Monto Cafe

Tasty food and friendly service. There’s a good atmosphere in the place, with the open kitchen at the back giving it the café kind of vibe. Big windows and the Italian décor help give the room a light feeling. The entrance arrangement — the door is set down a covered walkway off the footpath — keeps the place warm and allows wheelchair access. A very broad menu, with all the favourites. I had a Philly steak sandwich on this occasion, which came in a good portion with chunky chips on the side. The steak was lovely — finely cut and not at all tough. There was chorizo sliced in, too, along with onions and a sauce. Served on a focaccia, so not too doughy.

I wasn’t hugely impressed with my own order, probably not the place for a vegetarian anyhow, my friend adored her steak though and would recommend

Lunchtime and it’s really busy, which is great to see. Tightly packed, so get ready to eavesdrop on the neighbours. The service is impressive, in an under-​staffed and hard working kind of way. Everyone here is earning their money the hard way. The lunchtime pricing is very keen. No wonder it’s so busy. No insult, but there’s a midlands hotel look and feel to the menu. It’s wide of range, but narrow of interest. Nice bread for the steak sandwich, but the meat was pure grimsby. Chips were good. Shame about the pizza; if your granny served it, you’d smile and thank her. In fairness, you might not do better for € 8 in Dublin. It’s a low 3 and a half star from me, but there’s so many other places within a stone’s throw that I wouldn’t rush back.

What a great find, starter of prawns were average but my husband had the beef starter and it was so good. Rib eye steak served with garlic mash, green beans and madeira jus was absolutely delicious. Dessert of eton mess and a sticky toffee pudding was so tasty. The bill came to € 67 for 2 starters, 2 steaks, 2 desserts & 2 lattes. Really great value and the bring your own wine makes it a really affordable night out. The only down side is that tables for two are extremely close together, a little uncomfortably close. We’ll definitely be back though and soon.