Smokin Bones Castle Market — Restaurant in Dublin

“The Spire” was huge! I still can’t believe I could fit my mouth around all that meat!

The flavor of the burger was really good, especially the bites with bacon, those bites were perfection! Without bacon it did feel like it was lacking a flavor (because it’s 4 patties — 16oz of meat)! Honestly if I’d asked for a bottle of ketchup that would have done it for me, we did have BBQ sauce on the side from the hot dog dish, but I’m not a fan of that on my burger—I know some love this which is why I mention it.

The onion rings were slightly under done for my taste, the raw onion flavor was a little too strong.

But the fries were perfection!

My wife got the ranch salad, she said something was off in the flavor, definitely not the same flavor as back home in the USA. Noting she felt a flavor was also missing in her dish.

I did try the chicken in her salad and it was really good!

I’ll take a moment here to suggest that our American taste buds could be a part of the problem as our expectations were off.

The mozzarella sticks came with a salsa, I love marinara, but knew when ordering that it wasn’t going to be there. These cheese sticks were alright, not amazing. You could argue that not having a cheese pull is a feature, but I just felt like it wasn’t the greatest cheese in the world. But I also struggle to eat mozzarella sticks without marinara. I ended up using the salsa as my dip even though it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

My father in law had the ribs and I tried 2 as he had left overs. They were pretty tough and dry compared to what my expectation was. The flavor was great though! *My wife says her rib was totally fine, I think I had the two end pieces so that might be why.

I also got to try the sweet potato fries which were delicious perfection!

Overall I would recommend this restaurant, just go in with the knowledge that some flavors might not match expectations.

As for the staff and atmosphere, that was...

Where do I even begin? Smokin’ Bones serves up the dirtiest, wettest fries in Dublin, and I mean that in the filthiest, most delicious way possible. These aren’t your average fries. No, babe. These are fries that have seen things. Been places. Fries that leave you questioning your life choices and licking your fingers like a sinner in confession.

Cheesy. Beansy. Browny. Soggy and moist, yes, I said it. Moist. These bad boys arrive looking like they’ve just crawled out of a late-night rendezvous in a dark alley behind a rave. And the best part? You’re gonna want to dive right in face first.

Ask for them wet. (Comes with ice) don’t ask why, just accept it. Add some marinated chicken bones if you’re feeling freaky. That’s the UK-time combo of dreams. It’s like your taste buds are getting a lap dance from the grill.

The staff? Absolutely air. Floating on vibes. Abby Ryan definitely works there—or maybe she just spiritually haunts the place. Either way, you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled into the after-party of a festival you don’t remember going to. Perfect for the post-wigwam comedown when you’re still buzzen and half-sentient.

Top tip: if you need shorts, look everywhere in Dublin. You won’t find any. It’s the universe’s way of forcing you to stew in your own hungover sweat. Lean into it.

And if you want to test your twink friend’s patience? Drag them around every single restaurant in the area first, then circle back to Smokin’ Bones like it was always the plan. Because it was. Deep down, it always was.

Don’t walk. Don’t even crawl. Stumble to Smokin’ Bones. Let it ruin you—in the best way.

Photo attached includes images of what you’ll get served and what I wish I could do to the bowl of dirty...

I am unable to eat wheat as it makes me quite sick. I'm currently awaiting results for a celiac test, so my doctor has recommended I avoid crosscontaminated foods. When I went to this restaurant, I asked if any of the meals could be made gluten-free. I was handed a gluten-free menu, which I assumed meant the items on it were gluten-free. I ordered the nachos and reiterated to the waiter that I would need the meal to be gluten-free. Despite this, the waiter came back to me later after I had already eaten some of the meals to inform me that infact all of the sauces are cross contaminated. While I won't get physically sick in the restaurant because of this, if I do find out I'm celiac, this could very negatively affect my internal organs and cause future serious issues. I explained this to them and asked for the menu to be changed for future customers. They refused and said it was none of their concern. I was offered a replacement meal and chose the ceasar salad. I was given only lettuce, sauce, and some Parmasan cheese and was charged 10.95. Neither the price nor a description of the meal is on the gluten-free menu from which I was reading. When I questioned wheither the gluten free option should be as expensive as the regular as it did not contain much and was very small I was surrounded by three staff members giving out to be for being difficult and accusing me of trying not to pay for my meal. I believe the issues come down to the gluten-free menu, which is written badly and is very musleading. I left the restaurant in tears and am seriously concerned for anyone who enters this restaurant...