Bridge Bar & Bistro

Stopped by for an early dinner after getting off a long flight. It was very well worth it. First of all, the walk to the restaurant is really nice and the layout/​design of the space is fantastic. It is very cozy and intimate but you don’t feel like the people next to you are intruding on your space. I met the chef and the dude is just cool. I think he and his wife relocated to Dublin from Portland and you can tell from his chill vibes. I had the guinea fowl breast with a side of potatoes cooked in duck fat and man, it was off the chain. I am definitely going to be hitting this up again.

Although I live in the area, I had no idea this place existed until I found it online. It’s a bit of a random spot as the train tracks run over it, which you can actually hear inside the restaurant and which is novel, rather than annoying. We found the service to be really good and the waiter was very forthcoming with suggestions. The food was excellent, if a bit pricey, and for this reason I’m giving it four stars.

I’m the other half of Jen’s review here:
I have to reiterate how fantastic the risotto starter was — genuinely one of the best things I have ever tasted. Perhaps by comparison, the main was less impressive, though still very nice. The dessert was also very nice.
Overall the ambiance was very good, the staff were friendly and attentive and the wine was decent for the price. It comes in a little expensive for an impulse meal, but definitely in the right range for a romantic treat. That, plus the slightly disappointing main course stops it from getting 5 stars, but another visit like this and I’ll have no problem bumping it up :)
On a completely different note there were plenty of business people in the night we visited, so it seems popular with the corporate crowd (BT, Accenture and of course, Google, are nearby). I noticed they took American cards without a problem and offered to charge in either euro or dollars.

We went here for dinner last Thursday. I was very surprised that there was such a place hidden away under a bridge around Grand Canal Quay.
When we walked in we were welcomed by a friendly hostess, who took our coats and showed us to a cosy table. The roof is low, and the room is dimly lit — quite romantic.
The menu isn’t large, but everything on it sounded very nice. I went for the prawns to start — there were 5 large well cooked, oily garlicky, prawns — lovely. Although my starter was overshadowed by the amazing risotto my husband got — it was delicious — creamy — not in the least dry or sticky — perfect!
For mains we had fish — which was very nice, and lamb — again nice, although not as rare as we were warned it was going to be — not a problem though.
All in all this place serves excellent food. It’s not cheap — a place for a special occasion or, just because you fancy splashing out on a Thursday like we did :)
2 glasses of prosecco, 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 desserts, 1 bottle of wine with an extra glass, and a coffee came to € 156.
If I had an expense account I’d go here more often :)

Go for dinner but forget about brunch… I went with a group of 5 friends and it was some of the worst service/​food I’ve ever experienced. We were given two different menus, one matching what is on the website, one not. Eventually we were informed that the non-​matching and much shorter menu was the real one. We waited 30 minutes after ordering for our food and witnessed one of the kitchen staff rushing out to buy more food from the supermarket down the road!
When the food eventually came most of it was fine but my full irish was swimming in grease and missing bacon. I was assured extra bacon was coming, it never arrived. In fairness to the manageress she was very nice when I spoke to her about it and offered to take off the two breakfasts but this was after the bill had been handed to us by the uninterested waitress. The manageress was outside on the phone for most of it and had to be called in to speak to me. She said she was, herself, not happy with the service but if that was true why was she outside and not in dealing with the situation and intercepting our bill before it came to the table?
Will not be back.

This place is a whole lot bigger than it looks from the outside; It spends most of it’s time deserted, so is an ideal place for a quiet dinner.
The food is super-​delicious but the cocktail menu doesn’t have prices (oh-​er…) which is simultaneously exiting and scary.
However, this restaurant has one trap and it’s very important to be aware of it, as it may ruin your evening. In the gents toilets, the door of the north cubicle is just a wee bit larger than the door frame. Now, if you’ve had a bottle of wine or two, you may think it’s a good idea to push the door extra hard, so you can at least close the bolt. Do not do this. It is NOT a good idea. The door WILL get stuck.
Depending on your disposition, it would likely be very embarrassing to be found stuck in a toilet after a half hour — remember, this restaurant is typically very quiet and the waiters don’t pay that much attention to the customers.
If this does happen to you, and you’re desperately looking for assistance on Unilocal,I recommend pulling the door open from the bottom of the door rather than the handle, where you run the very real risk of tearing the handle off the door. Especially if you’ve had three or four bottles of wine.

Very good restaurant. Went along for th 50 euro deal with wine. Was very happy with the quality of food and the wine was pleasant. Music on the saturday was an added bonus. great experience. would recommend

I went in with a friend last Thursday for a glass of wine. It was around 8:30pm and the place was not busy with the pre-​theatre crowd anymore.
Music was nice, smiley and attentive staff made us feel really comfortable and we’ve decided to have a look at the menu… well, we ended up having a three course meal :-)
Nice bread selection with a delicious red pesto!
Thumbs up for the deep fried cheese (mozzarella frita) which I had to steal from my friends plate. I had the prawns and luckily I was able to trade for half of her starter.
She went for the special which was whole sea bass as main and I had the pan fried cod with mash.
Again i had to attack her plate. The garnish from the sea-​bass was FANTASTIC. I think it was leek, potato fondue and cheese.
A verdejo Spanish wine was a perfect match to our food. Desserts were just ok.
Thanks to the manager and to all the staff who were on duty on that night.
I would recommend as a late dining place.

Had dinner here last Saturday before we went to the Grand Canal Theatre, the restaurant is a little hard to find but worth the search. It’s under a railway and has a lot of character inside., the shape is a little unusual a bit like a tunnel — the ceilings are low and it gets a little noisy. The food was overall quite good — not amazing but the service was very good and pleasant. They had a rickshaw outside the door and offered to take us to the theatre which i thought was a nice gesture. I’ve been here before when they had a salsa band in the bar and it was very enjoyable. I would go back here again, I like the area and it feels a little special.

Very impressed at this place after three very positive experiences!
This is a very tucked-​away wee restaurant, half of which is under the actual railway tracks from Grand Canal station above although after the third train you don’t hear them any more. The place isn’t massive but is well decorated and full of friendly staff.
The first two times I ate there was with work during the day for small networking events followed by a meal with plenty of good food, good wine and great service. The third time was a much more romantic affair before Christmas when the snow forced a lot of people to cancel their bookings so we were one of three couples in the restaurant which meant we got fantastic service with very personalised recommendations.
Top grub — I’d recommend the seafood tagliatelle!

The Bridge comes from the same team that brought us Mermaid Café and Town Bar and Grill. These are undoubtedly two of my favourite eateries in Dublin and therefore knowing this instilled much excitement and anticipation in me.
My friend commented that the tunnel shaped dining room looked like one of the mysterious backdrops from David Lean’s Brief Encounters. I declared, somewhat more brusquely that it reminded me of a dressed-​up underground bunker. Either way it sustained an intrigue and uniqueness like nothing we had ever seen before. Yes this is an awkward shape for a dining room but its distinctiveness totally captured my imagination.
Elegant table settings, crisp white linen and fine glassware assign the restaurant its fine dining feel.
It doesn’t take long to realize that the tunnel does have acoustical issues, as it gets very noisy within this dense space very quickly. However once you have settled into the milieu of your table, the focus soon turns to the grub.
I have heard the menu for The Bridge be described as ‘Town Bar and Grill Unplugged’ — a selection of Town’s most modest and simple greatest hits. I have eaten at Town and comparing the two I believe the straightforwardness and (in the same vain as the ‘unplugged’ comment) stripped-​down aspect of The Bridge’s cuisine works to make it the more tasty eateries of the two. It’s all about flavour!
Fellow diners included young couples on second dates and larger groups of local businessmen, but it was a sedate and mellow crowd, well serviced by an efficient and courteous staff.
With some misgivings I ordered the pork belly (the most expensive main on the menu for € 23.95). I’m really fond of slow-​cooked, succulent meats but rolled pork belly is going to go down in the history books as one of all time great clichés of restaurant cuisine. This one was excellent. It came served on a bed of ‘reaps and tatties’ the traditional lowland Scottish pairing of turnips and spuds and with winter cabbage — presumably the green flecks in the creamy mash. My companion enjoyed the Fois Gras Parfait rolled in Walnuts, Pineapple Compote for € 14.95.
For dessert we shared an utterly unfaultable Bread and Butter Pudding with Whiskey sauce. The sponge tasted as tantalizing as a saccharine croissant and as wholesome as the most heartening sponge that has ever crossed your lips. Drenched in warm-​hearted whiskey sauce and caramelized custard, this perfect dessert was the indisputable highlight.
A team of solid young managers who epitomise the laid-​back and friendly approach to hospitality seen in Town and Mermaid meander calmly through the restaurant. My honesty in pointing out that they had totalled the bill incorrectly was rewarded with a complimentary glass of wine. For restaurants in the capital to remain creative and à la mode, we need to see more partnerships like this. This is an exceptional dining experience unique in taste as well as aesthetics. If you are visiting Dublin I would recommend this restaurant as somewhere you positively have to visit, if you are a local that has yet to venture there then what are you waiting for!!!

You would honestly miss this place if you walked by and I never would’ve heard of it only for that it was recommended to me by a friend. Turns out I actually pass the place on my way to work every other day so I decided I would venture inside.
It’s pretty tucked away — almost directly underneath the dart bridge down at Grand Canal — but it has a great reputation and it lived up to it on my visit there. I had the squid to start and then went for cod for my main (mmm…fish) and both didn’t disappoint. I had no room for dessert but my friend had the homemade chocolate ice cream and INSISTED I try it, so I was forced to have some. I ended up eating more than her it was that good!
Really classy pace and I’ll be back. It opens for breakfast too.

Tucked away down what you think is a small side street, Bridge Bar and Grill is the ideal venue for anything from a quick pint to a full blown five-​course belt stretcher. The impressive old building has been fully re-​worked. The bar takes up one half of the room, with informal stools and leather banquettes. Opposite is a long, more formal dining room. The ceiling is amazing and follows the contours of the rail bridge that runs overhead (it’s worth a look itself — go out the front door and turn right). I like the nice napkins and cutlery, quality fittings and wonderfully lavish toilets. But it’s not a snobby place — I slopped in after the Paddy’s Day parade in shorts and trainers and they looked after me well. The food is some of the best I’ve had in Dublin and is fresh, modern and generous in portions and flavor. It ranges from pub grub like chicken wings to lovely warm salads and filling burgers. The prices aren’t bargain basement (especially the wines) but they’re not high for D2 and here you get what you pay for. Try going on a Sunday when there’s a brunchy/​lunchy specials menu from 11 – 4. And say hi to the very friendly young New Zealand guy who is a great waiter.