The Food Room

A fancy deli. But you pay for it!
It’s concept is great because there’s nothing quite like it in the area. Great sandwich’s big portions/​fillings and options or salads, cheese and meats. There’s a smoothie counter and a coffee dock.
All great.
The layout. Well. Confusing! You pay at different stations and points. If you want a sandwich just. Do you skip the smoothie que?! Etc. It could be designed a whole lot better.
Location. Location is great! Perfect for a sat or Sunday stroll. Which is actually what we did after we ate. You do have to pay for parking though. :/​
The sandwich. I got one on the menu can’t remember the name but it had, chicken, brie, avocado, tomato and relish. It was tasty and huge but I really enjoyed it I have to say.
The price… Well. It’s expensive and we got it to take away which brought it down a bit and was still 6 odd Euro! The Mr’s was even dearer. At 7e odd. He loved his though. Meat, meat and more meat!
Would I go back. Yes.
Regularly. No!
It is great though if you’re in the mood for a really good sandwich. Just try stay calm in the queue.

I really like this place. they do amazing sandwiches, hot dishes and desert/​sneaky treats to die for. Their chocolate biscuit cake and their mars bar rice crispie bun was delish!
I ‘m disappointed with their tea and coffee. I love a good cuppa with a sandwich or treat, the tea they use is weak and their coffee is just ok.
It’s really well organised, and they bring your food to the table.
It can get very busy and you’re left walking around or standing looking for a seat, or sometimes sitting on top of strangers.
On the other hand, the staff are so ready to go by closing, they are cleaning away your table and really forcing you out at 15 mins to closing, the last time we were there is was super rushed, which was a bit of a let down.
I’ll get it to go next time!

I’ll agree with the others who say the food is lovely, generous and so on if a tad expensive (I’d like to change the single euro for two euro symbols!). But the ordering system is bedlam and only adds to the stress of your day.
Food is here, coffee and tea are there. You pay for one here and the other there. Sometimes both together. Can I hop that queue because I’m just getting a coffee, do I queue like everyone else. No one knows, not even Godot.
If they fix this problem they’ll have a wonderful place on their hands.

Quite upset and rather disappointed that a café could charge such ridiculously high prices for two people. Absolute robbery! This place used to be great as their smoothies and juices were cheap enough but now they are charging too much. Definitely will not be back here again in a hurry, not only because their prices are high but because the standard of their food is quite low for the price they want.

Great deli best on the northside of the city but The food room location is why it is popular.
If another coffee shop or deli opens they will run into trouble as they are extremely over priced. A coffee and scrambled egg with toast is near 10.00euro and a coffee & cake is near 6 or more.

Most impressed with The Food Room. I was asked what I would like. The girl didn’t know anything about Veganism. So I was put onto someone else. By golly, did she not know her stuff. She asked if I would like honey or no honey. As some vegans take honey. However honey is from an animal ie Bees. SO I said No thanks. I was amazed to the point I even asked if she herself was Vegan. She wasn’t. I was blown. I would however have to point out the price, is quite exorbitant alrite.

They do great coffee, sandwiches and salads! a great spot at the start of Clontarf so perfect for a quick lunch and a walk on the seafront! They also sell lots of lovely gourmet food, I never leave empty handed!

So to start with the good…
Great selection of really fresh food — salads, sandwiches and take away dinners. Nice treat section too — cakes, buns and even paleo treats. Great coffee
The smoothies and juices are some of the best in town.
The not so good…
the queue/​order /​pay system… it’s crazy to say the least — I honestly can’t see how it is /​could every be efficient. check out some of the other reviews for an excellent but confusing description… just like the queueing system!
Staff can be quite abrupt.
The eye watering cost… it’s very expensive

I am a local living in Clontarf and have visited The Food Room numerous times. The food is lovely although most definitely on the pricey side. Today I visited here with someone who would not be a local and it reminded me of how silly the ordering system is. The main problem with ordering food in The Food Room is that they seem to be totally oblivious to the fact that not every customer is familiar with ‘their’ rules upon entering.
When you turn to the right, the first station you come to is the coffee dock. If you order a coffee here you need to pay for it at this counter but if you want food you have to proceed to go to the next counter, queue and pay for your food separately. Now those of us locals in the know have known for some time that if you skip the first counter and make a bee line straight to the food counter you can in fact order your food here and coffee at the same time. The staff then usher you on to pay at the next counter for everything BUT you then have to queue again at the original first counter to get your coffee all the while wondering when your food is going to arrive.
Are you confused reading this because I’m confused writing it and I am most definitely confused whenever I enter The Food Room.
Sort our your ordering system my head is still banging from my visit earlier today.

It’s an upmarket deli with lots of smoothies, healthy juices, sandwiches and salads. It’s always packed with people, we rarely find a seat and we usually order for takeway, my last visit didn’t impress me, my tuna melt was with the bread toasted only, which annoyed me because it was quite expensive.

I’m not quite sure The Food Room knows what it wants to be. It’s a funny mix of an upmarket shop like Fallon & Byrne selling fancy wine and cheese, a Kylemore café style restaurant and a fancy brunch venue for Clontarf’s foodies.
The process of ordering was very strange — they take your coffee order at one counter, your food order at another counter and then you pay at a third counter. I didn’t realise this, so after ordering I sat down but when my food was ready the waitress came over to my table and insisted I went to the counter to pay before being served, even though my food was sitting behind the counter getting cold!
I had the poached eggs on toast, and admittedly they were delicious, and for five euro they were an absolute bargain. The coffee was good too, if a little too small. The rest of the food didn’t look quite as cheap!
I think with a bit of smart management this could be a brilliant café, but right now it’s trying too hard to be too many things which takes away from the experience. The food I tasted was good, and the rest of it looked like it was high quality, and there was a huge selection, so I would recommend it if you are nearby.

I’d enjoy it a lot more if they didn’t take my coffee cup before I’m finished… «every time». Great food, nice atmosphere but their busy obsession with cleanliness (never thought I’d say that in Ireland!) Is costing me 10% of my 3 euro coffee!

What a deli!
Been a while since I’ve been in a deli with such a huge selection of meats, cheeses, veg & fruit all for the purpose of going on your sambo! Wow! It’s the kind of place you could visit everyday for lunch and try a different combination sandwich each time for a year solid!
I had the Billy Goat off the menu, nice toasted ciabatta with big chunky tomatoes lettuce, pesto and of course goats cheese! It was heaven! And worth every cent! I think it was only about ⁵⁄₆ euro.
My one grip was the coffee. I saw the deli, the selection of quality foods not to mention the smoothies and thought to myself «the coffee must me amazing too!» WRONG! Total let down. Bog standard machine coffee. But other than that I’ll be back in the next time I’m working over the north side again.

The salads are really great and there’s a huge range, but that don’t come cheap unfortunately!..
Their toasted sandwiches leave quite a bit to be desired though as they were oven-​toasted, rather than using a legit toastie-​toaster, just not the same results… ya feel?
I went for a peanut butter smoothie last time and it was truly epic, coming in an American portioned container and kept me full all day! Also, while the salads are good, but expensive, the smoothies are super value; € 3.90 for that much liquid was a very pleasant surprise!

Great coffee, weekend breakfast and a quick stop for something to take home for dinner on the days you cannot be bothered to do anything else. I miss not living close to this place and dropping in frequently for a coffee or a snack :-)

Why haven’t I been here before I asked myself. Working In the concrete jungle of Eastpoint we decided to be brave and visit the ‘outside’ of a lunchtime and we were delighted with our experience. Yes it’s expensive but the quality and choice of foods on offer warrants the expense in my humble opinion. I’m not mad about their setup for paying/​ordering drinks which is a bit confusing but like other reviewers have said once you crack it it’s not a problem. It’s one for the odd treat lunch if you know what I mean. My problem was deciding what to have from their very extensive range of salads and meats for my wrap. The wrap was just too small for all the things I wanted so yeah, I’ll have to go back. The spinach, walnut and goats cheese salad is to die for!

This is a really good spot for of the track dining in the middle of the day. Try to get there before the office lunchtime rush because this is a popular venue and seating is scarce.
The deli food is so fresh and choice is plentiful with good flavours and portions.
Staff are really cool and want you to enjoy your food.
A bit messy if you order coffee, you see what I mean with the separate counter but it actually does make sense once you get used to it.
On a sunny day there are seats outside and you can see and feel the coast line.
I’ll be back soon so save a seat!

this is a nice little gem and the coffee really hits the spot and i find it so hard sometimes to get good coffee. they have to most delicious selection of wraps, sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes all of which can be eaten in or taken out. it is a upmarket café on the lovely northside area of Clontraf. yes the NORTHSIDE has plenty of nice cafes, they are not exclusive to the southside which someone has naively suggested that the food room has southside affectations!
but be prepared to spend quite a bit because it is quite expensive, last time i bought a take away sandwich with salami, beetroot salad and rocker and they slapped a € 7.50 price on it!
the staff seem genuinely happy to work there and i have no issue at all with service but this is not a place i would go every day for my lunch unless i have lots of money to spend on lunch and coffee as it all adds up quickly.
the takeaway main courses in chilled containers are worth it because although they cost approximately € 8.95 upwards they contain such fresh ingredients and don’t taste like a supermarket microwave dish that it will taste like you’ve had your own personal chef in to cook for you.

This is a great alternative to the usual monotony of lunch at the nearby Eastpoint Business Park.
From a purely eating standpoint there is plenty to whet your appetite from a huge deli counter, that offers lasagna, pies, pastries, and cakes.
They have a proper coffee maker too, so you can get everything you want at lunchtime there.
Apart from the lunch options, there are also other foods & items to stock up at home with, including pastas, coffee, as well as various other pieces of kitchen equipment.
So eat in, if you’re lucky enough to find a seat, or take away.
Great value, great food. Well worth a trip!

Recently refurbished, The Food Room adds a splash of much needed panache to Dublin’s northside. Part deli, part upmarket grocer, part sandwich house, part juice bar, The Food Room is a foodie’s dream!
You can get anything in this store, from expensive French wine to gift cards to dried figs and organic couscous. They serve Illy coffee and thanks to the renovation works there are some lovely tables at which to enjoy a half hour with a coffee and the Sunday Times.
At lunch time the sandwich bar is buzzing with corporates from the area’s businesses, queueing for the freshly-​made sandwiches and gourmet lasagne.
I’ve also noticed they have a quite delectable range of cakes — good for the odd office birthday or the like.
However, the thing that most impresses me about The Food Room is the freshly squeezed juice — carrot, celery, ginger etc… hmmm I die for places that serve freshly squeezed juice.
My one criticism of this otherwise glowing establishment is that the staff really don’t seem to enjoy being there… maybe it’s just me, but they always seem a little distant and stressed out.