, being a big, lively, and international market. The colourful stalls with their colourful vendors, shouting out loud the best prices for bananas or some “unmissable bargains”. One of the oldest of all the markets to have survived in Dublin, Moore Street was first established in the 18th century. Since its beginning, Moore Street has seen off many challenges including economic downturns, revolutions, pressure from alternative street markets and changes in buying habits. It’s remarkable that it is still there at all.

Just off Henry Street, one of its features is the witty ‘winding up’ and wordplay between locals and vendors. It’s here where you can definitely find some true Dubliners. Exchange some small talk with the ‘Molly Malones’, street saleswomen with their shovels full of oranges, sweets or fish, who have always belonged to Dublin folklore. Take a stroll among the stalls with colourful vegetables, all grown here in Ireland, or go get some fine cuts of meat from FX Buckley, a butcher’s established two centuries ago.

Dublin, being a tourist hub and crossroads of cultures, Moore Street also features a concentration of ethnic shops that cater to various international foods, where the meat is hung to perfection in the cellars and then prepared and cut on the premises by the craft butchers in the traditional way.

Here you can find a wide variety of shops, markets and supermarkets, where you can buy ethnic food or just that food that reminds us of home. Indian spices by the pound, African vegetables, and frozen fish supposedly straight from the Yellow Sea – you name it, they sell it. Below we have put together a list of places you can find the makings of a wide variety of international dishes, ready to help you cook the typical dishes of your home country, not so far from home.

Oriental Pantry

The Oriental Pantry Supermarket was established in 2014, founded by Mr Xiaoyu Chen. It soon became one of the most popular destinations for grocery shopping for ingredients from all around the world. The store always adds more world foods to its catalogue, making your cooking more fun. It is an oriental paradise for any type of dish you need to cook that has an exotic aftertaste or that comes as close as possible to a typical dish of oriental tradition. From avocado oil to infamous green bananas from Africa, the Oriental Pantry will be the lighthouse for you on a stormy night in the midst of your search for the perfect ethnic food ingredients.

Asian Spices Food Market

This is the best place to get your hands on some Halal meat, It has got a wide range of Indian, Pakistani, Mexican and African cuisines. The extremely kind staff will guide you in your search for the perfect ingredient for your international cooking session. Offering a wide range of products, the Asian Spice is a great alternative where the meat is fresh. Also, it’s only placed where we can find a range of fresh sweets, from dates to the very famous Kaju Katli from India to tease your taste buds.

Polonez

Was one of the first and is currently one of the biggest shops in Ireland providing Polish food, not only for the nostalgic Polish community but also for the adventurous culinary souls. About 5,000 food products of the highest food quality, of which 90% of these are Polish, are stocked. Their range of products includes everything from items such as typical Polish dairy, sausages and bread to sweets, drinks and fine good wine.

Mercearia

Brazilian Food store, Mercearia, located below Lidl on Moore Street, carries all kinds of typical Brazilian food and drinks, including coffee, tea, guarana, and acai. If you ask around, you’ll be overwhelmed by the amount of people saying that this is by far the best Brazilian food store in Dublin. It’s small in size but it has a great selection of food, especially meat: here you’ll find Brazilian prime cuts produced in Ireland, like Picanha and Maminha. There are many other ingredients that Brazilians use for cooking, like Sazon, which is a garnish, and you can easily find it here.

They also sell pão de queijo (sort of  “cheese bread”), mate tea, mate for chimarrão and the typical cuia, a cup where to drink you mate. Requeijão a variation of cream cheese) is also available here.

Mroz

This shop was opened by two Polish friends, Andrzej and Tomasz, and is also to be found in the Moore Street Mall. The demand for Polish products grows as more and more Polish people come to Ireland. Mroz is a safe call whether you are a Pole or just interested in trying new things: here it’s possible to find beloved favourite products. If you talk to some Poles, they will surely suggest this place to do your shopping: it’s exactly here that they could taste not only their favourite meats, sausages but also fresh fruits and vegetables, straight from Poland. Fresh bread and pastry are delivered every day from Polish bakeries based in Ireland. Inside, the store offers a sort of bistro where you can have a taste of some Polish delicacies and also from local producers.

So, if you are looking for some Dublin international food markets where you rely on healthiness and origin of your exotic and unconventional ingredients, for the most flamboyant of international feasts, then pop over to Moore Street. You won’t be disappointed.