Bijou

The sandwiches are wonderful. Very tight when several people are inside trying to order. You have to sit outside so go in a warmer day. The broccoli carrot salad was yummy. Did not care for the sausage roll. The chai tea is made from a mix but still tasted good. It was a good experience overall.

Had originally booked brunch for 6 people with 3 buggies for Mother’s Day. A couple cancelled 1hr before the arranged time. When we got there we informed the Maitre D who replied with «You’d want to see the amount of people we turned away today». He gave us our seats which were in a nice location and right beside a table for maybe 8 people which was unoccupied for the duration of our visit. And here’s me thinking it was mad busy and they were turning people away?!
When we asked the hostess for the brunch menu, she grumpily nodded and no menus came. We asked a waitress then for the menus who could not have been more helpful. In fact, all the waiting staff were great, it was just their grumpy bosses we had an issue with. We were shocked at how rude they were. Food was great but the welcome gave us a bad taste in our mouths.
Will not be going back.

Well I went here with my family for a meal as we were celebrating my parents wedding anniversary. Let down by service is an understatement, there was six of us for the dinner which lasted 3 and half hours on a late Sunday afternoon. The starters came out immediately but we didnt see our main meal for another hour and half. We wolfed down our food at this stage as we were all starving, Still very hungry (portion sizes are very small) we ordered a desert which was a terrible mistake which meant we had to wait a further hour for. We wanted to cancel our deserts as it was taking so long but they said they were bringing them out. We ate the deserts and requested the bill at the same time. Throughout the course of our meal I had told the waitress we had been waiting considerable amount time but didn’t do anything about it. I would not advise this place for a small group or if you are very hungry.
I cant see myself going back here unless new managers in the restaurant and bigger portions.

Very nice restaurant. Have had dinner several times. Staff friendly, service good, food good, alcohol good. A tad upscale and a bit on the pricier side but well worth it.

I booked a table at Bijou for my wife’s birthday for several reasons foremost of which were that it is local to us and the menu appealed to us. Unfortunately we left after our meal feeling extremely let down.
First off when we arrived, we were brought to our table which was right beside the kitchen so we were asked to move and the Maitre D was more than happy to accommodate us with another table. What I did find condescending was that later during the meal as if to plamás us, the Maitre D asked us if we liked our new table and it was the best in the house — while it was plainly obvious it was not. This may seem quite petty I know but it is something that irked me.
The food itself was only ok. I don’t think it matched up to the money we paid for it. The portions were just a bit too small and while it tasted fine, that was about it… it was fine. I won’t remember the place for the food as opposed to other restaurants where the food blew my socks off.
It will be a while before I go back, if at all.

Staying in nearby Ranelagh, we booked this place before a concert. The food was really good, definitely a cut above some places in the city. Very reasonable and good choice menu — I had the prawn cocktail — juicy and filling followed by a nice steak — yes great. Service was nice and friendly too.

I have visited the Bijou twice. The first time was a jam-​packed dinner affair with no reservation. We had to wait several minutes to be seated upstairs. I was slightly disappointed by this as the atmosphere and the décor were both quite bland in comparison to the warm, bustling energy downstairs, but I kept it to myself.
We were in time for the early bird –two courses for € 19.95– but I was more enticed by a rosted pork belly on the al la carte, which came served with potato rosti, apple tweel and jus, for the same price as two early bird courses.
The food arrived in good time, but I was immediately struck by how small the portion was. It tasted great; the pork was so tender and the crackling was perfect, but I still felt quite hungry afterwards. I was hoping dessert would fill the gap. I ordered the Sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch ice cream. To be quite honest, it tasted exactly like one of those microwavable sponge puds you might get in Mark’s and Spencer’s. In other words alright, but not what I was expecting for € 6.50.
The second time was for lunch. I was pleased to be able to sit downstairs on this occassion, which struck a more luxuriant tone with its ornate metal detailing and paintings of glamorously dressed women. Swing and lounge jazz were the vibe of the day. We were seated on the left hand side of the bar as you walk in. I couldn’t help noticing the cavalcade of buggies parked under the stairs, with a group of mums sitting opposite. As more buggies started to be wheeled in, it struck me that this was probably a weekly, if not daily, routine for these women and I reluctantly prepared myself for a squeal-​a-​thon. Thankfully none of the sprogs kicked off and so it remained a peaceful experience.
I had the burger with fries, which came to me served on a black stone rectangle, in a bap that was far too small to contain the meat, with the butt of a gerkin standing curiously on its end. I’m all for chefs exploring food as a means of self-​expression, but pointless deconstruction like this is just annoying, especially since it meant I had to slice the gerkin myself. Aside from being messy, it was a decent burger, but it wasn’t worth € 14.95. My friend had the beer battered fish and chips, with no complaints other than the cost.
To conclude, the service was good and the atmosphere was nice, but ultimately I find the prices too high and the portions too small to warrant another visit myself.

I have not eaten here but wanted to buy a gift voucher for a friend who loves this place and lives locally.
I rang, a few days before Christmas to pay for the voucher by phone, and explained that I was also sending flower from the nearby Flower Bowl Florist. The guy I spoke to was very friendly and efficient and very happy to drop the voucher to the florists to be delivered with the flowers.
All this during what sounded like a very busy lunch service in the background and plenty of snow on the ground. Voucher was dropped to florist 20 minutes later! Fab service.
Would be keen to try the food there myself now!

When I was younger, my mom used to make us absolutely delicious french toast as a special treat on the weekends. She used to have this absolutely yummy cinnamon and raisin bread that she would make it with and we were always begging for more. A few weeks ago I realised it had been a better part of 10 years since I’d had a proper french toast, and I tried to recreate my mom’s recipe. It all went soggy on me and I was terribly disappointed.
Enter Bijou. A friend who lives in the Rathgar area invited me out to brunch a few days later and I was delighted to see that they had french toast on the menu. I have to say it wasn’t as good as my mom’s (but it never is!), but it was still delicious all the same. I went all out and got the maple syrup and crispy bacon as well and was very satisfied with the combination of sweet and savoury. I was also very tempted by the steak and eggs they had on the menu (a camping favourite from when we were kids), but unfortunately I didn’t have € 21.95 to drop on brunch.
I will definitely be back!

Bijou has a nice bar area to have a drink while you wait for your table. We had the fish, chips and mushy (sorry «crushed») peas the last time I was here and it was yummy € 16.95.
I prefer the bistro to the restaurant because it’s more laid back. They also have a deli here.

My new favourite place in Dublin. I went here for lunch last Sunday and was very, very impressed. Bijou has been a fixture in Rathgar village for quite some time but has recently extended the restaurant and opened a bistro downstairs.
We ate upstairs, its a more formal dining room compared to the café bar style downstairs. They both have similar menus though. Theres also a cocktail bar.
The food was fantastic, I had parsnip soup to start, it was fresh and tasty. My fellow diners had crab cakes and salad niçoise, both very tasty and i’m not a big fish eater normally. The chicken for mains was delicious and steak and fish and chips also looked great. Everyone was too full for desert.
A 3 course Sunday lunch cost just under € 25 a head. Throw in a few drinks and some prosecco, has to be done sometimes, and the meal for 3 was € 145, yes its not quite Sunday brunch in the local café but well worth it.
Booking is advised and they’ll accommodate children. The only gripe I had about the place was the air conditioning was a little too cold, but its a minor complaint for what is a great restaurant.