Small Plates and Wine in Drumcondra: A Date Night Guide

Small plates are made for date night. Instead of one big main each, you order a few dishes, share them, and talk. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening from 6pm, our café at 94 Drumcondra Road Lower becomes The Lovely Wine Bar, with small plates, sharing boards and a wine list chosen with our local wine shop.

This guide walks you through the seven small plates on our wine bar menu, the three sharing boards, the wines you can order by the glass, and what a relaxed evening for two costs. Every price comes straight from our current menu.

What are small plates?

Small plates are dishes sized for sharing. You pick two or three to start, taste a bit of everything, and add more if you’re still hungry. It’s an easy way to eat, and it suits a glass of wine far better than a three course dinner.

For a date, small plates take the pressure off. Nobody has to make a big decision about a main course, there’s always something to pass across the table, and the evening moves at your own pace. You can stay for one glass or for the whole night.

Our 7 small plates, from olives to pâté

Here’s every one of the small plates on The Lovely Wine Bar menu, with prices:

• Smoked Almonds, €5.50. Warm, lightly salted smoked almonds.
• Nocellara Olives, €4.50. Sicilian green olives, plump and buttery.
• Bread & Tapenade, €9.25. Fresh toasted bread with olive tapenade.
• House Focaccia, Balsamic & Olive Oil, €6.50. Warm focaccia with aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil.
• Chicken Liver Pâté with Toasted Bread, €9.75. Rich, smooth pâté with toasted bread.
• Bruschetta, €8.00. Fresh tomato, basil, garlic and olive oil on toasted sourdough.
• Daily Toastie, €10.50. A rotating toasted sandwich on sourdough. Ask your server what’s on.

If you’re new to small plates, a good rule is one salty nibble, one bread and one richer plate. Olives, focaccia and the pâté is a lovely place to start for two.

Sharing boards for two

When you’d like something more filling than small plates alone, add a sharing board. There are three:

• Cheese Board, €14.50. A selection of Irish cheeses: Wicklow Brie, Smoked Gubbeen, Cashel Blue and mozzarella, with quince, chutney, fruit and house crackers.
• Charcuterie Board, €17.00. Salami, chorizo, coppa d’Italia and prosciutto, with chutney, fruit, house crackers and an olive oil dip.
• The Michael Board, €23.00. Our signature board, a mix of the best: Irish cheeses and cured meats with carefully selected accompaniments.

The Michael Board is the one to order if you can’t decide. Pair it with a couple of small plates and you have a full evening’s food for two.

Wines by the glass to go with small plates

Our wine specialist, Roger, chooses the list with our neighbours at Pinto Wines, an independent wine shop at 155 Lower Drumcondra Road. There are 26 wines on the list, and 14 of them come by the glass, from €8.00 to €10.00.

A few simple ideas for matching wine with food:

• Salty snacks and bubbles. Almonds and olives are made for something light and fresh, like the La Jara Frizzante Prosecco (€9.00 a glass).
• Bruschetta and a crisp white. Tomato and basil sit well with the Muralhas Vinho Verde (€9.25) or the Jean Paul Sauvignon Blanc “Le Petit” (€9.00).
• Pâté or charcuterie and a smooth red. Try the Palacio Camino Real Crianza from Rioja (€9.25) or the Château de Callac Graves from Bordeaux (€9.75).
• Something in between. The Alma Rosé and the Mariana Rosé (both €8.75) are dry and fresh, and go with almost anything on the menu.

Not sure where to start? Ask about our wine flights. They’re an easy way to try a few wines side by side, and a nice thing to share on a date. You can see every wine, with prices and tasting notes, on our wine list.

How to plan a small plates date night in Drumcondra

1. Pick your evening. The wine bar is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6pm, and we stay open until 11pm.
2. Book, or just walk in. Walk-ins are welcome. If you’d like to be sure of a table, use the Book a Table button and choose a wine bar reservation, or call (01) 830 9549.
3. Start with two small plates. Something salty and something warm, while you choose your wine.
4. Add a board. The cheese, charcuterie or Michael Board turns a drink into dinner.
5. Try a wine flight. Taste a few wines side by side, then order a glass of your favourite.

What does a date night for two cost?

Sharing keeps the bill easy to control, because you order as you go. Here are two examples using our current prices:

• A relaxed evening: olives (€4.50), house focaccia (€6.50), bruschetta (€8.00) and the cheese board (€14.50) come to €33.50. Add two glasses of Pecile Pinot Grigio at €8.00 each and the total is €49.50.
• A bigger night: The Michael Board (€23.00), chicken liver pâté (€9.75) and smoked almonds (€5.50) come to €38.25. Add two glasses of the Rioja Crianza at €9.25 each and the total is €56.75.

If you’d rather share a bottle, every wine we pour by the glass is also sold by the bottle, from €31.00 to €38.50.

Finding The Lovely Wine Bar

We’re at 94 Drumcondra Road Lower, Dublin 9, two doors from our sister café, Bread & Butter, and a short walk from Croke Park. Drumcondra train station is on the same road.

If you’re making a day of it, start with our guide to brunch and the Botanic Gardens, or come in earlier for lunch in Drumcondra and back again for small plates in the evening.

Frequently asked questions

Small plates, good wine and no rush: that’s date night on Drumcondra Road. See the full wine bar menu and book your table, or just walk in on Thursday, Friday or Saturday from 6pm.