Gallaghers Boxty House — Restaurant in Dublin

In September my sister and I ventured from Australia to Dublin, it was our first time in the city and once we dropped our bags off, my sister and I B-lined it straight to Gallagher's Boxty House upon heavy request from our mum who had previously been many years before, and talked non-stop about how amazing the food was. We took our first bites and to put it simply, our lives were changed! We were in Dublin for only 4 days, and we ate at Gallagher’s Boxty House EVERY DAY without fail for either lunch or dinner, we didn’t have to discuss where we were going to eat as it was a no-brainer, and didn’t even bother trying any other local restaurants because we knew nothing could compete. The food was absolutely amazing and dining here was the highlight of our every day in Dublin! I ordered the Chilli & Bean Boxty each time I came and my sister ordered the Lamb Boxty, the food was always perfect and up to standard, and the drinks were equally as delicious. The staff and manager were beyond accommodating and gave us desert on the house, obviously we ordered the desert apple Boxty which was incredible! Upon coming home from our trip, the only thing we’ve been able to talk about is how amazing the food and staff were at Gallagher’s Boxty House, and have been heavily advising people to go to this beautiful city, even just for the day, so that they can experience the magic of Boxty. We were very sad to leave and are already planning on coming back to Ireland just to come back here for another great meal with hospitable staff, it’s definitely worth the 23-hour flight from Melbourne to Dublin. I highly recommend dining here when you get the chance, the food, drinks, and staff are incredible, they're kind, funny, and go above and beyond to make you feel welcome and to provide the...

I think this might be a tourist trap. I had this spot bookmarked because it had good reviews and the food looked good, which it was. However, it was kind of pricey for what it was, and it's probably because it's located right in Temple Bar. We stopped by for lunch on a Friday at around 2. Between me and my husband, we ordered 'An Gach Rud', which was a sampler platter, to share, since we wanted to try a little bit of everything. It came with the Gaelic Boxty (medallion of Irish beef), Gallagher's Lamb Stew, Corned Beef Boxty Dumplings, Carrot Puree & Black Pudding Crumb on Boxty Loaf, and Boxty fries.

For those of you unfamiliar with boxty, it's a traditional Irish potato pancake made from a mixture of raw, grated potatoes and cooked, mashed potatoes. I read that it's supposed to be crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. This one was just soft and soggy all over, so I wasn't a huge fan. I actually preferred the lamb stew and the corned beef. The lamb in the stew was very tender, and didn't have any gamey lamb taste. The fries had a nice flavor but it was too oily and over-fried. I would say that we weren't really that full, but we weren't still hungry either. We could have eaten more, or just not ate, if that makes sense. Besides, I don't think either of us wanted any more of any of the dishes since they're pretty heavy. I don't think I would be able to finish any one of these dishes by myself, so if you can, come with a group of people so that you can try a little bit of everything.

I'm glad we got to try it but was this sampler platter worth €46? I...

The two stars are for the hostess. She and the boxty fries were the only good parts of our experience. We were looking forward to eating at this place but unfortunately the service from David was poor and the food wasn’t great.

When David delivered our food and drinks he didn’t even go into detail on what we were having. Just plopped it down, it was our first sign that we should not expect much from him. The hostess brought over the Boxty Platter and described everything we were going to have. She was enthusiastic and knew what she was talking about. I wish our tip had gone to her. David did nothing to deserve a tip.

We got most of our food boxed up as we don’t like to waste it; we then gave it to someone afterwards.

The beef stew should not be served at all or the recipe needs to be revised; it is grey and tasteless. If there is anything to have here, try the boxty fries.

If you get David as your server he might be nice to you if you are from here. But he made zero effort with us or the other table that was Spanish in his section. Everyone else who sounded like him seemed to get great service. Speaks volumes to his character and the kind of person he is.

Service can make or break an experience and in this case it didn’t help ours. We would not return and we would say there are better places to try; the food scene here is vast and Gallaghers...