Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Darwins

    4.2 (82 reviews)
    PriceySteakhouses, Irish
    Open 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    Darwins Photos

    DARWINS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Romantic
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

    Recommended Reviews - Darwins

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Tomahawk Ribeye for 2. Could.easily have fed 3 starving cannibals, or 4 regular humans
    Sadath A.

    We had quite a mixed group of people that wanted to find a nice fine-dining restaurant for the night. Darwin's was pointed out to us by several locals as a steakhouse that had amazing meat, but also specialized in vegan dishes. This is the kind of disclaimer that's usually very off-putting. If you say you specialize in two types of cuisine, especially two types that are so far away from each other (Vegan food and bloody, juicy, barely-dead meat), then mostly likely you're only mediocre at both. I was wrong. My vegetarian friends were raving about their dishes. They were filling and very flavorful, and from what I saw the presentation was very elegant. The steak though. 2 of us split what looked like an enormous tomahawk ribeye. This could have fed 3 easily, even 4 would have walked away with a full meal's worth of steak. They brought the ribeye out to show us before they cooked it, and the marbling on this bad boy would easily have been USDA-Prime if it was graded in the states. It was beautifully cooked to medium rare, pre-sliced off the bone, and is up there the best steaks I've ever had. Maybe even THE best steak I've ever had. I'm sorry Peter Luger As a born and raised New Yorker and avid cannibal, this steak could have been half the size and still would have cost a $100 at a prime steakhouse for a single person. At Darwin's however, this cost 75 Euros and fed 3. This steak had no right being this cheap. The service was quite impeccable. Our servers were very attentive around our table, constantly refilling our wine and replacing cutlery. The decor was perfect for a fine-dining steakhouse, as in it was a little under-lit for atmosphere but not so dark that it would only ever be good for date nights. The space itself was a little small, but nothing to take a star out for.

    Leeks and potato
    Charles V.

    Hard to believe from the outside what a fantastic dining experience this is. I had the steak, mashed potatoes and pepper sauce. It could not have been better. The service and prices were just as good. If you can go to just one place to eat in Dublin, then this is my recommendation. You won't be disappointed.

    Cathal C.

    Apart from anything else, Darwins is deserving of praise for naming itself after the greatest naturalist of the 19th century, possibly of all time. Even if the food was gammy, I'd still think the restaurant was great. Let's everyone start naming their restaurants after famous scientists. Gallileo Gallilei Pizza, or Max Planck Frankfurters und Sauerkraut Haus. When I heard the cool post-modern name, and saw the stylish facade, I assumed that Darwins was going to be some sort of minimalist nouveau cuisine eatery. Far from it. Darwins serves mainly straight up meat dishes, with a few fish dishes thrown in for good measure. Considering that Darwins is kind of a fancy restaurant, the prices weren't too prohibitive. I had the pork belly and champ, which was delicious, and only set me back €20. If you decided to go for one of the many steak options on the menu, however, you'd be looking at paying more in the region of €30+ And the service was uniformly excellent: serving staff available whenever you wanted but not constantly buzzing around your table, everybody very friendly and efficient. Great place to go if you want to treat yourself to a fancy meal, but of hearty grub.

    Kate M.

    I hate to say it, but I felt this place was highly over rated. I had heard fantastic things about it and was really looking forward to trying it out but unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed! Food was very average and the menu wasn't exactly vast. I thought it was pretty pricey and I got a bit annoyed when I saw that there was a 10% service charge added to our bill even though there were only 4 of us. A group over 6 or 8 people I can understand, but 4 people? Come on! I wasn't crazy on the restaurant's interior and it was pretty dark so it was difficult to read the menu. Either that, or I'm getting old and my eyesight is failing!

    The bread platter. The darker one was Irish soda bread. Traditional pesto, butter, and a red pesto to complement
    Kyle J.

    Great Steakhouse with an especially great weeknight dinner deal. The meal includes a choice of a starter, a main course, and a dessert. I got a bread and pesto platter to start out, with the pesto definitely standing out as high quality. For the main I had the 10 oz. strip steak, medium rare. It had a good soft texture and lots of flavor. I ordered a garlic sauce to pair with it which even enhanced the flavor even more (I love garlic). The mashed potatoes were *superb* -- just the right texture and the perfect combination of buttery and salty. Got the brownie and ice cream as the dessert and it was probably the most average part of the entire meal. The brownie was a little dry for my taste. Now... the best part: all of that is only 29 EUR on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday!! The same deal also applies before 7 pm on weekends. PS - they also have a Yelp check-in offer which gets you a free glass of wine with your main course Another bonus!

    Seafood Stew
    Sharon S.

    Let down by my experience at this place! On arrival we were promptly seated, they were also over and keen to take our order however from that point, things were slow to come about... The wait between starter and main was about 40-45mins, this probably down to the fact they didn't clear our starter's so the kitchen probably didn't rush out the mains. Also on the service, there was no attention on table water, wine top up's or anything like that. Shame! Ok, so on the food tried... My verdict Pan Fried Prawns 7/10 Overdone and also a little surprised it was served with head and tail, their menu description should reference this. Portobello mushroom 4/10 Not very flavoursome and very dry Mediterranean Bouillabouise (Seafood Stew) 6/10 This was nice, it was hearty and warmed my bones but with all the description of orange and cardamon, selection of fish and prawns the dish was flat on flavour, the only thing keeping it alive, was the chorizo. I think for the price point this place is at, they could do a lot to up their service but also their food quality. Since I've been some people I've talked to about here also mentioned their disappointment... It has the potential... great location and nice dining space (albeit a oddly decorated - chandler hanging though apes on the wall) but this could be great, but with the likes of Brasserie 66 just down the road, I'm not sure I'll be back here.

    Peri peri prawn starter... Little bit of a spice kick but lovely overall!
    Ian E.

    Excellent food and experience in Darwins. Tried it for the first time after many recommendations and I was not disappointed! It's a lovely family run establishment and you feel like your walking into your own parents home with the hospitality that you receive. Value for money was excellent especially with the cuts of meat as their standard cuts are the same size as the cuts of meat you need to pay extra for in other establishments. Front of house is the co-owner who is super friendly and is happy to tell you anything about the restaurant you desire and even tries to entice you into a free shot or digestive as she called it on the way out :-) I can't wait to go back!

    Paula M.

    Came here not knowing what to expect. A restaurant with steak house and vegetarian in the same breath. The decor is unique. And not sure I understood the flow of it all and what it was to represent. However I suppose that leads to the quaintness of it all. I'm not a vegetarian but don't think this restaurant should be labeled as such. The menu was not particularly vegetarian like, more so that it had a couple of vegetarian options like most do. Started was prawns which were very tasty. Served with heads on :( but easy to pull off and the rest was shelled. I really don't like 'working' to be able to eat my meal. Please serve ready to consume! Skate wing was my choice of main. I think this was the fish of the day. It was ok. A satisfying fish dish but nothing amazing. Time to squeeze in dessert and this was most disappointing. Labelled as 'brownie' the only way it matched this description was colour. What was served was chocolate cake. This is no brownie. It's cake. Calling it another name does not hide this fact. All in all. A pleasant enough place to eat. I'd go back but it's nothing out of the ordinary.

    Pork Belly starter
    Ellen S.

    We chose this restaurant as the pre-theatre menu looked very tempting, with plenty of different options. 3 course for 25 euro, very good value! This place is particularly known for their steaks, but sadly I wasn't in a steak kind of mood, so I can not comment. What did I eat I hear your cry.... well for starters I had a roast pork belly slice, which came with relish, salad and some salsa. Quite tasty. For main I had the bouillabaisse. It was packed with tiny prawns, fish, baby potatoes and the chorizo pieces gave it a nice kick. Portions were not overly big, so actually I was still quite hungry after finishing this. Normally I wouldn't be able for 3 courses! I ended the feast with a vanilla deconstructed cheesecake. Which was light and a bit tangy. A nice meal. Did it wow me? nope. Would I go back? doubt it.

    See all

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Charles V.
    7
    164
    172

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Cathal C.
    49
    327
    383

    17 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kate M.
    38
    366
    344

    17 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kyle J.
    3
    14
    11

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Erin M.
    11
    11
    0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of EJ M.
    15
    12
    0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of J T.
    1
    18
    7

    16 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jen S.
    0
    49
    9

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Wendy A.
    26
    32
    12

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 3

    Darwins Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Darwins

    All dishes are very affordable and there is a superb pre theatre menu which offers great value for money.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Steakhouses 757 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Sheehans - Corned beef and cabbage

    Sheehans

    4.6(185 reviews)
    0.3 kmSouth Inner City
    €€

    Stopped here for a light meal and drink before closing. The downstairs bar area was busy so we…read moreheaded upstairs where it was much more quiet. The staff members were wonderfully. We were waited on by servers as well as the lovely bartender, Bella. Great service all around! I ordered the seafood chowder and I will be dreaming about this meal for a long time. It was loaded with fresh fish and so perfectly seasoned. The portion size was excellent - I wish more places offered smaller portions like this. The drinks were wonderful and made with care. Bella came by to chat with us before we left and it was obvious she loves her job. This is a lovely pub to enjoy while visiting Dublin!

    Stopped in for lunch and we're seated promptly at a table for two. Need to mention that seating is…read moreeither high top or booth and stool seating. Stools are ok but not super comfortable. Menu has a good selection of Irish dishes from seafood chowder up to lamb stew and pies. We ordered the potato soup, seafood chowder, 'banjo' burger with onion rings. The soups arrived first and the seafood chowder was loaded with huge pieces of fish, potatoes (not many) with a creamy rich base. Flavor was incredible and in itself a full meal. Served in a large crock style bowl. The potato soup was minus any whole potatoes. It was a rich creamy base with plenty of flavor and very hearty. The burger was really a double cheeseburger with plenty of cheese, grilled onions, what appeared to be a mayonnaise based sauce on a soft hamburger roll. Really tall enough that it was tough getting your mouth around it. Very well seasoned burgers and the onions were a nice touch. The onion rings were huge and had a very light batter on them. They served in a metal bowl to keep them hot. For dessert the apple crumble was ordered which was served in a large dish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This could have been warmer but still was good.. The 5 star rating is for the chowder as it outshone the rest of the meal although the burger was definitely a close second. Definitely will return to try other dishes when we come back to the city.

    Photos
    Sheehans - Afternoon at the pub

    Afternoon at the pub

    Sheehans - Beef pie

    Beef pie

    Sheehans - Nice seating area inside

    See all

    Nice seating area inside

    The Boxty House - Bailey's Cheescake

    The Boxty House

    4.3(1.3k reviews)
    0.5 kmTemple Bar
    €€€

    Absolutely bonkers is the only way to describe our meal here. We walked in with zero expectations…read moreand walked out already planning our next trip back to Dublin just to eat here again. We nearly broke our rule on not eating at the same restaurant twice while on vacation. Every single dish that came to our table was a small revelation. The flavors were bold, the presentation was beautiful, and you could tell real care went into every plate. We tried a little bit of everything and there was not a single miss. Huge shoutout to our server Matt, who took care of us all night. You can tell he has deep roots in this community and genuine pride in the history of the place, and it showed in how he talked about the menu and the restaurant. He made the whole experience even better with his warmth and knowledge. If you are visiting Dublin, do not skip The Boxty House. Ask for Matt if you can. Five stars, easily.

    Had a solid dinner experience at the Boxty House tonight; in and out in an hour and we didn't feel…read morerushed. It was not too loud in our seats by the window where we could watch the action in Temple Bar. Boxty - think of a potato version of a crepe (a little thicker) - Gaelic boxty - 4/5 solid offering with a generous portion of steak on top of the boxty and with mushrooms and mushroom sauce - Chicken boxty - 4/5 chicken breast wrapped in boxty with a roasted red pepper on top and slice of chorizo (I didn't care much for the chorizo but my partner happily ate it) with tasty sauce with cooked chopped onions - concannon - 4/5 basically mashed potatoes on top of a little bit of cooked kale (said cabbage too but I didn't see it) - green beans with lemon and goat cheese - 4/5, tangy lemon forward I know people say this is touristy and that is likely since it is in Temple Bar and I don't see why that's a problem! Definitely worth trying when you're in the area.

    Photos
    The Boxty House - Bar area & kitchen

    Bar area & kitchen

    The Boxty House - Sticky toffee pudding

    Sticky toffee pudding

    The Boxty House - Strawberry Nohito

    See all

    Strawberry Nohito

    The Old Mill Restaurant - Cottage Pie!

    The Old Mill Restaurant

    4.5(296 reviews)
    0.5 kmTemple Bar
    €€

    When I think of beef stew, I think of my mom's homemade version. So one of the things I was most…read morelooking forward to in Ireland was trying authentic Irish stew. Our first meal in Dublin was at The Old Mill Restaurant, right in the heart of Temple Bar. It's been serving traditional Irish fare since the 1980s and has become a favorite stop for both locals and visitors looking for classic comfort food. After about a 20-minute wait, we were seated in the warm, inviting dining room. Susan ordered the mussels, one of her favorites, while I went with the Traditional Irish Stew and my daughter chose the Braised Beef & Guinness Stew. Both were exactly what we hoped for: hearty, flavorful, and perfect after a day of sightseeing. I finally understood why the Guinness stew had such a rich, dark color, and I have to admit, I came home a big fan of Irish stew. We finished with the Homemade Bread & Butter Pudding topped with fresh cream and custard, a comforting dessert that was the perfect ending to the meal. Service, atmosphere, value, and food were all five out of five. We also enjoyed chatting with the floor manager, whose pride in the restaurant and his team was obvious. That kind of hospitality made a great meal even more memorable.

    I wanted to love this place, but it missed in several areas. We had reservations and they were…read moretaking walk-ins. They told us our table was ready at the same time they were seating a walk-in. Our table was next to the window with decent space between tables, I saw the walk-in complain that where he was getting sat was in the middle of the restaurant with no space between the next table. He ended up just taking our table even with the waitress saying it wasn't his. They just shrugged and told us to sit in the middle. The mussels were good, and they had gluten free bread, but there were limited gluten free options, even the Shepards pie wasn't gluten free. I was hoping a mash potato topping would be available, but only the Irish stew. This had lamb, but also chicken, so you had to hunt down the lamb. The beef stew was good, but the overall experience and being squeezed in shoulder to shoulder made me feel like I stumbled into a tourist trap. I wouldn't recommend.

    Photos
    The Old Mill Restaurant - Small dining area

    Small dining area

    The Old Mill Restaurant - Lamb Shank

    Lamb Shank

    The Old Mill Restaurant - The scene!!!

    See all

    The scene!!!

    Sophie's Bar - I think this is the Sophie Doesn't Know cocktail

    Sophie's Bar

    3.8(147 reviews)
    0.7 kmHarcourt
    €€

    Vinni made our entire evening. From the moment we sat down, he was warm, welcoming, and genuinely…read moreenthusiastic. He knew the menu inside and out and gave us fantastic recommendations, including perfect wine pairings and great cocktail suggestions before dinner. What really stood out was how attentive and generous he was throughout the meal. He even surprised us with an extra beer, which was such a thoughtful touch and made us feel incredibly well taken care of. Exceptional service is hard to find, and Vinni absolutely delivered. He struck the perfect balance of being attentive without ever being intrusive, and his positive energy made the experience even more memorable. If you're lucky enough to have Vinni as your server, you're in for a fantastic meal and an even better dining experience. He's a true asset to the restaurant, and we'll definitely be back because of him. Highly recommend!

    Came here on a Friday night made reso last minute for terrace. Place is new and trendy inside the…read moreDuke hotel. The staff was very accommodating, when we were cold they moved us to a table inside. Finally got to try the Sarti spritz!!! So excited amazing taste. Overall the apps were good. Got truffle arancini and burrata green goddess salad- loved the basil puree and fresh peas! The crab crostini were okay crab was very fishy. Got rigatoni carbonara, the guanciale and sausage meatballs were good but pasta was overcooked , also did not expect the sauce to be that spicy.

    Photos
    Sophie's Bar - Restaurant/view

    Restaurant/view

    Sophie's Bar
    Sophie's Bar

    See all

    The Old Storehouse - Guinness

    The Old Storehouse

    4.3(237 reviews)
    0.5 kmTemple Bar
    €€

    The Old Storehouse is a Dublin pub with casual seating, live music, Guinness on tap (of course),…read moreand delicious eats. My husband and I stopped by for dinner and I ordered a caesar salad and their fish chowder. The caesar was great but my gosh the fish chowder and accompanying brown bread rocked my socks. So, much so, that I did what I never do--I revisited this spot more than once on the same trip (so many places to explore I almost never do this!). That fish chowder is craveable. They do live music on occasion as well and so we were able to enjoy that while sipping our Guinness. The prices are reasonable and the service is friendly. They aren't as small as they look at first glance, on one of our visits, we sat upstairs which has a second dining area. Amazing! Get to it!

    Loud music, cheap drinks and good food…read more Place was absolutely packed with people in town for the American Football game so service was dreadfully slow. Had to excuse ourselves from the table multiple times to freshen drinks. The food was good. Once again, absolute star was the Buffalo Wings! Ireland? I mean what??? Perfectly cooked, sauced nicely, just spectacular! The band was playing a mix and of Irish Music and American Rock songs played to Irish tunes. Very fun and well engaged with the crowd. The restaurant itself is cozy and very warm. A great night was had by all!

    Photos
    The Old Storehouse - Steamed mussels

    Steamed mussels

    The Old Storehouse - Irish lamb stew 3.5/5

    Irish lamb stew 3.5/5

    The Old Storehouse

    See all

    Darwins - steak - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...