Museum cafes aren't always good and once you eat at one like the Silk Road Cafe, you'd wish every museum had a cafe like this. I ordered a wonderful falafel that came with three different kinds of salad, as well as a piece of baklava. Everything was wonderful! The service was also great. read more

For a museum cafe, give this place five stars. Lit's is middle eastern vegetarian offerings; desserts etc. we shared a plate full of vegetables, mousakka and more. Very yummy. Plan your visit at the museum around lunch! read more

Everything was dry! Cakes were dry, shawarma chicken was dry, baklava was dry, all too dry. My shawarma burrito thing went from the warming table to the microwave. Even the potatoes in the burrito were somehow dry. I have a feeling this food is prepared well ahead of time and left under the lamps or in the case of the sweets just out in the display cases. Not one person in our group was happy with their meal. Service was great and staff were friendly and helpful. read more

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They have a lot of outdoor seating and they have an inside place to order along with an outdoor window. We stopped by because we saw the menu had a ton of gluten free cakes. The coffee cake had a ton of flavor and coffee beans in it. Anyone who is gluten free should prioritize this after going to Dublin castle. read more

Silk Road Cafe - Coffee cake - Mediterranean Near Me - Dublin, D

3.5/5 We came by at the recommendation of a tour guide. This is a good stop for a quick bite or warm drink. We went with the stuffed pepper -- it was just fine, not bad, but not a ton of flavor. I am thinking we might have ordered poorly, and everything else looked good. The cappuccino was tasty, as was the chocolate coconut mocha cake! Prices were about what you'd expect for a cafe inside of a museum. read more

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We went here because we were already inside Chester Beatty. Ordering hot food was done inside, cafeteria style. We felt very rushed deciding on our dishes and the sides we were suppose to pick. She asked us to pick our sides. We could barely see what the choices were from where we were standing. For me, a five star review should take into account the food, ambiance, and service. There was no table service here. The fact that several people have rated this place with five stars is perplexing. It's one thing to like the food but should it get five stars? I feel that this is the reason why so many average restaurants receive higher ratings than they deserve. read more

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I recommend the spanakopita, lamb, rice and cucumber, tomato salad. Water is self-served. Lots of locals eat here and some tourists so one can feel scene. There are tables in the courtyard which are near a long fountain with pennies inside. The tables in an adjacent dining room have art on the wall and one reserved table. read more

Silk Road Cafe - Spanakopita, salad, potatoes and lamb. - Mediterranean Near Me - Dublin, D

Food is served cafeteria style; typically, pick a main dish, it's reheated in the microwave, and then you pick two sides. Chicken curry, served with rice and I opted for the mung bean lentil and green vegetable salad. Lovely looking food and tasty too! The staff were friendly, patient and helpful describing the various dishes and willing to allow us to pay with a large euro. Several dining locations were available: seating inside the restaurant, seating in the atrium just outside the restaurant doors but still inside, with natural light, a pond, and enough breeze to keep one from overheating. Lastly, seating available outside at tables with umbrellas and quick access to the restaurant via a pass-through window if you needed something. Bathrooms available via the atrium. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures, but portions were quite generous! read more

I'm skeptical of museum cafes, but this one really did the trick. I had a lovely tray of moussaka, several salads, and a pear tart with cream. I would say the food quality went in reverse order from that list. The moussaka was entirely acceptable, just right on the slightly-above-average side. Another real stroke in this cafe's favor is the ambience in the museum's atrium. It was a sunny day in Dublin, so there was plenty of natural light. read more

Silk Road Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Dublin, D

This little cafe was pointed out by a local, and it is fantastic! I think I had one of the best cappuccinos I've ever had here, and loved the menu and ambiance. It had an open, airy feeling, and the variety of world music that played at a nice soft volume complemented the cafe. I wanted to sit outside (or inside rather) in the atrium of the museum lobby, but being that it was such a gorgeous day outside, all the seats were taken. Nonetheless, I grabbed a trashy magazine and proceeded to enjoy my stuffed grape leaves and capp for a good hour before heading off to the Matisse exhibit. I still think to this day that that cappuccino was superb. The staff was knowledgeable about what they offered and attentive throughout the dining experience. If you're in the area, definitely stop by here, at least for coffee. It'll be a nice little break in your day that you won't regret! read more

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I love the Chester Beatty and the love definitely extends to the museum's cafe which serves up Middle Eastern delights in a lovely inner courtyard setting. I had the lemon chicken and it was light and fragrant, served up with some baked veggies in a tomato sauce it was wholesome as well as delicious. They have a great selection of mains and sides and the falafel plate sounded amazing, it's made my list for next time. The coffee I had to finish up was also great and the baklava look very tempting, but I went for the brownie, which was good but I wished I'd been braver and plumped for the little syrup-soaked pastries instead! Just another reason to go back I guess!! read more

Silk Road Cafe - Lemon chicken - Mediterranean Near Me - Dublin, D

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Back to one of my favourite spots,The Chester Beatty Library. This time for some lunch. This is my first time trying the Silk road café and I'm happy to report good things. The café is located in the main foyer of the Museum and you can dine inside or like we did today, get take out and sit in the gardens outside. The food has a middle eastern theme and is plentiful if a little on the pricey side. €20 for a main lunch course, with coffee and a desert. The place was busy and the staff a little stretched but the managed well despise the many questions from customers, along the lines of 'where are the chips'? and 'what's baklava' So not your normal lunch time canteen anyway but the dish I had,the Palestinian chicken was filling and fresh and came with a salad. A lunch outside on the green in front of the Museum made for a great meal as the sun shone, for a change! All the deserts looked very devour able and the apple strudel gets the thumbs up for me. The coffee was great too. Also the Museum is well worth a look and even if you don't want to go in lunch in the Silk road is a slightly different lunchtime experience. They don't do chips in case you were wondering. read more

Silk Road Cafe - from website - Mediterranean Near Me - Dublin, D

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Lovely wee spot, a touch different from most other museum cafes that I've been to. Obviously influenced by the eastern theme of much of the artworks of the Chester Beatty, the flavours here are of the Middle East and very tasty at that!! I had a very moreish chicken tagline followed by a not all that traditional apple tart with cream. I just wasn't in the mood for the baklava which in fairness, looked yum. Finished with a lovely latte and left happy :) read more

Silk Road Cafe - Chicken tagine - Mediterranean Near Me - Dublin, D

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Silk road cafe is located in the Chester Beatty library and what a lovely little café it is! Not your typical museum café selling overpriced sambo's and soups. No, no, they do proper food here, mostly middle eastern and Mediterranean. We got the afternoon tea with a twist. First up was a plate of savoury bites..veggie samosa, chicken paella, lamb kofta, souvlaki etc. All quite delicious. I don't have such a big sweet tooth, but the second plate of tiny desserts was just amazeballs...the spinach cake, chocolate/ coconut cake and pistachio baklava being my favourites. I shall return and try their falafel plate and more of those cakes. YUM. read more

Silk Road Cafe - Savoury part of the afternoon tea with a twist - Mediterranean Near Me - Dublin, D

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Holy falafel balls! These are the best falafels of my life. My mom and I spent the morning stumbling around Dublin's sites after a full day of tours the day before. We were famished, we were hungry, our eyes were filled of gorgeous sites, yet our bellies were empty. Lo and behold, we land at this lovely establishment. Their food all looked incredibly fresh, beautifully presented, and extraordinarily tasty and generous. Now let's talk about the balls. The falafel had the most decadent, scrumptious combination of chickpeas, sesame, and fresh herbs that all other falafels should aspire to become. It is freshly fried, crunchy on the outside and soft and tasty and crumbs just right on the inside, and it comes with a radiant color. In addition, the salads that accompany this dish is adequate enough for a meal on its own. If only I lived in Dublin and can eat here regularly, highy recommend it as a treat, and eat as much as you can if you only have a day there! You can walk it off in the free rare books collection upstairs. read more

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If you're looking for a calm place to chill or read a book and taste delicious pastries, this place is the right choice. I love its atmosphere because it's located near Dublin castle and inside a museum. read more

Outstanding service, very funny and friendly staff. Allan recommended some amazing places (bars) to visit while in Dublin as well. Ask him where to get the best pint of Guinness in the world! read more

Nowhere better for a good coffee and a bit of baklava. They have all sorts of eastern dishes which wifey loves and in front of junior I pretend to like too - like stuffed vine leaves, but really, I just go for the sugar soaked pastries. read more

Its a real shame that so many cultural institutions in this country are accompanied by woeful cafes (Brambles most likely) and not restaurants like this! A delightful afternoon visiting the Chester Beatty should always be concluded with a meal from the Silk Road Cafe, it must be a Dublin institution at this stage! It is self service but the variety of delicious salads and Middle Eastern influenced dishes make the wait worth it! They always have a daily vegetarian option too. The baklava is a must. The staff are genuine and attentive. And always a pleasant surprise for Dublin - it is very reasonably priced for the quality of the food! I noticed recently that from each meal sold they were making a donation to a Syrian charity. Great food, even better ethics! read more

Absolutely delicious food - the best way to describe the Silk Road Cafe. The selection of mains and salads were fantastic, and a half portion was more than enough. I was seriously tempted by the falafel balls, but I chose the mousakka in the end and was seriously impressed. If you're near Dublin castle and hungry, this is the place for you. read more

My mother reminded me of this place when I was choosing somewhere to meet a friend. I'd been out the night before so I was tired and hungover-hungry. We sat in the bright outer part of the restaurant. As we started to catch up, a Japanese drumming group began to play right behind us. They were talented but extremely loud so we shut up and tucked in. We then moved inside for coffee so we could hear each other's news. There was an amazing array of appetising desserts but I was too full so I settled for a soy latte which was so wonderfully strong that I felt immediately energised. Just remembering those meatballs is making me hungry all over again... read more

Lovely cafe, nice food. I don't eat middle eastern that often, so it's a nice change.

I was reluctant to meet a friend of mine for coffee in town earlier this week as the weather was far from welcoming, but I could be more pleased now that I braved the elements and discovered this positively charming cafe! The overall atmosphere and decor of the cafe and Chester Beatty Library was pleasant. What I am really giving this five star rating for is the outstanding service and fantastic food on that the Silk Road had to offer. Being Coeliac makes eating out a chore at times. Not here! I was literally left with too much choice! There were soups, salads, a huge range of hot dishes, mixed berry tarts, orange and almond cake, fig cake ... the list goes on and on. I was a little skeptical at first, gluten free dining hasn't quite been mastered in most Dublin eateries, but I couldn't have enjoyed my juicy prawn curry with mounds of salad more! My companion also reported great things of her lamb moussaka which she had with rice and veg. There was no way I was going home without trying one of the plum tarts I had my eye on (they strategically leave them next to the cash register so theres no getting away for those with a sweet tooth!) I paired my sweet treat with a soy latte. My non-coeliac friend even went for a gluten free desert (fig cake with a dollop of fresh whipped cream) and a cappuccino. It all looked as good as it tasted. Highly recommended! read more

This is a typical tourist trap-y museum café. I only stopped in here for a coffee, but the menu options looked pretty good. I imagine this wouldn't be a bad choice for lunch if you were already in the castle. read more

This was a perfect stop for a light lunch after going through the Chester Beatty Library. We loved the atrium seating area. The restaurant has a great selection of foods every dish we had was very flavorful. I especially enjoyed the soup read more

What a find!! Gorgeous little cafe with amazing food!! great selection of food and good vegetarian options too. 2 of us had the spinach pie and salad which was delicious. The other person with us had the lamb mousaka and vegetables. All 3 of us were very impressed.They have a good selection of deserts too. I will need to remember this little place. read more

Fantastic falafel lunch with 5 different fresh mediterranean salads and baklava. Reasonably priced and great location in the library museum and next to Dublin castle courtyard. read more

This is a lovely relaxing cafe in the Chester Beatty Museum. Great menu with really tasty food, or even a really good place just to meet for a coffee and a chat read more

Have not been here for years, as I had more or less forgotten it exists. In my family we always do an "as much as possible non Christmas food" lunch between Christmas and New Year. This time it was my nephews turn to decide where we were all meeting up. And he picked the Silk Road. Great choice! I tucked into a chicken tajien with delight and had to buy another portion of the lentil and chick pea side salad, as it was just too good. The espresso was strong as I like it and tasted so much better when accompanied with a sweet honey and nut Baklava. How could I have forgotten about this place? read more

I love the Silk Road Cafe. I used to go when I visited the Chester Beatty Library, but I no visit the Library when I am going to the Cafe. It has nice vegetarian food, friendly service and a pleasant atmosphere. If you are on the road with a vegan, gluten intolerant or fuzzy person, this is the place to go. read more

One of Dublin's hidden culinary gems. Dine beside one of the greatest libraries in the world and revel in this delicious middle eastern fare. My chicken and vegetables lunch was sumptuous and no more than you'd pay for average pub-grub nearby. Spice was perfectly balanced, too, not overwhelming, especially in the vegetables and curried rice. Well-prepared vegetables are somewhat of a rarity in Dublin, so for this reason alone Silk Road excels. Overall one of the best meals I've had in this town. read more

I did not eat here so this review is based purely on the decor/ambience & coffee. The interior of the café is pleasant enough. I especially liked the sort of courtyard effect which was nice & bright, ivy on the wall etc. Myself and my companion had already eaten so we just ordered cappuccinos. We were going to get take away & sit outside but the take-away cups (like so many other places) were massive so we decided to sit in instead & get a proper cappuccino. Best laid plans etc. The cappuccino was disgusting-one of the worst ones I've ever had. I cannot understand why people who are employed are baristas are not taught how to make cappuccinos/lattés etc properly. They don't seem to even understand the basic difference between lattés and cappuccinos. Essentially, we were served scalding white coffees (& I mean scalding) with a very thin layer of froth on top. It tasted like instant coffee but cost €2.60. read more