Etto

A fabulous gastronomic experience only let down by the overly noisy ambiance and crammed tables. This place is not to be missed, both the wines and the food are some of the best in Dublin.
After my first visit, only a couple of months since they had opened, I was afraid that the standards might have slipped a little, or maybe the food had gone down the same old predictable tastes that most other places around the city centre tend to cater for, but I’m more than happy to report that none of my fears came true.
The southern european/​Mediterranean influences are still there, coupled with a careful and colourful presentation. They are not afraid of serving non-​boring fish here! And they can get the simple things, like bread, exactly right, and pick some good olives and even some more out of the ordinary products, like cecina. They certainly did their research, if you need further convincing just take a look at the wine list. Also, if looking for vegetarian dishes, you won’t be disappointed.
However, this small brilliant restaurant did fall prey to one of the most annoying things about dining out in Dublin — the rowdy diners. And while this might slip under the radar in other places, it’s just impossible to ignore in such a confined space, when you have 4 other strangers sitting less than a meter from you, all trying to make themselves heard over the small groups sitting the other side of the room. Like I said, it’s a small restaurant, and they try to make the most of the space.
Service is very friendly but sometimes clumsy, and depending on the time of the day/​week, it may get too slow to bring out even just drinks.
My advice is definitely go and have some delicious food here, make sure to book as there aren’t many tables, but avoid weekend evenings.

I’d a really delicious lunch here today.
The space is surprisingly comfortable for the amount of seats they’ve managed to get in. We sat at the bar and it was perfect for lunch but I’m not sure I’d want to sit there for dinner.
I had two courses both of which were fabulous and just the right size for a multicourse lunch. I ate here when they first opened and wasn’t bowled over so I’m glad I went back and will definitely try it out for dinner again.

fantastic good food! lovely staff and delicious wine drinks. The one draw back is that it is a very small space. Next time I am in Dublin, I will return for sure.

Lovely lovely lunch deal.
Restaurant is small but excellent. Staff are super friendly and know the menu inside out.
Not sure about dinner as it may be a bit cramped but will definitely try again.

Lovely! Had the Hake with a delicious Albariño. Service was friendly and non intrusive. Will be back.

My and I found this place to be delightful. It is small and they take advantage of every square inch. Romantic and cozy.
We started with the tuna crude which was accented with roe and diced tomatoes. A nice beginning.
We then both enjoyed the mussels which were excellent with an exquisite sauce that had to sopped up!
We finished the evening with cappuccino and dessert of prunes with chantilly cream and lemon posset.
In addition to a perfect meal the staff were friendly and engaging. We would be regulars here!

The food was fresh local, and well presented. The lab shoulder was tender, flavourful. The best part was the friendly service and discussions about local culture. I would recommend this great spot to anyone.

Etto is beyond doubt one the best places to eat in Dublin, it’s fantastic. The food, wine selection and service could not be improved which is what keeps me coming back for more.
If you have not visited Etto before, get in here now!
Book ahead to make sure you get a table.

Wonderful meal here last weekend! We started with the courgette flower and the smoked mozzarella and tomato croquettes. The courgette dish was beautifully presented and was really light and tasty. The croquettes didn’t look special but had great flavours.
For our mains we had the grilled cod and the lamb. My cod was wonderfully seasoned and so delicious. J’s lamb was some of the best we have had in Dublin. So juicy and tender. We also split a side of potatoes which were very nice.
To top everything off we ordered the panna cotta as well as the chocolate pot. My panna cotta had a lovely texture and wasn’t overly sweet. J’s chocolate dish was so rich and really nice. Amazing food and excellent service at Etto. Will return!

I ate a fantastic lunch here the other day. I had mussels as a starter & they came dotted with a soft, spicy sausage called nduja, leeks & flavoured with samphire. A tasty piece of garlic ciabatta was on hand to scoop up every drop of sauce. Hake was my main & it was served on lentils, topped with a thin slice of italian ham & an italian veg called agretti. Easily the best mussels & hake I’ve had.

Absolutely fantastic little restaurant. Came here one Monday evening in early December. Pretty much had the restaurant to ourself. The staff are engaging and know their food. Our waiter was delightful and offered a few menu suggestions which we followed — and we were not disappoint. I had duck hearts to start followed by cote de boeuf to share. We had a bottle of red Portuguese wine recommended to us by the waiter, which was exquisite. Over all we found it to be very reasonably priced. Definitely represents excellent value considering the quality of the food. Needless to say I will be back many times.

So bountyfully delightful!!! Incredible atmosphere, pretty storefront, great menu (graphically speaking (feel that high grade paper)), nice people everywhere, all kinds of people, charming service and incredible incredible food. The perfect place to go if you love a great dining experience, but feel too happy to sit through a terse tasting menu with corporate suits filling the other seats. Here there’s smiley faces and families with granddad taking the bill and young people and people who seem to think this is just a normal (busy) restaurant. And thats the charm! There’s nothing that gives away that this is a great restaurant besides the incredible taste of the food and the great friendly service. Good for smaller groups, and a great place for a date.

Very cute restaurant on Merrion Row. Small and very vibrant and packed. It was pretty much full the entire time, so get reservations.
I had two the best dishes I have ever had here: pork chops (came rare which is great; it’s always overcooked in US because of USDA) and peanut butter dessert. Would definitely come again.

Although it was expensive and small, this place had some great food. Staff was friendly and the atmosphere was cool, much different then most places in Dublin

Ein recht neues spanisches Restaurant in Dublin, angeblich ein Geheimtipp und von uns getestet. Vom Ambiente her ist es nett, aber nichts besonderes, das ganze Lokal ist klein und wirkt etwas eng. Das Essen war gut, aber nichts, wovon ich noch in ein paar Monaten träumen werde: die Vorspeisen in Form von Schinken und Kroketten haben gemundet, das Rind als Hauptspeise war von der Fleischqualität eine Enttäuschung und sehr zäh und flachsig.
Für mich ein solides Lokal, aber an der Qualität der Speisen sollte noch gefeilt werden.

Ate there last night with wife Liza!!! It was fabulous as we were just new to Ireland and what a first night out. The food service and quality was 4.5 to 5 star. Nothing we had was so so. We met the owner Liz who was warm, friendly, and smiled a lot. I told her I wanted her place to make a lot of money due to the food quality and preparation. Another woman, who I forgot her name, shouted out «and so do we»!!! I recommend this place to anyone who enjoys fine food at reasonable prices. We will return before heading back to California.

A hip new restaurant in the trendy Merrion Row. Reminds me of places I’ve gone on Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach without the pretentious hipster atmosphere. They do small plates (like tapas) and large plates on a menu that changes daily. They’ve won some award in a food & wine magazine and I had to go Suss it out for myself.
The space itself is small with minimal décor but still has an urban edge. The server is super nice without being overbearing and was extremely cool. We didn’t feel like we were being overlooked for ordering only 2 small plates.
The pigeon schnitzel we ordered was tender and flavoursome. Now I love salt, so when I say they were a bit heavy handed on the salt. It must be pretty darn salty. The mussels we ordered were different from the average moulès. They had this kick from chili that gave the dish a sexy edge. It was delish but once again extremely salty. At the end of the meal, I informed the gentleman who cleared our plates (I assume manager or owner) that the dishes were very salty and I just wanted to let them know being a considerate diner. He seemed indifferent to the advice so I can only hope that they took it into consideration. I definitely want to see them succeed and am dying to go back to sample some more dishes.
4.8 stars for food as it was salty
4.5 stars for service as the guy at the end didn’t show any genuine concern
5 stars for venue and creative menu that has me looking forward to my next visit.

Read about Etto in the Irish Times last Monday and rang to see if anything available on Friday evening.
We got a table at the bar at 8pm, was unsure of sitting at the bar, but were very happy when we arrived, we had the last two places at the bar looking out into the restaurant and seeing the food coming out of the kitchen. Everyone we spoke to knew the menu, knew what they were about, really good front of house.
The food was delicious, we were not terribly hungry so we ordered the lamb and the Featherblade steak. Lamb is not really my bag at all, but it look very good, cooked pink, excellent veg, well plated.
The steak was really good, cooked long and slow, fall apart and full of flavour, served with a very satisfying polenta, lots of flavour.
We finished with a selection of three cheeses, all served well, good temperature, good condition. The bread that it was served with was a little dissapointing.
An excellent meal, very nice staff, ask for a seat at the bar, its food theatre!

We had tried to get into this Italian restaurant a few times but it was always too busy or closed — this time my wife & I managed to pop in mid afternoon on a Saturday (circa 3pm without a booking) and found it quiet — these days it’s open throughout the day (not Sundays or Mondays) until late which is great !
Food wise we were very impressed — there was a good variety of some wonderful nibbles to start — we liked the Suppli (deep fried cheese risotto balls) & the Coppa (ham).
They have a good choice of small & large plates to follow and we tried one of each — the menu changes weekly — the veal sweetbreads on a nettle pea & bone marrow risotto was different & delicious. The large plate we enjoyed was Malfatti (spinach & ricotta dumplings) with girolle mushrooms egg yolk & sage butter — you’ve got to put a bit of everything on your fork — the tastes were super & a very filling dish.
For desert you have to try the red wine prunes with vanilla mascarpone — it is their signature dessert & believe me it’s just one of the nicest desserts we’ve tasted in such a long time — simply delicious :-)
They also have a good wine list to accompany whatever takes your fancy on the menu.
The owner Simon is very welcoming & clearly proud of what he & his girlfriend & the chef (who apparently worked in a Michelin star restaurant in London) have set up here.
I strongly recommend this wonderful tiny Italian style restaurant to anyone who likes really good quality eclectic food which is both different from standard fare restaurant menus & which is clearly prepared with love & attention,

The best food I had in ages. There were four of us and every dish was original and delicious. The staff were friendly and happy to answer any questions. Portions are not huge but for the quality of the food price was adequate. Highly recommended.

Simply put, we had an outstanding meal at Etto. Newly opened this week with some strong inspiration from London, it does small plates of beautifully crafted food. Between four of us, we tried the terrine, gnudi, steak tartare, meatballs, kale, croquettes, potatoes and mozzarella and each dish was fantastic. They have wine and prosecco on tap, and Simon, who runs the place, is on hand to explain the unusual list. A meal for four with plenty of wine came to € 164. Get in now before its constantly booked out!