To celebrate my daughter's birthday in Dublin, Ireland, I wanted to find an elegant yet intimate restaurant with historic charm and excellent food. Everyone I asked recommended the Cliff Townhouse on St. Stephen's Green. We weren't disappointed in this boutique establishment. High ceilings, mirrors, opulent chandeliers, yet the atmosphere is friendly and congenial, not stuffy. Our waitress was fabulous and so endearing. The chef holds a Michelin star at their sister property in County Waterford. We ordered oysters, mussels, duck, salad, and veggies but the highlight was the huge and tasty pot of mussels infused with saffron and a hint​ of curry. The duck was chewy and not as delicious. The birthday girl was brought a dish of gelato with a candle in it and we all sang happy birthday. This is a lovely restaurant in a beautiful area for strolling and people watching. Highly recommended. read more

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Cliff Townhouse has an absolutely lovely ambiance. The beautiful high ceilings are stunning, as are the various gorgeous chandeliers. The magnificence of the room is slightly offset by the slightly risque old movie posters on the walls, which make for great conversation pieces. The service was fantastic, with the waiter even remembering my uncle's favorite wine and special brown bread from a few nights prior (to be fair, he is a very memorable guy!). Speaking of the bread, it is delicious if only everyone did bread and butter as well as the Irish! All four of us ended up ordering the duck, which was quite tasty although not as crispy as I would have liked. My uncles like their meat well cooked and had ordered theirs medium well instead of medium rare but it came out the same colour as my order, which was a bit disappointing, but the waiter quickly rushed off to rectify this. However, at this price point you'd expect the meat to be cooked correctly the first time. read more

The Cliff Townhouse - Duck with fondant potato - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

Best seafood restaurant in Dublin. Amazing cheff Sean Smith and fresh food always. I love this place. The other bar- restaurant has been open downstairs called Urchin. If you want to treat yourself or treat someone you love- this place it's not just food it's an experience! The atmosphere is great, staff always friendly 10/10 Love the design - i think we did a great job ;) Food is fantastic MUST try! read more

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Wonderful experience for my dad's birthday. This is a fantastic restaurant in a great location on St. Stephen's Green. The room is beautiful, with Hugh ceilings, white walls, plush blue furniture and chandeliers offset with bright old movie posters. We had a raised booth so we could see the whole room but there are lots of nice tables around the room and also a bar for drinks before or after dinner. My crab starter was really fresh and delicious and I loved my monkfish too. Others had steak and lemon sole and the oysters were a hit. The chips were amazing and the duck fat roast potatoes were also delicious. Staff were friendly and attentive all evening and kept the wine topped up. Highly recommended for a special night out. read more

The Cliff Townhouse - Irish dressed crab - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

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A really busy restaurant, even on a weekday. Came here without a reservation and was placed at the bar counters instead as there were no space for 3. A nice speak interior design with a pretty small bar. Started with cocktails at the bar which was pretty good. Having to see it made in front of your very eyes has that additional plus factor to it. In addition, the bar waiter was extremely friendly and chatted with us for a bit. Had their seafood platter which cost €50 however disappointing with only 6 oysters - all from the different cities of Ireland. It was fresh but wasn't of the best quality. I felt the best thing on the platter was its prawns which was really succulent and sweet. They had a fish in a little jar which was puréed. It was pretty interesting as I never had that before. All other seafood was rather a let down, in my opinion, as I've tasted better. Steak tartare was really good. Seasoned to perfection and even the portion is very hearty as an appetiser. Ordered another appetiser, the crab. It was really fresh and sweet. Just felt it needed a little bit more texture and it would have perfected the whole dish. Also had a fish and chip main which really was a big let down. The cod wasn't too bad. Was definitely fresh but the batter was really disappointing. Lacked good seasoning and did not even have the golden brown fry to it. Overall, it wasn't a bad dining. But definitely wasn't the best. There are better seafood restaurants out there for the price I have paid. I felt the menu really needed to be better as there were very little to order from the ala carte, especially for people who do not want to eat a 3 course menu. read more

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New Year's Eve so you normally allow for some deviation but this was a shipwreck. We waited just inside the door for the front of house guy to return to his station. 5 min later he returns grumpy and then seats the couple who walked in just moments ago Finally seated in cramped conditions. Wine list is poor in my opinion so we opt for some prosecco and a bottle of red. My ceviche tuna was good but served with a weird avocado ice cream. Monk fish was 2 min undercooked and the crumble while tasty looked like a school dinner. The service from start to finish was a shambles and the crowning glory was wishing the guy a Happy New Year at the same front desk only to be ignored. I am sorry I left a tip but my tip is to avoid and find yourself a table at somewhere like Chapter One where return custom is appreciated. read more

Best food I have had in all of Ireland. The scallops were Perfection! Everything was so fresh and light -0kept me wanting more. The staff was friendly and attentive. We had a visit from the executive chef and enjoyed every moment. Will definitely make another trip back soon! Thank you for such a special experience and meal. read more

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The service here really let down what should have been a pleasant evening. Nice watercress salad to start, followed by a lovely Dover Sole on the bone. Everyone in our party seemed happy with their food, although the service was mentioned by most people. There was some pushing of wine, overly filling glasses, constantly suggesting another bottle. But the number of waiters dropping plates was not normal, amateur night! Lovely room, good buzzy atmosphere, but poor service. read more

Rooms are Small but delightful. Cozy Beds, great sheets. Lovely ammenities. Make your reservation early, as they only have a handful of rooms. Best location in dublin, right on St. Stephan's Green. Excellent restaurant. Best Breakfast in Dublin. Thank you read more

I had no expectations when my coworkers invited me to join them for dinner. The three of us were wearing jeans so I was a little surprised to the see the white linens and very formal dining room :) Every one was "dressed" with some donning runway hairstyles and outfits. All the same, I felt comfortable and well tended to at the Cliff. I ordered lemonade and received 7-up not sure how that was lost in translation but the 7-up was superb. The brown bread served with Irish butter was some of the best I have had in Ireland thus far. I started with the goat cheese tart which was the perfect size and very tasty. It was light with greens on top and a thin flaky crust on the bottom. It had a unique pairing with apricots and a balsamic drizzle. If I weren't pregnant I would have ordered their house smoked salmon fillet which my friend ordered. It arrived in a class covered top - filled with smoke. As they lifted the lid this beautiful oaky smell permeated the table - I will go back sans bun in the over just to try it! For dinner I ordered a very non-fancy item - the fish and chips. It is my last night in Ireland and I had yet to have them. I was not disappointed. The fish was perfect! Light, flaky and while deep fried did not taste greasy or over bearing. The tartar sauce was the best I have ever had - it tasted yogurt based - not may - and had light flavors of dill and tarragon with the kick of capers in every bite! The chips were typical and uneventful. I am usually a huge fry fan but the fish stole the dish tonight. Would definitely go back! read more

The location is amazing and the staff was helpful, friendly, and accommodating. You're across the street from stephen's green and close to Grafton st, trinity college and a bunch of other places. Our room wasn't that big, but the bathroom was a good size. Besides, who goes to Dublin to stay in their room. The restaurant downstairs served a great breakfast. We didn't have a chance to try anything else, but the place always seemed busy. If you live in Dublin, are visiting and/or are staying in the hotel, I highly recommend checking out the bar. I had the best sazerac ever at their hotel bar. Make sure Thomas makes it for you. He's a really knowledgable bartender. Introduced me to some great drinks. He's a great guy. My friend and I had a lot of fun there. read more

The Early Bird in the Cliff Town House is one of the best around town for bang for your buck. You get to eat your dinner in opulent surroundings (the décor is beautiful) and the food itself is amazing - there is very, very little here not to love! The beef bourginon I had for my main was the best version of this classic that I've ever had, the beef was meltingly soft and the sauce was deeply flavoured, rich and sticky. The mash it was served on was like velvet, it was that smooth. I'm just waiting for a special occasion to roll around so I can go back really! read more

The Cliff Townhouse - Exceptional Beef Bourginon - Irish Near Me - Dublin, D

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So, I'm in the market for a reception venue for 20 odd people; on the website, the cliff looks like a great option. We decided to stop by for Sunday lunch to see what the general vibe was... The dining room was buzzing, service was swift, but unfortunately lacking in any sort of warmth or personality. Whilst a beautiful place, it's hard to overlook the air of faded grandeur in the tired restaurant. To start I had a Caesar salad, while a safe choice frankly I've had better from pret a manger. My other half had the beetroot smoked salmon, it was similarly average. For main I had roast beef which was grand. On the other hand the sea trout dish at the other side of the table was noted as being bland, over cooked at the edge and in a off putting sauce. Dessert seemed to a nod to the seaside; and would not have looked out of place in an ice cream shop in Bray. Value was good, but needless to say, we left a bit disappointed. read more

Brilliant! The Atmosphere! The Service! The Food! Blown away by this charming spot on St. Stephen's Green. The atmosphere is luxurious and grand but not stuffy. Beautifully lit - and defined by pristine white walls and linens - the room itself bustles like a lively bistro. Your fellow this-is-the-place-to-be dining companions are an across the board mix of conservative business types - chic and trendy types - out-of-towner foodies - special occasionists - and romantic diners - with a celeb or two tossed in for good measure. Service here is impeccable and friendly. And while we were attended to with great personal care, we were never overwhelmed. The wine list was expansive and interesting - and following our server's lead - we were not disappointed. I can't say enough complementary things about the seasonings. Every dish was jumping with flavor. My companion and I split a scallop starter. For mains we split both a rib eye and a cod - magnificent. Special props to the flavorful sauce for the steak. And for dessert a luscious chocolate fondant and a berry crumble. A Winner! Highly Recommended! read more

Had nice business lunch here last week. Positives were that the restaurant has a nice kinda crisp feel to it. Maybe polished is a better word. And the food was delish. I had mushroom risotto to start and monkfish for mains. There were 7 others so I can't recall what they had but the general consensus was that it was very good. The only negative really was that the service was quite slow. I see that someone else has commented that this doesn't seem to be the fault of the staff, more the fact that there isn't enough cover. For desserts and coffees it didn't seem as if there was anyone serving at all! But all in, very enjoyable and wouldn't hesitate to go back. read more

Top service with warm atmosphere! Nice Galway oyster pretty fresh. Such a great place for girls' dating. The price slightly higher though. read more

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+ beautiful setting - Steak was tough and over cooked. The jus with the steak was very salty yet managed to be tasteless. Salad was smothered in dressing. Service was poor and unpolished. Not enough staff in the floor. Coffee was ok. Oysters and fish was good. Overall it is not worth the price. read more

Came here on NYE. €59 for set menu on NYE which wasn't anywhere to be seen on their website unless I missed something?! No staff on front desk on arrival - appeared they were too busy with another group of guests?? Anyhow a pushy American got his attention and we eventually got shown to our seat. Although I gathered they weren't exactly ecstatic to do so. Wasn't a friendly welcome anyhow. Shown to our seat. Initial ordering OK but lack of personality - quite cursory really My starter was incredible. As was the bread. One staff member did ask if we wanted more bread (which I did cos the brown bread was fab) Steak was almost blue instead of medium rare as requested and chips were undercooked? (Like seriously, how???) When main course almost finished one of the servers was far too enthusiastic to clear our plates. In fact I noticed him try to clear the table beside us when one of the other guests was still eating!!!! Dessert came & went. No question as to whether we'd like a coffee or tea. That put me off asking for one. Got the bill and yeah we did tip but I'm very sorry we did. Went out and had to get our own coats from the hooks because guess what? Super disinterested front of house was too busy with his computer screen. I said good night and happy new year and barely got a grunt so I made a point of saying it a second time and got a cursory response. Now I get it's not nice to work on New Years Eve but I've been out many years on NYE & can honestly say that was worst most unprofessional service I've experienced!! Just not worth it for the price they charge read more

Lovely seafood!! Great service. I took the 3 course menu at 40euro = Starter : West Cork Scallops - Braised Oxtail, Parsnip Puree, Game Chip Main course : Monkfish - fillet, potato crust, spinach, carbonara sauce Dessert : Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Chip Shortbread Biscuit It was delicious and there was a really good presentation in the plate. I just though there was not enough food for the starter (only 2 scallops) and the main course (there was not much sides with the monkfish). My boyfriend took the 3 course menu at 40euro = Starter : Kelly's Wild Mussels - Galway mussels, white wine, garlic, parsley: Main course : John Stone Rib Eye - mixed leaf salad, chips, béarnaise sauce Dessert : Warm Chocolate Fondant - mousse, sea salt, olive oil crumb, white coffee ice cream Really tasty too, the rib eye was perfectly cooked and there was a good amount of food . read more

Lovely place with excellent food and service. The squid and the tempura prawns were a hit and mains of hake and monkfish were near perfection. Thumbs down for the meanly served sides of chips ( 4.50...gulp!) and veg...unnecessary given the quality of the mains, and also give the strange tasteless apple jelly dessert a miss ( go for the bakewell or the chocolate fondant). Good wines. We'll be back read more

My friends had a voucher for the Cliff Townhouse and they wanted to bring myself and another close friend along for dinner. Its been on my list for a while so I was delighted to be invited along. We arrived around 8,00 and they were very busy. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a gin and tonic. It was fairly hectic so we ended up being seated closer to 9.00. We were able to order wine at the bar so we enjoyed chatting. We were eventually seated. I didnt really like our table to be honest as it was in the middle of the floor. I felt that as we had reserved, we should have had a nicer table. We were able to move as it was starting to empty out. The food was delicious I have to say. I had squid stuffed with chorizo and goats cheese which I enjoyed a lot. My main course of turbot was lovely too. I had pannacotta for dessert which was excellent. Everyone really enjoyed their meal a lot. I tasted my friends starters of tuna and prawn salad and they were both gorgeous. My friends had steak which was very tasty. Its not a cheap place to dine so its one to save for. However the restaurant does look very elegant with white table cloths and crystal glassware. The main colour scheme is very relaxing. My only quibble would be the table choice and also our young waiter. He came across an inexperienced which surprised me. He was friendly but did'nt seem to know much about the menu or the wine. I would go back and I would recommend a visit. read more

I wish I had caught our server's name, as she was an absolute star! Sweet, knowledgeable and attentive. We dined here on a work trip and I was so impressed with the beautiful, bright dining room, the broad selection of seafood on the menu and the top tier service. The sole was out of this world (4 of the 6 of us ordered it)! read more

The fish pie is trash, don't give into the hype. Everything else my family ordered was yummy tho

Tried the pre-theatre dinner here recently. At 2 courses for €23 covering a broad selection of the menu, it offered good value for money. My mussels starter was huge, and the fish pie that followed was tasty. That being said, the food is not particularly special, it's all things you would easily make at home. The main draw is the elegant dining room/bar, which is one of the nicer places in Dublin to sit. The staff are also very friendly and accommodating, although they did seem to keep the nicer tables set aside for potential clients rather than people actually already there. read more

I have been here many times with work. We are a large group, book a private room and spend a lot of $$. I'm a vegan and they usually prepare a nice dish for me as the menu doesn't have any options. However, I was there March 14 and my main course was four boiled vegetables/ side dishes. Even my non-vegan colleagues were embarrassed at the lack of effort put in by the kitchen crew. Sorry guys, this was truly pathetic for such a high end restaurant. read more

My wife and I were here on vacation recently. Starters: 1/2 doz Galway Oysters 1/2 doz Native Oysters Kelly's Wild Mussels No offense, Irish persons, but I much prefer the Oysters we have on the northeastern coast of the states & eastern Canada: Prince Edward Island, Wellfleet and other Cape Cod, Duxbury, etc. Those have a very clean ocean taste. The Galway and Native oysters had a metallic finish, which I find unpleasant. It is mitigated with the topping that accompanies the oysters (I usually eat oysters plain). The mussels, however, are far better than what we have in the states typically. Smaller and excellent. The sauce was perfect. Mains: I had the monkfish, and I'm pretty certain my wife had the trout. The monkfish was cooked to perfection, excellent sauce/etc. Though frankly, I think the trout was even better. I'd stick with the seafood at this place. They know what they're doing. The only negative parts of the meal were: - Restaraunt felt too hot (Early/Mid sept) - Service. This was not the fault of the server, but of the hotel. They had only two people covering the bar and table service for the whole restaurant. Our waiter was running back and forth constantly, always polite, but it was quite hard to get his attention as he had too many tables to look after. Manager: Add another waiter. read more

This restaurant is high on atmosphere and middling in other respects. It is a lovely space and tastefully decorated, with a balance between contemporary and antique. My husband and I were both struck by the oversalting of two dishes...and he likes salty food. The restaurant has numerous fish dishes: surprising for a restaurant of this quality, the dining room reeked of fish when we entered. I had the fish pie, which was tasty, but based on my other dining experiences in Dublin, you could probably find just as good or better for half the price. The best part of the experience was the cocktails: Cliff Townhouse makes a brilliant cucumber and wasabi martini. read more

Having previously eaten in Bentley's & before that Browne's Brasserie, expectations were high for this Dublin outpost of the michelin starred Cliff house in Waterford & it didn't disappoint. We decided to try the great value pre-theatre menu available up to 6:45pm (2courses €19.50, 3Courses €24.50). The red mullet terrine was polished off. The almost ubiquitous pork belly turned out to be great. Basically all the dishes were shared around the table of five & I think that is the best recommendation. The wine we chose was a Simone Joseph les vignes paralleles at about €23 which retails in the Drinkstore in Stoneybatter for €10 I believe. A minor quibble was that our wine glasses were constantly being refilled which was resolved by placing the second bottle out of reach. On the list for the next visit is the Helvick monkfish starter. €20 for two courses of this quality is excellent value & there are other good restaurants in Dublin doing similar great deals. read more

Clean room (but a little on the small side) and friendly staff. Our rate included breakfast, which was nice because it required no thought each morning. The eggs Benedict were excellent and you get plenty of fresh food. As my sister and I were up every morning, early, to get as much touring in as possible, the waitress at the restaurant was very friendly and offered a lot of suggestions. The location was also ideal to shopping (Grafton Street) and restaurants. We purposely chose not to stay in the Temple Bar area because we thought it would be too loud at night but, this place offered a close enough location that we would eat/enjoy the Temple Bar area without all the loudness that it brings. Super close to everything and overlooks a nice park. The only downside to the hotel is no elevator (it's a historical building). We were on the top floor so, I think we counted 76 steps from the door to our room. Not too bad except when you have your 50lbs suitcase. They do offer help though for those who need it. read more

Posh but not stuffy in an elegant Georgian setting. Can be a fancy or casual nice dress place. Went for a Christmas luncheon--all ages and group sizes present and enjoying meals. Especially popular were the mussels--but lots of variety and typically priced for downtown. read more

I love this place! Food was really good. We opted for the pre theatre menu, great value. The setting is beautiful, you really feel like you're somewhere special. Ambience is great, fancy but relaxing, not pretentious. Absolute top marks for the service!! Professional to a tee, the staff are courteous and efficient. Would go back for the food, service and overall experience. read more

Delicious! Lovely caesar salad with anchovies for me. Wonderful goats cheese salad for my girlfriend. We both ordered the half lobster for a main. I'd never really order lobster due to the price but the half lobster seemed very reasonable and was definitely delicious read more