Bon Appetit

I was in Dublin for a week and out of all the dinners, Bön Appetit was the one that blew my hair back.
We ate at both the downstairs fine dining and the tapas bar at ground level. Although the fine dining experience was very good, the tapas were the real memorable, unique experience. At € 19.95 for any 3 tapas, we had a lot of variety at our table. I don’t recall the perplexing names of everything we tried, but every dish I had was a ⁵⁄₅.
The ambiance is very cozy and unique, candlelit with a modern, classy wine cellar atmosphere.
We found this little gem simply by exploring within less than half a minute from our hotel (The Grand) and I can literally not be more impressed. My only disappointment is that this restaurant is not located where I live.

Local colleagues chose this place for dinner and made reservations. Located by the water in Malahide, it’s located in a Georgian townhouse.
A little background, Chef Oliver Dunne had a Michelin star/​fine dining restaurant upstairs, but dropped the star and fine dining to focus on the brasserie downstairs. So I knew the food would be tasty.
Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted and our coats were checked. We were led to our table for 4 in the basement (I noticed the Tapas bar was very lively & busy before heading downstairs).
Waiter was friendly; however, he seemed a bit overwhelmed and we would have to remind him of things.
Food?
Foie gras-​tasty and unique presentation. I enjoyed this starter.
Pappardelle-​w/​mushrooms & an egg. Delicious.
Overall, my food was Very Good, but I did notice that my husband’s fillet was not prepared correctly (he ordered medium rare and it was closer to medium well). I got the impression that he was disappointed with his entrée. Thus, some hits and some misses.
Finally, while waiting for a taxi that they ordered for us, we were given a tour upstairs where you can now host events. Seems a lovely setting for private events.

Tapas bar is gorgeous. Fabulously ambience with delicious food. Service is ok…
They aim to please, could be more efficient but they do their best. Nice local feel to it.
Good deal on cocktails after certain time. Nice place for a romantic rendezvous over a bottle of vino and some tapas.

Have wanted to come here for years and it absolutely did not disappoint. The brunch menu was concise but I wanted literally everything on it!
I started with an absolutely smashing wee bowl of granola, hate to say the best I’ve had but, yeah probably!
I followed this with the full Irish which as you’d expect, was just top top notch. Highly recommended :)

Wow! Brought here valentines night as surprise. Michelin Star. I can see why! Looks are deceiving from the outside. Just looked like another Georgian house, but I step into a very trendy restaurant. We ate down stairs. It was very comfy and atmosphere nice! Food was to
For for. Tasty, different, mouth watering! I had goats cheese starter, cod main, carrot cake dessert. Couldn’t fault any of it :) he had the steak yum! Defo place to go if u have some extra bucks

I went to this place with my boyfriend to enjoy a lovely romantic dinner, never again!
We were in the basement, the brasserie, and the atmosphere was not romantic at all.
I was expecting a perfect menu, we found them on the michelin guide, but I was kind of disappointed of the first, a steak, because it was kind of tasteless. The started was amazing and the dessert was, again, disappointing. The chocolate ganache with peanut butter was presented with some kind of strange foam, and the taste, meh. I didn’t like it so much.
The most unpleasant thing happened when I received the check, they just change my steak with fillet (10 € more!) and I had to be refunded.
Not a nice dinner.

Went here on a nice trip to Malahide. Very nice restaurant with a bar on the ground floor. Mushroom soup was good. The garnishing around the hake tasted a little too fishy. The chicken breast felt a tad dry.

My friends and I went here when we read an article that mentioned them getting a Michelin star. It was a really, really good meal.
For starters, I had the beef carpaccio, which was really good. It looked good and it tasted better.
For my main, I had the butter poached chicken. The plate wasn’t as well decorated as other mains they had, and it looked smaller than other mains. However, it was delicious and actually really filling.
My friends ordered the dumplings and the Panna Cotta, both of which were really good.
For dessert, I had the dark chocolate Ganache. heavenly!
The service can be a bit slow, but the waiters are friendly and the food was amazing. Definitely recommended.

Two of us ate the prestige menu in the restaurant this evening. Food was delicious and service was at all times exemplary. I especially enjoyed the quail and pear starter. The coconut sorbet was also world-​class.
Bön Appetit would easily slip into my joint 2^nd favourite restaurant in Dublin — behind Guilbaud’s and on par with the Greenhouse. While the Greenhouse is more challenging and exciting the food tonight while less experimental was perfectly composed and effortlessly delicious.

Had the opportunity to eat with a work colleague during the past week in Le Restaurant & we both had the chef’s surprise tasting menu which was superb. Good quality service with well presented and excellent food at reasonable prices. The wines also well matched — will be back to enjoy food & ambience again very soon !

Wow, there just are no words to describe how incredible this place is. All other fine dining establishments, take note. THIS is how you do it.
I noticed a deal on
for this place and decided I just had to try it. I’ve never been to a Michelin star restaurant before so I was extremely excited. From the moment we were greeted at the door to the second we left was pure bliss. We were made to feel very much at home and it is exactly like dining at an extremely wealthy friend’s home.
We dined in La Restaurant and were blown away by the décor. It’s very cosy, very romantic and very welcoming. The dining chairs are generous in size and the room is very large, you’re not sitting on top of the other diners. Our server was very pleasant and recommended we try the chef’s surprise which is a seven course taster menu. To be honest, I was a little concerned the taster courses would be very small, but I was not disappointed in the least!
Our server explained how each and every dish was cooked and what ingredients were included. Our first course was a delicious spicy foam soup served in a very cute little cup. Hints of parsnip and spice, it was the perfect course to start us off.
Next we were served my favourite dish of the whole menu — slow cooked sea trout. Wow wow wow. I would eat this every single day if I could. Accompanied by teeny baby potato cubes and onions, this was not to be missed. That sauce… *sigh*, too good for words.
Next came the pork belly with squid and bacon. This may have been my least favourite of the night, but then again squid isn’t my thing. My husband loves pork belly and said it was great, but not the best he’s had. We moved on to our coconut sorbet to cleanse our pallets. I have had nothing but bad experiences with pallet cleansers but this was fantastic and fresh! Exactly what was needed.
On to the main course which stole the limelight — The venison served with a foie gras sausage served on a bed of red cabbage. I had never had venison before so I was suitably excited, This was very good stuff. The venison was perfectly cooked and the flavours of the red cabbage complimented the meat perfectly. One cannot ignore that the foie gras sausage was also incredible. All of this was served with a lovely pureed potato.
Next we had pre dessert and dessert. The pre-​dessert was good, but not my thing, it was too sweet with it’s cream and raspberries. But the dessert? Wow. Elderflower and apple sorbet with apple cream and honeycomb. The sorbet blew me away! I wish Ben and Jerrys would hurry up and get on that boat!
The service is like none other. Not intrusive at all, but they know when you need your drink topped up and love to listen to your comments about the food. They made us feel as if nothing was too much trouble for them. The restaurant manager Luis came to chat with us briefly before paying our bill and was very professional without the snobbery you sometimes get from places like this. He was very friendly and certainly appeared grateful for our custom.
We do need to talk about that bill though. This place is spendy, but it is worth every cent. The taster course was 70e each but when you consider the quality of the food and the incredible service, it is excellent value. We also had some drinks so our total came to just under 200e without our voucher. Dine mid week and you can even get 25% off.
Certainly one to reserve for special occasions. I wish there were more places like this.

I’ve been to Bön Appetit’s Brasserie (downstairs) a few times, for lunch and dinner, and I’ve always enjoyed it and found it to be good value, so I was really looking forward to trying the Restaurant (upstairs). I had lunch there this week and I was incredibly disappointed when we were shown to our table only to find it was in the middle of what was basically a crèche.
I’m guessing the tables were from a Christening party (the newborn in the white gown was a dead giveaway), and there were four or five small children with the party. Three of these were roughly under 4. You can probably guess what happened next — we were treated to 2 and a half hours of screaming, crying, howling, and general chaos.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have zero tolerance for the noise and madness of small children when I’m out in a nice restaurant, but even my boyfriend who is generally extremely tolerant of these kinds of situations had to admit it was ridiculous. When one of the younger children started screaming, his mother didn’t even have the good manners to take him outside until he calmed down — she walked him around the tables while he howled away. An even younger sibling of his decided to throw his cutlery over his shoulder, which came pretty close to hitting one of the people at my table in the face. The parents, of course, didn’t notice, or care. The high point came when the parents of the newborn child whipped out a bottle and some formula, requested a pot of boiling water and proceeded to make the baby’s bottle at the table. I felt like I was in the kid’s section at McDonald’s. I almost expected a nappy changing next.
Aside from the fact that these kinds of sights are not generally part of a Michelin starred dining experience, the noise level made it very hard to concentrate on the dinner (sidenote: the food was delicious) and nearly impossible to hold a conversation. My ears were ringing when I eventually escaped. I honestly never thought I’d be glad to leave a place like Bön Appetit, but I really was. I’m not sure what could have been done — maybe have a separate section for families? To be honest I’d fully support them if they refused bookings including small children, but I understand that in this economy no one can afford to turn away customers.
Either way it was not fair to other diners, nor was it fair to the children, all of whom seemed bored, tired, stressed out or all of the above.
I’ll certainly think twice about returning to Bön Appetit. At the very least I would strongly advice anyone who doesn’t want their food with a side order of screaming children to avoid this place at lunch time.

My partner and I went here on a voucher from a daily deals site– € 30 for € 60 value. The food and service were amazing. Every dish was presented with an artistic flair that one would only experience in a Michelin star restaurant. I ordered the scallops as a starter and monkfish as the main. My partner ordered quail as a starter and sea bass as a main. We both enjoyed raspberry chocolate dessert. With a bottle of white the bill was € 117 after our € 60 voucher. Rating 4 stars due to ‘value for money’ in this recession– but couldn’t fault the food or service.

There are 3 restaurants here.
The upstairs is Bön Apetit. you want to go there.
The middle level is a tapas bar. you can hang here
The basement is a bistro… i was sent here and I thought I was going to Bön Apetit.
So. make sure you are in the right restaurant before you order.

We have had many a happy meal at Bön Appetit. The main restaurant provides a sublime experience with a constantly changing seasonally inspired menu. In respect to value we especially believe that the tapas menu on a Wednesday and Thursday night in the wine bar is extremely good. We are yet to try the new bovine menu in the brasserie, but expect this to be popular and will report back!

my family decided to treat ourselves to dinner in Bön appetit. We had heard the reviews and were looking forward to a pleasant evening. We ordered the tasting menu and some wine. The food proved to be very good indeed, but my god, the service was poor. The staff were inattentive, and appeared more concerned with another table behind us. This became frustrating and resulted in them messing up our food order and our wine order. The bill was extortion over 1000 for 7 people! I do not feel they were mitchelin service!

Fine dining. Some love it and some hate it. After getting into food a little bit recently (courtesy of american girlfriend showing me the American tv show Top Chef) I understand fine dining a little more now and the art that goes into it.
We went to Bön Apetit for brunch along with a City Deal voucher we had gotten; 2 mains and tea and coffee worth up to € 84. We dressed up to make a day of it. Unilke our last City Deal experience with Findlaters in Howth we were left much more satisfied.
Just to note, there are 3 sections to the restaurant; Le Bön Vin, which is tapas, la brassaire which is casual dining and la restaurant, which is formal dining. The chef has one michelin star.
Bön Apetit is housed in an old Georgian abode, we were warmly welcomed by the matrie d and brought upstairs to a bright airy room with fine white tablecloths. A very well dressed french gentleman welcomed us and gave us menus. We were offered water straight away. The menu is expensive but with our voucher already paid for and both of us being hungry, we decided to go for two starters as well (I was a little concerned that fine-​dining might also mean tiny portions).
I ordered risotto for starters, my lovely girlfriend ordered asparagus with hazlenuts, quail eggs and black truffle. I looked amazing, the presentation was lovely. We also got a choice of breads (bacon bread being a winner!!) and my risotto was plentiful and absolutely delicious.
I got a lovely glass of wine to go with my tenderloin of beef (I’ve never had wine for breakfast before!) which was divine, with beautiful with pomme purée and onion chutney, she got the sea bass. My beef was, as I said, beautiful as was the pomme purée, the chutney, I wasn’t so hot about. I’m usually not a fan of sea bass but her sea bass was divine without a strong fishy taste.
It was washed down with possibly the most beautiful cup of coffee I’ve tasted, and her tea came in a fancy silk made teabag.
I left with a full belly and very happy
There is a regular set brunch menu for about € 25, set 4 course dinners for € 70 or a chefs choice menu for € 80.
A wonderful spot, though if you’re on a budget, to be reserved for a very special occasion.

They had me at Bacon Bread…
But first, I shall set the scene:
My Bön Appetit adventure started in early March, when I received an email for a CityDeal at Bön Appetit: € 35 for Lunch for two (two mains and tea or coffee) worth € 81.
Being an incurable foodie, I snatched up the offer and promptly forgot all about it until last week. To my dismay, my voucher expired at the end of the week. I panicked and picked up my phone to make my reservation.
Apparently the deal has gone very well with them, because when I tried to make a reservation they told me they were booked out for the week. I heaved a disappointed sigh, ready to swallow my € 35, when they continued:
«But we have extended the voucher for 30 July…»
Score! I made the reservation for noon the next Thursday.
On the day, my boyfriend arrived at the renovated Georgian townhouse by the water. On the ground floor, there is a Brasserie, offering casual gourmet faire. We were ushered up the staircase and into a plush, carpeted dining room. The room was bright, and table was bedecked with tablecloths and fine silverware. The waiter gave us the menus and told us what was included in the CityDeal but, he added, we could add on a starter, wine, or dessert for a supplement. Since we were already out in Malahide and in the fine dining spirit, we opted for two starters and a glass of wine for the boyfriend. I ordered the New Season Asparagus with Hazelnuts, Poached Quail Eggs, and Black Truffle Aoili. He ordered the Split Pea Risotto with Smoked Bacon and Spring Pea Foam.
While we waited for the starters, a waiter came to the table with a selection of fresh baked breads: Olive Swirl Bread, Brown Bread with Pumpkin Seeds, and Bacon Bre…(sorry, I had to wipe the drool off the keyboard)…BACON BREAD! We both had a slice of Brown Bread, which was robust and smooth, but the magic came when we both bit into the Bacon Bread at the same time, a look of ecstasy glazing over our eyes. I could have gone home happy right then… then the starters arrived.
The mildness of the asparagus was expertly mixed with the smokey black truffle aioli and the hazelnuts, which gave it a crunchy, clean finish. The quail eggs were perfectly poached and tied the whole dish together. The boyfriend gave me a taste of his risotto, which was creamy and rich, and taken to the next level by the fresh spring pea foam.
Our mains arrived shortly after our starters were taken away. He had the Tenderloin of Beef with Pomme Purée, and Onion chutney and I had Wild Sea Bass with Parsnip Purée, Golden Carrot, and Coriander Foam. I have never had Sea Bass as smooth in my life. The fish melted in my mouth and the Coriander Foam with Parsnip Purée added the perfect dark notes to the light fish. The carrot was beautifully cooked and added a texture element to the plate. We ordered a side of Potatoes Gratin, which I daintily scarfed down. The portions were very satisfying, and while he decided to leave the meal with just what he described as «The best coffee I’ve ever had,» I finished off with a Mint Panna Cotta with Honeydew Salad. The dessert was the low point of the meal, and felt more like a palette cleanser in flavor — certainly not the punch I would like at the end of the meal. Still, it was pleasant, and the silk tea bag slowly steeping high grade Assam tea into my china cup was enough to leave me with a huge grin and a happy belly.
I will definitely return to Bön Appetit, despite to € 60 per person and up price tag on the dinner menu. Taking into account the cost of the voucher, the meal cost around € 60 including tip — without it, the total would be around € 90.
Recommended for foodies and very special occasions.

I wanted to like this place very much. After all, it’s a Michelin restaurant!
But, I am just a bit disappointed at our experience there. The food is not super memorable and the space (we sat at the brasserie) was super cramp making it a bit uncomfortable.
I am also disappointed in the service. I never had wait staff (in a nice restaurant) not knowing who order what at the table, and there were only 2 of us at the table!
One thing I am super impress about is the bar area. It’s a beautiful place to hang out and the mixed drinks were fantastic!

Bön Appetit is an off-​the-​beaten-​path, Michelin starred restaurant and brasserie in a row home outside of Dublin. The space is beautiful. I thought to myself, «this would be a nice spot for a romantic dinner» — not a place where I would bring 50 coworkers for a big dinner. Oh, well. I was pleasantly proved wrong. We ate in the downstairs brasserie and had a set menu:
–Leek and Gruyère quiche
–Roast lamb, served medium with roast potatoes and a corn & white bean medley
–Panna cotta with caramel ice cream, macadamia nuts, fresh cream, and bananas foster
I did not like the quiche, but that is because I don’t like quiche. Everyone else liked the quiche. The lamb main course was amazing. It was nice, thick cut, tender and cooked perfectly medium, with just the right amount of pink.
They handled our large party very well. Service was spotty in places, but overall very good. But who cares, the food was outstanding and if a fancy place like this can crank out a delicious banquet and do romantic dinners for two, Bön Appetit has to be put on your list.