The Pig’s Ear

It was packed when we arrived, with a party of 14. There was an initial look of distress, but we were seated almost immediately.
Very nice wine pairings and delicious food. Our party had a range of just about everything on the menu. We departed as a very happy group.

I always went there and it was always good food, I always get three courses, the Shepard’s pie is very good. The fried fish as well, and the duck legs but they only serve one leg which makes it a small portion, and lamb chops were good too. Their desserts have almost always had a twist and it’s always good.
I love this place BUT ONE MAJOR FLAW that I noticed is, if you walk in a little early (I.e 5 – 7 pm) they will literally ask you to leave by 8 pm even if the place is semi empty, and even if you order «a la carte» and yes, even if you booked it. They would notify you before hand that they want you out and when it’s time, they will remind you to leave although the delay would depend on how fast they could cook the food and serve you. So I would only go if I’m going with someone I’m comfortable with and doesn’t mind that attitude, cause they embarrassed me when I took people that were important to me there.

Make reservations as soon as you get to Dublin! We didn’t know this and just walked over to be disappointed for that evening. But we went ahead and made reservations for the next night and the food was ¹⁰⁄₁₀ all of it. Not one bad bite! Staff was great also! The Shepard’s Pie was the best I have ever tasted. I could eat it everyday! We wanted to go again but they were all booked up. A must visit.

I had a fabulous evening here, and I haven’t been wowed like that by food in quite a long time! Some people might say that this restaurant is a bit expensive, but I thought it was very well priced. They even do an early bird for just 22 euro for 2 dishes. Trust me, with the quality of food served here, that’s a bargain.
We went all out though and ordered a la carte. The menu is full of irish produce, and very original. Not your typical steak and chips, or salmon and mash. Every dish we ordered was like a little artwork on a plate.
They put a basket of delicious fresh bread on the table to keep us happy until food arrived. I started of with pulled pork croquettes accompanied by mustard and crisp apple slices. Then for a main organic salmon with broccoli, samphire, some nuts. AMAZEBALLS. And the dessert was a buttermilk custard with ginger and rhubarb. mmmm!
Portions are not overly huge, and I needed those 3 courses to have me full up. (Usually I skip dessert)
Service was very good as well, and the two different waiters often checked up on us and re-​filled our wine.
For 3 courses and wine bill came to more or less 50 euro. Well worth it!

Lend me your ear for a moment. This little piggy went to the restaurant. It went straight for the main course. The bread and butter it received as an appetizer was already serving as a basis. As a main course I went for the lamb cutlets. It has been such a long time that I got lamb meat this soft and juicy. I’m really glad I picked this for a meal. The peas and roastes onion were very decorative but it was all about the meat and it was yummy. Some good bottle of red wine on the table and it made my day. In the end, what really, really made my day was the lovely cheesecake in a jar, which was nicely wrapped as a tiny little present. As demonstrated in the pictures, you will really feel like it is your birthday. The service was super sweet and I loved every piece of this restaurant. My girl received a very allergy friendly treatment, the dessert was custom made for her. Brilliant place.

My most perfect modern Irish dinner in Dublin! This place is a hidden gem in South Inner City!
Service was perfect. The staff was professional and sweet and didn’t forget my cowmilk allergy. They give you the feeling that it’s your birthday!
Food was delicious. We took 2 courses, because we weren’t that hungry. Fresh Irish salmon with almonds and veggies. And the staff made a special dairy free dessert for me. The red fruit and sorbert looks like a birthday present. And the red Douro wines made it taste better.
Go to this place with your date, friend, family, foodie mate or whoever! It’s a small restaurant so please make a reservation. Eating at The Pig’s Ears is a present for yourself.

We came here for dinner on our second night of vacation, it was recommended to us by a friend who lives in Dublin. I have to say I had REALLY high expectations for this place, the reviews are great and it came highly recommended.
The atmosphere is fabulous, the staff was fantastic and there are a lot of great options on the menu for Celiac/​Gluten Free eaters.
Make sure to get a reservation, when you walk into the building there isn’t really a reception/​hostess station so it was a little bit strange/​confusing to figure out where to go. Someone stuck their head out of a door and asked if we had reservations. The bathrooms are upstairs and had an odd layout but worked fine and were clean.
Be sure to check out the small set of stairs in the back corner of the restaurant… there is a rabbit with hunting gear and a shot gun with three little pigs… cracked me up!
This is a perfect restaurant for special occasions, romantic dinner or if you just want to relax and have really delicious food!

We dined here for our last evening in Ireland. The early dinner specials in Ireland is quite the special indeed. It’s eur 22 for 2 courses from 5.30−6.30pm. Call or email ahead for reservation.
The restaurant main dining room is on the second floor. Third floor is for special events. I do think they could have arrange a better system for checking guest in. Maybe set up a reception area on the ground floor. He whole process interrupts the dining experience a bit I think. Not a big deal but something they can consider.
Food is not just beautifully presented but also quite refined and well flavored. That’s saying a lot for Ireland. :). Look at these pictures.
I had the cod and it was perfectly cooked. Service is decent though one of the waitresses kept looking disappointed when I told her no for the extra sides and dessert.
Go a little bit off the beaten path and enjoy your meal as well as the view of Trinity College courtyard.

One of the best meals I have had anywhere in Ireland. The smoked salmon, Jerusalem artichoke, and Irish beef carpaccio starters were an excellent prelude to the main course dishes of roast cod, shepherd’s pie, and pork belly that we shared. The restaurant was clean and comfortable and the staff was friendly and professional. The menu is inspired by Irish food and culture with an elegant and high-​quality twist. A must-​eat option in Dublin.

Great overall. Great upstairs atmosphere and setting. Tables are café style and cramped yet friendly.
The food was outstanding and served just right.
The servers were nice yet attended poorly due to obvious understaffing… could have just been a bad night. I’ll need to got try again!

Excellent! Small, cozy restaurant with a good wine list. The food was delicious, including their vegetarian options. Definitely elevated cuisine, quite the unexpected treat. The service was great, although I wouldn’t expect anything else in Dublin — everyone here is so friendly! And that is coming from a US southerner.
Seeing that the place is so small, I would recommend reservations, even during the week. Look forward to going back!

Can’t hate this place! Such a great place to go to for dinner! I’ve never been not satisfied with my meal! Such a small restaurant hidden, and right opposite trinity college Dublin. It’s a must go to! Also good to make a reservation before hand! Portions are generous, I’m in love with this place!

Oh my gosh golly did I enjoy my meal here! After some initial faffing with our table that I’m not still sure was about we settled in at a lovely window seat where we were served tasty course after tasty course. Particular highlight was the starter of pulled pork croquettes which were packed with flavour. Tasty duck legs followed with scrumptious brown bread ice cream for dessert with the tastiest little ginger cubes! My friend had the beef cheek and raved about how tender it was. Will definitely be back!

The Pig’s Ear serves sophisticated irish dishes using great local ingredients. I took the opportunity to have their early bird 3 course dinner for € 26.95 — a true bargain! The dishes are creative and beautifully presented. The hero of my dinner was probably the super-​tender lamb belly or the marriage between the flavours in the dessert.
The restaurant is very small and cozy, with no more than 15 tables, and the staff are helpful and well-​trained. Great place for a dinner!

Creative menu but with Irish roots. The Pig’s Ear is a great destination for all foodies. Great service, wonderful food, enjoyable ambiance. My roast chicken was absolutely tender and moist. Everything was thoughtfully prepared, this was a marvelous meal.

Came here for my birthday with my fiancé. The restaurant is spread over three floors and we were on the first. I sat with a view of Trinity College. Pretty impressive. The room does look small when you walk in but it certainly doesn’t feel so.
I love how everything was presented — even the bread :)
I ordered the Crab Mayonnaise which came with fennel, carrot, trout caviar and orange. Check the photos to see how gorgeous it is! I had to spread some of it on the brown bread and it was utterly divine!
For main course I ordered the Roast Cod, Lardo, Cod Brandade, Sweetcorn, Hay Smoked Butter, Clams and Samphire. The cod was perfectly cooked and I loved the sweetcorn.
Then the best bit — dessert!!! I ordered The Pigs Ear Vanilla Cheese Cake, Berry Jam & Hobnob Biscuits. This comes out in a paper bag and you open it up to discover a jam jar inside which has a deconstructed cheesecake. It was so light and refreshing. A great way to end a beautiful meal.
I know I tend to give out a fair few fives but when I find a place that serves food I like and the staff are lovely I find it very difficult to mark them down. This, however, is probably one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in Dublin and I can’t think of a better way to have celebrated my birthday this year.

It was certainly no Pigs Ear from a service or culinary point of view. I don’t often give 5 stars on a first visit but I really couldn’t find any defect to warrant anything less.
Located up a narrow and somewhat uneven staircase is the Pig Ear first floor restaurant. Its a pretty small bright room with some nice views of Trinity College. They service an early bird menu which is good value but we arrived at 7 so had the A la carte which was contained a wide selection of starters and mains to cover most tastes. There is also an allergy statement added at the bottom which is useful.
The wine list is excellent and very well priced. We had a bottle of the Salice Salentino which at 31euro a bottle was good value.
The highlight was the Shepards Pie — anyone that can transform a dish from something so simple to something so rich and tasty is doing something right. For desert the cheesecake served in a jar deconstructed and it was rich, creamy and whipped.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one disappointed by this place.
I made a reservation by e-​mail two days before coming in. When we came into the restaurant, it seemed like they did not took my reservation, and asked us to wait outside the time for them to arrange us a table. So we ended up stuck against the counter, obviously in the waiters way. We ordered first the salmon and the veal tartare, the salmon was very good but was missing of something to be great, the veal tartare was nice, but coming with parmesan on it, which became quickly a bit sickening.
Then I had the lamb, and my boyfriend had the salmon. The salmon was nice, obviously cooked in a lot of butter, but fine. The lamb was of good quality, nicely cooked, but definitely missing of something too.
I was pretty shocked by the service during our diner tho, we both really felt like disturbing them, the way they put dishes on the tables was nearly rude, and even if I might admit we took our time, we felt nearly pushed out of the restaurant at the end of our diner.
Considering the price and the goodbutnottotallyawesomeness of the food I’d say it’s a bit too expensive for what it is.

Yes yes yesssss!!!
Had an absolutely faultless experience here last week. The food is unreal, modern and very interesting.
I started off with baked onions, ehhhhh Delish. They were little balls of caramel heaven, with some creamy cheese and sprinkled with quinoa, nuts and lots of other little joys.
Main I went for the pork belly. Can’t explain to you how good it was. Perfection on a plate.
For me I must say their deserts were what stole the show. We all got different ones so I got to try them all. Quite often deserts can b a bit of a let down in restaurants. Not in the pigs ear. Their pastry chef has got some skills, I tell ya that much.
The staff were so friendly, helpful and well trained. Our waiter knew the menu inside out and was even a great help in choosing wines. The décor was simple but classy.
A serious amount of steps between the door, the toilets and the 2 dining areas. So it’s defo a leave the grandparents at home sorta job :) I will be back fo shizzzz!!!

We had been saving this place for a special dinner and I’m glad we did so, everything went brilliantly! I must say that after reading some reviews my main worry was the service, however that too was excellent and in a few lines I’ll go into more detail about that.
First impressions: we rang them on the same day (a Saturday) about a booking for 20pm. They told us they could only book us for 21pm but we needn’t worry or rush, as there would still be plenty of people around and we could stay til after 22pm.
You can’t miss the bright pink door that leads to a well-​lit stairwell. You don’t need to climb that much to reach the first level of the restaurant. We arrived about 15min previous to our reservation but, instead of rushing us out into the cold street again, they offered to call us from the pub next door as soon as our table was ready. And so they did.
We went up to the second floor, to a much more intimate and dim-​lit dinning room than downstairs. Both the host and the waiter we got were very friendly and easy-​going, our waiter in particular was quite energetic and made simple things like uncorking a bottle a bit more entertaining and delightful. As soon as our host found out we were portuguese he even attempted a few words every time he went by.
Before the bread and butter couvert (even this was yummi and well presented) we ordered a bottle of wine, which was very easy because their list is quite good and reasonably priced. The whole food menu looked delicious as well and we started with a Venison Tartare and Jerusalem Artichokes. These were very tasty dishes, rich in both visual and palate-​pleasing textures.
However the mains were the true highlight of the meal. The wild Irish game Venison was beautifully cooked, the the meat still rosy inside matched the berries in the dish. The Beef cheek with bone marrow was another delicious dish, a bit more rich and saturated in flavours, but made you want to lick the plate clean in the end.
After all this we couldn’t possibly skip dessert! This was probably my least favourite thing, but that only means that it was good instead of absolutely great. I got the Cuinneog Farm buttermilk sorbet and while it tasted good, it felt too watery, as if the dish wasn’t holding very well together. The Cheesecake though is not to be messed with, serious food black magic going in there!
We took our time, had a nice espresso, and got out a bit after 23pm. Just as they had promised! This was a perfect dinner experience and I’m just waiting for an excuse to go back and sample the lunch menu ^^

Lors d’une petite escapade dublinoise, nous avons essayé ce restaurant qui nous a enchantées. J’y ai goûté un saumon, irlandais of couse, fumé à l’Earl Grey à me damner et du pig belly fondant. Les plats sont construits autour de produits de qualité provenant de maisons réputées que nous découvrons avec grand plaisir !

Ich war mit 5 Kollegen da. Wir schätzten das gute irische Essen (Whiskey Cured Irish Salmon, Crab Salad, Shepherds Pie, Rib Eye Beef, Vanilla Cheese Cake), das uns von der freundlichen und aufmerksamen Bedienung serviert wurde. Der Wein, ein Cabernet Sauvignon, war im Vergleich zu seiner Güte, eher günstig mit etwas bei EUR 20. – .
Der von der Schweiz aus bereits vorbestellte Tisch war nach einem kurzen Telefonat vor Ort für die angegebene Anzahl Gäste für uns reserviert.
Wir haben den Abend sehr genossen und ich werde das Pig’s Ear wieder besuchen.

Schönes über mehrere Etagen gehende Restaurant, wodurch man einen sehr schönen Blick über den Park des Trinity College hat. Sehr freundlicher und aufmerksamer Service. Moderne Irische Küche und auch die super Preise für den Wein sollten nicht unerwähnt bleiben!