The Port House

What a romantic little cave and wine cellar! I love this place mainly because of the unique dining area! It’s a fairly small, underground restaurant that is made of stone walls and surrounded with candles!
There are even some neat booths in the back with swinging tables. I was glad we got a sturdy table though!
I took friends who were visiting to PH before a comedy gig and we were able to sit down right away at 6 on a Tuesday. The place filled up within an hour of us being there!
Our service was very fast! We ordered in rounds as its all tapas and we were never waiting more than a few minutes. We tried the seafood paella, pimiento peppers, seabass, Manchego burger, chicken paella, bread and dips, olives, and goat cheese salad. I will be honest — the paella was ok and there were few pieces of chicken or seafood in the actual rice. The bread and dips came with 4 slivers of baguette, so after having those slices with a fraction of dip, we got some more.
I would suggest: Manchego burger (pork patty and Manchego cheese), the peppers (roasted and mild), the goats cheese salad and the seabass for sure. Those were all clear winners for me! The rest were just ok!
For dessert, we got the churros — they were fried perfectly but needed way more cinnamon and sugar. They weren’t sweet at all and the chocolate sauce was a dark, dark chocolate so it wasn’t sweet either.

I was so disappointed last night.; (. They might have a new management.
The music was soooooo LOUD. you had to shout at each other. it is quite ridiculous in a restaurant. there is really no need for that. v tiring…

Went here with some work colleagues and went back the next night with the wife. Food isn’t as good as it was when I used to go here regular but it’s still great. Great atmosphere

I Think this place depend on who is cooking at certain time (?). I was there few times and each time I’ve had different experience. First time I went with my friend, we’ve got a bottle of wine, goat cheese salad, some fish and some other plates and all food was really tasty and fantastically prepared. I was really enjoying the evening although I wasn’t to crazy about those small doughnuts that my friend said she loves.
Second time I’ve went with other friend for lunch and it was OK. She showed me that there’s a non alcoholic wine which was very surprising to see in Dublin but the menu has been changed since the last time and the fish was different. Thank god the goat cheese salad was still there :-D. I also had some chicken which was a bit dry.
The last time I’ve bee there was with my boyfriend. He didn’t like it at all, he said that the chorizo wasn’t fresh and overall, the quality is poor. I have mix fillings but I would come back for the goat cheese salad with those amazing nuts and honey dressing. Please don’t remove it from the menu! :-)

The Port House is the best place for a quick bite, group meal, a drink outside or a nibble with friends. depending how hungry you I’d suggest for Lunch 2 – 3 plates or Dinner 3 – 4.5 dishes, its good to share though. It hits all the good feels! Cosy cellar interior down stairs with a super cute snug for a group. It’s consistent. Every time I’ve been here the food and service is good. I always seem to stick with my favourite dishes but the other day I picked some new dishes. (pork belly, Asparagus and chickpeas with chorizo) All Delicious… Make sure to get the Churros for dessert… Also the Sangria if your feeling like a tipple.

Ambiance is nice when it’s not overly busy (really, any given evening) big selection of Tapas which are fine, but nothing really blew me away. The wine list is impressive though, a very nice and broad selection, was happy to see some gems in the Port wine section. I would definitely come by this spot for some drinks, but it’s more of a restaurant than a wine bar, and I’m not totally in love with the food so I’d just end up going elsewhere.
Before I say this: I know it’s Tapas and the idea is «Sampling», but the portions are kind of ridiculous in some of the plates. I’ve had Tapas elsewhere in the city and felt the quality and quantity was much better. I mean, a quarter cup of rice nicely presented in a tiny dish is fun and all, but for the price it’s just not realistic. I did enjoy the Croquettes, but it’s hard to mess up deep fried cheese so I don’t really feel like that’s redeeming, either.
I do have to say the staff is hit and miss, some times they are very friendly (though not very attentive, it takes some time to have them come back to your table whether it’s busy or not) but one staff member in particular was just terrible. She was particularly prickly, a lot of attitude and just seemed annoyed with the whole idea of her job. We were there for several hours and she got progressively worse. Service can spoil a good meal and I was already not totally in love with the food, so I don’t have a whole lot of reasons to go back… other than the wine. But that’s a pretty big reason.

This place is SO ROMANTIC!!! I came here with a work colleague and it felt almost too intimate because it was so cosy and beautifully lit.
It’s really small, but in the best way possible.
I wanted everything vegetarian off the menu. EVERYTHING. It was so difficult to choose what I wanted, but the beauty with tapas is that you can get several and not feel guilty! Everything I had was absolutely divine, my mouth is watering at the thought of it all now.
I can’t wait to come back here and try it again, it’s one of the most lovely little spots in Dublin.

WINE
Great wine selection… So much kudos for that!
FOOD
Tapas food and the menu is very broad, offering lots of choice. For me, it some amazing tapas bars hitting Dublin these past few years, I find for the price the quality and quantity are very average. Dishes don’t carry some of the amazing flavours the description promises.
STAFF/​SERVICE
Hit or miss I would say… Been here on two occasions, both times spending quite a few hours here and on both occasions we had 1^st half of the visit with bad service and what seems like a change of shift, we’ve then had a more pleasant experience.
VENUE/​AMBIENCE
It has a great vibe in here, on both visits it’s been slow in the afternoon but as the evening pushes in, the place becomes very popular. There is a great little stone walled nook which I love, I want to always come back here and just sit in the ‘cave’.

Ok, I am a fan and I keep coming back but that’s mostly because I’m hopelessly in love with the thick red brick walls, the wax dripping from crevices and the candle-​lit intimacy. The food plays second fiddle to the atmosphere but in theory, I think that’s what tapas are supposed to be about; props to the mainstage act of socialising with your friend/​date/​self. The service is a bit erratic but in that friendly Iberian way that doesn’t make you feel jilted. Go for a glass of cava and a little pick, revel in the atmosphere and expect to buy a bag of chips on the walk back home

I LOVE IT HERE!!! Oh my god! The food! It’s such a good place to go for a bite to eat! The menu has loads of options and the staff are so polite! Food is fast and I’ve literally nearly eaten everything on the menu! Love it here!

From the outside, you would never think that once you walk in, you would be transported to a romantic, dimly candle-​lit restaurant below. It’s the perfect place for a date night.
They have a great selection of wines by the glass affordably-​priced as well as bottles.
For food we went with the:
— Plata de queso y chacineria which was a delicious and substantial– a delicious selection of meats and cheese.
— Shared croquetas platter– 2 pollo, 2 jamon and 2 port house. My favorite was the ham, but all were delicious!
— Paella de pollo: SO delicious and full of flavor!
— Costillas de cordo: Slow-​cooked pork ribs with a delicious honey and oregano marinade
All-​in-​all, it was all delicious, our service was great and our wine was well-​curated all while being affordable making for a wonderful dining experience.

It’s a Spanish cosy restaurant on a busy street. They have a little terrace but I wouldn’t go to this place because of the terrace because all the beauty is hidden inside. The room on the first floor imitates a wine cellar and is extremely cosy. The room on the second floor is less busy and crowded though. Goat cheese salad is amazing, gambas are really good too. Churros were ok, I am usually used to them being a big bigger. Home wine is good, not very intense. Overall, a romantic restaurant worth visit.

This is definitely more of a 3.5 star but I couldn’t justify a 4! Absolutely loved the interior and atmosphere in here. The place is really authentic. I don’t know if I just ordered badly or not but only half of my tapas were nice! The paella was not fresh and one of the worse I’ve tasted and the scallops were also quite bad. On the other hand my gambas were delicious as was the ricotta stuffed courgette. A dessert of churros with hot chocolate dip was good but the churros could have been a lot sweeter. Overall it’s good value but I would order more carefully next time.

Downstairs is very nice and romatic. The waiter recommended a good not super expensive wine. We had a really nice time eating our food slowly and having a nice long talk in the relaxed venue. i would go back

I keep forgetting just how much I like this place. Sometimes it takes a while but I always come back. Some friends say there’s better tapas to be had in Dublin or cheaper or whatever but yadda yadda yadda I don’t care, I love what they have and I come for the wine and the atmosphere, too. There’s usually some waiting time but a friendly waiter will place you at the bar and talk you into your first bottle of wine and it’s never too long until you get your seat. Ask for downstairs! Upstairs it’s just run of the mill restaurant seating, downstairs you sit in a dimly lit cellar (I’ve sat in corners where you had to lift the menu to the candle to read it) — perfect for that third or fourth or fiftieth romantic date or a cosy chatty evening out with the girls. There’s a good choice of veggie, fishy or meaty tapas and I’ve never been disappointed with the wine either.

My friend brought me to this tapas restaurant in Dublin because she loves it– there are tables outside and then inside is a dark, intimate atmosphere. We were seated in the corner and it seemed to take forever to have our order taken because the waitresses just kept walking by.
We ordered about 3 – 4 dishes each. I had the classics like albondigas meatballs, Spanish omelette and then some pan fried vegetables and a board of cheese. The server recommended a cheese for me but although it was nice, I would have preferred a harder, saltier cheese such as manchego– this one was more like that hard mozzarella you get for putting on pizzas but it tasted good with the honey jam. The Spanish omelette didn’t have enough potato in it, but the rest of the dishes were tasty– I think the meatballs had cinnamon in them which was an interesting twist.
My friend had the grilled asparagus, a chicken salad and the pork belly I believe. Unfortunately they got the order wrong and brought some chicken and potato croquettes instead of the chicken salad. She ate one because she thought maybe I’d ordered it, but then later realised there must have been a mistake.
At the end of the meal, we asked if they could bring out the salad. Unfortunately when the bill came, they’d charged for both and wouldn’t take the croquettes off the bill because she’d eaten some of them. Now at 3 euros it’s not exactly a big deal to take them off the bill as a gesture of good will since it was their mistake.
The food here was good but the service was just a bit pants really.

The food in here was delicious. Love tapas in that you get to try so many different things. Had paella, courgette stuffed with cream cheese, chorizo done in all sorts of ways.
Nice atmosphere and the stone décor really adds to it. It packs up quickly so get in there fast.

I could go the whole «He Said, She Said» route, but it just makes me angry again.
The bottom line was we spoke to the wrong person when we arrived in. Not that we knew this. After 30 minutes patiently waiting for a table, a different person who was actually the hostess told us it would be a 30 minute wait and another group of five were in front of us. People who arrived in after us.
So we left. We had to in order to make a gig in time.
Their communication with customers is shambolic.
Not that saying this will make a difference, the place was very busy. But I couldn’t let my old five star review remain.
There. It’s off my chest. Onwards and upwards :-)

Tapas can be tricky in Dublin. Lots of places claim to have amazing dishes and some serve them exclusively, but this has to be one of the best.
Great atmosphere, quiet but chatty, dark enough to be romantic but bright enough so you can actually see what you’re eating.
Outstanding selection of wine too, would be a waste not to indulge in a glass while you’re there :)

One of my favorite places for dinner in Dublin. I love the atmosphere, it’s like an old tavern, perfect for a romantic dinner.
I love their tapas, very well presented and tasty.
I would highly recommend the manchego burger, pepito solomillo (mini serloin steak) oh well why not all their menu? Delicious.

Das Port House ist eine kleine Tapasbar im Stadtzentrum. Kerzenlicht, rustikale Steinwände und unzählige Weinflaschen tauchen diese Bar in eine besondere Atmosphäre.
All diese Weine können auch getrunken werden. Dafür gibt es auch eine Weinkarte, um die jedoch zu erhalten, brauchte es drei Anläufe bei zwei Kellnerinnen. Die Preise fangen bei 20 Euro pro Flasche an. Auch die «günstigeren Weine» schmecken sehr bekömmlich.
Auf der Weinliste wird zu dem von «off» und «on» Preisen unterschieden. «Off» sind die Preise zum Mitnehmen, «on» die Preise zum Trinken in der Bar. Der Preisunterschied ist jedoch minimal.
Zum Essen gibt es eine Auswahl verschiedener Tapasgerichte zwischen 3 und 7 Euro. Unsere Tapas waren lecker.
Die Bar biete Platz für rund 50 Besucher.
Ich freue mich schon auf den nächsten Besuch.
Nachtrag: Ein weiteres Mal wollte ich das Port House an einem Montag besuchen, leider gab es an diesem Tag jedoch kaum Tapas zur Auswahl (wenn man keine Oliven mag) und so bin ich alternativ im irischem Restaurant «The Bank» gelandet.