The story
In 2003, Thorton's at 128 St Stephen's Green in Dublin was ranked 25th on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list — a remarkable achievement that placed this Irish restaurant alongside the most acclaimed tables on the planet. That recognition remains one of the most significant moments in Irish fine dining history.
Thorton's built its reputation on a cooking style that brought French technique to bear on Irish ingredients — a combination that defined the best of Modern Irish cuisine at the turn of the millennium. The address, overlooking one of Dublin's most elegant public squares, gave the restaurant a setting that matched the ambition on the plate.
The source material available for Thorton's today is limited, and the restaurant's own website is no longer active in its original form. What the historical record does confirm is that the cooking here was serious enough to earn international recognition at the highest level, placing Dublin firmly on the global fine dining map at a time when Modern Irish cuisine was still defining itself. For a period, Thorton's was the standard by which other Irish restaurants were measured.
Recognition
Ambience
Location