Fantastic!!! The food was delicious, the service was wonderful, and the atmosphere was comfortable & homey. Fresh pasta, great wine selections, and delicious desserts made our night. I would absolutely recommend this cute spot to anyone visiting Dublin - it's a great break from fish & chips with complex flavors and sweet Italian home cooking read more

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Amazing restaurant. We called and made a reservation and we were lucky they had an opening that night. It's located down a set of stairs and has about 12 tables. Very intimate dining with great food. I had the gnocchi and my daughters both had the linguini with sausage. All meals were exceptional and service was fantastic. My daughter left her ring in the bathroom and they had it behind the counter for her when we returned. Thank you!! read more

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Service was friendly and amazing! Small menu, everything prepared well! Definitely need reservations. Tables are small but cozy. Restaurant holds about 8 tables. Our burratta appetizer was enough for four. We had one more appetizer and three desserts. One friend ordered primi and a secundi plate. He was stuffed and couldn't eat dessert. We go here every time we come to Dublin. Other reviews suggested the cherry panna cotta. I ordered it. It was the best of the very good desserts. read more

Terra Madre - Cherry panna cotta - Italian Near Me - Dublin, D

Cute tiny hole in the wall place, almost hidden off the Main Street down a set of stairs. The food was excellent and the owner/chef who was serving us was very kind. Would go again. read more

If you have had your fill of fish and chips, Irish stew, and fish chowder, and craving great Italian food, Terra Madre is the place. Located below the street level, this small and quiet restaurant serves amazing Italian food and wine. We had a gnocchi dish, along with a mushroom and truffle ravioli entree. Just fabulous taste and the Chianti only added to the experience. Service matches the food quality with quick seating and turn around on the main dishes. Finished the night off with Tiramisu. Italy, watch out, Ireland is knocking on your door step. read more

Minimalist, eclectic, and authentic....well worth it! You honestly feel like you're in the owner's (small) house for a family event. Don't expect a vast menu, but what ever is on it will be delicious. read more

I've never written a review for a place that I didn't eat at but I felt like I had to in this case. I was in Dublin for a business trip and tried to go here for dinner by myself around 7:10pm on a Saturday. The place is small but there were 3 tables open. He told me that he couldn't seat me but he can if I come back in an hour.I figured the tables were reserved or something so went back to my hotel then came back at 8:16pm. The place was far more crowded at that time -- the tree with was a wait out the door. When I saw the owner, he said it hasn't been an hour because he saw me at 9pm. I showed him the time and he kept on insisting that it hasn't been an hour. And he can't seat me because there are other people waiting. I don't mind waiting for food. I don't mind you telling me to come back after some time. But I am very disappointed and offended that he flat out lies. read more

I honestly can't tell you how many times I've walked past this place over the last few years, wondering "why the hell would anyone want to go down there?" as I glanced down the stairs looking at a table and 2 chairs beside a door, then walked off to go about my day. Today, me and the girlfriend walked down those stairs and couldn't be more pleased with our decision. Terra Madre is so small, I'd be surprised if you could fit 20 people, however has a nice homely aura about it. It knows what it is and it embraces it. The menu is small but varied and simple. For start I had the creamy buffalo mozzarella special that came with sardines, pumpkin, pesto and one other I can't remember. Herself got the bruschetta. Wonderful, no other way to describe it. Her bruschetta on the other hand came with 4 pieces, each with a different topping, including mozzarella, capers and ham. It was all divine! For main, we had the tomato tagliatelle pasta and the beef ravioli. The pasta tasted home made and was very well seasoned and the sauce was delicious. Needless to say, the plate was wiped clean with bread. My ravioli also didn't disappoint, great texture to the raviolis and the beef itself was also well seasoned. I did find it quite interesting as they were quite small raviolis, about the size of a €2 coin. However don't worry, there are plenty! Coupled this with 2 glasses of the house pinot grigio, I'm not usually a wind drinker but I thought it wasn't that bad actually! For desert I just had myself a cappuccino, this was prepared using freshly ground beans on their machine and arrived with a face in the crema which almost had a bigger smile than me. Service itself was fast paced, plates never lingered on our table for too long, despite the dining room being served by one very friendly gentleman. Most importantly, despite the fact that he was so quick to clear tables, with more and more people arriving, you never felt like you were unwanted or that they wished you would hurry up. I can't emphasise this enough, it's so easy to make a guest feel like they have overstayed their welcome and that they should leave, I don't think anybody felt this way tonight. Serious props have to be given. All and all, the bill came to €63. My coffee was on the house, however I don't want to assert this will be the case for everyone! If you're sticking to water, 2 starters and mains will cost you about €51. We gave a handsome tip too, all things considered, I feel that I'll be hard pressed to find another place to eat that offers so much for so little. I would go again next week, but I'm out of town. It's a shame, and slightly upsetting because I want to go again! read more

Terra Madre - My delightful cappuccino! - Italian Near Me - Dublin, D

I love the ambiance of this restaurant. The service was also very quick. However, I think the food was lacking in many ways. Practically everything I had ordered was drowned in Parmesan to the extent that I could barely taste the other flavors in the food. The menu was also very small and they were missing 2-3 items which made the options very limited. They're well known for their locally sourced ingredients and their use of truffles but on the day that I went, they also weren't using truffle in many of their dishes. The cost of the dishes are so ridiculous to me. I basically paid for €16 main that was the size of an appetizer. They also only serve only water and wine for beverages. I'm quite disappointed considering all of the good reviews... but the food was pretty subpar and definitely not worth the price. read more

Such a cute homey Italian restaurant with amazing food and great wine! It feels like you are stepping inside the home of someone lovely in the Italian countryside. On a pretty busy street, but slightly hidden- you have to walk down stone steps to the basement to enter. There are only about nine tables in the place. We came here for lunch and really enjoyed every bite we had. I had the ravioli with truffle, which was really good and so fresh. My husband had the tagliatellina which was amazing. The sauce was the most perfect tomato flavor and very well balanced- not too sweet, not too acidic. We had an amazing bottle of Sicilian wine that was medium bodied and very smooth- I actually picked up a bottle to drink later that night! The meal was very worth it- I only wish the portions were a little bigger because I could have eaten another bowl of my pasta easily! read more

Hard to find, but not hard to forget. Nice dark and intimate room and very friendly, italian staff. The menu is very limited, 3-4 mains and a couple of starters and thats it. I had a tomato linguini which was just ok. Most of us can make the same level at home. Dish size is very small, i had to eat all the side bread and still left a bit hungry. Drinks are only wine or water. Prices are normal, paid 12 e for my main. Would return only if looking for a quite fairly priced pasta. Nothing more than that read more

Terra Madre - Tomato pasta - Italian Near Me - Dublin, D

I tend to avoid Italian restaurants like the plague, because their food is often a poor caricature of a very interesting and complex collection of cuisine styles from the different italian regions. But after going by Terra Madre's stairs on Bachelor's Walk and looking at their menu I started getting more and more curious about this tiny place, neatly tucked away in a basement with a few tables and chairs outside. The restaurant only has about six tables, which wasn't a problem for us since we went there midweek, but I can imagine it's probably a good idea to book a table if you're planning on going there on a Friday or Saturday. Besides the tables there's a counter with a beautiful black Gaggia on top of it and a lot of wine bottles and a few flower jars spread around the place. Everything is of lilliputian scale and adorned with warm colors, flower prints or other painted details. Even the toilet paper and the handwash are cute! The menu features a selected few dishes to choose from, some bruschettas, pastas and a couple of traditional specialties - where you can find ingredients like trippa (tripe) and baccalá (salted and dried cod fish). The traditional dishes are definitely my favourite part of the carta, because they really are what I recognize as the more typical, almost homely food and tastes that I grew up with - a mediterranean heritage that we certainly share. But don't get me wrong, the rest of the food we had at Terra Madre was absolutely delicious. The first thing we were served was a simple small dish of toasted bread with herbs and olive oil - I immediately noticed how this olive oil was of very very good quality, and so this raised even more all my expectations for the rest of the meal. As a starter I tried a mouth watering carpaccio di porchetta that came served with some very good olives; I chose to have the baccalá in zimino dish and I also had a bite of the pasta my boyfriend ordered - which was perfectly cooked al dente. We tried two of the italian wines, a chianti for himself and a trebiano d'Abruzzo for me. Both were nice and fruity, though that style of red wine is really not our favourite. For dessert we shared a chocolate salami with blood orange, very simple but the quality of the ingredients made it work, the chocolate flavour was divine. I feel I need to talk about our waiter, he was so delicate and friendly the whole time. I loved the little details of the service, like filling our glasses with water very subtly every now and then and also the way he brought the food to the table and explained it. I also like the way he served the parmesan over the pasta: he brought a little plate with it and using a spoon sprinkled the cheese lightly over the pasta until we said it was alright. It's so rare to see such an effortless and attentive service. And we didn't have to pay for our two espressos, how cool is that? It was almost perfect, I just had two minor issues: the price of some of the dishes can be a bit too expensive and I wish the wine menu had a few more options, though I understand that it's probably just my problem because I'm not a big fan of most Italian wines. Again, these were really very minor things in the whole of the experience and I wouldn't think twice about going back to Terra Madre, for a cosy, nice and certainly appetizing dinner or lunch. read more

Terra Madre - Baccalá - Italian Near Me - Dublin, D

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Restaurant has only prepackaged foods! No real kitchen. They cook on a little hot plate. The refrigerator is a mini me apartment for 1 size. The best thing I ate was the capers on toast. The food was bland and the pasta sauce out of a jar. No wonder they have no real kitchen. Food was better the first time I went. Second time I saw the kitchen and realized why they have packaged gnocchi you can buy at the store.. They have no kitchen so to speak. Don't need to return here again, as there are a ton of other Great Italian Restaurants in Dublin. read more

Some of the best homemade pasta I've ever had! I'd highly recommend trying the Truffle ravioli and the mozzarella antipasti: every single bite was fresh and extremely flavorful! read more

Terra Madre - Italian Near Me - Dublin, D

Came here tonight with two friends. Was luckily able to walk in and get a table in less than an hour. We split a bottle of wine, had their bruschetta, and all got their pappardelle. The food was amazing. The atmosphere was great. So thankful that we found this place. read more

This week started and ended with a storm. In between, there were rainy, blustery evenings, and gorgeous Italian food. 'If I bring more bread, would you clean up your plates', the waiter asked. Our eager nodding did not require any words. I enjoyed the food and the energy of the cafe to the last drop. In that small basement room, heavy with aroma of parmesan cheese, pasta, truffles and wine, squeezed between sets of wooden tables and chairs, it felt as if I was in Italy again. Plates and wine bottles were put down on the table with a thud, adding to the din of conversation around us. 'Madam, I don't have the time to discuss the menu', waiter told me few days earlier, when I rang to make a booking. I understood why he said that, as I watched people coming and going, as the wine and espressos kept flowing. He was not rude, I decided. It's simple, delicious, flown in from Italy. It's all you need to know. read more

This quaint spot can actually prove hard to find unless you're looking out for it and following a map - I've passed it for years without noticing it once. They serve amazing regional Italian food, meaning it's expensive but worth every penny. I've been here a couple of times so far and plan on going back soon for sure. Each course is always wonderful and never disappoints. Although the menu changes from time to time from what I've seen I'd recommend checking out the panna cotta if they have it. Definitely check this place out if you're looking for a fancy dinner on a date night. read more

Wonderful food and location. I was visiting with a friend who is residing in Dublin and another friend I was traveling with from Seattle. I'd give it four stars, but the host/owner is seemingly a bit on the spectrum. If you're familiar with "Seinfeld" then you get that I would refer to him as a kind of "Soup Nazi". If you can tolerate that, then you're golden. read more

Didn't eat here. But here is my experience and why I never will eat here. My aprtner and I saw this palce and the good reviews on fresh pasta. So after looking through reviews and their website, we decided to try them out aroudn lunch time. Between yelp and their website, their openign times are different but we were going on a tuesday which both say the place is open from 12:30 until aroiund 22:00. We came by around 13:30 and the palce was closed. No big deal, lots of places don't udpate hours. So we see they are open for dinner around 17:00. We came back around 17:15, door is open but gate at top of stairs is closed. Trying to go in the owner comes out and says he is open at 17:30. Nothign else. We go for a walk to kill time and come back at 17:45 (give some time for them to fully open). Get inside and he is on the phone and two other tables are sat out of maybe 6 tables in the shop. We wait for about 5 minutes inside before he comes to greet us immediatly asking if we have a reservation. We didn't so he tells us he is full and we need to come back another day. My problem is when he saw us at 17:00 we clearly didn't have a reservation otherwise we wouldn't be there a half hour before he supposedly opened. Why did he give us opening time information instead of informing us that a reservation is required? Their website nor does yelp say anywhere that reservations are required. Other reviews on here also state walking by and going inside to eat. We waited several hours because of misinformation on their own website as well as the owner not being considerate enough to communicate properly. read more

The lunch baratta was absolutely delicious, including the best mozzarella you'll find and an array of small exquisite accompanists. The chocolate almond nibbles they served with the coffee, unasked for, were the perfect sweet treat too. The place should be swarming but it's a little secret in its basement hideaway - so consider yourself lucky to know about it and make sure to sample the delights. V reasonable menu. read more

What a fantastic and very well hidden restaurant. I tried it today for the first time, and it was delicious. It's a tiny restaurant with a maximum of 5 to 6 tables. The place is really homey, reminds you of your grandmother's house with the chairs and the plates and the fact that the glasses don't match. The waiter was really friendly and quite funny, and knew the menu extremely well. The food was wonderful, specifically the starters. We had a bruschetta with spinach, as well as the buffalo mozzarella filled with cream cheese (omg) and it was super good. The mains were also really good. I recommend getting the ravioli with black truffle, it was super good. The dessert was great too. I am definitely coming back for more. read more

I love this place! Tucked away in a basement near O'Connell bridge its a very unassuming eatery. It feels like you are popping in to a friend's house for some impromptu grub: A smattering of five or six tables and a menu consisting of two starters three/four mains and one dessert (can be some specials on). There's a choice of 5 or 6 wines (all Italian I think). So far, everything I've eaten in here has been top notch - Desserts to die for!! It seems to be run by two Italian guys. Very friendly and always up for a bit of banter (which is helped along by the cosy setting). A real slice of Italy in the heart of Dublin. If you love Italy - you'll love this place. read more

Terra Madre is small but perfectly formed. The short menu is mostly pasts and gnocchi, with bruschettas to start. The pork fat bruschetta is amazing! The food at Terra Madre is great, but the staff really make the experience extra special. The italian waiter really goes over the top to make your night memorable. We got a free drink and an Italian coffee making demo because my friend spoke a bit of Italian! Wine selection is small but good. We went with the waiter's recommendation of a biodynamic wine and were very glad we did! Prices are great, really, really cheap for the sort special experience you get. If you want a fantastic, quirky evening, Terra Madre is the place to go in Dublin! read more

A hidden gem right in the middle of Dublin. The atmosphere is fantastic: a small, cosy, dark room with a mish mash of old wooden tables and chairs. Really friendly (and Italian!) waiters, and other patrons deep in conversation over bottles of wine and superb food. The menu is simple: in every way. Maybe 5 dishes in total, plus a simple 'Wine' and 'Dessert' at the bottom -- all printed on a sheet of A4 paper. We ordered a bottle of wine. The waiter recommended a bottle, popped the cork, and told us it was no problem if we didn't like it -- he'd swap it without charge. No need -- it was lovely. Despite the small menu, it was difficult to choose. The waiter again helped us here -- giving a great explanation of each dish (like how they use the rarer caper stalks rather than flower buds as a topping on a bruschetta dish). In the end, we chose to share a bruschetta, while I opted for a bowl of rabbit gnocchi for my main. Topped with a thin slice of lard and toasted, the bruschetta was out-of-this-world. The rabbit gnocchi was also great -- the gnocchi were soft, and the sauce was rich and meaty. After the meal, we ordered dessert. At the point, the waiter brought out an entire flan to the table, along with a knife. My girlfriend jumped at it, but I was hesitant. Without skipping a beat, the waiter disappeared into the kitchen, emerging with a bowl of little sponges, soaked in a lemon liquor. It was boozy and beautiful. After-dinner coffee was similarly top-notch. I had a lovely espresso, and my girlfriend had a cappuccino, with her name written out as part of a sun motif in the foam. The waiter poured us two glasses of wine on the house, sat down at another table with other staff, and tucked into a pizza. No pressure on us to drink up, pay up and leave. read more

At present the most authentic Italian I've eaten in, in ireland. Visited wkd 17th Feb. Hasn't in anyway been anglicised; genuine italian produce; small restaurant tucked away tasty tasty tasty. It's always a good sign when Italians are also eating there. Book a table read more

Terra Madre - Italian Near Me - Dublin, D

Terra Madre was the location for my wife's birthday last month. We arrived on time but were told to come a little later. We were a little nervous as there was water on the floor when we entered. Fortunately we had a meal to remember. The starters were bruschetta with lardo and capers. They were just right. The capers are a delicacy as they grow wild in southern Italy. The mains were excellent. I had sausage with lentils and my wife had pasta with truffle sauce. We then proceeded to share a chocolate salami slices with ripe orange. We also had a Vin Santo with biscotti and two espressos to finish. The wine was also very good. Marco and his chef were very kind to us and made us feel very special indeed. I and my wife went out to the throbbing city feeling ten foot taller. I could not recommend the place more. This is a gem. read more

Awesome Gnocchi is amazing and the service are very personal. Italian style at 100%. If you are looking for a place to a date - good luck you have found it! read more

Such rude service. We were 5 minutes late for our reservation, after calling twice to confirm, and our table was given away to someone else. When we did get a table 15 minutes later, our water barked at us demanding to order right away. We didn't even get a chance to get a glass of wine. The server proceeded to tells us that we're "wasting his time" and was incredibly rude. Awful experience. read more

What a wonderful little place in a basement along the Bachelor's Walk! While the food selection seems small, the quality is outstanding and is truly authentic Italian. We had some prosciutto for appetizers, rabbit gnocchi and pasta with bits of bacon (forgot the actual name) and it was divine! While the portions are not big, you are not left wanting more, unless it is desert! The service was outstanding - the waiter recommended a bottle of wine and told us he would change the bottle if we did not like it. He brought us the desert to have a look at and never left us waiting for the attention. I also got a complementary cappuccino (it was my birthday) and two more glasses of wine on the house! Would return again, definitely! read more

@Ketty E has the detail covered: http://www.yelp.ie/biz/la-terra-madre-dublin#hrid:Um02iRz66PKes6TQAk8-jw And I agree. This place has bags of personality, helped no end by the willing staff. Some might consider the interior shabby, the menu limited and the staff overly-familiar. But these guys hunt out and import from Italy the key produce served. It's all part of the authentic charm. Close your eyes; this really could be a trattoria in northern Italy. If you want an ristorante, search elsehwere. Bottom line: go, get your lard on (pun intended)! read more

Interesting reviews. My two cents is that in no restaurant on the planet will you be told that the food is "authentic" and refused pepper. I went with two friends and this is what I was told when I ordered a very very simple pasta dish, Arribiata to be precise. In fact the owner knelt down beside the table and said it straight into my face. Banging on about the chef's integrity beside what is tantamount to a domestic kitchen is almost hilarious. I would bet that this guy (who was obviously the owner), has never said that to an Italian customer. My two friends were appalled considering the cost of the meal and the fact that all three of us are regular visitors to Italy. Authentic rustic Italian cooking? Really? Served up with a dollop of rudeness and pomposity for the South Dublin middle-class gobshites who think that they are slumming it on the northside and will happily pay €40 for a bottle of cheap Italian plonk. Good luck with that lads! read more

I truly adore this little discrete beauty just off O'Connell Street on Bachelor's walk. I first stumbled across from a recommendation. Skeptical I am over other peoples' tastes, I initially ventured ahead in a party of three. Now it is a firm favorite when considering dining options. The restaurant is tiny (it has approximately seven tables total), it does not feel cramped but homely and cosy. The miss-match place settings and quirky furniture add to its appeal. The wonderful front of house staff also certainly enhance the experience. Our waiter on multiple occasions, Marco, is a credit to the restaurant. He provided a very welcoming atmosphere and his extensive knowledge of the ingredients and wines is a rare find in a Dublin unless within a more expensive establishment. The menu is small but perfectly authentic Italian and the complex simplicity transports me to holidays past. My recommendation to start is the wild caper bruschetta which is batch toast smothered in tangy wild capers and fresh grassy olive oil. The Lardo bruschetta is also not one to be missed. Main courses for the most part consist of pasta with various combinations of meat with that slow cook flavor. The boar ragu or Beef in Barolo wine are fantastic. It opened my eyes to using a more decent bottle while cooking. Another main, which I loved though, would be for the more adventurous of hearts, was the lentils with Italian pork sausage dish. Desserts are three various depended on the night. Each one I have tried rounded the meal out perfectly. I enjoyed very decent cup of coffee above that in most coffee shops. Mains are around the €14 mark with starters around €7. Very good value for the quality served. read more

A Disgrace. Will never return. Three of us have visited before. One of us - a vegan friend - came for the first time. When seeing the menu, and seeing not a single vegetable in any of the recipes - he asked the waiter what vegetables they had in the kitchen. The waiter replied that there were none with an indifferent shrug of the shoulders. None?? They were not at all bothered. This was the way it is. So we went through the menu, trying to figure out what items there might be. We noticed that there were capers on the bruschetta. So we asked for the bruschetta topping without the bread, as our friend did not want the bread either. Unbelievably, the waiter said no, the recipe is the recipe. We were dumbfounded. It's just bruschetta for christ's sake - capers on toast -not some complex dish. But he was adamant. We said that we had never been in a restaurant out of hundreds in Italy - or anywhere else in the world - that had this arrogant an attitude. Our friend said this was "bullshit", at which point the waiter said if he was going to use language like that, we could leave. We did leave, and will never return. We noticed another yelp review from 2013 - no idea if this is true, but it could explain part of their abominable attitude : "Restaurant has only prepackaged foods! No real kitchen. They cook on a little hot plate. The refrigerator is a mini me apartment for 1 size. Second time I saw the kitchen and realized why they have packaged gnocchi you can buy at the store.. They have no kitchen so to speak." In a word, disgraceful. read more

I would return again and again and again for their truffle and cheese ravioli... The wine was great, staff attentive. The only part that wasn't so enjoyable was the crushing heat of the place, with absolutely no circulating air. read more

I ate here once. I had really wanted to try it after listening to Paulo Tullio speaking about it on Montcrief. COST: Not cheap, not expensive SURROUNDINGS: Its the smallest restaurant I've ever been to. The tables are all different. They look like reclaimed desks, tables etc, distressed. The room is sparse but not uninviting. MENU CHOICE: Very small menu but everything on it sounds tasty STAFF: Very friendly, very flirty (at least to women without men in tow!). They are serious about and proud of the food and go into detail about where it comes from. BOOKING: We walked in off the street FOOD: So, so tasty and simple and filling. I enjoyed every last scrap. The wine was also wonderful. At the time we had a choice of 2 or 3 red and 2 or 3 whites. I cannot recall exactly, but it was small. They allowed us to try each one and they were all delicious. I think I need to take a trip back there in fact, its been too long... read more

Friendly service and accommodated two of us on a busy Saturday evening even when we did not remember to phone ahead to book the table. The food was served quickly and it was presented well. It was delicious, fresh, authentic and wholesome Italian cooking. I would recommend Terra Madre to others and hope to return myself in the future. read more

Very intimate. Small menu of superbly prepared dishes. It is a place you will tell selected friends that are foodies about. Owner said everything is brought in from Italy. Downstairs at 13 Bachelor Walk. read more

This place was fantastic, just like the meals we had while in Italy. The pasta was prepared perfectly, with a nice bite. It was a great atmosphere and I would recommend to anyone looking for a great meal in Dublin read more

Incredibly rude staff! Went in there at 8:30pm and was told that it was "closed". There were still diners in there eating! The timings on google show 10pm closing time and yet I wasn't allowed in! read more

Just a few tables and a very small menu in a tiny space just off the Quays - but what a gem! The evening I was there, for the starter, I had a lovely bruschetta-type dish adorned by caper sprouts, something I'd *never* considered before. My only criticism? That myself and my companion were not offered the dessert menu. Please don't decide on my behalf whether I need a sweet... read more