Asahi Asian Street Food: Dublin Menu, Reviews & Location

Dublin’s Portobello area quietly holds one of the city’s most ambitious Asian kitchens. Asahi Asian Street Food crams flavors from Japan, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, China, and India onto a single menu, then throws in fresh sushi, separate vegan and gluten-free options, and a BYOB policy for good measure.

The numbers back up the ambition: a 4.5/5 on Tripadvisor from nearly 100 reviews and over 1,000 ratings on Restaurant Guru put this Charlemont Street spot in the top 13% of Dublin’s 2,860 restaurants.

Location: 33 Charlemont Street, Dublin 2 · Popular Dish: BangBang Chicken €16.95 · Other Hits: Nasi Goreng €17.95, Dynamite Roll €15.95 · Cuisine Style: Pan-Asian Street Food · Ordering Options: Deliveroo, Takeaway

The table below aggregates verified data from multiple review platforms and delivery aggregators to give a quick reference for planning a visit or order.

What are the most popular dishes at Asahi?

The menu reads like a greatest-hits tour of Asian street food. According to Deliveroo’s listing, Pad Thai and Nasi Goreng anchor the main courses at €16.95 each, while the Massaman Curry also hits that same price point. OpenTable’s menu breakdown shows a wider picture: starters include Calamari, Teriyaki or Honey Spare Ribs, Takoyaki, Chicken Kara-age, Dumplings, and Crispy Chicken Wings. Sushi rolls span Dynamite Roll, Prawn Tempura Masago, Spicy Prawn Tempura, Alaska Roll, and Tempura Sushi Roll — with sashimi available as Salmon or Tuna (5 pieces) or a mixed plate of 3 salmon and 3 tuna.

• Massaman Curry (Chicken, Beef, Veg, Tofu, Prawn, or Duck) — €16.95 (OpenTable)
• Pad Thai — €16.95 (Deliveroo)
• Nasi Goreng — €17.95 (Deliveroo)
• BangBang Chicken — €16.95
• Japanese Katsu Curry — €16.95
• Dynamite Roll — €15.95

What sets Asahi apart from standard takeaway curries is the flavor depth reviewers keep praising. One Tripadvisor diner called the Massaman Curry “delicious and fragrant and rich in flavour without burning my mouth.” Another, reviewing from Singapore, called the Dragon rolls and Pad Thai “amazing” with “great value.” OpenTable diners highlighted teriyaki ribs and wings, sushi, and Massaman chicken curry as particularly impressive. The pattern is clear: when customers mention specific dishes, they tend to mention them favorably.

The implication: dish-name mentions in reviews skew positive, suggesting consistent execution across the core menu rather than one-hit wonder status.

Is Asahi Restaurant a chain or local restaurant?

Research notes and verified data point to a single Dublin location at 33 Charlemont Street in the Portobello area. No second location appears in any reviewed source, and the official site (asahi.ie) represents only this one address. The restaurant sits next door to the Clayton Hotel Charlemont, making it easy to spot for visitors to that hotel.

The confirmed facts align on this: Asahi appears to operate as a single-location independent restaurant rather than a chain. Phone number verification across multiple sources (+353 1 478 9167) also suggests one main contact point rather than franchise operations. This local independence may explain the attention to detail reviewers notice — when a restaurant’s reputation lives or dies on one location, quality control tends to tighten.

What this means: diners get a standalone neighborhood spot with the consistency advantages that come from centralized quality control, though accessibility is limited to those in Dublin 2 or willing to order delivery.

How fresh is the fish at Asahi?

Fish freshness is a question every sushi lover asks, and reviewers have plenty to say. One customer on Tripadvisor India noted “Asahi Sushi is always fresh and delicious. The fish tastes incredibly [fresh].” A Tripadvisor Singapore reviewer called the Dragon rolls “amazing,” while OpenTable diners praised the sushi alongside other items. The sushi section spans Dynamite Roll, Prawn Tempura Masago, Spicy Prawn Tempura, Alaska Roll, and Tempura Sushi Roll, with sashimi offered in Salmon, Tuna, or mixed plates.

While reviewer impressions are consistently positive about freshness, the exact daily sourcing logistics for fish remain unclear from public sources. What is confirmed is that the restaurant has maintained consistent review volumes over time — Restaurant Guru shows 1,019 accumulated reviews — suggesting sustained quality rather than sporadic freshness. For diners concerned about this detail, calling ahead to confirm the day’s catch offers peace of mind.

The pattern: positive freshness comments appear across platforms from different regions (India, Singapore, OpenTable), giving the claim cross-platform credibility despite the lack of detailed sourcing information.

What is Asahi Asian Street Food?

The official site describes Asahi as a modern restaurant offering a unique selection of pan-Asian street food favorites spanning Japan, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, China, and India. OpenTable and Deliveroo listings confirm this breadth, with the menu cycling between Thai Massaman Curry, Japanese Katsu Curry, Korean-style beef dishes, Malaysian Nasi Goreng, and Chinese-influenced fried rice and noodle options.

Beyond the pan-Asian core, Asahi accommodates dietary restrictions more thoroughly than many Dublin takeaways. HappyCow confirms a separate vegan menu featuring woks, noodles, and curries, while Find Me Gluten Free reports a gluten-free menu is available (though not a dedicated gluten-free kitchen). The restaurant describes itself as serving meat with vegan options, placing it in the flexible-venue category rather than purely plant-based.

What this means: the venue bridges the gap between dedicated vegan/GF spots and mainstream takeaways, offering real options without full facility separation.

What’s special about Asahi?

Several features distinguish Asahi from the typical Dublin Asian takeaway. First, the flavor range: cramming six national cuisines onto one menu takes ambition, and reviewers notice the variety — from Bangkok fried rice to Mekong duck to Thai Massaman Curry. Second, the BYOB policy (mentioned favorably in Tripadvisor reviews) lets diners bring their own drinks without markup. Third, the separate vegan and gluten-free menus widen the appeal beyond standard takeaway crowds.

The numbers back up the appeal: Tripadvisor ranks Asahi #354 out of 2,860 Dublin restaurants, placing it in the top 13%. Restaurant Guru’s 4.6/5 from over 1,000 reviews suggests sustained quality over time. Reviewers consistently mention the staff as friendly, the food as piping hot, and the presentation as well-executed. The one caveat worth noting: Wanderlog aggregates mention that “main courses sometimes too sweet,” though the same source calls starters and desserts “fabulous” — suggesting the issue is hit-or-miss rather than systemic.

The catch: the sweet-main-courses observation appears in at least one aggregator summary. If you prefer savory-forward flavors, mention this preference when ordering or stick to sushi and starters.

Massaman Curry and boy was it delicious and fragrant and rich in flavour without burning my mouth.

— Tripadvisor reviewer, India (Tripadvisor India)

AMAZING value, fantastic food. Dragon rolls were amazing, as was the pad thai.

— Tripadvisor user, Singapore (Tripadvisor Singapore)

We had the teriyaki ribs and wings for starters with some sushi and it was amazing.

— OpenTable diner (OpenTable)

For Dublin diners hunting pan-Asian flavor in the Portobello area, Asahi earns its strong ratings through consistent execution rather than novelty. The 4.5/5 on Tripadvisor and 4.6/5 on Restaurant Guru reflect genuine quality, not inflated expectations. Vegan and gluten-free diners find accommodations that many competitors skip, and the BYOB policy rewards those who plan ahead. The catch: main courses occasionally lean sweet, and the single location means only those near Charlemont Street get the dine-in experience without delivery fees.

The takeaway for first-timers: start with sushi or the Dynamite Roll, then branch into curries if the flavor profile suits you.