As other reviewers have pointed out, this place is a Phibsboro institution. And, like no other café or restaurant I know, Woodstock is all things to all people. From a top-class fry-up that, at weekends, could equally be named the Cure Extraordinaire, to hearty traditional dinner fare (small portions available for little old ladies and tall thin girls), to sandwiches and salads, Woodstock feeds this urban village amply every day. Workers - including large numbers of prison officers and boys in blue - and locals alike frequent it, and like the portions it serves, its layout is a generous size.
It might be argued that to love Phibsboro, you've got to know it. It ain't fancy. It has too many bargain shops. The property shops turned into bookies the day after the boom went bust. It's close enough to Dublin centre to know that urban life doesn't come problem-free, yet isn't glossy or urbane enough to hide its battle-scars. In short, it's real-life. But for all this, Phibsboro is great spot, with a rich community of down-to-earth middle-class professionals, transitory and non-transitory renters from all walks of life, artistic types, lost souls, dreamers and students - overall, a multi-cultural melting pot that rubs along very nicely indeed (the annual voluntary-run Phizzfest being the ultimate showcase of the riches this community has to offer). And this is exactly what you'll find reflected in the clientele here - and all, to a man, woman and child, are made feel not only welcome, but treasured.
This is because the staff, commandeered by the café's lovely owner Angie, are simply wonderful. The ethos is completely customer-centred, and they can not do enough for you. They run a tight ship, and the standard of food is consistently great. These guys have some excellent chefs working for them, and seriously top-of-the-range homemade desserts, which could easily make the grade in a far more upmarket restaurant.
From Thursday to Sunday, the stone pizza oven fires up and a special weekend evening menu kicks in, offering very reasonably priced good-quality and often locally sourced food - it's a simple and delicious selection and creates an experience that's a little more upmarket than its daytime feel, with waitress service and a more extensive wine list.
The only small issue, which hopefully they may iron out yet, is that, in a way, the introduction of this menu and the table-waiting service that accompanies it, creates a small identity crisis for the cafe, as its regular post-work clientele still pile in for their more canteen-feeling hot-counter fare, puncturing the veneer of sophistication a little if you are opting for the table-service side of things, especially when the big guy with the tray plonks himself down on the table next to you.
As the restaurant is in two parts, back and front, it has struck me that a solution might be to make the back part the restaurant bit, retaining the front for its regular use. My guess is that making a clearer delineation will bring in more of the restaurant customers they want to attract. But it's a small glitch in the overall scheme.
They've also started running music nights here a while back, around one a month on a Thursday, with table service and a lovely, low-lit ambiance, and these seem to be gaining fair momentum locally.
The name Woodstock is synonymous with the famed 1969 music festival in Upstate New York, about which Joni Mitchell wrote the eponymous song, despite not actually making it there herself. I'm not sure why the owners chose this name - it could equally be after the Charlie Brown character. But I like to think it's the festival, as that event, and the unforgettable song that marked it, are essentially about a celebration of community spirit. Which is not a bad summation of the Woodstock cafe ethos. And what better way to celebrate community spirit than eating and drinking good food in a shared, easy-going and comforting space, whose doors are open to everyone who wants to come in, and where service comes with a big smile? read more