Thunder Road Cafe — Restaurant in Dublin

I visited this amazing venue as part of the Cocktail Week event, which they were participating in. I ordered their cherry cocktail, which was genuinely one of the best I’ve ever had. Curious about the garnish, I waited politely, smiling and standing off to the side so I wouldn’t interrupt the barlady, who was busy serving another customer. I made sure to keep a respectful distance from both her and the customer she was helping, out of consideration for their interaction.

I was standing right in front of the “no serving” sign, fully aware of what it meant, and I was simply waiting for the right moment to ask a quick question about the cherries used in the drink.

Suddenly, a waiter approached, looked at me with clear irritation, and silently pointed at the sign without saying a word. No “excuse me,” no “can I help you,” just a cold gesture, then he turned his back and walked away before I could even open my mouth to explain.

Even a simple “How can I help you?” would have made all the difference. Instead, he made assumptions and treated me as if I was being difficult or disrespectful, when I had been nothing but considerate and patient.

It’s worth noting that I’ve visited several venues during Cocktail Week, and in none of them have I encountered this kind of attitude. On the contrary, the staff everywhere else have been warm, helpful and welcoming.

On a positive note, the barlady who served me was absolutely lovely, kind, friendly and professional. She made the experience enjoyable and is a true credit to the venue. The young man in question could learn a great deal from her attitude and approach.

Good service isn’t just about following rules. It’s also about how you make people feel. Courtesy and clear communication cost nothing, but they...

In general GREAT experience The food was outstanding I visit the place with my girlfriend and she recommended me to try the ribs But we being people that like to try different things we order the “plate to share” with fried chickens,ribs,nachos and spice chicken wings And two tostadas with pulled pork The Ribs where immaculate the bone where ripping apart without even trying I eat the ribs with just a fork VERY nice The fried chicken where very nice the crust was crisp and well seasoned The spice wings where good but they where a little to overcooked but very good And the nachos where the ones in the simple side but I really liked the chilli on top very spice and flavourfull The tostadas where very nice they have a sweet to it that gave a extra kick very nice

After that we still hungry for more and we order a cheese bite from the starter menu and I order another tostada for my self but with chicken this time The tostadas where very was good but nothing that impressed me BUT… The cheese bites were SO SO SO GOOD they were crispy,salty and where follow with a spicy jelly that was right on the spot. If someone go to thunder you have to try this starter they are perfect just perfect. When we finish all that food we decided to go for desert and we choose the cookie in the pan And all I can say is marvelous the cookie was so hot that the ice cream melted when you mixed together and the cracker with the ice cream and biscuit was so nice Definitely coming...

We were a group of 11 colleagues visiting from the United States, working for Google and Microsoft. On 22 August 2025, after leaving work, we decided to go for a walk around the Temple Bar area and chose Thunder Road for dinner. The restaurant was busy, which we fully expected, and we patiently queued at the bar to request a table for our group. Unfortunately, what should have been a pleasant experience turned into an appalling one. I asked some staff members for her name, and I believe the manager’s name is Michelle. From the moment she approached us, she was shockingly rude, dismissive, and downright unprofessional. This was our very first visit to the restaurant, and instead of welcoming paying customers, she treated us with hostility and arrogance. We have never before encountered such behaviour from someone in a customer service role in Ireland.

It is absolutely unacceptable for a manager – the very person meant to set the tone for the team – to behave in such a disrespectful and aggressive manner towards guests. Someone with this attitude should not be representing a business, let alone managing one. If the owner values their reputation and their customers, serious consideration should be given to replacing this so-called manager. She is clearly not fit to work with people, nor to manage a restaurant where hospitality and respect should be a priority. A truly disappointing and shocking experience for international visitors who came to...