Restaurant Review: New Year’s Eve at The Church, Dublin!

As I discussed in my last post, we spent last New Year’s Eve in Dublin, Ireland at The Church Bar & Restaurant, which hosted a prix-fixe dinner party. I have been to The Church previously (and wrote about it here), so this post specifically relates to The Church’s New Year’s Eve party.  I am writing this because, despite my best efforts, I could find NOTHING regarding The Church’s New Year’s Eve party online prior to booking.

The Church from the outside (this was in February, not December!).

The Church

As further detailed in my previous post about The Church, The Church Restaurant & Bar is a former church turned modern restaurant and bar in Dublin, Ireland. The building rather old and famous, including the place Arthur Guinness (of Guinness brewery fame) married. The Church is definitely worth checking out on a visit to Dublin, even if you are not dining, and it’s popular with the tourist crowd.  That being said, the crowd on New Year’s Eve was a lot of Irish people; we did not see that many tourists.

The Church from the second floor on New Year’s Eve.

In terms of a restaurant, The Church consists of two floors and an outdoor area, which was closed during our winter visit. The second floor is table seating only and overlooks the first level.  The first level (or ground floor) holds a band area, a GORGEOUS bar, and bar tables and standing space.  Stairs and an elevator, located outside in the silo, connect the two floors.

Reservation for NYE

Reservations for NYE opened in October 2022 (for the 2022/2023 holiday) and were announced via Instagram. To make a reservation, I emailed The Church and asked about options for 9 people. We were offered a table on the second floor with a four course prix-fixe for 120 euro per person. Done. The Church required me to pay the bill in full within seven days of making the reservation, which I did (there was a reasonable cancellation policy). The Church also provided me a sample menu when I booked, which was pretty close to the actual menu presented.

In addition to the sit down dinner, I believe there was also an option to sit in the bar area and have only small bites and a bottle of champagne.  Definitely email for the latest options, as it changes yearly.

The Menu on NYE

As mentioned, the New Year’s Eve menu is pre-fixe and offers a starter (choice of 1 of 4 options), a palate cleanser sorbet, an entree (again, choice of 1 of 4 options), and a dessert plate for each person. The prix-fixe also included a welcome glass of Champagne and tea or coffee after dinner. Our table, which was on the second floor, was assigned a waiter who came around and took everyone’s individual order, and everyone at the table did not have to order the same thing.

The Church’s menu for NYE.

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Vice’s: The BEST Irish Coffee in All of Dublin!

Dan and I loooove Ireland, and we also love Irish Coffee! When we visited Dublin last February over President’s Day weekend, we found a new spot on a food tour with Delicious Dublin Food Tours – Vice’s! Vice’s was our first stop on the food tour and according to our guide, home to the best Irish Coffee in Dublin. I was a bit skeptical, but kept an open mind. Well, spoiler alert, Vice’s was so great that we went back every day of our stay for an Irish Coffee!

Vice’s!

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Restaurant Review: The Church Restaurant & Bar, Dublin, Ireland.

For years, since my Samantha Brown Passport to Europe Days, I had wanted to visit The Church restaurant in Dublin, Ireland. However, despite having visited Dublin numerous times, I had never made it to The Church. So, on our trip in February 2022, I made dinner reservations for a Monday evening. This is my review of The Church and some tips and tricks for those planning a visit!

The gorgeous interior.

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Eating Our Way Around Dublin With Delicious Dublin Food Tours

Dan and I were recently in Dublin over President’s Day weekend (mid-February), and we spent our first full day on a food tour with Ketty of Delicious Dublin Food Tours! This was our first food tour in Dublin, although not Ireland, and it was a really fun way to spend a morning. We even found the very best Irish Coffee that we have ever had.

MEETING POINT – DUBLIN’S SPIRE.

Our tour started on a rainy Saturday morning, meeting a group of six others under the Spire (AKA Dublin’s tall pointy modern monument). The Spire is on the opposite side of the River Liffey from most of Dublin’s main tourist sites, so this was an interesting place to start. Ketty, our guide, explained a bit about the tour and food history of Ireland, before the group walked a few minutes to our first stop for that fantastic Irish Coffee that I mentioned!

The Spire, on a sunnier day than that of our tour!

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Restaurant Review: Gallagher’s Boxty House, Dublin, Ireland

In light of my upcoming favorite holiday – St. Patrick’s Day – I am posting about our recent trip to Dublin, Ireland for the next two weeks!  Here’s a review of one of Dan and my favorite restaurants in Dublin, Gallagher’s Boxty House!

Gallagher’s Boxty House is an established Dublin restaurant located right in the middle of touristy Temple Bar. Despite this, Gallagher’s Boxty House is no tourist trap. Dan and I first ate here a decade ago and continue to return on every trip. Gallagher’s Boxty House specializes in the potato and almost all of its dishes are potato based. As the name implies, Gallagher’s also specializes in the Irish boxty, or a potato pancake. Eat at Gallagher’s for a taste of traditional, and delicious, Irish food.

As the napkin says, this place is really into potatoes!

The menu at Gallagher’s is on the small side, but as long as you eat potatoes, you should be able to find something.  Here is the menu from February 2022. It seemed a bit smaller this time, likely due to Covid. One pro of the menu (and this is common in Ireland generally), allergins are clearly listed on the menu.

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