In the beginning there was a mixed feeling about all the Polish shops that were opening up around…read moreDublin. Maybe people felt threatened by these changes. Now it seems as though most people, locals and foreigners alike, have adopted Polski Sklep. This chain of shops that specializes in Polish food gets a lot of business from all kinds of people. In my opinion, it's one of the best places to buy bread, sausage, herbal tea and fruit juice. It's also fun to root around and discover foods that you might not be accustomed to. For example, the Polski Sklep on Talbot Street offers a great variety of biscuits and cakes. The sweets are very sugary and go nice with a cup of Barry's tea. Variety is the spice of life!

At this stage you can get Polish food even in Tesco, but there is no place you'll get more variety…read morethan in Polski Sklep. What I like most about these shops is that you can get a lot of continental food there, not just Polish specialities. You can usually find some German delicatessen as well and if you're really lucky they'll have Milka chocolate in stock! And best of all, most of their foods are a lot cheaper than anywhere else. The labels might look a bit funny, but most of the food in here is actually pretty normal staples such as bread, juice and soups. And surprisingly, they also have Sauerkraut...

Cute little new enough shop just on a corner on Capel St. I'm not very well qualified to talk about…read moreBrazilian shops, but it looks like it has a nice selection, even though it's tiny. I saw a sign outside for fresh churros which I haven't tried yet but you can get them delivered for a party or whatever which sounds pretty sweet. I also noticed that they have international money transfer services, so a bit of a one-stop shop I guess!

Thanks to well-stocked places like Alto Foods on Middle Abbey Street, I'm getting a definite taste…read morefor Eastern groceries. From lotions and deodorants or teen-pop magazines, to fresh herbs, fruits and pre-packed dinner items, there's plenty in here to generously stock a Filipino kitchen. On the downside the store is a bit cramped, and towards the back things can get awkward as you try to dance or dodge around other customers in the narrow back alcove. There's plenty of sweets, syrupy canned fruit juice and even sweeter tinned fruit to be had, plus instant chocolate oatmeal, flan mixes... and then there's Alto's wall of hot sauce. While I haven't worked up the bravery to try the bottle with the crying man with his tongue tied around the lettering (when turning it over a dark oil of what I can only think of as liquid Scoville), I'm getting there.

If like me you have a weakness for processed concentrated carbohydrates, you really should start…read moreshopping in Alto Food. If you like your noodles, you should jump on the buying noodles in 5 kilo blocks wagon. As well as noodles, Alto Food does stuff like speciality veg, fruit and that freaky dried fish stuff that people of the western world are terrified to try. So you may end up with horrendous back pain, but at least you won't need to buy rice for a few months.

This shop stocks lots of different Middle Eastern foods and spices. They've also got a Halal Meats…read moresection. However, what first drew me into the store was the produce section I saw out front. I crossed the street because something in particular caught my interest in the produce section. There was some sort of squash, pumpkiny vegetable was halved and sat basically rotting on the top of the produce (check it out in the pictures). Anyways, I ventured further into the shop and I saw even more produce that was either off or on its way out. I have to suggest if you're purchasing stuff in here stick to the prepackaged stuff unless you're looking for an overriped banana for some banana bread!

Not a great shop to go to if you wanna save money. Always look at the prices on the machine because…read morethey like to try double charging or more to see if they can rip you off. I was in there to get a carton of juice For 2 Euro and the price Came up on the machine as 5 Euro so I said He'll no And left. avoid this shop or any others with the same name.

I really love this tiny supermarket. It's pretty tiny but it's cram packed with Polish favourites…read morefrom the motherland ....a comforting reminder of home. Being Polish myself I have a real nostalgia for Polish food. Polonez definitely satisfies my nostalgia, selling jars of pickled gherkins, Wedel chocolate, Ptasie Mleczko (yum!) Polish bread and dairy products such as butter and cream cheese - twarog among many other food items. If you're Polish (even by a fraction!), like Polish food, or just want to try grocery shopping with a difference , I'd definitely recommend Polonez.

Another shining beacon of all that is right about Dublin at the moment. Situated next to two closed…read moreand boarded up old shop fronts, but across from such funksters as the Bernard Shaw and Hang Tough, is Picado. Thoroughly modern, designed with clean lines, bright colours, and a distinct lack of the traditional Mexican decor we've come to expect, yet still just as inviting. Lily and her gang import everything sold in the shop directly from Mexico. Handpicked, thought through and tested for quality, this is the real deal. I got myself some Luchito honey and salsa with rare smoked Mexican chillies. My Lord. It's good. The honey also has chillies in it. It's ridiculous, I've gone through half a jar in two days. They also do small cooking classes in here which I've yet to try, but they could be anything from salsas to tomales to tortillas etc. If you're in the neighbourhood, make sure to call in. Lilly is only bleedin lovely to chat with, and if you're having a dinner party and want to be a bit smug about it, she'll sort you out with some serious ingredients and instructions for them too.

There's nothing better than being half Mexican, living across the world from Mexico, and living a…read morestone's throw from a Mexican culinary shop! There are salsas, tortillas, hot sauces, chicharones, masa harina, and lots more of this and that that one would want for cooking it up Mexican style. Also, there are classes! All this in a lovely, quaint, and super clean neighborhood shop. The owner is from Mexico and she knows her stuff. And, she's super friendly too. Go on in and chat it up with her. She'll answer any of your questions about the sweet eats she has on her shelves. Now, my compadres, if you've got your geography down, we're -not- a stone's throw from Mexico so the importing prices will reflect that. But, if you love cooking Mexican food, these gems are worth the sticker price and they come straight from their Madre Land. My Rick Bayless cookbook thanks Picado for shelving the goods!

With hundreds of thousand Brazilians in Dublin right now, it makes sense that Brazilian food shops…read moreare popping up around the city. I discovered this one when I was wandering through Temple Bar. Down one of the side streets off of Dame Street, Quitanda is situated in a minuscule shopping centre. Because it overlooks the street, it's easy to spot. Besides selling packaged goods, drinks and pies, it also wires money to and from Brazil. It seems to be a hangout of sorts too. There were chairs setup in front on the counter and people were chatting in Portuguese.

After living in Brazil for 4 months and coming back to cold wet Ireland I was so happy to stumble…read moreupon this place. They have a lot of the stuff I fell in love with in Brazil, from Green Coconut Water to Pao de Queijo! Awesome! You can also get Acai here for much cheaper than you would in the health food stores around town. Also, lots of Brazilians use this place so it is a great way to practice you Portuguese and find out about the awesome Brazilian nights and parties happening all over the place!

Ambience. C Food. A…read moreService. A Price. A Let's just say I'm glad an oriental food shop and takeout eatery is next to the Luas line. Convenient shopping and bite to eat before heading home. I have to say I love that they have delicious crispy fatty roasted pork belly and moist crispy fragrant roast duck. Beware...the takeout food Only takes CASH. The grocery part you can tap a credit card. ***uodated. As of August 2020- they now take credit card...But prefer CAsh!*** Nice selections of dry goods as well as seafood , meats and v I'm a fan

I always like going to exotic food markets because I enjoy learning new things. And that's how I…read morediscovered the Oriental Emporium on Abbey Street. Well, that and I had 14 minutes to kill before the next Luas... Instead of wasting your money on a cheap takeaway, find the recipe of your favourite dish online (i.e. black bean rice) and go to the Emporium to get the ingredients. You can later spend the money that you saved on beer. Even if you're completely useless in the kitchen, you can still shop here. They have a new deli counter where I spotted a tasty roasted duck and on the other side of the shop, there's a fridge full of fizzy Korean drinks. Part of the fun is guessing what items are. Be adventurous and buy something different.

Polonia was if not the first then certainly one of the firse Eastern European food stores in the…read morecity, at the time of opening it was such a strange beast I dared not enter its doors but since then I have plucked up the courage and wandered to feast my eyes on the array of strange yet familiar products offered. The staff are great fun and usually have a smart comment for me about reading the array of newspapers from Poland, Latvia and Lithonia - none of which I can of course read. It doesn't matter, I do the same thing I do with the Irish Times... look at the pictures and fill in the crossword with bad words I learned when I was in skool

In this little shop you will find mainly eastern European products. There is several similar stores…read morelike them around the country. I usually just try out their breads.

A little hole in the wall in the Moore Street Mall! Hot freshly made Polish food and very cheap! We…read morehad the pierogi ruskie (potato dumplings stuffed with a mixture of potato, onion and cheese) and placek po wegiersku (a massive potato pancake served with goulash). One meal could've easily fed two people! There's limited seating, you order at the counter and she brings it out to you, but I'd defo go back for a quick bite!