Had an enjoyable dinner at the Dakota last Saturday evening. 19:15 was the latest booking, as apparently the kitchen closes at 8. This was a bit annoying, especially for a Saturday, but I did want to dine here and therefore made adjustments to our travel plans. The atmosphere is modern, but had a generic feeling of being 'typical.' That said, the buzz that Saturday was grand and I did find myself enjoying the flavour. One complaint, however, is I did not much care for the dining chairs at the table. Leaning back was almost like lying down and I felt, initially, uncomfortable in that I was wrinkling my new suit by sinking too far into the chair. However, I didn't come there to look at the decor, I went there to eat! And eat we did! The starter truly was some of the best wings I had in Ireland. Better than the places that sell the so-called best. These were truly yum. Best yet, they were not at all mean with the bleu cheese. It was served in a nice size bowl and was thick and creamy. I had the steak and my lovely date had the hamburger. My steak was cut to medium rare and was sufficiently pink/red in the middle. Her hamburger was massive, like a squash. It was delicious and I did enjoy the thickness of the steak chips. Dessert was sufficient with the usual options of brownie, ice cream, etc. One disappointment for my date was that they were out of the cheesecake, which was her favourite. The service was fast, friendly, and efficient. Apart from the chairs, I struggle to find anything overwhelmingly negative to express or forewarn from our Saturday evening experience. I'd definitely return, if for nothing else than to have the wings! read more

Totally busy, crowded, overrated. Staff was surprisingly and extremely unfriendly, unwilling to help. This place defines the term "missable" like very, very few others I've been to. My suggestion is: invest your time (and money) somewhere else. Sorry! :-( read more

11.05pm... Bartender says "Too busy for cocktails now" ? Get it together guys. This is a cocktail bar! Busy or not, fulfill what you advertise. read more

The new look bar is amazing! The same great atmosphere with a more polished refined look. Great service and clean! read more

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'Salright like, but I wouldn't come here if everywhere else wasn't full. Grand cocktail lists, nice nachos, the coffee is passable. I went in at lunch time recently, it wasn't my first choice but Sth William St. at lunch near Christmas is madness! We got two coffees and nachos to share. The surprising thing was that within the first ten minutes we were asked 5 times by 2 different waitresses were we ok, did we want drinks, did we want food...then absolutely nothing for an hour and a half! No checking we were ok when the coffees were dry, no 'is the food ok'. I was surprised as they started out so full on! Over all passable, lots of style, very little substance. Meh? read more

We went to this place 3 of us. It was a nice weather, so we set outside. As usual in the city center we had a few mendicants asking for change, but we are getting slowly use to this... The food was nice! We really liked it. We had vegetable soup, and bruschetta. The major problem was the waitress served everything in the same time, so our bruschetta got cold the time we finished the soup, and the huge plates where literally hanging off the tiny table. And the coke was bad as well... I think they forgot to change the CO tank... The service was ok. read more

Wow! This is great place to eat. From there look of the outside bar it didn't look like it but boy i was wrong. The inside was very clean and the ambiance was great. There food were tasty and yummy. My hubby ordered the house special "chicken n leek pie" and the rosemary n garlic fries and i ordered the chicken pasta on our last night in Dublin. It was by far the best meal we had sitting our stay in Ireland. The staff were very friendly, helpful and attentive. So thank you so much for making our last stay a great night. read more

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OK, so I've been here a few times for lunch with a cousin of mine and I usually find it decent enough, particularly the chicken wings. The chips are basically one large potato cut into about 6 chips. Maybe the staff fancy my handsome cousin or something because the last time I went in with a group of 6 the wait staff were very slow to acknowledge our presence. I wouldn't mind but it was the middle of the day and the place was pretty quiet. Nonetheless we were there to order drinks. My order was missed but that's ok, it happens. I ordered a mojito by the way. Note to mojito maker: Usually you don't add the stalks of the mint leaves with it. The coffee was the crappy kind you get from a machine. Overall Dakota is ok. Not outstanding, but you could do a lot worse. read more

I stumbled upon this bar during one of my adventures and I'm very happy that I walked in. There are two bars in Dakota, one in the back and one in the front. The front is more crowded and the back is more secluded. BOGO (Buy one get one) on Thursdays! They have a variety of cocktails from €9-€11--vodka, rum, whiskey, and gin cocktails. They also have live music at 9pm! The bartenders and wait staff were very sweet and welcoming. The ambiance and decor was intimate and inviting. I could see this as a great spot for date night or a night out with the girls/boys! read more

I went to Dakota the other night on a bit of a bar crawl. It was a Friday night so couldn't avail of their pretty enticing mid week bar deals and their drinks are on the pricey side. All the tables seemed to be reserved but this lovely server Monica got us a table whose guests weren't arriving till later. Dakota redeemed! Okay so the real reason my friends dragged me there was the WINGS. Delicious! Perfect bar crawl snack option @ €7.50 and they'll fill you up. Make sure you ask for a tooth pick though you dirty dog! Nice place to start a night or go after work for a few drankies! I've made the mistake of coming here on a Christmas party and just been totally let down by the atmosphere after the bar tab ran out. Don't go for a boogie although you'll get some nice beats whilst you sit your cocktails it's not a place to drop it like it's hot. read more

I've been to a wide spectrum of bars, from the less than classy locations whose clientelle seem to be just short of asking for their alcohol to be served by IV drip. On the other side of the spectrum, I've been to spots that the clientelle are moreso there for the atmosphere than the alcohol. Dakota seems to be somewhere in the middle... That's the thing, everything is middling about this place. There's nothing amazing about it, and nothing fantastically awful either. In fact, for every positive trait, there is a linked negative one rendering your original positive thought moot. The decor is lovely, the bar is designed to be a lounge area with comfy seats etc. However, the crowds that do spontaneously appear in this place take away from it. I'm not exactly a major fan of crowded bars, but it really does depend on the mood you're in. I don't know why pubs open the flood-gates and allow anyone in. I realise that I'm not exactly an old fogey yet, but I do remember a time when bars and pubs would turn people away if the place was full to capacity. I know there's a recession and everything, but you'd get more cash from the people there if they had the space to remove it from their wallets! As for drinks, these guys certainly know what they're doing, but the service isn't exactly stellar. When I worked as a barman it was the done thing to have a certain pattern to how you serve people. Barfolk would be stationed to look after particular portions of the bar. In Dakota they seem to operate under the standard of serve whatever patron you like whenever you feel like it. The result is that people can often wind up waiting, and waiting for their drink. This place has the potential to be quite the glamorous place, but it just doesn't cut it. It tries so hard to be a fashionable and exclusive spot, but winds up looking like your average boozer with nice furniture. It's ok, but you won't find me going here too often. read more

Funky little layout, I thought it was quite nice. Had dinner of a chicken caesar salad, it said smoky on the menu but that flavour did kind of overwhelm the dish but it was decent. Service was slow but the bar was busy. Nice atmosphere, decent but not overly special. I'll consider returning. read more

Dakota manages to merge two seemingly immiscible elements - it's classy AND low-key/relaxed. There's no pretension about it and you can just as easily pop in for a casual drink date as make a night of it with friends here. It's a great place for groups because it's spacious - the building goes on forever towards the back - and there's lots of room for both seating and standing. A nice place to meet for parties, it's also the type of bar where you could happily stay for the night rather than ramming you and you're friends into some sweatbox of a nightclub. One criticism would be that it doesn't have a huge amount of character - the kind of place that you could find in almost any city in the world. read more

It was my first time being in the place in Monday, I never even knew it existed , which is amazing seeing as its a pretty old establishment ;) When we arrived around 12 the place was fairly empty ( I'm guessing it gets busy a bit later for the lunch rush) . First thing I noticed was the lovely wide open spaces, lots of stools at the bar and plenty of tables on the floor, leather seated booths for your comfort! Waitress was very friendly and gave the menu , I went with steak sandwich and wedges. So did my buddy who suggested the place! Waited for maybe 10 mins and the sandwich arrived , lovely presentation with wedges in small silver bucket and steaks in bap, the steak was very lean which makes me happy! It's so annoying when you have to cut off loads if fat from meat you order. Reasonable price around 10 euro for the dish. Kudos for the music too - David Bowie was playing in the background! I wouldn't mind going back to check out the rest of the menu, very nice venue! :) read more

Dakota is a popular city centre bar. I would describe it as a good old reliable- Always petty busy, open late, easy enough to get in and plenty of drink choices. They have a nice terrace area at the front that looks on to the über cool South William Street; prime spots if the weather is good. Would recommend this as a good place to go for groups, first dates, or people that want to stay out late but don't want to go to a nightclub. read more

Good central location on South William Street, a long list of the old reliable cocktails and plenty of space for groups. Dakota is a good spot for after work drinks or for picking a neutral venue for friends of varying tastes. They do a pretty damn good limey chicken salad it must be said & I believe they do a very reasonable lunch menu. I've always found the waiting staff to be really friendly as well, they usually have a yap with you. I know I'll end up back here even if it wouldn't really be my go-to spot. I suppose that's part of it's reliable charm! read more

Stopped in for lunch on a nice sunny day in Dublin.. wait.. I mean.. rainy day in Dublin..... haha.. We had some soup to warm up and a hot whisky to keep it goin! :) Service was ok... they were nice but took a long time to come to take our order but again they were super nice and so I can't completely fault them on customer service. Food was good. I just didn't get the wow factor from this place but maybe it's more of a night time place.... I'll give her another shot when I get back to the mother land! :) read more

Good atmosphere. It's a very beautiful bar where you can have diner, tapas or just a drink. Good music and the staff is very nice. Good place for afterwork or having diner with your lover. Maybe not the best place toi Be with a group of friends. Must book a table on Saturday evening! read more

Good place to hang out earlier on. Like a club without dancing later. Food portions are tiny. Staff are nice and the place is cosy and welcoming. read more

Had diner on a Wednesday evening here. Good points: cheap food, tasty burger and pasta, friendly and attentive staff, large choice of draft beers. Can improve: tables were not very clean. Even though the place was almost empty when we got in, it took more than ten minutes before a waiter came to give us the menu, and once we ordered, the food took a long time to be served. Pleasant experience, I liked it, but nothing made it exceptional. read more

I'd give this place 5 stars for atmosphere (despite the way too loud music) and prices, 1 for service, and 3 or 4 for food. The bartender was friendly, but the waitresses were absolutely terrible - our waitress didn't speak to us for about 45 minutes after dropping off the food, and I don't think she even tried to smile. She seemed more annoyed with us for being there. We had to ask the other waitress to bring the check, but she apparently forgot. We almost left cash on the table and walked out. But, for an affordable meal in central Dublin, with a decent atmosphere, it wasn't bad. I'd definitely recommend the bacon burger, but probably not the chicken and chorizo quesadilla. read more

I tried this place just the other day and I will definitely be retuning the staff were helpful and friendly and the food was gorgeous and great value for money the portion sizes are also great loved the decor too can't wait to return. read more

Dakota Bar - It was so tasty and great portion size. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Dublin, D

The food was great. We had different open sandwiches and they were very tasty. Staff was overall very pleasant and attentive. The venue is very large and spacious, but a little dim for my taste. I think it would be better to have a little bit more light throught the day. read more

Dakota Bar - Great food. Pleasant staff. Large venue, but a little dim for my taste. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Dublin, D

Since my friend and I were looking for a light lunch, the super salad and caesar salad that Dakota had to offer were perfect in size and tasty. Personally I felt that the food was slow to deliver especially since it wasn't too busy and quiet. Despite the good food, the customer experience we had was immediately disappointing within 5 mins of entering the bar. As there were cutlery and dishes on the table we chose to sit at, my friend moved them to the end of the bar where it wasn't in the way of anything. Upon doing so a staff member (possibly senior, as they were not wearing the waitressing uniform), dismissed my friend in a very rude manner. Later when she came to clean our table, blatantly failed to acknowledge a friendly thank you my friend offered and just turned away after cleaning. Despite this other wait staff were friendly, and we were happy to have one take our order. Wouldn't recommend for a good dining experience. read more

Boring, boring, boring and stiff. The reason I gave this a two star was for the amusements its clientèle gave me. I saw in my brief stay for about 45 minutes a first date... THIS IS NOT AN IDEAL PLACE TO FIRST DATE... The music is so loud you can not have a conversation which is funny taking into account that it is a lounge kinda place where conversation abilities would be expected. There are very limited seating options and the area where you can stand has so much traffic that coming out of there without your own drink on you instead of inside of you is a miracle. Back to the first date... The guy was trying really hard to have a conversation with his date but she looked less than interested and looked more annoyed than anything - most likely because she could not hear what he said because of the great distance between them and the loud music. She looked like someone had put a stick up her a... so I was wondering why he even bothered... but she was beautiful and that might be the answer. If you want to people watch on a Friday or Saturday night... this would be the place to go... but that might be a bit creepy so therefore I can not give it anything but a 2 star. read more

Have to agree with Line B regarding the music. It's so loud that you can't hear yourself think never mind being able to hear what the person you're with might be saying!!!!! The price of the drink is ridiculous too even for Dublin where some places seem to think we don't mind being robbed blind. Won't be going back here!!! read more

A group of girls and I went for a friends birthday. It seems posh and a nice atmosphere. Luckily we were able to get a booth pretty quickly on a Saturday night. It's chill, but it does seem there is a bit of strutting going on by both men and women. You do get a slight meat market feel. The drinks were extraordinarily over priced. It was 8.80 for a Gin and Tonic. I wouldn't go again based on the price of drinks. Bottom line, its a good atmosphere but you can't afford to drink there often! read more

I loved the buzz in this place, staff take great care making cocktails aswell - they are like a work of art! The only problem was we went on thursday which is 2 for 1 and it took ages to be seen to at the bar! read more

This is a great spot for drinks on a night or dinner during the week. They have amazing cocktails and also do lovely food. I popped in here for brunch during Pride weekend and had the chicken supreme with a few bellinis and everything was perfect. The service was good, the atmosphere was very casual and laid back and what really surprised me was the prices were very reasonable compared to some of the other eateries in the area. read more

Went there to get a pint in the middle of the afternoon (it was quite empty) and the staff was terribly rude! My friend and I waited at the bar for ten minutes and they ignored us completely. At some stage they shouted at us from the other end: "what do you want?" Like we were there asking for money. Not coming back here ever again. read more

Went there for some food and drinks on Saturday. Food was lovely, however I felt like I was on train station. Place is big and very bright.

I've been here twice - once for a drink after work and again for a rowdy night out with friends. I REALLY like this place! The crowd: it's a mix, really. Young and old, fancy dress and casual, parties and couples. It's a place where no matter what you're wearing to go out, you'll fit right in, without it being a trashy place. The music: SO GOOD. There is a dance floor, or you can just make a dance floor wherever you are! The space: the place is huge and they have a long bar setup with stools. Just behind that is a high table with stools, and behind that are cushioned chairs and booths. It makes it great for big groups! While the place was busy, I never felt claustrophobic! I didn't try the food, but had a couple of drinks. The drinks were fine, nothing too special. They are incredibly overpriced though, which is the big downfall of this place. A whiskey ginger should not be 9 quid! Unless the ice cubes have flakes of gold sealed in them. Then yah, I'll pay 9 quid. Ideal for a nice night out, when you're ready to blow some cash! Guinness might be a cheaper option! read more

Ragtrader the best bar in Dublin. Great bartenders great whiskeys great food. Don't miss this great bar in the heart of Dublin's exclusive midtown. read more

I've ended up in Dakota on occasion not always by choice but it's not like I mind. I like Dakota, it's aimed at hip 20-somethings but I've seen quite a few older people in here as well depending on the time of day. If you can, try and get one of the couches, it's even worth asking a smaller group if they'd mind sharing because they sure are roomy enough, because trust me, you don't want to spend the evening jostling for space. The staff are nice and attentive, they always seem to spot when we're ready to order a new round. The toilets are in the back though and downstairs, so hold on to the handrail when you're wearing heels. read more

Lovely soups (the Veg one is my fav!) - also great deal for 2 course at €9.95 at lunchtime. Near the office too. Perfect choice ;)

Dakota is one of the bigger places on South William street, and has the airy interior of an oversized cocktail bar, completely with 2 bars along the whole long side of the room. The staff is quite nice, they do however seem to have high fluctuation of personnel, and you may end up with a young lady on her first shift waiting you. The sound is indifferent background-lounge, so this is more of a place for conversation than dancing. On the weekend it does get crowded, so you may have to raise your voice for any philosophical exchange that you plan to have here. read more

Sorry, but just another David Guetta mainstream club/bar. I would give 2,5 if possible ;)

Dakota has a London feel to it. I liked the way they play a variety of retro music and all the dance classics rather than playing the same r 'n' b tunes. It's fairly easy to find a table here provided you get there before 11 pm. The bar staff are efficient and friendly so the waiting time for a drink isn't too long. There are always an interesting crowd in here. It's definitely worth going here at the weekends read more

It's awful. Went there on Sat night the 28th of Jan . The decor is out dated- falling apart really. There are broken mirrors and ripped seats. The drinks are over priced. 10 euro for a vodka and coke. There were numerous booths reserved for a party at 8:30pm. At 9:35pm, the booths were still empty. The birthday girl had obviously over estimated how many friends she had. All the while large groups of people (7 in our group alone) were required to stand. I think the manager should have had a quiet word with the girl who had reserved the seats, as embarrassing as it may be- its unfair to hold seats for people who are not showing/reluctantly showing up hours late. read more

This place was a joke. Some locals brought us here, and then apologized afterwards. Service was horrible and slow. Well over an hour between ordering and getting our food. All 3 steaks were tough, rubbery, and over cooked. The chips sucked, and the fish was ok. Very loud crappy music top it off. Don't bother coming here. read more