Fish and chips on the seafront is the classic Bray experience and it delivers. The promenade has several chippers that have been serving the same function for generations — battered fish, chips in paper, eaten on the seafront wall while watching the sea. This is not sophisticated food, but it is exactly right for the setting, and on a warm evening it is genuinely good. You will not go wrong here.
Beyond the seafront staples, Bray has developed a more interesting restaurant scene over the past decade or so. Italian restaurants have a particularly strong presence — there are several good ones on and around the main street, with proper pasta and pizza rather than the cautious adaptations that pass for Italian food in many Irish towns. The town's proximity to Dublin means it benefits from a more adventurous local food culture than you might expect from a coastal town of this size.
The main street and the side streets running off it are the best hunting ground for restaurants. The seafront itself is more about quick food — chips, ice cream, the standard seaside repertoire — while the town centre has the sit-down options. Bray is not a destination food town, but it feeds you well.