Locks Brasserie

A lovely restaurant along the canal in portobello. The waitress and staffs were very very friendly and nice. The restaurant from the outside wasn’t really impressive but when I entered the restaurant, it was so pretty. Had a 3 course lunch here.
The food in order:
1. Manchego custard with tomato jelly, cucumber and pine nuts — It was such a refreshing dish to start off with. Really well infused with custard and nuts to give it the texture and the cucumber for the cool feeling. Really good.
2. Charred cured salmon with avocado purée and grapefruit — The salmon was so fresh and paired together with the smooth avocado was a really good combination. The grapefruit was then the last to clear your palate.
3. Ray and scallop with cauliflower miso, wild asparagus, raisins and capers. It came together with a side of potato croquette and beans with brown butter sauce and nuts — The Ray was so so so so well cooked. Together with the raisins and capers to give it that sweetness. The cauliflower miso and the roasted vegetables on the plate was seasoned to PERFECTION. I can’t emphasise how much I love this course. The only downside was the scallop which was a little overdone and chewy for me.
4. Poach mixed berries, lemon and coconut with shortbread and passion fruit sorbet — I thought the presentation of this dish was lacking. Probably my least favourite course out of all. The lemon and coconut foams were good. Berries were fresh. The passion fruit sorbet though, was slightly too over powering.
Overall, I had a good meal here. 3 (it is actually kind of 4) course meal cost me € 35 which wasn’t a bad deal at all. The only downside is that their restaurant is slightly far off from the city and in quite a secluded area. But it was a nice walk back along the canal after a satisfying meal.

This is a French restaurant so the portions are small and the menu is odd. The food was just ok but it was rather expensive for what we had. The 2 course meal is € 45 and 3 course is € 55.
After delivering the food to the table, every item on the plate is explained.

Have been here twice. Amazing food followed by unreal dessert followed by a nice walk along the canal back towards the city. Will be back again soon.

I’ve been to this restaurant several times over the past few years.
Each time I’ve tried a different combination from their menu. Each time I’ve really enjoyed my choice. The food was excellent and well presented.
The staff on each occasion have been very polite and helpful. I’ve been there with groups of around 15 and they have accommodated our group easily, upstairs.
The ambiance is casual to smart. The room itself has a certain dated, but tasteful look to it. Apart from the chatter of diners, the restaurant was pleasantly quiet.
Overall, i highly recommend Locks Brasserie for an extra special lunch or dinner.

Locks Brasserie… sweet location right on the Grand Canal in the Portobello neighborhood. It’s a ‘must splurge’ for those who appreciate a fancy night out once in a blue moon (or a half moon if the pocketbook allows…)
The ambiance is so lovely — gorgeous decorative glass candles at each table add to the amber lighting. And, the simple yet elegant décor is eye-​catching at every corner.
Now for the meal: We enjoyed the Thornhill Duck, which was mouth-​watering delicious, along with a side of creamy herbed potatoes. As a starter, I highly recommend the potted crab as well as the oxtail ravioli — excellent! We were too full for dessert but the chef sent over a selection of sweet petit fours to enjoy with our French coffee which was out of this world!
I highly recommend this spot. Enjoy a walk along the canal afterward to work off the very satisfying rich meal…
Tip: un-​LOCK an offer on Unilocal for a two-​course special (pun intended ;)

We really enjoyed our luncheon experience at this neighbourhood restaurant. Their quiet corner location is lovey; the dining room offers views of the canal filled with swans, ducks, etc.
The modern Irish cookery is accomplished, inventive, with many European influences served with gusto. Service was professional and still friendly. Wine list is nicely put together with many affordable options.
All in all, this is a wonderfully designed and nicely operated brasserie to have visited. We felt right at home.

Great meal — look forward to returning for a long lazy lunch!
Two of us ate here on a busy Friday night, a birthday treat, for me. Place was ticking over nicely when we arrived — they do a great-​value early-​bird, and it looked like the early-​bird wave was nearing the end of their meals as we arrived (around 8pm).
The room is lovely — we ate downstairs. it’s bright, classy and looks out over the canal. It’s always felt lovely and warm/​welcoming — even back in the old days when Locks was under different owners.
We had three courses: starters of sea trout and sichaun salmon ballotine, mains of confit pork shoulder and pan fried Turbot, and for desserts — crème brûlée and panacotta. We also had a side of courgette tempura.
Service was great — we had a very helpful and friendly French waitress, attentive without being in our faces every two minutes.
But it’s all about the food, and the good news is: the food is great. This is really good French food executed very well, with a sprinkle of that chef-​y Michelin-​star stuff that lifts things out of the ordinary. However, despite the presence of some classic «Michelin star-​y» elements on the dishes (like the dehydrated «dust» or the concentrated wasabi dots accompanying the salmon) — the core ingredients in each dish shine, whether the salmon or trout in our starters, or the pork or turbot in our mains. I can still recall the sensation of tasting a mouthful of that confit pork, with an incredible crackling. Amazing.
Anyway — I’d highly recommend it, and I was left with two thoughts: must return for the lunch some day which sounds like incredible value, and must try Pearl Brasserie (their sister restaurant) to check if it’s anything like as good as what’s going on here.

I was impressed with this restaurant. We visited for lunch on a Sunday and it was lovely. Seating was upstairs (which I would recommend). The service, food and setting (it’s beautifully decorated) were all very good.
Lunch menu provides excellent value too! We had 3 courses each with wine and coffees for around € 100.
The restaurant is relatively new to the Mmichelin star class, and it provides a different style than the others available in Dublin, it has a slightly more relaxed and fresh feel, but still offers well prepared food. The menu is seasonal, so changes regularly, the day we were there we had chicken and lamb, both were excellent.
I am looking forward to visiting again.

Had a superb lunch there this weekend. We were a party of 9, a family lunch in their upstairs private room. Very professional, attentive service and an excellent, sophisticated meal. We went for the $ 25 two-​course menu which still gave our party plenty of choices — although it was hard to resist the crème brulée at the end!

I had high hopes for this placeand even enjoyed eating the food while it was going down. We started dinner around 845pm and around 2−3am I had some violent food poisoning. :(Enough said
Update:
I recently received a complaint about this review. I understand it can be upsetting to receive bad reviews but it is also upsetting to be sick. I had no other food between 2pm and 845pm that day so is there a slight chance I may have received food poisoning from elsewhere? Possible.
On the NIH (National Institute of Health) website, it states Symptoms from the most common types of food poisoning usually start within 2 6 hours of eating the food. That time may be longer or shorter, depending on the cause of the food poisoning.
As I mentioned in my original review, I did enjoy the dining experience but I do believe I also got food poisoning here. Reviews are meant to share experiences and opinions. Sometimes reviews are positive and sometimes they are not. I am not saying do not dine here and I am not saying this is a horrible restaurant. This was my experience and people can make their own choices. I have been to plenty of restaurants with bad reviews and personally had a great meal and vice versa.

It was Saturday date night and date night led us to Locks. I hadn’t heard much about Locks but was excited to try it as I love French cuisine.
We had made a reservation for 8pm, but ended up arriving at 7:30pm right away. The minute we walked in, our coats were whisked away from us and we were led to our table. The restaurant wasn’t very busy at that stage, maybe 3 or 4 other tables besides us. We were put at a nice table by the window. The mood was set, the lights were dimmed, the warm interior and oversized chairs inviting and relatively casual atmosphere was welcoming. The staff was extremely friendly, upbeat and prompt. I would almost have to say impeccable service. The attention to detail and the servers were there, anticipating your every need. Don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions one wine or pairings, as they were able to suggest a wine for us to perfectly suit both of our meals.
Since you don’t go to a place like Locks without going all out, we ate our way through the menu. I ended up getting the Terrine for Foie Gras. I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. There was too much going on on the plate. It was rolled in gingerbread crumbs with 3 other sauces on the plate and the texture of the terrine just wasn’t hitting the spot. My boyfriend ordered the Wet Cured Atlantic Salmon which I tried and loved. The flavours went together very well and left a very fresh taste in your mouth. For the mains, I ordered the scallops and he ordered the Dry Aged Rib eye. Since the dinner menu is Ala Carte, we ordered a side of French beans and new potatoes. The mains blew the starters out of the water. The scallops were cooked perfectly, the fennel purée, saffron, pearl onions complimented the dish to the Nth degree. The steak was also cooked to perfection. Seared and slightly crispy on the outside, but still cooked medium rare on the inside. The meat was melting in my mouth and the béarnaise sauce was a perfect compliment.
What would a meal be without dessert? Exactly. As we couldn’t decide on a dessert, we each ended up getting one. I ordered the Orange and Cinnamon Crème Brulee and he ordered the Pannacotta. The crème brulee was excellent, although I really didn’t taste the hints of orange and cinnamon.
I’m really glad we ended up going in a bit early as when we were leaving the restaurant was beginning to fill up and when you’re sitting in a half booth, half chair combo (I know you know what I’m talking about), it can get stuffy and uncomfortable when you’re on top of another couple and you can practically hear each other breathing.
When you’re eating such exquisite cuisine, the only problem is you never get enough!

Perhaps I haven’t been watching enough Master Chef, but what is with the ‘foam’ addition to dishes? Am I the only one who finds it weird and a little tasteless?
Seriously, there’s no need for bubbles. It looks like the Chef has a grudge.
So, my first visit to Locks was after it received it’s Michelan Star and I couldn’t help feel. am I missing something?
Then again, it was mid week. The food took forever to come out. it was lunchtime and I had to get back to work.
The second visit was a Saturday and I had Cannelloni.
That visit, along with the Cannelloni was my favorite. Amazing. Thank God for my empty Saturday stomach — t’was heavy!
All in all, Locks is a treat.
It is not overly expensive for lunch. The staff are class. They look out for you around every corner; you could spend a few minutes over the niceties as you are loo bound. ‘you go first, no you go first’…and so on.
We were the last to leave on a Saturday lunchtime (I know ;-/​).
They should have kicked us out while setting up for dinner, but didn’t press on us to vacate, which was really cool.
It’s party which isn’t worth missing, even if you don’t want to partake in the foam version!

Second time coming to Locks. The first experience was for the value menu. At 22 euro for 2 courses in a michelin star restaurant you can’t go too wrong. First experience was v good, service was what you would expect. The meeter and greeter who I believe is from Toulouse is very good at his job. The tall french waiter with glasses also very helpful and can’t fault. The blonde French waitress has to be one of the best waitresses I have come across in Ireland. She definitely is worthy of michelin star serving.
The food was to a high standard on the first time, salmon to start and cod goujons for the main. Don’t expect to be full but overall a good experience.
The second time coming was for the a la carte. I’m not sure what we did to deserve it but we ended up with a Manuelesque Basil Fawlty server. He didn’t seem to have a great graspe of the English language and we had to repeat our orders a number of times. He messed up a side dish with the main and couldn’t answer basic questions (resorting to calling over another staff member). The food you can’t fault though. It is presented well and cooked well. Nice combinations and flavours.
Its a pity to be let down for the service because michelin is all about the experience. High quality food and service is what one comes to expect. The restaurant is pleasant. Small portions of good quality food is to be expected but for the same money 777, Butchers Grill and other places can be better.
If one thing stands out it was the perfection and service from the Blonde girl. She may want to leave this masquerading ‘michelin star’ restaurant for Chapter One where it may be appreciated more

Tried Locks Brasserie with a group from work and had high expectations as I’m also a fan of Pearl Brasserie. Had a great meal in a lovely restaurant with super staff. Really nice menu lots of choice and the food is excellent and definitely value for what you get. It’s a little bit off the beaten track but that wouldn’t deter me for one minute it’s worth the trip!

Had dinner here last night and must say it was amazing. Décor was cozy and the table was comfortable. Service was very attentive and helpful.
I had the veal Tagliatelle and the Lamb Shoulder. The pasta was delicious. Perfect appetizer portion and very delicious. The lamb was the winner though. Slow roasted and succulent. Glazed with a date sauce that made it sticky and a bit sweet. Absolutely amazing!
No dessert for us because we were stuffed, but I will definitely be going back again! Great restaurant, highly recommend!

I finally had my first meal in Locks. For years I’ve been meaning to go here.
The interior is just fabulous. I love the paneling and the warm colour they painted it with. The furniture is nice and comfy too. The bar area looked nice as well from where we sat, but we didn’t need to use the bar area on this occasion.
The service was top notch. We were served by possibly every member too. All super polite and smiley.
Now to the food. My partner went for the special which was the lobster starter at 16 EUR. He didn’t get it. Well he did get the dish put on the table, but he just didn’t find anything appealing about it. I can’t remember the specifics, but I do remember it sat in a kind of clear jelly. I went for the Butternut Squash Risotto, which was delicious, the ideal risotto texture, but was a tad salty for my tastes.
For the mains my partner went for the Dublin Bay Prawns and said the prawns were cooked perfectly. The pork was also perfect. But he was disappointed with the fact there were only four prawns on the plate. I went for the Turbot and it was fabulous. The fish was cooked perfectly and the braised oxtail was delicious as was the accompanying parsley purée and truffle emulsion.
For dessert we went for the chocolate fondant and the peach and almond tart. Well the tart was just amazing, so tasty. The fondant was nice too, but there has been one legendary fondant we have had in the past that simply cannot be surpassed no matter how many fondants we try. The search will continue :)
All in all… the venue and staff were amazing. But parts of the meal did disappoint, either the taste or the portions
PS There is a great Unilocal check in offer here which we did avail of: 20 EUR off your bill when you have lunch or dinner for two with wine. Its good until the 4^th of September.

Top class, one of the best table in Dublin.
Great french cooking, amazingly good choices of wines (price quality and originality).
I particularly liked the pastry chef’s talent.
Highly recommend, for both lunch and dinner.

The food, décor, waitstaff, etc. were all a bit fancy for my tastes, and the bill was suitably high. The flavor combinations in the dishes were pretty spectacular though. The black truffle gnocchi in my starter was quite nice, and the chicken was great. Perfect for a special night (but go for the early bird menu). Nice location in Portabello along the canal.

Great Crème Brûlée :-)
Excellent service :-)
Great food, great menu :-)

Locks Restaurant is a gem. It’s hidden along the canals near Portobello and is just gorgeous. It’s pretty fancy so expect a big bill, But this is what you’ll get in exchange…
Well, what I had anyway. I started with the mushrooms on brioche with poached egg and rocket (€ 14.50). This was goregous, but a little bit like a breakfast. I was already starting to get full! There’s a funny middle course option on the menu so I wasn’t sure what to order. I fancied the steak but knew it was a bit big after my massive starter, so I had the lamb — dauphinoise potatoes sold me — and veg (€ 15.50). Other mainers go up to about € 30. Lots on offer though. No room for dessert for me but I am curious about the Irish Coffee Parfait with Cats Tongues and Hazelnut Fudge (€ 9.00) — intriguing!
The service was top class silver service and the owners were a very visible presence during the meal and checked in on us every now and then. An amazing thing they also do is a feast menu where if you’re having a large party, you can choose the starters you like and then a roast that you’d like especially for your group. Good idea. At the moment they also do a plat du jour and a glass of wine for € 17.50. Absolutely gorgeous but definitely a fancy treat.