Wallace’s Taverna brings the Italian Quarter to life
It’s Christmas time, probably my favourite time of the year, when you meet up with friends and family. Some of the family and friends you meet up with, live abroad and come back home for Christmas. This neatly leads on to my last Fussy Eater review of the year which ties in with meeting up with family and friends.
You will already know that I have lived abroad, as I mentioned this in previous reviews. Including living in Egypt where I have so many great memories. During my second time living in Egypt in the early 1980’s I went to the British International School. Situated in Heliopolis a suburb of Cairo. One of my School friends there was Alan, another fellow Dubliner, whom I last saw in 1983.
Thanks to the magic of social media we reconnected on Facebook during the pandemic and met up earlier this year. We meet for drinks and I told Alan about this food blog. A short time later Alan contacted me about going with me to a restaurant that I would review.
This week’s restaurant is?
The only time Alan was free was during a weekday evening. This meant I had to try and find somewhere to review that offered value for money. During this cost of living crisis, everyone can’t afford to eat in Micheline Star Restaurants. As Alan works in the city centre, my only choice was a city centre restaurant, and I put my thinking cap on. Before long I knew where we would be going.
The restaurant we went to was one that I had eaten in before and is situated in the Italian Quarter. It opened in 2005 and was founded by the builder turned restauranteur turned politician Mick Wallace. Of course its name Wallace’s Taverna would also tell you this. Having eaten here before I knew my stomach and wallet would be smiling.

As its located in the Italian Quarter, Wallace’s Taverna offers Italian cuisine. The food here uses quality Italian ingredients and the menu suits all budgets. So you can decide what to eat and drink depending on your budget.
What did I order?
We both decided to forego starters and deserts and order pizzas. The pizzas chosen were a Margherita for me and a Prosciutto E Funghi for Alan. Basically a cheese and tomato pizza and also a ham and mushroom pizza. The wine menu is great and on my previous visit I had a glass of lovely Italian red wine. As we were only having a main course a great accompaniment is beer and we were in luck. The drinks menu mentioned that they had draught pints of Veltins a wonderful premium German Pilsner.
How was my meal?
My Pizza was cooked perfectly and although the crust was thick it was not as thick as those on other pizzas. It tasted great and was not to cheesy and the tomato sauce was not to runny as you can see below.

A pet peeve of mine is pizza with runny sauce, too much cheese or a large crust. Alan really enjoyed his pizza which had just the right amount of prosciutto ham on it. Our two pizzas pictured below had 2 lovely pints of crisp, refreshing Veltins, giving our tastebuds a nice finish to our meal.

Our tables were just the right size and we did not feel cramped.

If you like good Italian food that covers different budget requirements then Wallace’s Taverna will not disappoint you. The wine selection as well as the beer selection is to be commended. The pint of Veltins is cheaper than most premium beers in a Dublin pub.
As this is my last Fussy Eater review of this year, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I look forward to taking you on more culinary journeys next year.
What did my meal cost?
My Margherita pizza cost €13.00, Alan’s Prosciutto E Funghi Pizza cost €15.00. Our two pints of Veltins cost €5.75 each This brought the bill to €39.50 before tips.
Wallace’s Taverna 24 Lower Ormond Quay, Italian Quarter, Dublin 1.
See more reviews here.