Harbor Bar and Grill

I took a couple of relatives here who were visiting from the states on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. Overall it was pretty good. One of us had the special which was roast chicken with all the fixins’ which was very good and plenty of food to fill the biggest of men. Another had the bacon cheeseburger which was good and their chips are very good. I had the seafood chowder which was ok. I was really happy that there were big chunks of fish and mussels in it which were great but the broth was just too creamy-​it needed to be lightened up with something and was just too heavy. Also, the brown bread served was store-​bought crap which was rather disappointing because good homemade brown bread is my favorite. So in summary feel free to go but I think you can probably to better in Dun Laoghaire.

Well, its true, you are only as good as your last meal. On my last visit this place was a disaster. Cold steak, Ahhhhh, bad mannered staff and well, I don’t think there is much point going on and on, I’ll never go back. Once bitten, twice shy!

Okay, after reading some of the reviews, expectations were high. Maybe I should have stuck to the recommended items and really, what was I thinking — wok fried calamari, how could that be good. To be fair the wings, though they had that slightly odd frozen chicken taste, were as good as they could be– except for the virtually unrecognizable blue cheese «I think» dressing. The mussels were minuscule and left one wondering «how will I be feeling in the next few hours». Perhaps the worst part of the meal were the chips which were greasy — okay, screw up a dish that no one should ever order — see stir fried calamari above — but chips — there is no reason in the world for greasy chips at an alleged gastropub. On the good side, the service was great and quick — though it would have been nice if the waitress inquired why I did not eat any of the rubbery tasting calamari — and the beer was good.

If you are looking for some solid pub grub than this is the spot.
I had the lasagna which was piping hot and there was so much sides I struggled to finish it. Price was € 12 I think… Not more anyhow.
Because it’s a bank holiday weekend and my 2011 clean living as a result does not officially start till Tuesday, I had some bread & butter pudding. Lads! The portions for dessert are huge, could not finish it either but I did my very best. It was so yummy and of course they added to the decadence with a scoop of vanilla ice-​cream on top.
It’s very large inside and divided nicely so that you can either enjoy a few beers at the bar or take advantage of the quieter rooms off it which we did.

My friends in Dun Laoghaire have a really small house and a really huge dog. So when I visited them for a weekend they offered me to cuddle up with the dog in front of the fire place for the night. I almost accepted but then I saw that Bar/​Grill/​Hotel that seemed to have nice and reasonably priced rooms, free broadband and lots of beer just downstairs. Perfect!
I checked in late that afternoon and was so attracted by the huge bathroom and the nice tub that I took a long bath before I went down to the pub to meet my friends. We actually then spent the evening in the bar and had a great time. I liked the spacious and light ambiente with tasteful furniture upstairs in the hotel and downstairs in the bar.
And then of course there is nothing better than to crawl up the stairs directly into your comfy white bed after a solid night of drinking. I pitied everyone else who had to walk home through the cold night or spend money on a cab. I awoke the next morning and felt awful enough to take another hot bath.

Yet another business to adopt the big full stop writing with the bubly letters… i dont get it. It seems every company is now adopting this type of font which has really thick bold curvy letters and a huge full stop at the end… its all really silly… cus they all start looking like they are the same place… owned by the same company. And they arnt!
Theis place is pretty much the same as always, its just been done up recently to conform to the afore mentioned «cool marketing»
Bit expensive food wise… but a bar is a bar and on a good summers day its big outdoor area is a real nice place to have a glass with a good ambience

A great place to go on a nice day with a few mates. You’re close enough to the sea to feel the air but not see why we lost our blue flag. Great big tables in the smoking area too, you could probably squeeze about a dozen people in, and sit there all day having the craic.
The inside is more a restaurant than a pub; open plan and lacking in atmosphere. And that’s pretty much it.
Good for a day, but I wouldn’t make this my local.