I adored everything about Chapter One. Everything from the friendly and charming service as we entered, through the delicious bread and the glorious food, to the sweet girl who sorted our bill for us was wonderful. I should say that we had the Pre-Theatre set menu for 36.50 EUR and so sat down at 6pm when the place was empty but it was worth the early start and while we didn't have a theatre performance to make, we were able to get to bed by 9:30pm, which for this pregnant lady was heaven! I had a corn soup starter with parmesan ravioli, which was sumptuous. There followed a slow cooked beef cheek with amazing mashed potatoes and for dessert an apple and gingerbread sponge pudding which was sweetly presented and even more luscious when eaten with lashings of the pumpkin ice cream it was served with. All in all a perfect meal and I would heartily recommend this place - either a special occasion restaurant or somewhere to spoil yourself after a hard day/week/month with great service and excellent cuisine. I for one can't wait to go back to Dublin for another chapter of Cahpter One. read more

If you have one night for a special meal in Dublin, Chapter One should be it! The food, ambiance & service are all excellent! It was worth every euro! read more

This is one of my favorite places in Dublin what with the decor, the staff, the food, the chef, and an amazingly funny maître d'. The food I had was great, to be honest I picked a few dishes to mess with my wife but also push my palate a bit :P. The wild game terrine with blackberry sauce and a bit of crunch was just amazing. Essentially the starters were just amazing and could honestly be the mains on their own. I also had the deer (never said venison on the menu) which was to die for, it melted like butter in my mouth. To top the night off, we had ice cream with real honeycomb which if you have a sweet tooth, you MUST have; Don't think about anything else for dessert, that honeycomb is amazing! read more

I was in for lunch yesterday. It was, as ever absolutely flawless. The service was perfect and the food continues to deliver on all fronts. For starter I had white pudding boudin. White pudding gets a bad rap in this country but if you can source some Curraghchase white pudding from Limerick or Doherty's from Enniskillen then you are away in a hack. In the case of this dish it was the latter. The rich, meaty pudding was perfectly complemented by a small potato pancake and an intense madiera jus while the fattiness of the pork was balanced with horseradish, apple and peppery watercress providing the high notes. A little mustard dressing finished the dish well. Great to see good white pudding on a high end menu. Other countries celebrate it, we should too. For main I had a Pot au Feu which is basically a celebration of off cuts and summer vegetables served in a rich, clear stock. Ox tongue, veal sweetbreads, and a braised short rib were paired with spring carrots, new season asparagus, and some smokey celery. If you have ever eaten badly prepared ox tongue or sweetbreads, the mention of them is probably enough to make you wretch. But when prepared correctly, as they were here, both elements stood out as incredibly delicious. The ox tongue was melty and meaty with a rich red color. The sweetbread was tender and rich. The short rib was as indulgent as you like with a perfect balance of meat to fat. All of the veg retained their vibrant color and some bite showing the level of skill in the kitchen. As ever my palate craves the high notes and this dish could have done with a tiny touch of citrus but that's just me. It was served with cardiac mash. Mad high butter ratio but soooo feckin' delish! Perfect. Dessert. Ah dessert. There's no point even describing how good it was. Chocolate mouse, caramel jelly, expresso mouse, lime ice cream, honey comb. Sweet mother of God. Homer drool..... At €37.50 for 3 courses there is no excuse whatsoever. read more

Well....what can I say other than "why would you want to eat anywhere else?" My experience in Chapter One was wonderful from start to finish!! A group of us decided to decend on Chapter One to take advantage of their 37EUR pre-theatre menu and it was worth every penny. I am a coeliac and informed the waiter of my allergies and he went to the kitchen on my behalf to enquire what was safe for me to eat on the menu, to my delight the answer was quite alot!! We started with Kir Royals (as you do!). In fairness, there's little you can do to mess these up and they were delicious. I had the jerusalem artichoke soup for starters which was earthy flavoured, silky and absolutely delicious. I ordered the daube of beef for my main course, this came with a truffle gratin which was sinfully rich. The beef was amazing, it was cooked perfectly and melt in the mouth - my knife was redundant on the table. I will say that the truffle gratin was quite overpowering for truffle virgins, but since I love truffle oil (I even put it in my mash potatoes at home), I thought that it was heavenly! Dessert was a chocolate mousse which was the stuff dreams are made of. The mousse was a chocoholics dream and included a surpirse of honeycomb which was peppered through the creamy chocolate. We had a lovely New Zealand Marlborough Sauvingnon Blanc- which was really fruity and didn't have that "soapy" aftertaste that I usually associate with Sauv Blanc and two bottles of a bold Cote de Rhone which I really enjoyed with the beef. Meal for 5 with three bottles of wine, 5 Kir Royals and tip worked out at 420EUR including tip which was well deserved as both the Maitre D and staff really looked after us. It was a decadent evening...and I can't wait for the next one :) read more

Premiere Michelin star restaurant that I've gone to in Europe, and what a treat! Booked their pre-theatre dinner for a Saturday a little less than 2 months ahead. Certainly worth every day of waiting. Started off with their asparagus and home made ravioli with 25 y Parmesan. When cutting through the ravioli, the cheese melted down on the perfectly a la dente asparagus. Mm. Me and my sister were in heaven. As main, I had the Ray fish - something typical Dublin I learned but for me it was completely new. It was white and flakey, twisted into a round shape. Soft, well seasoned. As a side was a deep fried potato with cheese - it was delish but little too heavy for my preference. Finally dessert. At this point we were both really full, and if it wasn't for that we've already ordered a three course meal, we would probably have skipped it. But happy that we didn't. My sister had the chocolate dessert with ice cream. It was served on a cup, nicely presented, and wow. Warm chocolate, very rich, with that ice cold ice cream. I am willing to say this was the best chocolate dessert I have had. Ever. I went for the ice cream and honey comb treat, delicious as well but in a different league than that chocolate dream. The waiter even came to our table, noting my obsession with my sisters dessert and asked if I wanted to switch. Now that's michelin service (a politely rejected his offer, too embarrassed to have almost two desserts since we were close to finish the honeycomb one). For a total of 120 euro for both of us including a bottle of wine, I would go back any day of the week. I actually just made another reservation. In two months. read more

We came here for lunch during our visit to Dublin from the states. Reservations are recommended we were only able to get a 2 pm slot reserved. The service was great and the tasting menu options were delicious. The prices from the menu were reasonable and the portions were good also. read more

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I love fine food and for this Michelin restaurant, I want to say that it's really worth to have a try for an early bird. Professional services and the food with good quality. read more

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I would like to praise the good services,but I think the taste of foods are not so fabulous... read more

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Went here for my sister's birthday in December. I was home from Chicago for the first time in months so it was a pretty special occasion and we were all really looking forward to it. Now I have to say the food was amazing, but unfortunately, one of our party found a hair in her food. That's not why I am even giving a low rating though, this one is completely on the service we received afterwards. First, we were told that it wasn't a hair, but a thread from a chef's uniform, which it certainly was not. They replaced her meal, and we kept on eating. Then my mam wanted an Irish Coffee instead of her dessert, and was told that they couldn't get that, we would have to pay extra. I just think in a restaurant with a michelin star, the service would be a litlle better. Also, they can be a little slow to answer the door, considering you have to ring a doorbell to get inside! All in all, its just a little disappointing, considering the prices they are asking read more

Great ambience and service and worth the Michelin nod. Had one of the best reds of my life - 2016 Parize Givry Champ Nalot Primier Cru Rouge. Nice menu, which is touch more Irish influence compare to L'Ecrivain. Just want to point out the dessert, which will go down as one of the best I've had. read more

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Amazing restaurant. Gorgeous space, perfect service and incredibly creative and delicious food. If in Dublin, it is a must. Beyond impressed!!! read more

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Chapter One was the perfect last meal for me to have in Ireland. Not only was it delicious but it gave me a new appreciation and knowledge of Irish food- as a traveler, that was very special to me. I had the full set menu for lunch. There is a lot of food for a tasting menu! I was pretty stuffed at the end. The service is excellent- very smooth and attentive, but not stuffy or overly formal. I was dining alone, and they brought me the Chapter One cookbook to look at. I appreciated this thoughtfulness and also the chance to gain more insight into what their food is about! Back to the food- really thoughtful, fun, and, I thought, IRISH. Started off with an interesting play on porridge- really hearty mushroom and cheese flavors but the surprise and lightness of tapioca. It was a unique dish that was kind of hard to wrap my mind around, but I appreciate it more in the context of the entire meal. The cured mackerel was amazing and one of my favorite courses. Beautiful fish with amazing sourness, salt, and spice! This dish was a revelation. I actually didn't really like the veal terrine. There was something faintly off putting about the meaty flavor that kind of reminded me of canned tuna. I was glad I got the tasting menu, though, because I was thinking of just ordering the terrine and a main. Like my server said, the smoked haddock was like a play on Irish seafood chowder. I thought the cauliflower added a great contrast of flavor. The lamb was another revelation and my other favorite dish. All the components really sang of the flavor of lamb so when I was done I felt I had an overwhelming sense of lamb-ness. It was truly an amazing dish and the perfect way to fully savor Irish lamb. The kitchen then gave me an extra dish- a small taste of the salted butter ice cream. A dish my server described as essentially brown bread with butter. I have to agree that this was like brown bread with butter in ice cream form. The final course was an extremely fun play on the gin and tonic. Ice cream and cucumbers in a beautiful gin/basil "soup". It was a great, light note to end the meal on (although I'm not sure how I feel about two ice cream courses in a row... I do love my non-frozen desserts). Overall excellent experience and thought-provoking, impressive food. read more

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My first experience at a Michelin star place and it set the standard. We were traveling from Iceland arrived too late for our original dinner reservation. They graciously moved it to the next day for lunch. This place understands hospitality. The food the ambiance the staff - all made us and our teen boys feel at home. read more

Amazing fine dining and well worth the price! For 70 euros pp for the four course meal this was very well priced for the quality and service. The sommelier was incredibly knowledgeable and went above and beyond to serve when the year of wine on the list was out, he suggested an off list bottle that was amazing at the same price. The pearl tapioca and cherry tomato started was spectacular and the duck second course with foie gras was just perfect. The rabbit loin was also great but I was certainly full by dessert. After dessert the chocolates were so good, the desserts were good although I feel the dessert chef has a bit catching up to do to the main chef. Highly recommend this restaurant!! Atmosphere is clean and inviting. Service is top notch. The owner comes by to be sure everything is great. read more

This place has got a great classy atmosphere. Its a bit expensive, but the food is really great. Its also got a great wine list and the service is good. Perfect for a fancy meal or a special occasion. read more

Chapter One - French Near Me - Dublin, D

I absolutely adore Chapter One. Not least because it's Michelin star dining at an affordable price. The extremely well priced pre-theatre menu is excellent, and the staff don't make you feel rushed which I've found to be the case with a lot of other pre-theatres around town. Not only were we made to feel welcome on both occasions we went for the early menu, but we were made to feel welcome and like we belonged. As a young, not terribly well off foodie this makes a huge difference to me. On my first visit with a friend, the maitre d brought us in for a tour of the kitchen and introduced us to the chefs which was really special. The overall experience aside, the food is to die for. Chapter One is the ideal spot for a special occasion, but don't wait for the excuse to visit! read more

We were really excited to dine here. I had let the restaurant know it was my wife's birthday and looking forward to a great meal and great wine. We definitely had great wine. Really disappointed in the meal, though. Thoughtless service and mechanical food. We had a better service experience at Murphy's ice cream and more care in the preparation and delivery of our food. I get that it was a pre theater menu, but the lack of care in the food preparation and consistent service throughout the meal was extremely disappointed. Three stars is generous but I understand how hard the restaurant business is so I'm being generous, unlike the restaurant. read more

Just finished an excellent lunch. All of the choices showed a level of creativity in managing the ingredients and in combining tastes and textures. The staff was sufficiently attentive on a busy Friday - where many of the patrons opted for the complicated tasting menu. The maitre paid special attention to our elderly hosts who are challenged in mobility and made sure they were settled and comfortable before leaving them in peace to enjoy a leisurely lunch. Then we sat back and enjoyed the food! Our first choice on wine was not available but the sommelier engaged us in dialogue and suggested an excellent alternative. Altogether a very good meal - just be sure to give yourself enough time to indulge and enjoy it. read more

I can't add much to what has already been written about this fine Dublin establishment. Food, presentation, and service are all top notch -efficient without being overbearing. I might, however, contribute an anecdote that is a bit of an "extra mile " story reminiscent of one told to Danny Meyer and featured in his book, Setting the Table. Soon after driving away in our taxi after a memorable meal, our driver received a call from the restaurant asking if he had an "elderly couple " in the car. Apparently the staff had noticed that an older gentleman had forgotten his mobile at the restaurant and they were attempting to track him down. Our driver hesitated (not wishing to identify us as elderly). We chucked in the back seat, checked our pockets and were able to relieve the driver of this rather awkward moment by announcing that they were not looking for THIS soon-to-be elderly couple. So, in addition to the pleasure associated with the fine dining, we now have a bit of a story. read more

Best restaurant in Dublin by a mile... You do have to book well in advance though and the pre-theatre is great value and they mix up the menu regularly which is nice and the staff are über friendly and professional! read more

I love Percy W.'s Review - "Just do it".... if you are strapped for cash but fancy treating yourself then go for the pre theatre menu, still a bit pricy but gives you a great overview of what's on offer - all of which is spectacular. read more

Wow i am reviewing chapter..after years of thinking "one day we ll go there " and " i heard its hard to get a booking in there ! " Yeap,ive been a northsider 7 1/2 years out of my 8 herr in ireland,you can tell already! Reviewing food is very tricky, its so personal, this mixture of the food, your expectation of it, your rating points on the quality of the waiters (discreet? personable? on the ball?), the atmosphere, ur company...and quite importantly your level of expectations before going in...and mine were high i tell ya. First impressions are never good when you are greeted by a 30+min waiting time in uncomfortable seats as if you had a dentist appointment (that's the first analogy that came to me anyway, I rarely wait that much when Ive booked a specific time) especially on a random wednesday night. Fair enough, moving on. But then when finally seated I was quite very distracted by staff in a bad way -couldnt have a full conversation, just a few little things that you dont want to be distracted with, not that the waiters were that bad, but when you've visited 2 of the Ely venues to be thrilled with how everyone is just pristinely on the ball and not in your way, you can't help but comparing. Food wise, quite underwhelmed for the first 2 dishes and not that much excited for the rest of the meal. one has to know there s no a la carte menu in chapter one so you choose from a big tasting menu or a substancial dinner menu. if ur stomach is more modest, go elsewhere. The rabbit was outstanding, better than the beef i had a taste of. outstanding. Apple dessert quite interesting and fresh. the choc mousse was lovely too. As for the rest, inc a taste of whatever my partner was having, was good,nothing I could really fault, but uninspiring, without a wow factor. quite similar to what i felt in ballymaloe (though Chapter One's food is modern in its taste and presentation) no spice or charm - but good. yes, good. if you dont mind driving a bit further,try Campagne in kilkenny, you ll lose the awkwardness of the place/staff/general feel that a few clients were up their arse, and you ll get a wholehearted food full of love and passion and surprise, like one of your fave songs you thought you knew which is is suddendly presented under a different light, bare / simplified, but enhanced, somehow. In Campagne, I felt people actually solely cared about what was important : good produce oustandingly well cooked, never mind how you eat it, with what dress and what price of a wine etc. Chapter one has the fecking curse of Dublin restaurants where you have to care about appearances, including your own. I was glad i finally got to try chapter one, what an genuine honour. It is a good restaurant, but i had better nights at campagne, at the clarence tea room-in the past- at seagrass - 's been a while too, at the exchange, at Ely and other places where i didnt have expectations and the bill was smaller. its all down to a personal experience. And as far as im concerned for that price and this high long lasting reputation, i expected significantly more in all aspects. fair play for the rabbit dish though! read more

Chapter One ticks all the boxes for what fine dining should be. Came for the pre-theater (which, incidentally, is excellent value), so did not linger as much as I usually do, but did not at all feel rushed, which is amazing, given that I spent just a little over an hour over my meal so that I could make my show at the Abbey. The space is located underneath the Irish Writers Museum, and next to the Gate theater. Most patrons seemed to have tickets to the Gate, and the staff actually were offering to go pick up their theater tickets for them, which is a convenient and nice touch. The rooms are comfortable, quiet, dim, and plush. Lovely. I had the mackerel, venison, and ice cream, all of which were good, if not revelatory. The mackerel was good quality and came in quite a generous portion. Venison was perfectly cooked and delicious. Ice cream was a bit boring and small, but I was actually quite full by then so it actually worked out well. A reasonable selection of wines by the glass as well, two of which I enjoyed with my meal. Service was impeccable, as expected for a restaurant of this caliber--the team of young well-put-together (and seemingly often french) waitstaff whisked away dishes, filled glasses, and provided for every need with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine. The older and grumpier I get, the more I appreciate when the service is just right, and it is just right here. My only regret was that the timing of my visit (and the excessive number of activities I'd planned for myself, as usual) did not allow me to come for the tasting menu as I would have enjoyed being able to spend more time over a leisurely dinner here. Would definitely return. read more

My wife and I couldn't book for the regular dinner time table. We had to settle for pre-theatre time. We ordered from the premium pre-theatre menu. My lamb (saddle lamb) dish is the best I had so far, even better than the one I had in Iceland. The texture is perfect. The taste of lamb is memorable. Restaurant is at the basement of the historical Writing Museum. Our table is inside of the previous wine cellar. Building was once owned by Jameson. Manager is Danny is nice and friendly. Service is not world class. I believe that's reason the restaurant got stuck with one star. My wife went to the bathroom and the staff didn't wait for her return to deliver her dish. She put down the dishes and only described it to me with my wife's absence. She didn't return to describe again when my wife is back. Also, the table set up prevents silver service. My dish was delivered on my left hand side because my right side is a wall. read more

The very best food I've ever had. Went there two nights in a row, luckily they were able to squeeze us in!

My second visit in a few months and it was just as good. On my first visit I had the full tasting menu with matching wines, tonight it was the four course dinner menu. Having tried a lot of the dishes on offer on my last visit, it was real struggle when it came to ordering to decide whether to go with what I knew was incredible or to go with something new on each course, in the end it was a mix of both. I started with the Salted Greengage Salad as a great fresh option. Light and flavoursome, exactly what I want as an amuse bouche. Next I went for the tried and tested Stuffed Pig Tail, as good as last time, rich and melt in your mouth delicious....no need for a knife! For my main I went for the Loin of Pork wrapped in Pata Negra with smoked potatoes....it was delicious and balanced as well as being quite filling. Finally, I went for the Millefeuille for dessert and the extravagantly produced Irish coffee. Both were tasty and in no way too sweet or filling in the way that many such desserts can be. I selected the Alsace offering from the wine menu at a reasonable €7.50 per glass and it was a great accompaniment at a good value price for my savoury courses. Overall, another fantastic meal in Chapter One....great food and great service make Phil a happy boy! :-) read more

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i've been wanting to go to this place since i first noticed it was consistently getting 5 star reviews on yelp, and yelpers can't be wrong :) last night i finally got to go for valentine's day dinner. it was a really nice day started off with a dozen red roses and breakfast in bed. then, i was treated to a shopping trip to buy something nice for myself... it ended up being a lovely new fancy dress (the taffeta kind, not frankenstein or slutty nurse) and by the time i got to dinner, i felt like a pretty, pretty princess :) the staff at chapter one definitely continued on the theme by making us feel like royalty. the menu was pared down a bit for a special valentine's €70 per person meal but the choices were still quite superb. it took me about 20 minutes to decide on what i wanted, but they were very patient with me ("would the lady like a cocktail while she decides?"). i got the scallop starter and the rabbit for a main. the way the rabbit was arranged on the plate, from an angle it was in a rabbit shape! (not in a gross or creepy way, but really subtle. the only reason i noticed it was because i took a picture. hehe) Husband had the fois gras starter and the venison main. both were delicious but i liked mine more :) normally at places like this, it's more hype and art than food but here i was pleasantly surprised. three bites into my main and i was already stuffed. this might have had something to do with my dress being exactly fitted to my frame and having no room for expansion (lesson learned!). the portions were generous, the flavors were nicely balanced, the staff was attentive and the cocktails were yummy. i could happily eat there once a week if i wanted to dispose of about €100 and i didn't have a lighter handy... read more

We celebrated my father-in-law's birthday at the chef's table here with 7 people; it is a large U-shaped table that faces the open kitchen with a clear glass partisan (noise dampener I assume?) so your fabulous meal also turns into a show. It was one of the best executed meals I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Every course seemed to kick it up a notch from the last and the wine pairing was like if the meal had been built around each wine, brilliant.. Chef Lewis is a master of his craft and I am so elated I was able to experience Chapter One with family. read more

2007 After hearing raves of this well acclaimed restaurant we tried to get reservations at a last minutes notice. Of course not to our surprise it was fully booked for the Friday & Saturday & Sunday dinners we were looking for. So we immediately thought the only way we'd get in was to do lunch. So lunch was in for that following Monday. Well I have to say it was one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. The staff was very attentive with such as shopping bags checked right out of hand while we were seated in the lounge area, champagne brought very quickly after ordering, we relaxed right into the warm, large, leather upholstered sofas. After getting seated we ordered wine from a very high end European list. The menu was not extensive but each dish looked amazing. The food was excellent in taste, small portions but yet just enough to overload. Would love to go back for dinner next time if the bank account will allow it. read more

My sister in law was over from France and as a (very much appreciated) treat, she brought my wife and I to Chapter One for lunch. It was my second time there in the last while (I never got around to writing a review of the first time). For the sizeable bill and enormous reputation you would expect the food and experience to be of the highest quality - and it is. Although the service is sometimes a bit over the top from the restuarant manager, some of the staff can be quite stoney-faced and not entirely interactive. For a starter we all (boringly) went for the rabbit terrine, which was succulent and tasty, littered with mini pickled vegetables, accompanied by a delicious rabbit parfait spread across a thin wafer of sourdough bread. My sis in law had the veal which she enjoyed, although my impression was that it didn't look all that appetising. (The last time I was in Chapter One I had a veal blanquette with trufle which was one of the best meals I have ever eaten). My wife and I took the slow cooked lamb with stuffed carrot and sweetbreads. The flavoursome lamb was incredible, it melted in the mouth - altough I found the stuffed carrot a bit pointless and lacking in appeal. My rhubab dessert was pretty good although incredibly sour and it wasn't a patch on the chocolate mousse with cream that my wife had. Yum. All in all, highly recommended for a treat - best to book a weekday or pre theatre menu (well in advance). They could do with refreshing the restaurant though - the carpet for one is looking a bit dated! read more

Service is great. Food simply served, combinations and portions perfect. Would love to try the tasting menu next time to get the full experience read more

Went here for my birthday the other night. The initial greeting was very impressive. They must have seen us coming down the stairs and opened the door for us which was lovely. One member of staff seemed to be going through the motions with us he was a bit over friendly. Everone else was genuinly lovely and attentive. The service made everything very special. Food was excelent. Great value for the pre theatre menu. Wine selection on the pricey side. We got a bottle of portugese red for €38 but it was fantastic. Very relaxed atmosphere will go back for another special event. read more

I have never in my life had a better experience dining. I made a reservation online and we were greeted at the door before I even had the opportunity to open it myself... the service was IMPECCABLE. There are no other words. Declan was our server and he was so incredibly informative, made us the best Irish coffees which I would suggest everyone order (he made it the right way not a bottle of Baileys in sight)... and made us feel like part of the family. He really went above and beyond and offered a menu when I asked about a particular wine.. even showed us the kitchen when it got late and we got to meet the chef... I cannot stress enough how incredibly magical this experience was... it was worth anything and everything, there are no words. Sam served our wine and his knowledge of the grape to the finished bottle was so wonderful, it really helped shape the overall experience. This isn't just a meal, this is an experience that you cannot miss when visiting Dublin. From the front of the house to the chef himself, wonderful. I foresee myself coming back to Dublin specifically for this experience. Thank you Chapter One! read more

Getting into Chapter One is like doing a knock and run. You have to ring the doorbell and wait for someone to answer, but boy is it worth it. Amazing staff, amazing food, just amazing. It's one of those places 'people mean to go to', seriously go. The staff are so nice and accessible. Try the pea soup if it's still on the menu :-) read more

A while since we'd been here what with the recession and all. However, pushing the boat out for the daughter's 16th birthday was definitely called for. Started with the obligatory cosmos and some people watching for my companions. The restaurant has a new, to me anyway, 4 course prix fixe menu at €65 starting with an excellent amuse bouche followed by scallops for two of us and a very generous and luscious duck starter for the birthday girl. Mains were turbot and John Dory for the ladies, judged to be excellent, and steak for me. Personally, I didn't like the very heavy mushroom and, I guess, red wine gloopy sauce on the steak which totally buried any taste from the meat and, unusual for me, I didn't finish it. Reluctantly, I have reduced the expected 5 stars to 4 as a result. I also eschewed dessert in favour of tea although the ladies tucked in as usual. Cost, including a very acceptable 'Twiggy' house red was €260. Not cheap by any means but for an occasion, Chapter One is difficult to beat. Service, as always, was attentive and friendly although I think the birthday girl could have done without the chorus of Happy Birthday from the rest of the room. We'll be back but, alas, not for a while. read more

I had been looking forward to going to Chapter One for some time, so when I finally made it there I was a little concerned that it could not possibly live up to expectations. I was wrong. Chapter One was everything I imagined it would be and more. Innovative and delicious food, presented well with outstanding service. While there were some aspects that I did not like(which I will get to later, they were not significant), they had nothing to do with the main event, which was the food. We had the tasting menu 80E pp(with wine pairings charged by wine) . The meal started with a tapioca and pea "risotto" - the tapioca played the part of the rice - it was delicious, delicate and decadent all wrapped into one. Who knew tapioca could be so good. The next course was crab salad with watermelon and seaweed. The crab was light and sweet, perfectly matched with the saltiness of the seaweed and watermelon all of which was well balanced with a spanish white wine. Next was the carpaccio - I was tempted to ask for 2nds, a beef from cork that was light and perfectly matched with a horseradish cream. Next came the John Dory cooked over charcoal - while this was delicious - I had expected a slight charcoal flavor and it was just a perfectly cooked piece of fish. Finally, the "main" of the tasting menu was the pork plate, pork belly, black pudding, and fried pork round (it tasted like the best bacon ever). The service was excellent throughout with one of two waiters providing in depth descriptions of each course before it was served along with a description of the wine that was served with each course and the rationale for selecting it. Dessert was perhaps the lightest chocolate souffle that I have ever - and I have had quite a few over the years- which was the perfect compliment for the passion fruit ice cream. I was in food heaven. Of course there was the matter of the bill - it is not for the feint of heart. There is a reason why it has taken me two years to go. While I would definitely go back, and urge anybody who loves food to go, as well, it's expensive. As for the aspects that I did not care for, the manager who was running around speed greeting people - frankly, it did not add to my enjoyment in any way and it seemed a bit phoney. The other small bit of annoyance was arriving spot on time for a reservation and getting escorted to the bar - really? While I may be overreacting, I would rather just go to my table, I don't really need a bar pitstop before I make the arduous journey to the dinner table. The rest of the experience was exceptional with our waiter and the managers offering helpful recommendations for an upcoming trip to France. Truly a great fine dining experience. read more

Went to dinner here tonight and loved it. The Charcuterie Trolley was fabulous as was the chestnut soup. The rabbit was beautifully cooked for the main just wish the sauce was not so sweet. The fromage blanc dessert was beautiful and light and the macarons were delicious. One thing I can't understand is why do good restaurants mostly serve shit coffee ? Why not get a proper barista and leave a lasting impression on people as it is the last thing you would normally have ? I will go back here again anytime and look forward to the next visit. read more

I still can't get over this place! This is literally the mother of all restaurants in Dublin! Very dressy and very exclusive! I've been here for a meal with my parents, I had no idea where this place was. It's just opposite St.Stephens green covered in ivory. When you enter they will ask for your reservation (as you only make a reservation to dine here). The restaurant is on the second floor and it's quite intimate space decorated in early Georgian interior. Each table has their own waiter for the evening. The staff were so lovely and the food was amazing! Though small portions your still full after this amazing meal! I would recommend anyone to go here! I felt like a queen!! read more

I've been to a majority of Michelin restaurants in the world. I travel a good amount. This was by far the worst experience we had at a restaurant. We were celebrating our engagement and were let down big time. The Japanese tapioca, tomato courses had no taste at all, very slimy in texture. Next the foie gras terrine on top of a chicken brick was exactly how that sounded. Felt like we were eating cold cuts squeezed into a rectangular brick. Finally, the main course of lamb was cold, and bland. My fiancée had the duck and gagged several times. We tried to be polite the whole time but it was tough to hide our disappointment. We were sat all the way in the back where it was super hot, and flies buzzing all around us, served by a waiter (Declan) who was nice but ignored us for the majority of the night and even forgot my fiancee's wine. The best course was dessert . Overall a big let down. read more