A host can define an experience for a restaurant. They are the initial impression. I had been to Cleaver East several times over the years, and wanted to stop by for a drink and some appetizers to share with my family that was visiting. I asked, by chance, if there were any tables. The hostess reacted appalled that we would even ask. Followed up to ask if we could sit at the empty bar. She shrugged and said we couldn't order appetizers. We went to the bar, and who was a manager took our drinks and asked if we would like anything to eat - she was wonderful and welcoming. The chicken wings, arancini and truffle fries were tasty but not exceptional by any means. I've enjoyed brunch off season as well as dinner. Hopefully, this was just an inexperienced host. Not a good experience overall. Never felt comfortable. read more

We visited Cleaver East on a trip to Ireland that I extended over the weekend so I could get some downtime. This place was highly recommended by a colleague that I trusted, so i booked a table at 9pm on Saturday night through their website. It's located in Temple Bar, but it's no low-quality Temple Bar tourist trap. It immediately reminded me of one of our favorite restaurants back home in NYC's East Village (Saxon+Parole) - well designed, hip, great lighting and a busy buzz. We were seated promptly and ordered cocktails - one was great (Rosemary Old Fashioned) and the other, not so much (The Cleaver East signature cocktail - maybe it was off that night?). We decided to go ahead with the chef's selection tasting menu for 50 euros which, in retrospect, was worth every penny. I will say that every dish presented to us was beautiful and delicious. I don't think I can say one bad thing about the food. Highlights included a delicious goat cheese flan to start, an amazing duck breast and an excellent duo of desserts - six courses in total. To finish, we were presented with fresh chocolate pots with orange, which I thought was pretty damn uninventive upon initial inspection. I was wrong, however - I'm not sure what was in there, but it was the most delicious chocolate pot I've ever had. I wanted a second one before leaving. I think it's a solid 4-to-4.5 star review, but falls short of 5. Service was VERY friendly, but it was slow at times. We felt the pace of the meal could have been a bit quicker and our server could have been a bit more accessible (she disappeared for long periods of time). None of this was too critical, however. The overall experience was fantastic. read more

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I finally made it! As Cristin mentioned I had planned to attend the ladies brunch but had a death in the family and missed it. Granny was a pioneer, hmmmm, suspicious..... I got around to the brunch here yesterday, and I was really impressed. There is a breakfast desert menu! How could I not, and the bottomless mimosas just keep flowing, with no need to ask or feel you are begging or irritating the waitress ( ours was the sweetest and loveliest girl) it just kept filling up every time it looked like one of us may be at risk, however small, of dying of draught. I had mac and cheese with truffle, and unlike so many places, I could actually taste the truffle. Diving - but small! Plan on getting a couple of bits if you intend to make it a substantial meal, and then got brioche with nutella and banana ice cream - again - breakfast desert! Really enjoyed it and I will be making here a regular haunt, once my liver holds! read more

Went here for brunch yesterday. Had been looking forward to it for some time, as I've been hearing a lot about it! I have to say that it was grand. Not amazing, not bad by any stretch of the imagination. The food was lovely - really artfully presented and all the flavours were there, though maybe not as punchy as I'd like them. Portion size is also pretty meagre. With the exception of the burgers, all of the other meals ordered (4 out of 6), were tiny, and needed sides to supplement them. The eggs Benedict in particular was very small which you wouldn't expect. Having said that, this did work well in that it left lots of room for desert, which was the star of the show. The upside-down 'Ferrero Rocher Cornetto' is extremely filling - there's definitely enough there for two, and I loved the combination of the little bursts of creamy mousse with the crunch of the biscuit and nutty bits. Why only three stars then?! It's one of those unquantifiable things. Atmosphere. I can't quite put my finger on why it's so lacking. Music plays a bit element and I found the music in here to be a little elevator-like. The place was half-empty - again, another factor. And staff. They were all perfectly pleasant and on point, don't get me wrong, but they didn't look like they were having fun. It seemed very staid and forced. Very quiet. No real chatter. And a major thing - no thank you or goodbye when we left. All in all, it was nice, but not somewhere I'd be rushing back to. read more

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My best brunch by far. This is more quality over quantity. My Mac and Cheese ball was so good and the pesto mayo was tangy and cut through the cheese. Sweet Potato fries were slightly under and would have benifited from 3 min more in the oven. The cheese cake was soft and fluffy with lovely pipes of curd on the side. Staff were great and the bottomless belini was just that bottomless. The interior is well done and seating well spread out and comfortable. Nothing to warrant anything other than a 5 read more

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I have been very excited to come here for a while now and stepping inside the dimly lit room (resulting in pretty poor quality photos I'm afraid), my expectations were set. The ambience, though quiet as it was mid-week, was relaxed and quite young. A good playlist makes this slightly fancier restaurant unintimidating. Sitting down, the concept was explained; small plates; three if you're a normal level of hungry, four if you're that bit more. Each dish would come out as a course essentially, which made the evening flow very nicely. The pictures attached will show you what myself an my friend ate and it was all delicious. Very well cooked, very well presented; all very tasty. The downsides were; the food was small but that was expected. However having missed the set menu (any 3 dishes for 21.50) which runs weekdays from 5-6.45 and weekends 5.30-6.45, it worked out quite expensive. If I was going back, I for one would not go too hungry (though I was very satisfied, I was not overly full and had I been hungrier probably would've needed more) and I would go for the set menu. Service great; pretty casual and laid back, and food; well worth a try. Go here for your next dinner date and you'll be a happy bunny I'm sure. read more

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Met a few friends here for brunch a couple weekends ago. The menu looked amazing and the reviews were great; so I had pretty high expectations. Sadly they were not met. I had the crab cake eggs benedict with a side of truffle creamed corn. We also ordered the red velvet pancakes for the table to try. The presentation was great, but my eggs benedict was very basic as well as being more of a sharing dish size rather than a main. The corn lacked any hint of truffle flavour and tasted like it came straight from the can. I hoped that the pancakes could turn things around but they were dry and kind of crispy. A few other people in my group seemed to like their dishes (especially the brunch burger) but given that all three things I ordered were bland, I don't plan on returning. read more

Cleaver East - Crab cakes egg benedict - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

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Our favorite meal in Dublin, and in our own hotel. Cocktail was delicious-grapefruit, cherry blossom g & t. Food was amazing! We both started with the bacon and egg over beef dripping rosti. I had the guinness braised short ribs (omg) and he had the pornburger which was a chicken and waffle concoction. So, so good. And the service was excellent!! read more

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Had lunch in Cleaver East in January - maybe it was due to the time of year then that the restaurant was empty except for one other couple even though it was a Saturday. It's a trendy little space, with a nice big bar at its centre so it was a pity that it was sorely lacking any buzz. The food was great, presented beautifully on really nice dishware - my partner's starter of whipped goat's cheese with beetroot and candied pecans was so prettily positioned on its turquoise plate that it momentarily alleviated the sense of January blues that seemed to pervade the dining room - it really was a beauty! Mains of southern-fried chicken for me (sinfully moist and succulent, perfectly accompanied by crunchy carrots, velvety root vegetable puree and crispy little potato croquettes) and a risotto for him went down well - but they weren't as well executed as the other courses I felt. My dessert stole the show for me - it was so decadent and rich, perfect after my light chicken dish. Rich dark chocolate ganache was dotted around the plate along with peanut butter and marshmallow mousses, all this deliciousness was topped with a biscuit crumb that added a nice textural contrast to the other elements. Being a lover of chocolate desserts, I can tell you, I was in heaven!!! My boyfriend's dessert wasn't as successful - he felt the deconstructed carrot cake didn't marry well with the pistachio ice-cream which was served up alongside it, turning the sponge soggy and obliterating its delicate flavour. Beautiful food, wonderfully presented but shame about the atmosphere, or complete lack of it to be precise! read more

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In my opinion the best brunch in Dublin!!! Came here on Easter Sunday. They were doing two courses for €25 or three courses for €30. Chose two courses. Also chose bottomless mimosas - €16 per person. So so worth it. They'll only stop refilling the glass when it's half full (or empty depending on your outlook?) when you tell them to. I chose the buttermilk chicken. Served with a Belgian waffle, spicy maple syrup and crispy bacon. Oh My God but it was super. The chicken was tender and juicy. The bacon was as crisp as they could make it without burning it. The maple syrup had an awesome kick to it. The waffle was a lovely sweet contrast to it all. Utterly delish! For dessert then I chose the brioche French toast served with honeycomb ice-cream, pecan praline & maple syrup. Also delicious. All the different textures worked so well together. Heavenly. Yeah as you can gather I had a big big brunch. Could do with a nap after. So worth it though! The staff are lovely - polite and attentive (v attentive as my mimosa glass was never below the halfway mark) Loved the feel to here. Will definitely be back (for dinner next time!) read more

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The service is good and the food is tasty. I like their starters more than their entree. The fish a bit fishy. The duck confit risotto ball and the shrimp PO boy is good read more

Cleaver East - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

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Excellent Sunday brunch here at Cleaver East. The lovely Aoife M organised a ladies only boozy brunch with the emphasis on the boozy part. It's the bottomless mimosas you see, 15 EUR and your glass is indefinitely topped up throughout the whole dining experience. Unfortunately Aoife could not attend, but the rest of us enjoyed the brunch on her behalf. I ordered the Eggs Benedict, which was divine. There's not much of it, but then again it's a tasting plate restaurant, so order some bread and sides to ensure you don't leave hungry. I didn't order anything on the side, mainly because I was still a bit full from a light breakfast earlier in the day. But this meant I was able to order a dessert and I opted for the Tiramisu, as is my want when I see it on any menu. It was flipping excellent. So so good. Highly recommend it and it was the highlight of my whole meal. It came with a chocolate macaroon on top! The mimosas were nice and duly topped up regularly. Even after we asked for the bill AND after we paid. Fair play. I like their style. The staff were very nice with our tables waitress being especially lovely. Chatty and friendly. Made the experience even better for me. Only problem I had afterwards was the affect all that orange juice had on me. I'll leave that thought there.... Very nice experience. I look forward to going back. read more

Cleaver East - DJ in da house! - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

The appetizers (red pepper tomato soup (5) & citrus salmon(5)) were quit nice. Then the steaks (21 day fillet (5)& ribeye(4)) were very good. The dessert (sponge cake with banana ice cream (3)) was average. Service was very good (4) although I don't know why all th patrons were seated on one side of the room together when the other side was empty (3). The price €97 without & €110 including voluntary tip/service was on the high side for 2 people (4). read more

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That was a great diner. We went there with my mom and my boyfriend (again), because I thought the place looked really nice from the outside. So the place inside is awesome as well, I love the ambiance, and the music and everything were perfect. We first all had cocktails because by seeing all the bottles in rooms we were really tempted to try, plus they had a nice cocktail menu. I took the cleaver east special, a bit spicy and very surprising, I took a passion mojito after that, a bit more to my taste, and actually really delicious. My mom had the passion mojito, she loved it too, and my bf a classic mojito that he found great too. I first took the citrus salmon, this was SO GOOD ! Even my mom who usually hates salmon loved it, she said it was the first time in years that she enjoyed it salmon. Then I had the venison with mushroom croquettes... I'm seriously still dreaming about it. My bf had the rib eye, he really loved it too, and my mom the lamb, what she found awesome too. We all had an amazing time eating these meats. Finally, we took a carrot cake to share, but I actually end up eating it all by myself because it was so good I couldn't help myself, yes, that may be a bit selfish but OMG this was so good. Now I dream about going back there... read more

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#pornburger this has to be one of the best burgers in our fair city. The sweet potato fries are so good my partner is waiting on a second portion. The staff are very attentive and friendly. We will be coming back soon, with friends. The taste voucher: €20 for two porn burgers is well worth it. Keep up the good work Chef. read more

Cleaver East - Yummy. - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

This might be my new favorite brunch spot. I had the Mac and cheese ball, my husband had the chicken and waffles. Both were excellent! The bottomless mimosas refill as soon as the glasses are empty just like magic. I will definitely be coming back here. read more

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High tea. Ok so when I walked in here. I didn't think that this was the place to have high tea. It is loud and boisterous and not your usual place for high tea. When we arrived we were shown a place which was under a stairs and was pottersque in the extreme. We asked could we sit somewhere else. We were shown to the bar which dominates the room. Now, our spirits were not exactly elated when we're were left waiting for at about 10mim before being acknowledged by the barman. But, this isn't a true reflection of our time here The staff are so welcoming and warm. The atmosphere is very enjoyable, even if it is loud. But the food. It is the best take on a high tea I have encountered in Dublin. The selection of savoury and sweet was brilliantly balanced. The presentation was fantastic and have such a communal feel to the eating experience. The bottomless mimosas ... Well let's just say they are pretty bottomless. read more

Cleaver East - The presentation of our high tea. - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

I was at here for brunch recently, and I have to say that this place may have just become my new go to. We arrived with a group of 8 people, which was NO problem, because surprisingly NO ONE was there! And we had arrived at 12:30, it's not like we were super early for brunch or anything. When we arrived, we looked over the menus, which had loads of options for people who wanted both sweet and savory things. I went with the "#PornBurger" (there was literally a hashtag on the sign for the special, ha ha). They have a "porn burger" which is essentially a monthly rotating special. While i was there, it was a mexican themed burger with loads of queso, beans, salsa, corn, beef, etc. It was fabulous! It didn't come with any sides, but to be honest, you didn't need any. I was PERFECTLY satisfied afterwards. Not too full, but not craving more. Additional bonus if you're feeling fancy... 15 euro bottomless mimosas and bloody marys!! The only downside was, that because there was no one else there, it was lacking a bit of atmosphere. But perhaps people just don't know yet about how fab their brunch is! read more

Finally got to visit this place. I'd heard lots about the infamous "bottomless" mimosas (and bellinis and daiquiris) so when a friend mentioned Sunday brunch to stave off an imminent hangover I was quick to accept! The menu is so good for brunch. So many choices, I really struggled with my choice and I need to go back to try the other 4 options I really, really wanted!! I chose the red velvet pancakes with bacon and maple syrup because it sounded different! They were light, fluffy and gorgeously deep pink in colour, the bacon crisp and the maple syrup the perfect accompaniment. I opted for mimosa and it was delicious, made with freshly squeezed orange juice and indeed bottomless with a very patient and pleasant waitress looking after a large party. I really enjoyed it and hope to return soon. read more

This was my second time in Cleaver East having originally gone in for dinner soon after they opened; this time I popped in for brunch on a Sunday. This was the second week they'd been offering a brunch menu and I thought they offered a well rounded menu with good choices and variations on classics that implied the chefs had spent some time putting it together. They offer bottomless mimosas (€15pp) and the staff aren't shy on refills. They open at 12:00, we arrived at five past and a few tables were there ahead of us, the DJ was already playing some chilled music to set the mood. They offer small and full plates and we ordered 4 dishes, I had Eggs Benedict on toasted Blaa, the other half had brioche French toast (see menu for full description) which she says is the best she's ever had. For 'mains' (we ate our fill, reasons at the end!) I had a pork and sage hot dog and herself had a goats cheese burger, half of which had to leave with us in a doggie bag. I won the brunch via a twitter competition, food would have come to €38, but suffice to say we'll definitely be back and are wondering why we left it so long for our second visit. read more

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Meh. I don't know what happened between my first visit to Cleaver East and my latest but something is not quite right there. We had the worst service, the atmosphere was close to non-existing and the food was not good. The menu we got on a Sunday afternoon had a choice of 2 courses for 25Euro or 3 for 30Euro. We had two starters, three mains, 1 desert and cocktails. Both starters were boring and bland. They looked good on the plate but that's where it ended. The eggs benedict starter was alright and my mushroom risotto balls were over- fried (is that a word?) and tasted of frying fat. For our mains we got the burger, monkfish tacos which really only tasted of mayo and the chicken quesadillas. The quesadillas were the nicest dish. Chicken, avo and cheese in a tortilla wrap. Bravo! The burger meat was not great, some gritty bits in there, urgh. For desert, after trying to get someone's attention for ages, my friend picked the pannacotta which was runny and therefore in a bowl with some passion fruit puree on top. I'm not gonna comment much on the service as it was dreadful. Having our order taken took forever, waited for the food unusually long and never once were asked whether everything was ok. We sat with an empty water jug for most of the meal, our cocktails also long gone. Overall, a really disappointing visit that's not gonna be repeated any day soon. read more

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A late edition to my journey through the gastronomic delights of Dublin and of all times to make that choice New Years Eve. Booked for the early sitting so as to take the stress out of evening later on. Presented with the dreaded "Special Menu", anticipating a diluted A la Carte only to find all the signature dishes present and no (2.50) after the steak offerings. So many establishments create there own demise with the dreaded "brackets"on there menu. The staff were engaging from the off, Maitre d led us to our table and the staff took control from there. Beautifully presented starters of the Goats cheese and the Carpaccio opposite , each mouthful asking a question, the carpaccios more simple than the Goats cheese. Once the perfect time had elapsed our main course arrived, Fillet of beef, simple, but so many get it wrong. So confident was the Chef of his main product, in my mind the lambs lettuce looked like the centre piece. Standing firm, not like a just another garnish but, something to enhance the dish. Untouched by the drizzle of House dressing, a bite of it creates a creaminess one has to experience, a flavour your foodie buddies tell you about, a better understanding of the humble garnish by the end of the evening. But to distract away from centre piece, any chef would simmer to boiling, the steak was in my mind a two stage process. The exterior, was stage one, sealed, crusted,flavour sealed in and then from there, the heat the kitchen applied to it created the most on point medium/rare filet ive ever been presented with. Even with the first cut, it held the jus,the confidence from the chef in the Kitchen, knowing that the time from 'The Pass' to the plate is the most important part of the dish... Simple sides of sweet potato fries, that held there crunch right to the end and the rocket with an aged hard cheese just tied it all together From door step to plate, the experience will not let you down. read more

This was my second time here at Cleaver East and it was disappointing. We made a booking for 6pm mid week and we were able to avail of the early bird menu, which is decent value on paper. However, even though the place was quiet we were seated in a corner near a door and hallway. It was cold and had no atmosphere where the table was. Like last time seating arrangements were poor and service was a bit cold. The food was disappointing. The turnips were undercooked with my Lamb and the potatoes were undercooked with the scallops. Real lack of attention to detail. The pork belly was very good but I just didn't like the raw apple with it. It felt cold and didn't sit well with the belly. The desert of banoffi pie was something that could be made at home so that was disappointing. Overall the food was below par from what you would expect from such a talented chef. Our second experience was a let down. I won't be making another visit until I see a change in menu and hear from others that the service had improved . read more

Sunday FUNDAY! Who doesn't love a bit of bottomless mimosas? To be honest, the brunch food was just OK - 3 stars I'd reckon. I ordered the buttermilk chicken with waffles, had to douse it with a fair bit of maple syrup as it was quite dry. My OH fared better with the ultimate donut dish. The highlight was the drinks of course, which kept on flowing! The refills started slowing down from 4 pm though (we had the 2.30 pm sitting) so it might be wise to take the earlier sitting at noon! read more

I had dinner in Cleaver east with two friends last night. The plate system is described very well in the previous review so nothing to add to that. Just be careful of the size of the portions: for example my cured salmon dish was much smaller than the other fish dishes. The food is fresh and inventive, however. Not a massive markup on the wine too, our bottle of Sicilian red reaching "only" 29 euros. Things that bugged us, just a little: - 2 slices of bread each in the bread platter is NOT enough (or maybe we're too French?), we had to order another one, - there should be seasoning on the table, - hungry punters will require more than 3 plates to satisfy their appetite. The bill came to 40 euros per person. It's acceptable for that quality of food, but we were a bit hungry when we left... read more

If you are looking for the best brunch you've ever had, look no further because Cleaver East is the place to go! The €35 for bottomless mimosas/bellinis with two courses is unbeatable! I've never had better Huevos Rancheros, and the Fried Mac 'n Cheese ball was absolutely transcendent. I'm not lying, I cried a little when it was placed on the table next to my always full glass of mimosa. When they say bottomless, they mean it because the servers were all eagerly waiting to fill your glass as soon as you take another drink. The staff, atmosphere, and friends made me never want to leave! I'll be back. read more

Cleaver East - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

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Great food, but just a little pricey. While the individual dishes aren't particularly expensive, they are small and 3 to 4 are recommended per person, so it adds up. A half decent bottle of wine and a normal sized meal will set you back around 200 for 2. That said the food was excellent and as previously stated, the ambiance is trendy but not pretentious. But when there are restaurants in Dublin like Sabor Brazil for the same price/less, it's difficult to give it 5 stars.. read more

This is my first unhappy review on yelp and it makes me sad as I was really looking forward to the new brunch club. I'll start with the good, great decor, great atmosphere, DJ is a great touch, staff are lovely and super friendly, the menu is massive with lots of choice, bottomless mimosas for 15 blips. It was all going so well! There were 7 of us, and 5 of us weren't happy with our order. I ordered the scrambled eggs with chorizo and sourdough. I got eggs, with about 2 slices of chorizo, way too much salt, and toasted baguette slices. No sourdough. That was really disappointing. The fry was described as having 2 eggs cooked your way. The 3 we ordered only came with one egg each. When we asked about the second egg, they were provided. The poached eggs were cooked in plastic, kinda negating the poaching I think. How does a restaurant not poach eggs properly? Drives me mad! All our cold beverages were warm. 2 guys got warm smoothies and the mimosas were above room temp. The mimosas were nice enough, not really enough bubbles, but I prob drank 15 quids worth of OJ anyway! I really wanted this brunch to be more, we still had a lovely afternoon, but will be going somewhere else next time. Shame! read more

Cleaver East - Scrambled eggs & chorizo. Was disappointing, was meant to come with sourdough, but came with baguette slices.Also way too salty. - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

Without mincing with words; this place is outstanding in service, quality of food, and in taste. Simply orgasmic. Like they said, "If the food taste BAD, you're eating it WRONG". I concur. read more

Cleaver East - Without mincing with words; this place is outstanding in service, quality of food, and in taste. Simply orgasmic!!!! - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

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Too hip for thou. The food was delicious but we were hustled when we wanted to begin with starters then order our entrees or more starters. "Actually," stated the manager, "we cycle the tables every two hours so you need to order now." Actually, the kitchen is extremely slow -- we waited 25 minutes for our entrees and another 15 for the check. Amateur hour, I'd say. They need to polish up their training of staff and management if they want to play with the big boys. Ruined an otherwise excellent meal for me and my pals. (Loud rap music didn't help although they did change to oldies when we asked to have the volume turned down. A Professional Restaurant Chef read more

Had an amazing brunch here recently. Bottomless mimosas are a fantastic idea ! Items are fairly pricey so avoided starters & desserts. I ordered the jerk chicken quesadillas with a side of sweet potato fries and my friend ordered the pulled pork Nachos with a side of chips. Both options were good in size and definitely worth the cost and very very tasty. It was very busy and there was a good atmosphere while we were there. I definitely would go again read more

Saturday night date night & looking for something new. We had an enjoyable experience. No denying the quality of the food & the service but there was just something missing the 4*\5*. Maybe the proximity of the 2 tables on either side of us too close for comfort. read more

Cleaver East - Close to €4 for a bottle of filtered tap water a distraction to what otherwise was a pleasurable meal. Irish Water protégé . - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

Tasting plates, we were told, in the order that the chef sees fit to send them. Someone ordered the Tomato Heirloom salad, so we had to somehow subdivide a less than ripe half a tomato into five pieces. It's December - and these guys are serving out of season veg. This was followed by lamb crackling, cold and hard we had no chance of cutting it up. There is a famous picture of the chefs holding a pigs head, these guys are getting the cheapest cuts of meat (lamb belly) and dishing it out as "tasting plates". Hats off to them if people are stupid enough to buy it. The meal was all downhill from there (if that was possible). The restaurant is like the black hole of Calcutta, almost dark, hot and stuffy with music way too loud. It is horrible in there. We were staying at the Clarence; they sent us in there for breakfast and yet when we complained about the complete absence of service and the abysmal breakfast served up, the Clarence said it had nothing to do with them. We were booked for the Early Bird menu, but surprise - not all of the dishes are available for the advertised price. Our host (a barrister) was furious about this and has reported Cleaver East to the local restaurant police. Watch this space. read more

Fantastic brunch. Great value, delicious food speedy service and bottomless bellinis ! read more

Cleaver East - I ordered this crispy Mac and cheese ball for brunch last Sunday it was amazing I've been dreaming about it all week. - Modern European Near Me - Dublin, D

This restaurant is incredible. The food was extraordinary, the service wonderful, the ambience warm and inviting. My husband had the ribeye. It was among the best ribeye steaks ever. We had the crispy lamb appetizer and it was to die for. I had the mushroom tart and it was delectable. The panna cota dessert was an amazing array of flavors and textures. All in all, the best meal among 10 we've had in Dublin this week. read more

Re-tried Cleaver East on Sunday night as part of a diningroom deal. A friendly greeting was followed by a very nice cocktail at the bar. Dinner began and every course was massively improved on our August visit. The seasoning and flavour balance had obviously been heavily tweaked. We had the beef-carpaccio, fish& chips, scotch egg, goats cheese and pork belly. Each was perfectly cooked and tasty. We had three dessert plates: panna cotta, blackforest gateau and the coconut parfait the latter of which was exceptional. Still have slight reservations on the price once scaled up to a proper filling meal (ie 4 plates per person) but will give it a re-try in the next few months. read more

I've been here twice and I just don't get it. The food sounds amazing and then it comes out and looks amazing but it just isn't? It's all just missing something! read more

A little on the expensive side, but you can always count on a good meal here. By far my favorite brunch place in Dublin - bottomless mimosas/bellinis! read more

Don't let the moody (cough, pretentious, cough) pictures of the star chefs with cleaver and pig's head put you off. There is excellent food in here. Yer man from Locks on the Canal and the young fella from Bon Appetit in Malahide now darken the old Clarence Tea Room (literally and figuratively). It's one of those tasting plate menus. A fancy name for tapas? Pick 3/4 dishes (each) to share. Plates are priced around a tenner (between €6 and €14) and arrive whenever suits the chef (which suited us too). Everything we tried made us want to come back again. It's not just pretty or well executed, it's satisfying food. Personally, I'd like alot more salt (and maybe some more crunch) on the soft duck yolk with hazelnut mousse plate - there's no salt and pepper on the table, which makes this even more important - and the black forest gateau needs more kirsch or, better still, rum (I couldn't taste any). There's cocktails (in fact some people stopped in for those alone) and a great beer selection (including the lovely Oxman's Dark Brown Ale from the Brown Paper Bag Project - yum). The crew in NEDE (around the corner) will have to up their game - big time! read more

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I tried this place out for lunch on Saturday. Although the staff were lovely, it was unfortunate that it was not busy as the atmosphere was somewhat lacking. The food was excellent, especially the lobster dumplings and the scallops with pancetta and potato bubbles. It was quite expensive for lunch as the tasting plates are very expensive, some as much as 14EURO. and you would easily finish at least 3 each, so it would be more suitable for a special occasion in the evening. I also liked the beer menu, I had a Helvik from the Dungarvan brewery which I had never seen before. P.S, for a laugh read Oliver Dunnes review of Lucinda O' Sullivans review, well said & very entertaining! read more