Dublin House — Restaurant in Red Bank

I wish I had better things to say about this restaurant, but unfortunately, my experience was memorable for all the wrong reasons. My girlfriend, who had been looking forward to this meal, recommended the place, and when we arrived, it seemed promising. The first floor was packed--people laughing, enjoying themselves, and soaking in the lively atmosphere. That excitement was short-lived.

After waiting a bit, we were taken away from that energy and brought upstairs to a completely empty section. Not just a quiet corner--an empty room, devoid of any signs of life. It was as if we had been exiled from the main dining area for no discernible reason. Still, we tried to make the best of it.

Looking over the menu, we decided to start with two French onion soups and an appetizer platter. Here's where things started to unravel. Despite being seated for quite some time, no plates, napkins, or utensils had been brought to the table. After getting our drinks, we were served the wrong soups--twice. It took two failed attempts before the correct French onion soup finally arrived. Thankfully, it was quite good, but at that point, we were just relieved to have the right order in front of us.

When the appetizer platter arrived, we still had no utensils. Now nearly 20 minutes into the meal, we had to flag down our server just to get the basics. The platter itself? Serviceable, but nothing special. However, once we finished, the empty dishes remained on our table for the rest of the meal, crowding our space as no one came to clear them.

Then came the entrees--where things truly went from bad to worse. I ordered the Irish stew, which arrived with a sad, flavorless scoop of mashed potatoes. The stew itself was an unappetizing mess. The chunks of meat varied wildly--some perfectly cut cubes, others massive, uneven pieces, some as big as golf balls. The look, smell, and taste were off-putting. My girlfriend ordered a steak sandwich, which somehow looked even worse. The steak was tough, old-looking, and had an unappealing odor. She refused to take a single bite.

Frustrated, we just wanted to pay and leave--except, of course, even that didn't go smoothly. The bill came out to nearly double what we expected. Looking closer, we realized we had been charged for our food as well as the food from another table's order. Next to our actual dishes, we were mysteriously billed for two soups we never ate, a mushroom burger, and a shepherd's pie that belonged to the table beside us. Thankfully, they corrected it, but by then, the damage was done.

Lousy service, constant mistakes, subpar food, and an eerie, empty dining space in what could have been a great restaurant. With so much potential, this place completely dropped the ball. We will not...

Went here for a Birthday party, was the first in the party to arrive. Was seated immediately in a comfy alcove type booth. Received immediate service. Because it was a surprise celebration we all arrived at a cascade of times.. the restaurant has a nice atmosphere with classic hits playing in the background.

Appetizer: the Irish Nachos are definitely made from scratch potato chips, loved them. Typical toppings but trust me it was good.

The sampler plater had the feel if being more diner fair, but again was well executed. And the potato skins contained crisp tasty bacon, unlike most places where its slack and clearly reheat.

Soup and Salad: it was a standard salad but was well washed and was well balanced. I didn't personally taste the soup, but it smelled delicious and was a winner in the party.

Main Entree: Should be noted the party was more of a 1pm lunch, as a result most of us ordered sandwiches. I personally had the Rubin, which was good but I prefer openfaced.

However having frequented Europe this is actually closer to their version, so although it wasnt a NYC Rubin, it was a European version in America, which I think is interesting.

Multiple people in the party ordered the Guinness Burger, one of the guests was offput by the Irish Bacon, but that is a personal preference, and when she offered me it the taste was authentic and amazing

The main organizer of the event ordered there Brunch Full Irish Breakfast which he reported as tasty and was clearly authentic, being a Brit he especially appreciated the Black & White pudding. However the Bloody Mary lacked authenticity as it was watered down and didn't contain hallmark essentials such as salt & pepper or a celery stick.

Our Brithday boy ordered the Bangers & Mash which were according to him perfect.

The other two members of the party ordered wraps which seemed to hit the spot.

Coffee & Dessert: Our party had purchased a custom ice cream for the event. The staff not only stored and thawed it so it was ready to serve, but also lit the candles we provided and got the whole dining room to sing Happy Birthday. The staff appered to be eger for him to blow out the candles but the smoke it was throwing with the smoke detector literally right above us, was totally understandable.

Final Thoughts: Excellent experience, look forward taking the family here for a regular dinner as the place appeared to be kid friendly as...

Last night we decided to go Redbank once our plans got rained out. We first stopped at The Dublin House for dinner. We did not end up having dinner there. My husband got the beef stew and mashed potatoes and I got shepherds pie. My food had a very strange flavor but I was so hungry I decided I would try to eat it. After a few bites I started to feel nauseous so I asked for our server and didn’t say why I needed my server. The owner (a hostile woman) comes to our table and informed us she was the owner and demanded to know why I needed my server. I told her I wanted to order something else. She got rude and demanded to know what was wrong with me the food is good. I responded that the flavor didn’t agree with me could I please order something else. She walks away pissed telling another server to bring me a menu. Before I even got a menu an aggressive man comes out with a very thick accent criticizing me for not liking his food and stated he was the head chef. “ what’s wrong with you? It’s just Shepard pie. It’s just beef vegetables and mashed potatoes. Do you understand what that means it comes with beef” he literally stated this over and over very aggressively and asked me what was wrong with me. Very hostile to the point I felt nervous. I said I didn’t like it. It wasn’t agreeing with me. He said there’s something wrong with you. my food is good and threw the menu on the table and said order something else. As he walked away, I looked at my husband and We were both stunned and I said I cannot be here anymore and I walked out. At this point we were very upset with the treatment we had received. They did take my food off the bill and my husband paid for his dinner and we left. The woman and the Chef were so hostile and aggressive in their choice of words and body language, I felt threatened. I don’t understand why they would treat me in such a hostile manner just cause I didn’t like something I ordered. Bullying tactics are really not good behavior to get someone to enjoy your food and return to your restaurant. Needless to say I was afraid to order anything else and we will not ever return there. We walked down the street and had a great experience at 26 West on the Navasink. Great service and wonderful food unlike The...