There are reasons I know I'm getting old, aside from the fact that the birthdays just keep crashing…read morein likes waves. One is my failing sight after years of relying on my eyes and my eyes alone to read. Another perhaps less common garden variety is the internal meltdown I face when confronted with a lot of menu choice in restaurants. If you identify with the latter, you may wish to save yourself a lot of hassle and simply choose the set menu here. If not, be warned, the a la carte alternative is complex, and for your own sake don't arrive tired or emotional. This is a prime mental condition eating experience. Famed Dublin restauranteur Dylan McGrath is an ideas man. His restaurants are as much about concept as they are about food, and though I'm sure there's a big heart in there, the head rules. If you want proof, study the menu. Across the top are taste categories (bitter, salty, sweet, etc.). Down the left are dish categories. So you scale down, then across, to see what combination of taste and texture your dish offers. And there are lots of choices. And a huge variety of prices. But what's less clear is quantity. And I was hungry and wanted to know I'd get an oul dinner into me before that difficult hungry phase that reduces my brain to mush and makes me want to howl like a baby. The very friendly waitress reassured us that though the menu seems complex first time round, after you've done it once, it's a breeze. (That's how I cottoned on to the fact that the wait staff here have post docs in maths.) Full marks for trying though. No less than two members of staff talked us through things, and they really did their best - did I sense concern that people are having difficulty getting it? Whichever - in the end, it was all too much for me - cue set menu. So, to my relief, for forty euros, you can certainly expect to leave full, with sushi starters - ok, it's not called sushi, it's the long one with the piece of fish on top of the rice (though more wasabi, please) -,delicious miso with clams and those delicate long-stemmed mushrooms that definitely have a name, beef skewers with rice (too much rice already) and potato main, and desert. The food presentation is beautiful, served on marble slabs and in delicate ceramics, with a Japanese-influenced simplicity. I thought the restaurant was Japanese from the menu but see from the website there are Spanish and South American influences too - not very obvious to me but then again I flunked the menu test. The sushi that isn't sushi was yummy, especially the turbot which was a smoky hit of flavour, and the sea bass, with a smooth texture that melts on the tongue. The beef is served on a mini-BBQ which, like the mushrooms, has a proper name. (The only problem with this method of on-table serving is being smoked out of it by the table next door who's got too much fuel on the fire.) If you want your steak more than medium rare, just cook on. My steak was a slightly mixed experience being a bit fatty, though my partner didn't have the same issue. Desert was ginger panna cotta, with melon granita, which was light yet intense in flavour and delicious. We had tried to book Rustic Stone, the restaurant downstairs, but it was full and they suggested we try Taste. We didn't know it was Japanese-influenced and I think they took this on board upon seeing our menu-bafflement and offered a glass of wine on the house. Fair enough. If I returned I'd be armed with a more rested brain (like I'd give it a full day off beforehand, take it to the pictures, buy it flowers, tell it it was looking great) and I would square right up to that a la carte menu, look it in the eye and plainly demand to know its tofu options, the brute, and I wouldn't take no for an answer. The Japanese are masters of simplicity, so ultimately I agree if for different reasons that Taste is not a Japanese restaurant. But the food largely made up for it, the service was good, it's a relaxing place to eat, and if the head wins over the heart, there's no denying it's a decent head. If you don't believe me, just look in the window where its image hangs pride of place, presumably so you know who best to talk to if you need anything explained.

In expectation of my arrival in Dublin for a 17 day visit, my sister sent me Taste as a potential…read moredinner option while I was staying with her. Coincidentally, I had a hankering for sushi on the first night and so after snagging a reservation, off we went to Taste. The restaurant was located on the third floor of Rustic Stone. We were seated at the sushi bar for dinner. The bar itself was different from those that I've experienced in the US where the cooking area is lower so you have a view of what the chef is making; however, the bar seating at Taste was also way roomier than most in the US. My sister and I opted for the €60 omakase - I requested the umami miso and the duck broth, while my sister had the regular miso and the salmon broth - and added on some toro nigiri. We also ordered cocktails - the Eastern Promise and the Gin Garden - which were excellent. The meal was excellent! The nigiri combinations were sometimes surprising but they worked well. The quality of the fish was also very good. I loved the broth and cooking the duck breast myself - it was so rich and the flavours were deep and well-developed. For the "light dessert" they brought out three options: a cheesecake, a coconut ice cream, and a ginger flan. The cheesecake actually had this odd cheese (not cream cheese or ricotta) taste but my sister and I were obsessed. Minus one star for the service because although everyone was super super nice, it was slooooooow. Our meal took about 3 hours. Not that we minded but just be wary that you might be here awhile! However, the meal meal was excellent and my sister and I agreed that between us there was nothing on the menu that we wouldn't order.

We never to rarely ever visit the same restaurant twice when we are traveling, but we loved Xian so…read moremuch that we came back the next day. Loved the vibes of this place and the wait staff, though incredibly busy, still made the time to make sure we had everything we needed as food was delivered to our table. We can honestly say we did not have one bad bite of food. To our surprise, the Spice Bag was the thing we thought was the least impressive of the bunch. Still very good, but everything else was so much better. Wish there was a little more chicken in it. The Pan Fried Dumplings were maybe some the best we ever had. Do not skip the Cucumber Salad, this dish is incredibly underrated. The Chicken Satay was very good, not sure if I would get it again. The Thai Basil Beef was a stunner! Huge flavor bomb! In fact, do not skip any beef dish they have. The Crispy Chili Chicken was the best part of a Spice Bag, without the fries. The Duck Wings had amazing flavor, wished they were served a bit hotter. Everything I am mentioning as a criticism is slight and minor FYI. If we ever come back to Dublin, we are coming straight here! Also, do not sleep on their cocktail menu! Amazing drinks!

I was surprised to see my comfort food here in Dublin, I love the menu and the items sound great…read moreuntil the food comes which is not what you expect. I ordered the crispy seabass $18 but when it come, the crispy seabass was drowning in hot sauce. The entire dish was inedible. I had to just eat the green beans which was over-seasoned. Service is great but the food is terrible. I waited for a seat but seems people are coming in and sitting on their own which I ended up seating on the bar.

Visited 3/28/26. Made a reservation in advance which worked well for a group of 5 of us. I really…read moreenjoyed their lemonade although they had some great cocktail options also. Ended up ordering spring rolls, red curry, and pad Thai. Everything tasted pretty solid and there was a lot of attention to detail. Wasn't an experience I would rave about but overall it was good!

Nice area near Temple Bar and Trinity College. Intended on dining at a different place nearby but…read morewhen we saw that it was empty, walked around a bit. Lots of choices in the area. Saw this place was busy and after checking Yelp, stepped on in. We were seated right away. Pleasant hostess and server. Tried the chicken satay appetizer. Good portion of chicken with a mild, but thick, peanut sauce coating the chicken. I tried the garlic pepper chicken. It had fresh, well cooked veggies with a light sauce. Chicken was ok. Came with white rice but should have ordered the fried rice for more flavor. Son ordered the Pad Thai and the portion size was good. Not bad, not great. Solid four stars.

Opium, Dublin Date…read moreNight What I ordered : Pok Pok Chicken Wings (€8) Sweet Potato Fries (€4.50) Green Curry w/ Chicken & Fried Rice (€14.50) Tropical Tuk Tuk(€12) Dark Chocolate Brownie (€8) I've been waiting to go to Opium for the longest time and it did not disappoint! So we sat up at the Botanical Garden which was beautiful. We went for the Pok Pok Chicken Wings and Sweet Potato Fries as our starters. Delicious. The fries came with a Red Curry Aioli side dip which worked great with them (and the chicken wings too lol). The chicken wings were great too! They were filled with a lot of flavour and served with a ranch dip. Although it went well with the ranch dip, we both preferred the curry dip with the wings. The green curry is already spicy having 3 chilies next to it on the menu, but when the server asked if I would like it even spicer I said why not and absolutely regret nothing. The curry was packed with flavour too and perfectly spiced. The only small downfall was I almost forgot I was eating a chicken curry and not a vegetable curry. There were about 3 tiny little pieces of chicken in there. So my little advice for Opium would be to add a bit more chicken please The Tropical Tuk Tuk y'allll! And I know you're eyeing that lovely tropical-looking drink in the tall glass but nope that isn't it. The clear one in that little cup was a delightful surprise. I think I may have visibly frowned when the server brought over this drink because she had to quickly explain that despite the appearance it was really nice and she was right! If you're into coconut & tropical flavoured drinks, this is for you! Nothing about this was overpowering and the flavours complemented each other perfectly. The chocolate brownie was nice too. I do enjoy nuts in my food but for this brownie, it just wasn't doing anything for either of us. But we simply pushed them to the side and continued enjoying our dessert. Would I return? Yes, Yes and Yes. Once again it was a beautiful restaurant, the food was really good and our server was amazing! Fun Fact: I already recommended this place to one of my friends, and he and his date enjoyed it too so that's some further feedback for y'all Follow @temitries for more restaurant reviews

I hate that I could not rate this restaurant higher but I need to be fair and honest about our…read moreexperience. I thought the service staff were very nice, however, I think this is an instance where some additional training maybe useful. The servers were coming by and chatting/living food/taking orders very informally from over the back of the booth rather than the front of the booth. This meant that whenever food came, they had to hand it to one of us in order to put on the table because they were not willing to simply walk around the booth through the aisle where they would have the flexibility to. Reach across the table and pick up things or put things down. It wasn't a big deal except that this is a more formal restaurant and I felt that the level of service we received was more of that from a diner or a burger joint rather than a nice restaurant. Additionally, the surface staff did not come by very frequently to ask if we needed additional items, or to refill, water, etc. Add to that that I thought the food was mediocre, it was Asian, but was not very "Thai" in terms of the flavors. Nobody at our table really raved about the quality of the food. Overall, it was a good attempt, but I genuinely think that this restaurant needs to tighten things up a bit. On the plus side, it is a beautifully decorated restaurant.

Food was lovely and with 15e each (we had 3 people) we were super happy and full with our dinner…read more Expect a bit of delay on the service because they only had 3 staffs to serve all tables but they tried their best with lovely smile on their faces so all good!

Popped in here for dinner after a day exploring Dublin. I greatly enjoyed my experience there. The…read morewait staff was friendly and the food was delicious. I got the pork gyoza starter and the garlic pepper beef for my main dish. Both were delicious. I would definitely consider going again the next time I'm in town. The one thing I will note is the tables were set with just chopsticks. This didn't bother me because I can use chopsticks but therefore I didn't ask if they had forks available. If they don't that might be an issue for anyone who can't use them. That said I really enjoyed my meal here and would recommend it.

Came to Dublin and was looking for some Chinese food, I must say this place is small and kinda a…read moremom & pop place. When the food was brought out "WOW" so freaking amazing and the service was amazing and gives you a homely feeling.......

I have finally found a good Chinese takeaway in Dublin, food is fresh and delicious…read more After trying so many bad ones I had given up, and only had Chinese when I visited home. But I will definitely be ordering from here again. Spring rolls don't usually travel well but these were hot and crispy. Try the soup it's so good!!!

I had high hopes since it's located inside the Spencer Hotel, it had better reviews on another site…read moreand the bar area looked very chic. I ordered the Teriyaki Salmon with a side of egg noodles, but unfortunately both dishes lacked flavor and fell flat. The saving grace was the cocktail at the bar--delicious and well-balanced. Great atmosphere, average food, service was good.

The food was good but not good enough to make up for the horrible service. After serving our food…read moreour server disappeared, never to be seen again. We finally waved down the bus person and asked for the dessert menu, then he disappeared and never came back. I finally got up and found the manager and explained that we seemed to have lost our server and would like some help at our table. He said of course and when I returned to our table we continued to be completely ignored. I told my partner we could walk out without paying our bill cause we seem to be completely invisible. Since that's not who we are, we eventually got up from our table and went to the bar to ask and pay for our bill. I will never come here again.

Excellent food and a great value! My gf and I came in last night without a reservation and were…read morelucky enough to be seated right away. We ordered the "java" (meat) menu, along with 2 of their tapas (sweet sambal udang and Javanese short rib of beef), and an extra side of rice. We appreciated the variety of flavors in this single meal. Some things that stood out: 1. The noodles in the noodle dish were of a great texture and were spicy (which I loved) 2. You could tell the short rib really had been cooked for 10 hours bc of how it fell apart and melted in your mouth 3. The beef redang and kari Java (lamb) has a generous portion of meat. If you want to enjoy the sauce completely, I recommend asking for an extra side of rice to eat it with 4. The satay was fried! It was my first time having fried satay and hopefully not my last Overall the meal was fantastic and because of that, it made me feel less guilty about getting Indonesian while in Dublin. Definitely check it out!

An excellent find in the heart of touristy Temple Bar!…read more I split the Java tasting menu with a friend and also ordered some pork bao buns. This was more than enough food! One of the tasting menus would almost be too much for one person to eat. Everything was fantastic though. I especially likes the Javanese short rib dish (very tender and melt in your mouth) as well as the pork bao bun. Overall, a great restaurant that I would come back to next time I am in Dublin!

It was perfect on a rainy day to get your hot soupd fix! Definitly different than ones I had in the…read moreStates, but really delicious and friendly staffs.

I read the reviews and had to try this place out for Pho. I sat down along the wall for table for…read more1. I sat there for a pretty long time for a server to take my order. There were some people who came after me who got served with take out before I was even asked. Took me 20 minutes later and I was able to put my selection in. They were not that busy looks like just unorganized. I ordered the raw beef pho which ended up with cooked beef. The food was decent and flavorful. The service might need some work. The cost for this meal was around $25. I had to ask for the bill or I would be sitting there all night until they closed to get closed out.