Avenue

‘Phantom booking’ here, you phone and get booking, show up and establishment firmly CLOSED — nevermind, life is a discovery of finding new places that are happy to serve customers at a moments notice

The interior is fine, I guess. The service was fine, I guess. And the food? You guessed it, the most positively amazingly «fine, I guess» thing I’ve ever tasted.
There really wasn’t any one defining aspect of my experience here that makes this place a 2 star restaurant, rather lots of small things that add up to make big difference.
1. My burger was € 25 euro, which would be fine if it was the best damn burger I’d ever tasted (spoiler alert, it wasn’t).
2. It’s never nice to see senior staff members give out to your waitress, especially when she was one of the only pleasant things about the experience.
3. My sister ordered a dessert which never arrived… and it was her birthday.
Speaking with a American couple beside us it became clear we were not the only unhappy patrons that night.
Tis a shame because whoever is in charge over there is clearly passionate about what they do, yet from reading past reviews, they continue to make the same errors and mistakes over and over again.
Hopefully they will check out their listing and implement some of the feedback, with the amount of quality restaurants in Dublin there is simply no room for mediocrity in the food business these days.

I pasted this review to trip advisor a while back, where businesses have a right to reply. And reply they did. I was told all the reasons why I was wrong, which was really useful and, as anyone can imagine, changed my experience in retrospect. Turns out I just hadn’t got it! Tons of pretentious stuff I hadn’t picked up on was my fault and that was why the experience was underwhelming. Had I just been able to appreciate various stuff that slid off the side of my brain *even after it was explained*, I would have had a fab time and enjoyed my food more.
And, oh, the utter marketing bullshit that takes up half the menu, about mutual admiration societies and the like? Well, turns out that isn’t bullshit at all — it’s … (cue brain-​slide) something else! That’s meaningful and important!
The folks in this place don’t seem in the least defensive on TA generally — they just explain things to people who don’t get it — which I’m sure has the desired effect of luring them back in their droves.
Go Avenue!

My colleague got a cocktail voucher for Avenue by Nick Munier for 4 signature cocktails. We rang ahead to check whether they can accommodate us and it wasn’t a problem.
When we got there however, we were told there is a function on in the downstairs bar and we have to sit in the restaurant. It wasn’t very busy on this Wednesday night but it was a bit awkward as the restaurant was very bright and not really the right setting for cocktails.
After we presented our voucher, we got handed menus and picked our first round, the ‘Nympho’ and a ‘Bombshell’. Both were nice. Not exceptional but nice.
We didn’t get any tissues or coasters so the table was a sticky mess after the glasses were set down and was never wiped.
The order of the second round of cocktails was taken by a different waitress who coldly told us the chosen cocktails were not part of the voucher deal and we can only choose from 4 different ones off the entire menu. If anyone studies drama and needs to perfect the art of ‘being condescending’, get yourself a voucher for Avenue (and there’s many of them available of different sites) and try to order what you’d actually like. Then see what happens. Pity!

I give two stars to the young and friendly staff and to the cocktails we had downstairs in the bar. We didn’t go for food so I cannot comment on that but only on the cocktails and staff. The service was quick and cocktails tasty and with enough kick to want to come back. However the noise level in the small bar area was way too high for my liking. A group of people standing at the bottom of the stairs were so loud I had to shout at my friend to be heard. The noise seemed to echo all over.
I did like the westie statues on the stair though and the toilets were nice and clean.

I had lunch here last Saturday, I instantly felt disappointed by the decoration as I walked in. I do not know how they want to come across, but my opinion is that they did not make any serious effort. Very friendly staff and good overall food but nothing special. I had the Roquefort salad for starter, which was tasty and well presented, rib-​eye steak for main that was definitely what I enjoyed the most in my meal. I picked the ‘chocolate tragedy’ for desert, a bit heavy but delicious. I personally do not think I will be going back anytime soon, mostly because I found it very expensive for the overall experience, but If you find any offer online — like I did — give it a go.

I have been to Avenue three times, once for full dinner with a friend, once to join friends for dessert after work and once to join friends for coffee at the end of their lunch. Both sets of friends went on my recommendation.
The first time I was taking a friend for dinner. We went for nibbles and some wine to Soder + Ko first and then came here for mains.
We were seated quickly and were looked after well for the rest of the evening. We chose a lovely bottle of Albarino. I ended up having Rib-​eye which was delicious. My pal had sea bream with a citrus salad which he really enjoyed. We shared a pear tart tatin which was delicious. We rounded off with Espresso Martinis which were good.
The décor is modern and stream-​lined although there is an odd ultraviolet light behind the seating. Nick Munier told us that it was supposed to echo an ocean liner– I can see the influence ok.
I enjoyed my visit although I did find the service odd. Nick seemed to work very hard despite there being a plethora of staff. There is no staff uniform and everyone seems to wear hat they wish. This can make it difficult to know who is working there and who is a guest. Both sets of friends commented on this too– something for them to think about maybe.
The food was excellent every time we went. I had the pistachio dessert on my second visit and it was yummy.
Overall its a lovely place to eat. I havent been to any other flor– I believe there is a bar on one of the levels. I think the food is great.

Had a lovely early bird with friends last night creamy artichoke soup and lovely brown bread, delicious onglet beef and fries and moorish mini doughnuts with dipping sauces. The atmosphere relaxed with nice background music and staff friendly and attentive. Will be back again to try other dishes

Loved loved loved this. Start to finish was perfect. Tortellini as a starter. Tasty and the right size portion. Grilled Cote de boeuf as a shared main with my wife. Perfectly cooked. Medium rare. The bearnaise sauce complimented it beautifully. Desert was chocolate tragedy which was simply the nicest desert I’ve had in a long time. Staff were attentive, extremely helpful and welcoming. Nick was front of house too and really mucking in. Great to see a proprietor taking ownership like that. Cannot recommend enough

Supposed to be a gastro pub. I’m a little disappointed. Maybe I expected too much. I used a voucher. The entry was pretty amazing and the rest just basic. Worth the price WITH a voucher. Otherwise don’t bother. Love the ambiance though.

Unilocal definitely has Avenues number regarding the overall 3 star review (at my time off review anyway!!) I straight off did not like the décor of the place. Really don’t know what kind of vibe they’re going for here. Duck egg «signature» leather chairs, fluorescent lights, table bits and bobs from IKEA and Dunnes Stores! Suffice to say, for me it didn’t work!
The food, again was mixed. I really enjoyed my rib eye steak (côte de bœuf), the best steaf in fact that I’ve had in quite a while. Herself found the taki duck to be satisfactory but nothing special. We shared the chocolate tragedy for dessert which lived up to its name and was indeed a let down. The sachertorte was disappointingly dry and not near chocolatey enough!
Bear in mind, this place isn’t cheap which just compounds the failure. High expectations unfortunately makes it that bit more bitter :(

Poached egg salad was extremely well balanced, with just enough tang from the sherry vinaigrette to balance the egg and lardons. Butternut tortellini were exceptionally good, with just enough salt. And the scallops were among the best I’ve ever had, with a very light dressing of olive oil, a few chiffonade bits of fresh basil, and tomato finely diced. We’ll eat here again before we leave town.

Totally enjoyed lunch. Clean friendly food was well presented fresh and perfectly cooked. Very well priced, would recommend and go back.

Returned for drinks in their downstairs bar and it reminded me of Pink Elephant circa 90s less the atmosphere.
It’s a lightless space that required a phone light to decide on a drink but at nearly 40 that is probably my issue. Good selection of wines and the Grenache was tasty.
This place is a marmite spot. Love it or hate it and I cannot decide

I was really looking forward to having dinner here as my pals were raving about it.
Unfortunately it was a wet blanket, i felt so uncomfortable in the restaurant, apart from the girls I was with there was ZERO atmosphere!
The waitress was lovely and you have to give credit where credit is due! The food was shambolic. I had soup for starter which was beyond boring, and my main was literally a threadbare chicken fillet with a bone sticking out of it and a tiny purée of mashed potato. No flavour. No sauce. This was vile.
We were dying to get out of the place and ended up in the Clarence hotel for dessert which was gorgeous, although we were still ravenous and ended up getting a pizza to fill the hole which Avenue left in our stomachs.
Such was the disappointment that Avenue doesnt even deserve a star. It deserves nothing. You cant blame the walkout of an entire staff on bad food. If it were my restaurant with my name attached to it, I would rather close the door then expect people to pay for crap!!!
We did complain but we weren’t even given an apology!
What a waste of time and money!

Like so many other reviewers I really wanted to love avenue… I decided to give it a test run for breakfast, Dublin is kinda short on good breakfast options so what’s to loose?
It was a Saturday morning, 11.30 and there was just me and one other table of two in the éclair de luxe, have to recognise the floor staff are amazing, warm friendly and really try hard. Unfortunately the kitchen let the side down. Food took about 30 mins to appear, maybe the two orders within a few moments was just too much? But it seemed excessive for essentially egg on toast.
Anyway, after the lengthy wait for food, it was disappointing to get two extremely over cooked poached eggs. I debated wether to point this out and let them try again but on the probability that I may end up waiting another long time for something not much better I decided to make do. It was a rather dry dish that I just couldn’t stomach by half way through — when I was first checked on after finishing eating the floor staff where very apologetic, but the time had passed to correct it. It was more disappointing to be charged in full for such a poor dish, and I was a bit more disappointed to be billed in full for a dish that I couldn’t finish as it was so poor.
I left feeling a bit deflated, and regretting not giving the woollen mills new breakfast menu a chance. No doubt this restaurant has potential; potentially I may try again when I’ve given them a few months to find their feet.

I really wanted to like this place. Really. But the quality of food I received was just meh. Their downstairs bar area is so retro and not in a good way. I felt way out of place sitting down in a bar ripped straight out of a 1980’s movie while the staff yammered all around me. I got the patè to start which was bland and a huge let down. Luckily the steak was cooked and seasoned very well and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately my companions’ meals all fell short and we left hungry. The portions are for supermodels I guess, and I just don’t fall into that category. 2 courses € 20 sounded great… But you get what you pay for I guess!

Oh no, no no no. Just not good at all.
I would like to give a half star for the staff, who were young and enthusiastic, but it was the only positive in a dire dining experience.
You must accept things have gone awry when you hightail it to get pizza after you have had «dinner». The walk out of the head chef and most of the kitchen staff a few weeks ago must have made a huge difference when I compare my experience to that of other Unilocalers.
I was there with 2 girlfriends for an early bird, which disappointed from start to finish. My starter of poached egg salad was barely edible. Undressed and with, for some reason, bits of burnt garlic in lieu of croutons, it did nothing for me. My companions had soup and chicken liver pâté, the soup apparently was «alright» but there was nothing positive to be said for the pâté.
As a main, I had the pasta dish, butternut squash ravioli, which promised a gorgonzola cream, which firstly was a foam and secondly was as flavoursome as water, the broth mentioned in the menu was non existent, and portion sizes so so tiny I was really appalled and we decided there and then to go elsewhere for desert. My companions had chicken and steak respectively, and only the steak was received positively.
I was beyond disappointed with the meal, and we even complained to the waitress who said they would tell the kitchen, but no apology, no reduction, no nothing. I will never darken their door again. Avoid!

Is it possible to fall in love with a restaurant?! I ask because I think it happened to me tonight.
This is the new Nick Munier (of Masterchef Ireland and Hell’s Kitchen fame) venture…
I think Marco would be proud (and worried by the serious competition)
Yes this place is in the centre of touristville but as soon as you walk through the door you’ll forget that’s where you are!
I got a voucher from the
so it worked out at just shy of € 50 for two three course meals plus a bottle of wine. A great deal if you ask me but even without that they do a three course set meal for € 25 per person and that’s bloody brilliant value for a restaurant in Temple Bar by any means.
So to my food. It was all yum and perfectly cookedI had the chicken liver parfait with brioche followed by the butternut squash ravioli and then the apple and cinnamon doughnuts with dips and then an americano.
By the time we were leaving the place was filling up so book in advance because you have just got to try here!!!