Brambles — Restaurant in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

Went to the branch outside Dundrum Town Centre for soup before going to the cinema. No staff seen on arrival: they were chatting in the kitchen behind a partition wall. We had to call out, after standing at the counter for some moments, as they didn't seem to have heard us come in. We ordered soup & bread. This arrived after a few minutes, and was cold. The female server didn't smile or speak: just dumped the plates down. The staff had disappeared behind the partition again and were talking loudly in a foreign language. We had to call out again for attention. The server came back and took our plates of soup without a word. We waited a full 5 minutes (needed just a minute or so in the microwave and there were only 3 other customers, who were having their coffee when we arrived) for our food to return. No smile or any word of apology was given.

The place was cold and unwelcoming(we kept our coats on while eating).

Once heated, the soup was nice and the seed bread tasty.

Wouldn't return though: the staff seemed totally...

I was utterly dismayed by the sheer decline in standards at Brambles. My recent visit was so abysmal that I had no choice but to cut short my dining experience. I generally refrain from critiquing staff, but I must say, the unfortunate Asian gentleman serving us seemed completely lost when it came to the names of the dishes. Witnessing him microwave a quiche and haphazardly cover it in cling film, with condensation visibly dripping off it upon removal, was a low point. To add insult to injury, the poor quiche was then left to languish for a further 10 minutes as the staff attended to other matters.

The lack of basic amenities was glaring – no labels next to the food in the display cabinet, and a menu nowhere to be found except tucked beside the till, resulting in a frustrating guessing game about the prices.

Regrettably, I won't be returning to Brambles. Instead, I sought solace at the Bagel Factory, where the service eclipsed that of...

When we arrived, the café was almost full, and the only available table still had leftover food and had not yet been cleaned. We waited politely for a staff member to clear it before placing our order. I asked if the table could be cleaned, and shortly after, the manager, Alex (whose name I confirmed with one of the staff), approached us.

To my surprise, she spoke to us in a very aggressive manner. She questioned why we were sitting without ordering, even though it was clear we were waiting for the table to be cleaned. She then insisted there were many empty tables—which was not the case—and continued to address us in a hostile tone.

Afterward, I read other reviews and was concerned to see similar complaints from other customers, particularly those who are not local. This made me wonder if the way we were treated was because we are not from the country, which left us feeling even more uncomfortable and...