Fish Shop — Restaurant in Dublin

I had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant. I booked a table and my calendar clearly showed the reservation at 5:15. I arrived a little early, at 5:00, but the staff told me my booking was at 4:00 and that 5:15 was actually the leaving time. That made no sense and stupid because no one should put leaving time in the boo king to make guest confused.

To make matters worse, they told me they had tried to call me, but when I explained I hadn’t received any call, the staff changed the story and said my number was too complicated to dial. During this whole time, the restaurant had around nine empty seats, yet they still refused to let me stay and insisted that I leave.

This is not the first time — just two days ago, I also came spontaneously when the restaurant was nearly empty, and they still refused to serve me. At first, I thought it might have been a misunderstanding of reservations , but after this second incident, it feels much more like discrimination, especially since I am Asian.

There is no reason why a paying customer with a confirmed booking should be treated this way. It was disrespectful, unprofessional, and left me feeling unwelcome.

Update : After being turned away, I went to a nearby tapas restaurant. Even though they were busy, they welcomed me warmly without a booking with Irish hospitality, treated me like family, and even introduced me to great food. Most importantly, they respected me. I am more than willing to pay a lot for good food and good service and this fish shop lost more than 100 euro for the weird system but I guess the staff there did not care much and the owner also.

In conclusion, if you are looking for something authentic with a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere, this place is ABSOLUTELY NOT the...

No question but this part of Dublin is being transformed. I arrived without a reservation on a Saturday evening and the place was buzzing! I was quickly seated on one of the last available stools along the long bar counter by the wall which had a gorgeous brick aesthetic. I’m a fish lover and the reputation of Fish Shop lived up to its name. The menu is short and sharp. I ordered a glass of Muscadet from a wine list with a great selection of wines by the glass. I started with a stunning poached oyster with creme fraiche and pickled shallot. So moorish. This was followed by the smoked haddock croquette, a portion of 2 - perfect for tapas style sharing. This was followed by fresh plaice and chips and the plaice was literally hopping off the plate. My only small quibble was the quality of the chips. I would have preferred to see homemade chips, more the Irish style. Surprisingly the shape of the chips was very different, some very thin and overcooked and some quite thick and therefore not crispy at all. The mussels looked fantastic from a distance too. I ended up meeting a lady from Montreal, visiting Dublin to speak at a conference and who had searched out Fish Shop from reading reviews. She was very impressed! Service was friendly and sharp. Fish quality was outstanding and very good value for money. Work on the quality and consistency of the chips and this will be the perfect fish gem. If you like fish and edgy quirky dining spaces check this out. It’s only about 15 mins walk from Grafton Street just across the...

I’ve been coming here with friends for the last couple of years, and it’s always been a favourite. This time was special — first time bringing my girlfriend, and I’d hyped it up quite a bit. Thankfully, she said afterward, “It was all true.” Always a relief when a place lives up to the hype!

We had two haddock fish and chips — crispy batter, flaky fish, generous portions — spot on. A real standout was the smoked Gruyère cheese tartar sauce they use in the croquettes. It’s rich, creamy, and gives the whole dish a lovely depth.

They’ve got a surprisingly big wine list for a casual place, and the staff really know what they’re doing. We went with their house white, and it was a perfect match for all the food — fresh, easy-drinking, and just right with seafood.

The scallops were excellent — buttery and full of flavour. One of the staff suggested using the leftover juices from the scallops as a dipping sauce for the haddock, which my girlfriend absolutely loved. She even passed over some of her homemade tartar sauce to me — big win on my end, no need to order extra.

We also had the calamari (no photo, sorry!) — juicy, soft, with a nice light batter. It came with a little lemony mayo-style dip that worked really well. Definitely a dish I’d recommend.

And while we were enjoying everything, we noticed just how popular the place is — at least seven people came in trying to get a table, but it was fully booked. No surprise.

If you’re thinking of going, book ahead. It’s always worth it — and I’ll definitely be...