Scotch Bonnet Urban Cafe

Stumbled upon this little gem in Malahide today. Four very hung over and fragile people were brought back to life after trying their AMAZING chicken wings. I’m bit of a wing nut and like to think I know my stuff and these ones are up there with the best I’ve had. We got the Scotch bonnet space. Delish! For mains I got the fish cake. So tasty. The salad that came with it was gorgeous and don’t get me wrong, I don’t rave about salads very often nor do I indulge the skinny me when hung over but this one hit the spot. Also got the skinny fries, after clearing up with the waitress whether or not the fries were skinny shaped or would make me skinny. Unfortunately the latter didn’t apply. My three amigos got the loaded potato skins and they were fab too. Seriously cheesy. We were going to get desert but the food sweats kicked in and we had to go and get fresh air.

Very friendly staff, excellent breakfast to end the walk around the this village town.

I gave this three stars but I would ideally give it 3.5. I really want to like this place but something is just missing. I’ve been here a couple of times and each time the food has been just okay. They claim to have won awards for their chicken wings but I didn’t find them too great– I liked the sauce but I found the chicken itself to be of quite poor quality (I found a few feathers which was very off putting). The menu is pretty expensive but they do some daily specials which I would like to try some time. While we were there the table beside us were having a seafood platter which looked really good. Maybe I just order wrong when I visit! Overall the ambience is good and there’s a nice feel to the place.

I used to love the scotch bonnet when it originally opened a few years back. The menu change, quality of food, atmosphere and service had gone downhill.
Grand of your looking for a quick bite of burger, wings, fries but there’s probably better chains to get that sort of food from.

Awful awful awful…
Now if you read my reviews I’m usually quiet fair but this place really got me this evening!
It started with us strutting in at 5.45pm and looking for a table for two! There were like 5 free tables but instead we were sat in the back beside the kitchen on high stools! First set back!
We had a little read of the menu which to be fair had loads to choose from! I went with the fish n chips and himself went for the steak!
Out came our food after like 10 mins (maybe a little too fast) both looked pretty but then the taste test came, my fish was crispy on top but soggy on the bottom, my peas were from a tin and just pure sludge and then for the CHIPS or should I say under cooked half roasted potatoes! They weren’t even chunky chips they were spuds big hard spuds! Himself’s steak was good and cooked to how he likes it but his «chips» were just like mine undercooked!
No one came near us so I couldn’t even send them back cause my fish was so small it was gone by the time any server came near me! When the server eventually popped over to check, both of us had finished and I told her how bad the chips were! She kind of politely acknowledged it but that was it! Then Boom she hits us with the bill, 45 euro for a coke, mi wadi, steak, fish and undercooked chips! Shocking stuff!
Let’s just say this place is now on my «never again» list!

The one thing i like most about Scotch Bonnet is the décor! So cosy inside! The food I also have nothing bad to say about just the night we arrived there was a few things on the menu sold out even steak so my partner had the special of an asain beef salad. was good but not amazing. My fried chicken was delicious! They have great weekday deals on ribs and wings. The one thing i dont understand is the scotch bonnet name, as our hot wings werent hot! :(.and also if its busy be ready for a long wait. ours was over an hour! Staff are helpful and friendly.

Just popped in to try out a bit of brunch. The décor is great & even though there is only one other family here it still feels cozy. The waitress is very pleasant & service good. I tried the savoury french toast with streaky bacon. It was very tasty but the bacon was smoked back not streaky & only one piece of toast with it. Just a little pricey @ € 9. I would like to see the evening menu to see if that’s better value for money.

Great food! Mushroom tortellini was amazing. Ideal place for weekend brunch or dinner.

Friendly staff really make all the difference in a restaurant & I must say, the guys here are great. We didn’t have a booking, so there was a short wait but we were kept posted the whole time & had menus to browse through.
The only *slight* problem was that we ordered goats cheese to share & out came some buffalo wings. But they looked so damn good that we couldn’t send them back! One of the nicest wings I’ve had. You could tell it wasn’t the standard lashing of Franks hot sauce that most restaurants are peddling these days. Nice hefty portion too!
I also had a glass of wine & a prawn rigatoni main. Both fab! Oh & they has some brilliant golden oldies playing in the background. Really nice atmosphere in the place for a weeknight. I’d definitely go back.
A tip for any driving diners not familiar with Malahide — the parking is not great.

Just to post an up to date review since most are old. Thought this place was great, we tried the Angus burger and the mussels, both excellent. Good varied kids menu too. We were there at an off peak time but still waited 15 minutes for somebody to take our order, which was a bit perplexing but staff are very friendly and helpful.

I’ll cut to the chase, right…
Absolutely excellent food. I have not eaten so well in such a long time.
I went with the missus who had the mushroom tortellini without the cream cheese and I had a tomato soup and fish cakes.
Not only were the fish cakes flavoursome and filling (I swear there was some genuine smoked cod in them, bursting with flavour) but even their side salad was delicious. There was a salsa that’s worth another review in itself.
We walloped it off with apple, rhubarb and berry crumble at the end and it was as top notch as everything else.
Crunchy «crumble» and unforgettable fruit! — Stop John, STOP!
Ok I will…
Well worth a trip.

Went to the Scotch Bonnet on a Friday night without a reservation with my wife. We were given the choice to sit in small area right near the kitchen (or hatch) or upstairs. We took a quick look at the first option, then proceeded upstairs. I typically hate sitting near the noisy kitchen but the first option in from of the hatch seemed okay for some reason. This turned out to be a great seat for viewing the amazing entrees the chef was turning out.
We had a fabulous waitress (so sorry we never got here name). We may have gone a little overboard on ordering because everything on the menu sounded good. I started with the butternut squash soup (very hot but delicious) then I had the half rack of ribs. Half rack definitely enough for one person. So glad I saved my bread from my soup so I could dip it in the delicious BBQ sauce. My wife started with the calamari (which she let me try a few) They were great, lightly battered and served with a nice dipping sauce & small salad. For an entrée she had the Scotch Bonnet salad which had chorizo sausage. She must have really liked it b/​c all I could sample were the tomatoes. We both split an order of the Portobello Mushrooms on crusty bread with baby spinach & truffle hollandaise. This was okay. I think I was stuffed from my other dishes and I’m not a huge hollandaise fan. Since it was a big date night for us we did look at the dessert menu. Which I highly recommend you do, it comes out a rolling pin, very creative. We saw a banana split come by which looked delicious, but we opted for the ice cream and cookies. It was served in a large goblet with crushed oreo cookies on top and some kind of cake base with choc & vanilla ice-​cream. It was so so, not what I was expecting, I was hoping for choc chip cookies.
Just a heads up, they do not have any draft beer, but they do have a (limited) bottle selection. I had a Warsteiner Premium Verum. They do have wine list too, most glasses range around 5.50 euro, my wife had a pinot grigio, which she said was nice.
All in all, great experience at «The Bonnett.» Atmosphere was fun. Seemed like they were trying a little much to get the «American» vibe going. But we didn’t mind, we’re expats living in Malahide so it was cool. The food was really fantastic. I’ve seen some reviews about it being pricey, and yes, I guess compared to some of the places in the town, it is but I they offer weekly specials which I am dying to try. These include: Ribtickler Mondays, Chicken Tuesdays, Seafood Wednesdays, & Steak Thursdays. Most include a entrée and either wine or beer. They list them all on their website. I will definitely be back to try one of their burgers. We saw a ton of them come out of the kitchen, and I read they were voted best burger in Dublin/​or was it Ireland. Anyway, they looked fantastic. But the real highlight of our night was our server, we absolutely loved her, best we’ve had since we’ve been in Ireland. She even asked the chef where he got the the giant pickles that he was putting on top of the burgers for us. Yes a strange request I know, but my wife is a huge pickle fan and we haven’t been able to find any good ones in Dublin yet. Definitely give the Scotch Bonnet a try.

I have spent a week in rainy Ireland — the charming town of Mallahide to be exact. I have eaten at several local restaurants and pubs, all of which have been generally pleasant experiences. But on this lucky Sunday afternoon, I managed to walk into Scotch Bonnet. The minute I walked in I realized this would become my chosen «spot» for my remaining 3 weeks in Ireland. It has that warm home-​like feel, cooks excellent food (voted Ireland’s best hamburger) and, most importantly, has a warm and inviting staff — excellent service!
If you find yourself in Mallahide I strongly suggest this as your first stop for a meal or for a simple refreshment. Need I say any more?

I really want to get my point across that this is a great place.
On a recent visit back to Malahide I arranged to meet some old friends here, totally forgetting communion weekend– I know how could I???
It was obviously busy busy with good food flying out on trays with plenty children around too, but yet the four star staff still manage to keep calm, accommodating, friendly and fun. All that you want!.
Although we foolishly arrived unplanned we were given drinks and told we could be given a table shortly, which we were. I am so grateful for the further food, complimentary shots and a birthday song for my friend which were given so professionally and so warmly that I could not would not begin to dream of giving this place anything less than a well deserved five out of five with extra star for eye candy xxxxx

Great cozy restaurant, especially if you are seated on the couches. It feels like the reception room of an old inn. Very comfortable with friendly staff and delicious food. Exceedingly kid friendly. There was a stroller traffic jam. We split a spanish salad and fish and chips — the chips were of the log variety, but really well done and served in a bucket — I am pro-​bucket food. The fish was delicious. Huge portion and really nicely done. My daughter had the kids version of the fish and chips, but her chips were of the thinner variety (yes, dad did take some). The salad with chorizo was very good, as well. Very kid friendly with games and toys. 30 Euros for brunch — not bad. We were too full to have dessert — and my daughter was eager to go to the sweet shop down the street, in fact, she missed out on a few that came with the bill. I look forward to going back. The perfect end to a day walking around Malahide Castle (and playground).