The Winding Stair — Restaurant in Dublin

Date: 2nd February 2025 Cost: €70 for two, inc. one drink each

The Winding Stair Bookshop & Café, named for a poem by Yeats, apparently became something of a melting pot in 1970s Dublin of writers, musicians and artists - “a hub for debate and creativity” according to its website. Twenty years ago, under new stewardship, the café was converted into a restaurant, and “retains its timeless charm with stripped wood tables and floors, and Bentwood café chairs”, original exposed girders providing “a nod to its past as a tweed loom”. The obvious choice for a pre-flight home meal then for a couple of English rugby fans on tour in Dublin nursing slight hangovers and the all-too-fresh and bruising memories of a what was eventually, in reality, a deserved victory for the Irish the night before. Dad and I had been playing ‘spot the match-goer’ on our little walk around the city; we didn’t find any potentials in here.

We did find, however, a lovely little table by the window. I had the view out over the river Liffey and Dad got the girders and stripped wood, the huge chalkboard wine lists, corners of bookshelves with actual books on them, line of sight into the open kitchen and the hustle and bustle of a buzzing lunchtime ambience. The angle was a welcoming, homely sort of vibe; we’d just enjoyed two days of incredible hospitality from Dad’s side of the family and this felt like more of the same - another thing the Irish do better than us to go along with the rugby.

The food was a continuation of the theme, grounded in traditional home cooking, but a glance down the menu told us this wasn’t going to be your average Tuesday night supper. When eating out I tend to prefer something I can’t make easily or well myself; here there were meats, fish and dairy sourced from specialist Irish artisans rather than the Co-Op on the corner, paired with intelligent, professionally-done accoutrements. I don’t know about you, but trout roe buerre blanc isn’t a regular feature at the kitchen table in my house.

One thing the menu didn’t let on was that the lunch list was made up of a combination of mains and starters from the dinner version. There was immediate food envy as a giant (and beautifully cooked - I tried it) pork chop atop a mound of cider-braised cabbage, carrots and mash surrounded by a moat of apple ketchup cast a cold, dark shadow over my starter-sized portion of Dingle Bay crab from Dad’s side of the table, but actually it was delicious and more than filling enough with a big and really consistent side-bowl of chips. Chips of this kind are too often so variable in quality; you go digging for the fluffiest, crispiest ones and the softer, soggier ones just go cold and then back to the kitchen. No digging required today. The aioli they came with went really well with the crab, too - I’d recommend squashing a couple into the soda bread, layering some crab over the top, and finishing with a dab of aioli and a slice of pickled cucumber. Awesome.

Sadly we were a little rushed, having to head straight off to the airport, which meant we tried less of the menu than we might have done had we more time. I suppose that gives us a reason to come back in a couple of years when England are next in town. Who knows - we might even have a decent rugby...

Looked forward to a birthday meal here as part of our trip to Dublin so made a reservation for 2. Thoroughly disappointed, really, quite the letdown. When we arrived, the waitress didn't hear us with the full name of the reservation (the shreaking of American tourists didn't help), and asked us to repeat. We misunderstood and thought first name only, to which she then ridiculed us and said there were a lot of people with that name and that it didn't help. We were then seated adjacent to another table of 2. By adjacent, I mean, we were essentially joining them on a table of four - separated only by a pillar, with both diners sat right next to us. They were uncomfortable, and so were we. During the meal, tables were moved to fit in as many diners as possible - it was almost factory like, at the expense of comfort (and to a degree, personal space and dignity).

We ordered a bottle of Zweigelt/Pinot Noir, one of my favourites, but it was vinegary and unpleasant. Certainly not what I am used to from the vineyards of Austria. The starter was charcuterie to share. Our waitress advised that, although it's charcuterie, it doesn't come with any cheese and that this would be an added extra. In fact, it was a small platter with a few slices of cured meat and three pieces of toast, with a random side salad. We were offered rapeseed oil for the toast, not olive oil. It was all quite bizarre. I've prepared better charcuterie platters for guests at my house with produce from a well-known European grocery store.

Mains were Irish Black Angus striploin which was tasty but an average steak at best. It was at least cooked medium rare as requested. Vegetables on the side were beyond aldente, rather they were in fact raw. The chips were salted to oblivion and back, and looked more like oven style than homemade. The other main was Wicklow lamb - no option to choose how it was cooked (any sort of quality lamb should be served medium rare, but the question should at least be asked and it wasn't). It came with gristle running through, was tough and again bland in taste served with halved new potatoes parboiled and fried, again all bland - more raw vegetables to boot.

Total meal price for two was €160.

We had high hopes given the reviews but they must reflect the American clientele with a supremely limited experience of cuisine - easily pleased, there for the photo opportunity and quaint surroundings, more than the meal for which they're paying.

One saving grace - the manager/owner followed us out to hand back some debit cards that had fallen out of a handbag. Very kind indeed, for which the review acquired an additional star. I think he was aware that our experience had been subpar, and seemed as embarrassed as us.

The opportunity is there for this to be a great culinary destination, but there needs to be a shift away from pandering to tourists. It can either be a tourist trap, or a great restaurant, but I...

We happened to be in Dublin during our anniversary (we travel full time) and wanted to pick a place that was nice, served Irish food, and wasn't too stuffy/proper or trendy/posh and had good food. We read about Winding Stair in a few lists and our friend Tara who used to live in Dublin recommended this place. This place was PERFECT! We got a great seat on the top floor on the corner with a view of the Ha'penny bridge and all the machinations of Temple Bar across the river. The service was perfect and the food, presentation, ingredients was divine. The wine list was also expansive, I would say our only minor complaint was that some of the dishes came over sauced. My scotch egg was perfectly cooked with a runny center, crispy sausage wrapping, served piping hot but was sitting on a bed of some sort of aoli or mayo based sauce which I wished was on the side so it didn't mess up my perfect egg. My gnudi also had a really thick sauce. I wish I had ordered the Cod which our friend ordered which came with a generous side of lightly prepared veggies. The Cod was a giant slab, crispy on one side and perfectly flaky all the way through. Difficult to do with such a big piece of fish. The pork chop which my brother in law ordered was also a generous piece of meat and tasted divine. My husband ordered the tongue appetizer. So good! But once again we had to scrape off the dollop of mayo. Now that I've been there once we would know what to order and maybe the chef would be amenable to a request for light sauce. I guess I wouldn't ask for it on the side because the presentation is beautiful, but to our taste, less is more especially when you're working with such talented cooking and great ingredients. The interior design of this place feels like the interior of your tasteful aunt's place. Old book shelves artfully placed, gorgeous old floors, love the tables and chairs and of course all the windows and light. If I lived in Dublin I would eat here once a week. (Though a tiny bit pricey, most things are big enough to share). Oh and before I forget, the cheesecake! And I don't even...