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Dublin - I had a GREAT meal in Temple Bar at the Boxty House. It was hard to get reservations but then again we were there between Christmas and New Years. It was steak and caramelized onions in a brandy cream sauce rolled up in a potato pancake. OMG!

Mostly you will just want to do as the locals do and stop in a pub at lunch time and just have what ever mom has been cooking in the kitchen.

Here is a link to a website that lists all restaurants by area in Dublin, and has links to all of their menus. Have fun, and have a pint for me!

http://www.dublintourist.com/directory/eating_out/

I lived there a couple of years and it's true, the food in London is horrible and horribly overpriced. Maybe at the ultra high end there is some amazing work being done, but if you're looking to stay solvent (hard enough with the dollar as it is) I assume you won't be eating there. We honestly were relieved to eat at the Ikea cafeteria on many occasions.

A popular, reasonably priced chain is Wagamama for Japanese noodle bowls. Their food is good, and it probably won't leave you feeling swindled.

Generally, my advice would be to stick to places that serve food from a former colony or an immigrant population (except, of course, America: they do have TGI Fridays and a similar knockoff version, not to mention the McD's, etc.). I think it's a long-standing tragedy that the British, who have some good dishes in their cultural repertoire, have generally not made those dishes with any care until very recently (and largely at the high end for now, but it will be great when you can get a pasty on the high street that doesn't actually taste like dog food). Think Indian, especially. Brick Lane is a famous area, but there are tons of places.

I also have had some good to great Thai food at many places in London. I'm not an expert on the cuisine, but I enjoyed it almost every where I tried it (which was often a pub, btw).

If you happen to end up on Edgware Rd (unlikely, not not impossible) there are several great Lebanese places on the south end. Unfortunately, I forget the names of most, but Ranoush is big and flashy. It says "juice bar" but it's not only juice. There are 2 locations in Kensington, too. Otherwise, pick one that feels comfortable to the female members of your group, or go for dinner, where it's much more mixed. I used to live around there, and it was often a little intimidating to be the only woman in an otherwise full Starbucks,etc.

Even better is a place called Mandalay, which serves Burmese food and has a wonderfully friendly and charming owner.

You can also get by with some well-chosen chains (like Wagamama above). London has a variety of good quality chain restaurants that America doesn't seem to have. These aren't Applebee's.

Carluccio's Caffe is popular for casual Italian. Carluccio is a prominent figure in Italian food in England, and there is an emphasis on fresh, well-sourced ingredients (he operates several delis as well).

There's also a place called Tootsie's, which actually is American-style, but it's done well (good burgers, the best we had in London) and the atmosphere is casual cut calm. There is one behind Oxford Circus, and there are multiple other locations, like Holland Park, but I am not sure where the others are.

If you find yourself in need of a bite and are near a Nando's, give it a try. South African style, marinated and grilled or roasted (I forget) chicken served with some tasty sides and a variety of hot pepper sauces. It's a fast-food chain, but it's pretty good and loads better than a lot of what you'll be served in other places.

Also, there are a few high-quality sandwich and soup chains for lunch (or dinner, depending on your schedule). EAT. and Pret a Manger come to mind. They have fresh, often organic ingredients and pretty good breads. The soups I had at EAT were always really, really good.

Other places I remember particularly enjoying were Patisserie Valerie in SoHo, also in Kensington (amazing croissants; they supplied the deli where I worked and it's something I truly truly miss, not having eaten a proper croissant since I left) and a Spanish joint off Portobello Road called Galicia. The roast duck at Royal Gardens on Bayswater Rd. is amazing. People queue for it regularly. Not sure if it's a chain.

Not sure what exactly your circumstances are, but those are all places where you should be able to eat some tasty food and not feel totally hosed. In Dublin, I mostly ate at pubs, which were fine. There's a crepe place somewhere near the center that was good, but mostly I remember eating stew a lot. So not much help there. The people are amazing, though.

Good luck.

Hope this doesn't show up multiple times. I posted it yesterday, got some queued up message and then it went missing. Apologies in advance if it posts more than once.

Greens, at Issacs Hotel, in Cork City is good. It's also a pretty good hotel. You should try and get to Kinsale, in Co. Cork -- there are LOADS of restaurants there. It is considered by many to be the food capital of Ireland. And there is a restaurant website here.

Also in Co. Cork, Ballymaloe House is owned and run by Darina Allen, sort of the Irish Martha Stewart. She runs a cookery school there too. And while you are in the neighborhood, look for Stephen Pearce Pottery. It's in the same locale as Ballymaloe House.

On the Dingle Peninsula, there is a great restaurant call Gorman's. It might have been the setting, but we had what I recall as a great meal there. Dingle is gorgeous. It is worth the time to spend an night or two there. In Dingle town, we heard some really, really good trad music too.

I'm jealous! I need to get back to Ireland!

We just got back from Ireland having been there for Christmas. I'm from a town near Killarney called Tralee although I live in the States now.It's about 20 miles away which isn't far by Irish standards. I hadn't been home for a couple of years but there is a lot of variety now in terms of ethnic styles. A lot of restaurants are over priced and more so with the exchange rate now but wherever you end up staying your best bet will be to ask at the hotel or even go to a local bar and ask some of the locals.They'll tell you if somewhere is good and even more so if it's not.
Check out http://kerrytourist.com
Under the eating out section you'll get a list of every town and the restaurants they have. I have eaten in Gaby's in Killarney and it's been there a long time. Great seafood. I you do make it to Tralee, we had a great Thai meal in Tamarind. You can get great lunches in pretty much any pub in town. You'll get all the addresses in the website.I'm sure you'll have a great time.
Check out my blog
http://thehealthyirishman.blogspot.com