Jay Kays Cafe — Restaurant in Dublin

1 Avocado Toast, 1 Irish Breakfast Omelette and 2 cappuccinos. We were seated quickly and server took our order for cappuccinos while I took a minute deciding. Coffee arrived, we placed our order for food. Food arrived very quickly…too quickly…almost like they have stuff sort of half made and just finish and plate when they get the order - seriously. It arrived stone cold. NOBODY came to see how our food was. I would have happily flagged someone down to let them know but there was nobody around for a few minutes. When we had set our plates to the side half eaten, the server came back to take the plates, noticed how much was still left on the plates and asked if everything was ok. I let her know the orders had arrived cold. She apologized and took the plates away. To her credit, she told a manager, who came to speak with us and he too apologized, asked what we had ordered. He started explaining that avocado toast does end up being ‘cold’ because of the avocado spread being kept cold. As I explained to him, I’ve eaten a lot of avocado toast and while the avocado IS cold, IF the toast is made to order, IF the poached eggs are made to order, the result is still a ‘hot’ plate. In my opinion, the explanation didn’t hold water, especially because the other order was an omelette, so why would it be cold?? Anyway, while I appreciated his apology and indeed his offer to give us another cappuccino, we declined because that wasn’t the point of letting him know. The point was to DO BETTER next time or maybe look at your processes or whatever. And just a hint, when you come table-side to “apologize”, if you’re going to be successful and leave your customer feeling that they’ve been heard or that what they have to say genuinely matters to you?….the point is to LISTEN and NOT MAKE EXCUSES by ‘mansplaining’ their process and the reason the customer should expect their food to arrive cold because avocado toast is typically cold! Look, i know this place has rave reviews and maybe we just caught them on an off day but this...

I visited this restaurant and was kindly shown to my table by a friendly waiter. The interior is nicely designed. I ordered the avocado toast. Unfortunately, the dish looked unappealing and did not live up to my expectations.

UPDATE: Reaction Jay (October 6th, 2025): Hi H.J, you ordered avocado toast but asked for it to be done on brown sliced bread, this is not the way we do it normally but did as you asked. We serve thick sliced rustic toasted sourdough which works really well with the smashed avocado, sundried tomatoes, rocket and basil oil and looks completely different to what you asked for. Maybe you should visit us again and order it the way we serve it which would definitely be very appealing.

Kind regards Jay’

My reaction (October 7th, 2025):

Hello Jay,

Thanks for your reaction. I just wanted to clarify that I chose brown sliced bread because it was listed as an option when ordering, so I didn’t realise it would make such a difference in how the dish was served or presented.

I certainly didn’t intend to request anything unusual . I simply selected from the options provided. I found your response a bit disappointing, as it seems to suggest that the situation was my fault, whereas I was just ordering based on what was available.

I appreciate your explanation about how the dish is normally served, but a more understanding tone would have been appreciated.

Kind...

Jay's Cafe fell short of expectations despite its 4.5-star rating and a high number of reviews. While the service was swift, the coffee left much to be desired, featuring a disagreeable sharp taste and lacking body. Disappointingly, the eggs benedict were overcooked, and the absence of sides, like fried potatoes, was notable. Additionally, the oversight of not providing condiments such as balsamic further detracted from the dining experience. The wobbly table and cramped corner seating contributed to an uncomfortable atmosphere. Jay's Cafe dining is indicative of a hospital cafeteria.

Although a saving grace was found in the enjoyable Irish burrito, the overall impression suggests that Jay's Cafe may be more fittingly rated as a 3 to 3.5-star establishment. It appears that certain aspects, particularly the coffee quality and attention to detail in dish presentation, did not align with the high rating and extensive praise. While individual preferences play a role, the discrepancy between expectations and reality may leave patrons seeking a more consistent and well-rounded dining...