The Old Spot — Attraction in Dublin

After a leisurely stroll through the bay area during low tide, our craving for oysters led us to "The Old Spot," enticed by promising reviews nearby. Nestled in a serene corner, the restaurant's exterior exudes charm with its colorful facade, setting the stage for a delightful dining experience.

Upon stepping inside, we were greeted by an ambiance of cleanliness, elegance, and comfort, instantly putting us at ease. Our culinary journey commenced with the eagerly anticipated oysters, and they certainly lived up to their reputation, setting a high bar for the rest of the meal.

The culinary offerings at The Old Spot proved to be nothing short of delightful. The roast chicken boasted a tender, moist texture, while the risotto expertly balanced creamy richness with a delightful interplay of sweet and umami flavors. The pork chop was impeccably cooked, accompanied by traditional Irish mashed potatoes done just right.

To cap off our meal, the toffee cake provided an intense burst of sweetness, a perfect indulgence for those with a sweet tooth. Additionally, the innovative twist of frying pickled onion rings provided a pleasant surprise, showcasing the restaurant's creativity and willingness to push culinary boundaries.

While the overall dining experience was exceptional, minor hiccups prevented a perfect rating. The lukewarm risotto and slightly starchy pickled onions detracted slightly from an otherwise stellar meal. Though we'd love to give a 4.5-star rating, alas, such precision eludes us.

Service at The Old Spot was characterized by warmth and friendliness, with attentive explanations and engaging conversation with our waiter. However, on this particular visit, there were moments of haste and forgetfulness, with a side order overlooked until reminded, and an extra prompt required for the bill.

In conclusion, The Old Spot emerges as a standout restaurant worthy of a visit. Don't miss the opportunity to savor their impeccable oysters and explore their inventive menu offerings. Despite minor imperfections, the overall experience is bound to leave a lasting impression, making it a recommendation...

Unfortunately, we had a poor experience here for Sunday lunch today. The lovely waitress we had was the only saving grace! She was really lovely and made a special fuss for my Nanas birthday which was a lovely touch.

The service from the kitchen was very slow - 2hrs for a 2 course meal. When ordering the wine we queried whether it was a sweet or a dry Riesling. We were told it was dry when in fact it was very sweet! I had the pan fried celeriac for starter which was delicious but there weren’t any toasted hazelnuts as it said on the menu. Similarly, the fish of the day came with a beurre blanc and “tumeric”. I would query whether it was a beurre blanc and the sauce was very heavily seasoned with tumeric (why not just call it a tumeric sauce instead) which completely overwhelmed the mussels and the overcooked sea bass. My fiancé had the vegetarian risotto but it came with Parmesan which is not traditionally not vegetarian so would query again how truly vegetarian this dish was. Also a typical cop out for vegetarian dish - a simple risotto rather than putting effort into making an innovative plant based dish. And finally, one of our party found plastic in their fries. When we brought it to the attention of the waiter at the end of the meal, not even a word of apology nor was anything taken off the meal because of it.

With plenty of other great restaurants in the area, I wont be returning. Thanks again to our...

The food was pretty good, so this review is 3 out of 5 stars specifically because of the service. The restaurant was nearly empty, but everything took a while. We ordered a mid rare steak, and the steak that was brought out to us was nearly well done. We had to send it back and receive a new one.

We ordered our food and drinks within a few minutes of one another, but received our drinks well after our food, as we were were in the middle of eating. Naturally, the drinks became diluted by the time we were able to enjoy them, which is why it is so surprising that a restaurant like this would make such a faux pas.

When we asked to receive new drinks, the manager was extremely passive aggressive, as if the reason we needed new ones was not the fault of the restaurant’s slow service. Our drinks then arrived after we had already finished eating, despite us having made the order shortly after sitting down.

I must say that our server was very nice, the food was quite good, and the drinks (after we finally got them) were also good. However, the experience we had with the manager and her utter rudeness, as well as the few mishaps in our service beyond that, reduced this rating to a three. For a restaurant with a distinction such as getting a place on the Guide, this was extremely disappointing, and if exploring restaurants on the Guide is your thing, I’d recommend another, as this place does not meet those...