The Cheese Pantry

Who could imagine that a restaurant with the name of the cheese pantry would be such a spectacular treat? But it is! We were strolling in a neighborhood in Dublin looking for a place to eat and we stumbled upon this place; what a huge lucky break. We had the tiger prawns for an appetizer; that was enough to send me to the moon. The seafood chowder was amazing, but the crumble was OMG glorious! Service was delightful.

Popped in here for brunch the morning after. They do excellent coffee to get you going again. We say outside as the rather was nice. The goats cheese and pepper omelette hit the spot perfectly. For goats cheese lovers it was absolutely perfect. It was good value too but I’ve definitely had bigger omelettes in the past.

My bf heard about this place was lovely for breakfast so we went on Saturday morning. I had a pastry and a fry up (naughty I know :))with a latte. It was SO NICE. The food was high quality, the staff were on the ball and the whole place looked great.

After a night of overindulging with my bestie, we were dying for a hot breakfast. As he just moved to Drumcondra, we decided to walk to find a place to revive us. We stumbled upon this heaven sent establishment and am so glad we did. We both got cappuccinos which were more like lattes but still very good. We also ordered the full irish breakfast. It was just what the doctor ordered. A fried egg, toast, possibly Ireland’s best rashers, a huge sausage and really good black pudding. I also got the scone which was mediocre at best but still good. I might still have been a bit intoxicated so may be a bit biased but hey I thoroughly enjoyed my dining experience here. The service I received was well above average and plan on revisiting!

Had a pretty bad breakfast here one Sunday recently. I ordered the vegetarian breakfast plate and a hot chocolate. I didn’t get my hot chocolate until my breakfast arrived — was hoping to sup it while waiting. Service in general was slow but that’s not a deal-​breaker on a lazy Sunday morning. The food, however, is a definite deal-​breaker.
The food was overcooked (mushrooms, eggs, tomatoes) but still somehow cold and a huge slop of lukewarm baked beans covered everything. Nothing actually tasted of anything, if that makes sense. No seasoning or flavour or sauce. Bleh. I’d expect this lack of attention to detail and quality from a budget B&B but not a supposedly fantastic local restaurant. And it was pretty pricey — near enough to € 8 or € 9 for the gloop that was breakfast. I kicked myself for not going to Anderson’s instead!
Now, I’ve heard that dinner here is great and maybe they were just having an off day when they prepared my breakfast — who knows! But I’m willing to give them a go again — maybe on some sunny summer evening when I can avail of the patio seats out front. They always look so nice!

When I moved to Drumcondra, I was ecstatic to see the Cheese Pantry was just at the corner of my street. As a French living in Ireland it was with great enthusiasm that I welcomed the idea to have fresh bread (we’re passionate about our bread), coffee, good quality cheese and wine so close to my place. I became a regular pretty fast, I particularly loved their coffee brew, they changed it not so long ago, it’s a shame!
They do sell good quality products, should you want to buy beautiful olive oil and other Italian delicacies. They also have a good wine selection but do not hope for any help, know what you’re buying! The staff has very limited knowledge about their wines which surprised me since their specialty is wine and cheese! Some waitresses were very nice and professional however others were pretty cold and unorganised.
As a restaurant, the inconsistency in the service is disappointing but since they are using beautiful products the quality of the food is very good though pricy. They have a pretty large menu, which is nice when you’re a regular. I particularly love their Caesar salad made with delicious olive oil and good mature parmesan cheese which to me is the best I ever had.
I still have a soft spot for the Cheese Pantry and its lovely Mediterranean/​Frenchy atmosphere but there is room for improvement. One of them would be cutting down prices a little bit or dramatically improve their staff training!

sadly for the cheese pantry, when it comes to cappuccinos they always get it wrong. the coffee is too weak and not hot enough. so last week i went for an americano instead and no it wasn’t any better. i was able to see through the coffee, not a good thing, and i was afraid to ask for another shot seeing as how harassed the waitress looked.
however the warm black pudding and chorizo salad was absolutely delicious, i couldn’t get enough of it. i also like the little cheese room with the cheese you can taste (but stop staring at me in there as if i don’t belong in there, the sign says come in!)
it is the menu that will bring me back there but i will be giving the coffee a miss which is a pity because i’m more likely to go back to a place if the coffee is good.

Nice place for lunch or evening wind down
Staff can be hit and miss one eastern girl is so helpful and genuine
One German girl is quite standoffish and uneasy
Food is really quite good and a nice choice too, will be back
Not too extensive compared to Anderson and others of good quality.

I life around the corner, so am a regular.
I think The Cheese Pantry is now getting in to its groove, and is good and getting better. In the early days I think they were experimenting with the menu quite a bit and getting a feel for what people wanted. A simple example: they used to stop brekkie at 11am on weekends. You could sit there listening to person after person arriving at noon or 1pm looking for breakfast on a Saturday and Sunday only to be gently let down. Entertaining but not economically brilliant :-)
Anyway — that’s pretty well sorted now. Brekkies on offer until 1pm I think at the weekend, as part of weekend brunch (maybe later?). Food is good, and coffee is also good. I’d recommend any of the traditional cooked breakfasts (veggie or meat-​centric), the chorizo, black pudding and potato salad (a kind of brekkie disguised as a salad), or any of the soups and paninis.
Have also had dinner here once or twice and was impressed. I think they now have a level of consistency in their food, their staff and the whole setup, which I think is being rewarded with regular custom from near and far. Good to see it, as they’ve worked hard to get it rolling. Long may they run.

I came here for breakfast the other day, I was drawn in by it’s pretty shop front with people enjoying coffee in the front seating area. It is a deli come eatery.
As you enter there is the large open cooking area. I was lead down the back to my seat. They have shelves full of wine and preserves so it gives the place an open airy continental feel. The walls have the wooden boxes that you get wine in stuck to them, which again is a nice touch.
They have an extensive menu and an early bird special of two course for € 18 and three course for € 21. I got a bagel with tomato and cream cheese which came to€ 4.50 not including the coffee, honestly I thought it was very pricey for what I got considering so many places these days are cutting their prices.
I basically got a bagel and a sliced plum tomato with a handful of mixed salad! The server was very aloof. The whole bill for that sorry excuse for a bagel and a coffee came to € 7.60, rip off! I was still starved after.
I don’t care if they have lots of fancy awards stuck to their wall outside, there is so much better other places. They probably are this lazy and expensive because they don’t have too much competition in the area. Their specialiaty is obviously cheese and wine so I would just buy to go, if I really had to buy something there.

My first time in Dublin started with a dinner very close to our b&b — the Azalea Lodge — at The Cheese Pantry, a delicacies store combined with a little restaurant, which opened in the summer of 2007.
The inside tables are in the back of the historic building, which, according to the man in charge, is mentioned in James Joyce’s Ulysses, when it was still a butchery. The room seems just a little too bright for a cozy atmosphere to come up. The waiters, especially when asked for details on the menu or wine list, seemed a little insecure, even though they were very polite and eager.
These opening impressions admittedly lowered our expectations a little.
But that was the reason we were all the more surprised about the quality of food and wine.
There was an offer for 3 courses for 35 € per person including a bottle of wine. We decided to have some alterations to our menu which was no problem.
The opening act was a half bottle of very tasty original french champagne, which was, funnily enough, served in white wine glasses.
As starters, we had chicken liver parfait, a salad with warm goat cheese, and a tomato-​basil soup along with a bottle of red wine from «Finca la Linda» — I think it was Malbec. All dishes were very good — the liver parfait had the perfect temperature, the goat cheese was not too strong and blended in very well with the salad, and the soup had a nice basil flavour. A little more bread would have helped, but on the other hand, there was more to come.
The red wine was another surprise — not the usual house wine you can drink quickly, but one to really enjoy and savour. Strong and round taste, deep colored.
The main course was beef medallions in green pepper sauce for both of us. The meat was more than tender, and although I had forgotten to order it English, or rare, the medallions were excellent: No more blood, but red on the inside, and so tender, they literally melted in your mouth. The sauce was rich and tasty yet not too strong as to overrule the beef and thus complemented the dish perfectly.
Over all, The Cheese Pantry is defnitely a place to visit, after a stroll through the nearby botanic garden, for example. It’s just 10 Minutes outside of the city center by bus (e.g. 16A, bus stop opposite Skylon Hotel).
The hardly notable lack of atmosphere is more than compensated by the food quality and warmth of the people who work there.
And during the day, it seems to be a good source for a distinct selection of wine, for fresh and very delicious snacks, dips and other little dishes.