Shopping & Food in Ireland

Even though Ireland and the United States are not too different from each other, it took me a minute to find out the best way to shop here. I cannot just drive to the store whenever I want, so shopping takes much more planning. Even more, I have no access to my usual go-to's: Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Target, or Food Lion. So, I had to branch out early on.

Familiar grocery store names here are Aldi and Lidl. There are also Ireland-founded shops like Dunnes and London-based Tesco, but Aldi and Lidl are typically cheaper. There are also convenience adjacent stores like SPAR that have basic groceries and meals.

The closest option to me is SPAR since there is one on campus and another one a 20-minute walk away. If I need something small quickly, I will usually head there. However, it is more expensive, so I do my main grocery trips in other places. I used to take the bus to a shopping center or into Limerick city for each trip, but bringing lots of groceries on the bus was stressful for me. Considering such, I decided to look for places I could walk to.

I may be crazy, but my ideal shopping spot now is a Lidl that is a 6-mile round trip from my dorm. The route I take is along this gorgeous trail next to the Shannon River. I bring my backpack and two tote bags for a typical grocery trip. I make an event out of it because it usually takes 2-3 hours for me to walk there, shop, and walk back. The walk back is also usually a bit trickier since I have to carry groceries, but that is why I make sure to bring my backpack and buy a fun snack at the store for fuel. I think it is worth it because I get to exercise, see beautiful sights, and buy cheap groceries.

My typical grocery list has peanut butter, jelly, bread, butter, sausage, potatoes, garlic, peppers, cottage cheese, frozen peas, milk, tea, coffee, sugar, bananas, apples, tuna, chickpeas, pasta, pasta sauce, and ice cream on it. Of course, it fluctuates depending on what I need or new meal ideas, but these are the ingredients I use the most often and that I find the cheapest. My last grocery trip included most of these items and only cost me about 30 euros. Groceries here, on average, seem much cheaper than in the U.S., so take advantage of that! With these ingredients, I just make simple meals like sandwiches, pasta, scrambles, pancakes, and more. It is difficult to build up a foundation of ingredients and supplies for more intense meals since I share my kitchen space with five others and I am only here for a few months. So, I do not worry about making elaborate meals, I try to just make sure I get my nutrients.

This is a breakfast I made for myself in my dorm.

Outside of the meals I make, I also love to explore restaurants. Some of my favorite places I have been to in Limerick are all of the stands in the Milk Market, Locke Burger, The SpitJack for brunch, Taikichi for Japanese food, and Bambu for Indian cuisine. Some of my other favorites around Ireland are the Inisheer Hotel bar on the Aran Islands where I had a delicious chowder, Irish Potato Cake Company in Dublin where I had the best Irish breakfast, and Hooked in Galway with a nice atmosphere and solid fish and chips. One of my favorite resources to find good food in Ireland or abroad is Reddit because people are very vocal about opinions and can help you find underground spots. Additionally, I ask my Irish friends that I meet around and in classes where they like to eat and they always have plenty to say.

This is a chowder I had on the Aran Islands.

This is the Irish breakfast I had in Dublin.

Another one of my frequents at UL is Apache Pizza, which is the closest order option to my dorm. It is about a 7-minute walk away, making it perfect to order online and then walk there for it to be ready. The fast food venue has pizza, french fries, milkshakes, and various other sides. There are also many meal deals. I recommend the No Brainer Deal with the Apache Dynamite pizza and cheesy garlic bread. Adding on the buono milkshake is never a bad idea, either!

Another one of my favorite food aspects of studying abroad is what you get to try through travel. So far, outside of Ireland, I have traveled to Paris, Edinburgh, and Barcelona. Each of these places has vastly different cultures around food and diet. I definitely recommend trying to explore and try as many things as you can, because I have loved it.

This is an acai bowl I had in Barcelona.

This is what I have learned and experienced from food. Reach out if you find something better!