Hole In The Wall

Food is overpriced and the staff aren’t the nicest. It felt like a huge inconvenience for them when I had to ask for more water for the table, or a fork when we were left 1 short.

Post Christmas blues. Where do you go? The most christmassy decorated pub EVER! The Hole in The Wall. It had been on my list of places to visit this Christmas.
On arrival it hits you driving up… Lights! Then walking in… The smell of cinnamon and Christmas smelling candles. Mmm Devine.
We decided to grab a bite but it was so busy and walked back out but just before we walked out were delighted to spot a table near the door empty. It was the Saturday after New Years. People were getting the last bit of boozing on.
The drinks.- I got a glass of wine which was filled to the brim and tasted lovely. I couldn’t believe it was only € 6 it was more like 2 glasses and himself got a Diet Coke (designated driver;))
We ordered 3 tapas between us, as we were heading to a party after, so just wanted to fill the hole but not be stuffed.
We got the tempura prawns– These were so tasty and a huge serving. They came in a fluffy batter with a lovely lemon mayo dip. Next was the pâté with brioche — the pâté tasted Fab but the toast was a bit soft and needed a crunch and there were only 4 peices. We could of done with more.
Lastly we got the aubergine with goats cheese and beetroot. This tasted lovely. A really nice fresh combo but again the smallest portion of all and probably the least costly to make. Either way we were satisfied and all 3 came to € 19.95 it saved a couple of Euro if you order the most expensive ones to choose from but the price went up on this as online it was € 17.95 which is definitely better priced.
Would I go back? Yes definitely. Especially at Christmas.
Was the food nice? Yes and other plates people ordered looked delicious passing our table.
Overall– it won’t be the last time I visit the hole in the wall pub :)

Make sure you’re seen when you walk in. The building is pretty long with different rooms as you walk through… You might get missed. I ordered the goat cheese soup of the day which was delicious. Prefect for a windy cool day. Had a few people take our order, check on us, give us the check, etc. That made it confusing on who to ask for what… But all staff was professional. I would visit again.

I don’t usually rate poorly, Hole in the Wall was a down step for the great day I was having. I would not visit again. I will preface my 2-​star review by stating I arrived for an early dinner at 5PM so perhaps the chef was not prepared… I order the burger, side of onion rings and a pint. The drinks were good, but I don’t really credit them for this, any pub on the island can pour a decent pint… The burger was cut during the cooking process, this causes juices to run out and thus losing a lot of flavor leaving behind a bland, dry burger. The burger toppings were definitely not fresh, gerkins soggy and wrinkly (I removed them upon inspection), tomatoes and lettuce were less scandalous but a bit wilted. The bacon tasted a bit spoiled either like it was cooked a day ago and then reheated in microwave or just past is best-​by-​date. By my best judgement, the fries were frozen, cooked, refrozen or fridged then fried again prior to serving. I’ve had such fries and these tasted exactly the same. The onion rings were unseasoned, saturated in grease, and the onion skin was not peeled off before chopping. Several rings were fried with skin included… Bad experience overall and it seems like the work of a chef who has given up or just very poor practices. The building was beautiful inside and out, it’s a shame the food doesn’t match. If they brought up the quality and standards and refreshed the menu to be more simple and achievable they would have a gem of a business. Unfortunately the food was so bad it’s a wonder they get any business outside of late night pub-​goers, perhaps thats all they need to keep the lights on. Should the manager come past this review I implore you to do a run down of the kitchen and staff best practices to determine what the issue is. Tighten up the menu to standard pub fare, made fresh, cooked by order, no microwaves, no shortcuts and there is a chance for you.
P. S. Kill the early 90s music. Also, put up wet paint signs if you recently stained the entry way, my coat got stain on it and had I not noticed would have left permanent marks.

Went there for my dads birthday, food was luke warm, roast beef was like thin sliced ham, gravy was watery, service was freadful, waiting 45 minutes for food even though we were right beside the kitchen, then overchaged :(wouldn’t recommend.

In Dublin is easy to hear that that thing is the biggest, the shortest, or the highest. In the case of The Hole in the Wall it is claimed to be the longest pub in Ireland, and it is said that it has the longest bar counter in Ireland. When I went there for my first time I though seriously that the waiter would come with an scooter or a bike and in each table I would find a microwave to warn the food after the long way from the kitchen. (Just messing).
Long time ago it is said that the barman of this pub served drinks through a hole in the wall, and this must be the reason for this name. They have a shot like inside where is possible to buy bottles. The food is good, tapas like menu is available. The croquettes, gambas and a hamburger were my election, the gambas and the croquettes were good, the hamburger not too bad.

A good pint but a really really bad burger.
First off the waitress initially came over when we weren’t ready and we asked for more time. She then didn’t come back over for another 20 minutes after we asked for her. Three of us ordered burgers and all came well over done. Before I ordered I asked if there were onions in the burger to which the waitress replied «no». Grand, so then the burger arrived and it had onions in it. I was too hungry to send it back so I kept going. All of the burgers were warm, clearly not cooked fresh. We all agreed the burgers weren’t up to scratch. One star for the good chips and good beer which isn’t the hardest thing to do in fairness.

What a cool bar! Supposedly the longest bar in Ireland and I wouldn’t be surprised if this were true as it is indeed very long. There is a lovely quirky bar at one end and a modern, bright restaurant at the other and an off licence in the middle. It is right next to the Pheonix Park so a perfect place to pop in for a drink or something to eat after a nice walk in the park. I watched the 6 Nations Rugby here — both the Ireland and England games. They had TV’s everywhere so it wasn’t a problem watching the matches from anywhere. I was a little dissappointed with the food. We ate in the reatuarant — it certainly wasn’t bad but it wasn’t fantastic either. However, it wasn’t expensive. I wiill definitely come back here for a drink (and maybe try the bar food) the next time im in the Pheonix Park.

Ahhh I am torn with this place.
I LOVE it as a pub, how it looks. How cosy it is inside. The atmosphere. It’s great.
BUT I have had a couple of experiences in here where the bar staff have been a little indifferent and not really on the ball which annoys me greatly.
This place would be the perfect package if the staff were 100% on the ball, friendly and full of the banter you expect from a local pub.
The food I find nice but over priced for the most part. What I do like is the cheap wine specials. € 15.99 for a bottle of red last night. Crazy cheap. They have a wine shop attached so you can also get wines over € 12 and drink with no corkage, or if under € 12 you pay € 15 to drink on the premises.
I will keep coming here because of how much I love the place it’s just a shame that some of the staff let it down along with the food prices.
I would also like to see more draft craft beer here. Beer selection is predominantly your standard Heineken, Carlsberg etc.
It’s a 3.5!

I was expecting so much from here after reading a great review in the paper. Unfortunately it went down hill from there. We where greeted at the door by a waitress arguing with a customer and as she showed us to her seat she had words with a colleague. We then ordered and were given our food way too quickly telling us all too much about the level of preparation that went into it. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear our two salmons were straight from a carvery (considering the € 20 price tag, I’d hope not). The dish was whipped from under me before I had finished and as I was given my tea a waiter gave us the bill he told us we had asked for… We hadn’t! He took the bill back and we enjoyed the end of our drinks. When we did look for the bill it took an age to arrive! All round this was so disappointing!

I should start by saying this is a review of the food, the Hole in The Wall is a great bar and well worth the visit for a pint.
Unfortunately, despite what I’d heard and my high expectations, I was not impressed with the food here. My friend and myself shared three tapas to start and had a main course each. We had the tempura gambas, potato and mozzarella croquette, and duck liver pâté. Firstly I didn’t think much effort had gone into the presentation, even the dips were just presented in little plastic tubs. The tapas were purely average, the croquettes didn’t taste as if they were freshly make and the gambas were chewy.
For the main course I had the duck confit, it was on the daily specials. The duck was dry and the cabbage was tasteless. However, the potato fondant and caramelised onion was very good. I really wanted to like the Hole in the Wall, the restaurant is very atmospheric and looked great for Christmas. However, for me, the food really didn’t cut it.

Brilliant little pub with a great little food menu and friendly service.
Yesterday evening we tried the 5 starters/​tapas for € 28.95, great value and the food was excellent, served rapidly and presented superbly… It had been 3 months since we had been here and were delighted to see that the menu had changed.

Absolutely amazingly delicious food! Traditional Irish fare prepared with an artful style. The stuffed pepper trio is exquisite! The hand-​cut fries are like crack! I’m told the lamb was amazing, as was the fish and chips and the burger! The place has great style and really is my favorite so far in Dublin. I don’t give five stars often but this place really deserves it.

This place has a great atmosphere all year round (especially so at Christmas!). The food is lovely, they’ve a great selection of wine and beers. If you don’t want anything at the bar you’re welcome to take anything off the shelf in the off license with free corkage. Total bonus! It’s one of the best bottle shops in Dublin.
Tell yourself you’ll go for a walk in the park, then get sucked into spending the afternoon there — it’s worth it!

Wow this is quite a spot! Love it! Is great for going for lunch, great for going for a pint with friends!!! The food is really beautiful! Salmon is out of this world. Is really affordable. Comfortable place! Staff are very friendly! One of the things that caught my attention was this very old section where u see old medicine bottles. I always sit next to the fire… I’ve had lunch here so many times and I can say «Trio stuffed Pepper» gorgeous! «Fish and chips» uhmm!!! Veggie pasta! Is tasteful too! I will have to come here in the evening for some drinks! Amazing place!
Fully recommend it!

I was in here over the Christmas the I must say, they go all out with the Christmas decorations, the place was positively festive, enough so that I might just make a trip here every Christmas.
This a long and narrow but, it takes 3 steps to walk across in one direction, and 30 in the other.
The food is top notch, and if you wish, you can buy drink from the Off License and then BYOB for your sit down meal.
The service was a bit slow but then there was not an empty seat in the house so the kitchen must have been very busy.
Hole in the Wall is definately worth a visit.

Wow. Excellent food, excellent service, fantastic atmosphere! Staff could not be more helpful if they tried! We had the tapas and most of them were fantastic. Stuffed mushrooms were wonderful, tempura prawns great, goats cheese was good! My rosti was burned and the chicken wings were dry.
Beer selection was amazing, especially as a non alcoholic beer lover. I will be back.

Popped in for Sunday lunch, availed of the early bird which is two courses for € 17.95 which is pretty good value. Staff are absolutely spot on, extremely welcoming, and the place is kid friendly too. If you are having wine you can choose your tipple from the adjoining off license and there’s no corkage fee and a huge selection, as there is of craft beers and ales.
We opted for the bacon & cheese burger which came with beautiful homemade skinny cut chips (with the jacket still on, yay!) and the sea bass which was on a bed of chive mash and seasonal veg and was lovely too. Deserts were strawberries & cream (light on the strawberries, very heavy on the whipped cream :-/​) and the bread & butter pudding which was stunning.
All in all I would definately recommend it, especially if you have friends from outside Ireland they will love the authentic feel of it without being smothered in faux-​Paddyness.

What a spot.
Quite literally through a hole in the wall, you will find one of Dublin’s most inviting and quirkiest pubs, owned by PJ, one of Dublin’s most inviting and quirkiest pub owners!
After a lovely walk in the park, a friend and I decided to visit the Hole in the Wall for some food. We were randomly treated to a tour of the pub by PJ — there’s even more history in it than you first realise, from the old gates that are soldered onto either sides of the bar, to the ancient Guinness taps on display on the wall. There was a roaring fire going in the chimney splitting the lounge and the bar (welcome on even a ‘balmy’ summer’s evening in Dublin!), and there’s trinkets and antiques as far as the eye can see.
There is a full bar menu in here, or further through, a beautifully decorated more modern restaurant. In between, you will find a fantastically stocked off-​license, with more wine variations than I’ve seen in quite some time.
The cool thing about this place is that you can buy your bottle of wine in the offo, then head into the restaurant and drink it, with no corkage. Class or what!
The food itself was nice — not quite up to the standard I’d been led to expect here — I got cod and chips — the chips were massive and crispy, perfect. The cod came in three massive portions, but was a little greasy and fried to within an inch of it’s life.
Either way, this place is just the perfect place to chill and while away the hours. There are benches outside as well, and of course the Park next door, for those sunny days we WILL be having over the coming summer. Bring it on!

Hole In The Wall is certainly not a hole in the wall! It has a really cool back story as well. The Hole in the Wall is named after a tradition which existed in which British Soldiers were served drinks through a hole in the wall as they were forbidden to leave the Phoenix Park.
I’ve been to both the pub part as well as eaten in the restaurant. The pub is a great place on a week night if you’re looking for somewhere quiet with a wide variety of beer and other spirits. If you’re looking for something a little more lively, the weekends are a full house with a traditional live Irish music. In the middle of the pub/​restaurant, they have an off license which has an amazing selection of wines, spirits and micro brewed beers.
For being recognized as a pub and less known for it’s food, the restaurant is cooking up some great food. They offer a monthly «Chef’s Special» menu including items ranging from Irish filet steak to lamb chops and oven baked hake or halibut. They also offer traditional Irish food such as beer battered fish and chips, burgers and a selection of tapas. The service is quite slow (and the food took longer than average most times I’ve been in) the restaurant, but if you’re not in a hurry and enjoying some beverages, it’s well worth the wait.
I have taken both family and friends to this establishment and each one of them has left saying that they will be back again!