PHX Bistro — Restaurant in Dublin

We were very unsure of when or where we would eat last night. We’d only just landed from a long flight that morning and we were determined to adjust as quickly as possible to the time zone. I found PHX with favorable reviews and a beautiful menu, so I hoped that I could make a reservation less than an hour in advance. I lucked out and they were able to accommodate us. Their communication was first-rate.

Due to an Uber driver ghosting us, we ended up walking and arriving 10 minutes late. The young woman who greeted us was very kind, warm, and inviting. The service was impeccable throughout the evening. Really excellent.

My wife ordered the pil-pil gambas and the hake, while I opted for the duck liver parfait and the sirloin steak with a pepper sauce. The gambas were good, my wife really enjoyed them. I tasted them and thought they were very good, but not as piquant as I’ve had before. She noted that her hake was slightly dry, but that the sauce was delicious and overcame a mild overcook.

My pate was delicious; I wasn’t ravenous, but I cleaned the plate. The sirloin was tough, but flavorful. The pepper sauce was, again, lacking in punch and could have used a dose of cracked pepper. The frites were tasty and perfectly fried.

Side notes: All of the presentations were very nice and we enjoyed a nice Malbec with dinner that was fairly priced.

The atmosphere takes a bit of a hit due to location and when we were there in the height of tourist season (important caveat) it was a bit loud.

The breadth of the menu offerings, the impeccable service, and the quality of the food at a very reasonable price make this place a sure thing. Go here and enjoy a...

We were served undercooked rice in our risotto. Although risotto is Al Dente this rice was so undercooked we were picking crunchy bits from our teeth. The rest of our food was fine however the biggest complaint of the night is, that after we Informed then undercooked rice and the "tried to fix it" it came back undercooked again. After we didnt eat it considering the obvious health risks associated with raw rice they refused to take the price of the risotto off the bill. The staff/manager were actually really nice and understanding of our situation but obviously seemed under some sort of pressure from the owner, who they called to see if it was possible to remove the risotto from the bill which they refused. They then tried to tell me because nobody else complained about the risotto that night then our complaint was invalid(no longer nice and understanding) and because the chef/owner is from Italy ge knows what hes doing. Then when an obviously intoxicated woman on another table began shouting at us that we had clearly never eaten risotto or been to Italy(which added to the insanity of the situation) the management refused to address the fact we were now being charged for an undercooked meal and being berated by a drunk. Final point. Considering it probably cost the restaurant less than 2 euro to make a single plate of risotto, the owner is clearly a cheap cowboy who has no consideration for customers and zero accountability for the short comings of...

If ever a place earned a 5 star review, this restaurant did tonight. PHX Bistro was a total accidental find based on, yes the menu looked good and reasonably priced, but the tipping point was that It was literally less than a block from where I'm staying in Dublin. After flying in from the States this morning, having someplace with potential that didn't involve a long walk or cab ride tipped the scales. Lucky me.

There were easily a half dozen things between the menu and the specials board that looked appealing. I ended up going for the Sea Trout which was perfectly prepared with a seared skin and moist, flaky flesh. first below the trout filet were still crisp but nice and hot (how did they do that?) fresh green beans and settled atop a sun-blush tomato mash. Most chefs would have stopped there, but not these guys. A lemon cream sauce encircled the mash and was SO GOOD when a fork full of the mash was run through it. I was so excited to talk about the main course, I forgot about the soup special starter, a tomato and red pepper concoction with just a little kick to it. Served with a slice of Guinness bread.

I had interactions with two of the servers and they were both that perfect blend of friendly, personable and professional. I'm only in town three nights, but it's highly likely I'll spend another evening at PHX. It's not likely I'll find...