Ryleigh's Rooftop Steakhouse — Restaurant in Dublin

Food: 9/10 Service 2/10 Location/ Restaurant: 8/10 Pricing: 6/10

I went there last night with my partner to celebrate her 35th Birthday. I wanted it to be special, that's why I have called in advance, to ask for a table with a great view and if it's possible to get a surprise desert with candles for her birthday. The person on the phone said they will take care of the surprise, and we'll get a great view 99% assured. She was very nice, and I felt excited that it will be a great experience.

Not only did we not get a table with a great view, but from the moment we have entered the restaurant, to the moment we left, none of the human interactions seemed genuine and caring. Every person working there seemed to be rushed and unapproachable. We stood waiting next to 3 people from staff at the reception, none taking note of us, even though we were right in front of them. We were left waiting. Then we were placed at the empty bar because the table wasn't ready. I simply felt sad that on the phone when I arranged the booking, the woman was so kind and caring, and once we stepped into the restaurant, we felt uncared for and ignored. Then we were led to our table, which didn't have the nice view over the river, but to the backside looking out at the other apartment building close up. I was disappointed, but still full of optimism for great food and great service...

But we got D* as our waiter, and D* was not in a good mood. He came off passive-agressive throughout the evening. When I asked him to repeat something he said, "LIke I told you..." with a sour face. From then on he basically didn't look at me anymore, and only spoke with my partner. And whenever he spoke with my partner he just came off condescending and snide. Not sure what had rubbed him the wrong way, but he seemed to struggle being friendly while explaing to two non-native english speakers what scallops are. He seemed rushed and robotic. It just wasn't his night.

Before the evening came to a close, I reminded V** (the person who brought us to our table) to put candles on the birthday desert for my partner. He assured me it will be fine. Then D brought out the surprise birthday desert: 1 scoop vanilla iceceram on a plate saying Happy Brithday. No candles. I felt foolish for not bringing my own mini cake with candles. I was dissapointed. It just felt like they did the bare minimum. Normally, I wouldn't mind, but if you pay 120EUR, throw in mini cake, or at least some candles?

I don't want to get anyone in trouble. I'm sure everyone who works there are nice people. But within the context of the evening (birthday, romance), and regarding the prices, I have felt let down by the restaurant's service.

So, I am hoping whoever reads this, doesn't take this review as a sign or signal to reprimand the staff, but takes a look how the staff is treated by the people above them. Often when staff is dissatisfied, or grumpy, it's because they aren't treated respectfully themselves from above, or have to work horrible hours. Maybe there is too much pressure to keep the customers rotating and not occupying a table for too long? Not implying it's the case here, because I simply don't know, but I have read similar reviews about the staff's attitude, so I thought it might be worth looking into.

The food tasted amazing though. We had the ribeye steak for two. Really good. Bit pricey at 75EUR, but good nonetheless. And the view from the veranda is very nice, if a bit cold though. I bet in summer time it's going to look gorgeous from up there.

Best...

We visited Ryleigh's Rooftop Steakhouse on March 13th to celebrate two birthdays. Much of our experience was wonderful and worth the extra cost. However, our service was extraordinarily lacking. When we arrived, we were happily greeted by a host who let us sit early and a bartender who asked us if we needed anything while waiting. We did ask for water because a member of our party had a sore throat. We, unfortunately, sat down before the bartender could deliver our water. We sat at the table for around 10-15 min before being greeted. When we did, we were pushed to order all our items at once (drinks, appetizers, meals) and never asked if we were celebrating something (we did, however, note it on the reservation). Around 5-10 min after ordering, we finally received water, and a comment was made about us celebrating a birthday. We got our drinks, and they were wonderful!! We again waited a long time for food, but it was well worth the wait when it arrived. We ordered a starter to enjoy, but it was delivered at the same time as our main food. Not sure if this is just how they operate, but I wanted to note it as we were expecting it to come out first. Our server did not drop off the food. Rather, another employee and we did not get greeted by our server till maybe 20 min later to check in on everything we had ordered. We continued to enjoy the wonderful food and views! We started to wrap up, got a few more wonderful cocktails, and ordered dessert. It, as with the rest of the food, did not disappoint! We did receive two special B-day dessert plates that were very thoughtful. However, our lack of server attention was very noticeable as we started to wrap up. We waited for our server to check in on us. He spent a good amount of time with the table behind us, chatting and asking questions. Finally, he came back, and we asked for a box. We got it, and he left without a chance to ask for the bill. We waited maybe 15 min till he checked back in and finally gave us the bill. Again he was chatting with the bartender and another table. The hostess saw we were waiting and getting our coats on, but no attempt was made to encourage our server to complete our bill. We come from the USA, so we assume service and hospitality standards differ. However, our table's lack of attention (and it seemed to only be our table in his section, which he was neglecting) left us very discontent with the experience. We hoped to go to a nice restaurant in Dublin to celebrate our birthdays in a once in a lifetime trip. However, the lack of attention and speedy service left us wondering if the cost of our final bill was...

We had a table booked for 7:30 and arrived a few minutes early so we were asked to wait at the bar,no problem. The table we were seated at was empty when we arrived so I don't see why they couldn't have seated us straight away. When we ordered it took about 30 minutes for the starters to arrive. 2 hot starters and 3 cold starters, ok no problem but a bit slow. Everyone loved the starters and they were by far the best part of the meal for the night, the food went downhill from here. When we finished the starters we thought it wouldn't be long for the mains, nope wrong it took another 30 minutes for the mains to come. When they did finally arrive they all looked amazing but that is where it ended. The pork chop that was ordered was as dry as the bone it came on, not juicy and tender like you'd expect ( when the waitress asked how was everything I did mention that the chop was very dry and her reply was, " yeah that happens with the pork" in a very well what do expect kind of attitude. The roasted potatoes in the chicken dish tasted burned, and at one point my son got a really bitter burned taste that almost made him spit it out. My wife and I ordered the Delmonico steak. Hers with mushrooms and mine with the onion stack. The mushrooms were swimming in oil and butter and overdone and really salty. The onion stack was nice and the steaks were done to how we asked but mine had large amounts of barely rendered fat and my wife's hardly any fat at all. Not what you'd expect from the same cut of steak. The sides were as expected but how could you go wrong on 2 chips and 3 salads. After the starters and mains wait times, we were contemplating whether to have a desert or not but decided to have one anyway. Bad decision. We ordered 3 roasted pecans with ice cream and banana and a lime tart. The pecans were over roasted and had lost all their taste. The bananas were mashed into oblivion and mixed with the cold ice cream made a very unpleasant texture in you mouth. It would have been much better to just slice the banana into the desserts rather than try to over complicate the dish. The lime tart was fine. The location and ambiance of the restaurant is fantastic and there is a good vibe when having a meal here but these are by far the best parts of the restaurant. Overall I wouldn't...