Howth is a haven of cafes & restaurants. We stopped by East Cafe Bar for the relaxed atmosphere. We ordered drinks (Guinness - good, Prosecco - completely flat) and the seafood chowder, crab claws, oysters Rockefeller, and house chips.
The seafood chowder was thick and creamy, with a wonderful flavor but not a lot of actual seafood in the bowl. The oysters Rockefeller were abysmal -- not an ounce of moisture or much flavor, with what I can only assume to be oyster dried up in a shell of sandy crumbs.
Crab claws were tasty and meaty but a bit overcooked. I find it perplexing that a cafe attached to a well-established seafood restaurant didn't actually have any utensil for seafood except regular forks. We asked for a seafood cracker for the large crab claws, and were told they didn't have any. We were offered lobster picks but they never arrived. The home chips we ordered also never arrived, but we had waited so long (40 mins) for the food at that stage that we didn't bother asking for them.
Overall, the service was lacking. We, along with two other parties, were standing around for about 10 mins (sign said wait to be seated), with multiple staff walking by us. Eventually, we grabbed someone and asked to be seated at the counter opposite of the bar which was completely empty. When we asked about the delay with the food, no one bothered getting back to us and we had to ask for updates.
I love the relaxed ambience, but the service and food left a lot to be desired. For the price, there are much better options in the area. read more