"Can I trouble you for a contact number?" The question was asked when I reserved a table and it set the tone for the rest of the evening. You cannot enter the restaurant. You have to ring the bell and then, after a while, someone will open you and ask for your name. You enter and see that this place was last decorated around 1982 or so. Lot's of kitsch, golden mirrors, old paintings on the walls and thick carpet covering the floor. The restaurant is packed with grannies sipping hot drinks and the waiters are exceptionally friendly. It's been a while I was called "Sir". We were seated next to a blurry window and a fire blazing radiator. It's May, late spring and people are swimming near by in the sea. I turned the heating down and tried hard to squeeze my 6 feet body into a chair in the corner. The waiter took our order and we were served a Côtes du Ventoux 2008, some Beck's, a crab meat salad, an orange sorbet, some tender duck and a roasted lamb, then some strawberries on ice cream for dessert. The meal was extremely delicious. We paid € 115 for that which is expensive but we enjoyed it anyway. At that moment it seemed appropriate. Dalkey is an area where apparently the crisis hasn't hit yet. Lots of Porsches, Mercedes and Maseratis were cruising through the Saturday evening. I think at least since 1982 we were the only people ever visiting the Guinea Pig on bicycles. One other thing of notice I thought was the Gentlemen's room. Coming from the dusty grampa area where I had this fancy dinner I didn't expect to be greated by Marylin Monroe and a Playboy Bunny hanging over the "pissoire". I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky evening where things just didn't match but I was cared for by good people and excellent food. read more

See all

We had a fabulous evening in the Guinea Pig last Saturday. Excellent food, great service, and perfect company (not supplied). We went for the set menu (photo attached) for EU44.50. It was my first time back in the last year, having eaten there many times over the past 15 years. From experience I was expecting good food but my expectations were exceeded on all fronts. We had a nice leisurely meal in old fashined informal ambiance, a few complimentary samplers, and free Sunday newspapers to take home (we were last to leave as usual). The food was delicious and prepared and presented to a high standard. I had the best bowl of mussels in years, the sea bass was outstanding, the vegetables were worth writing home about, and the cheese was well presented but lacking in imagination. I like strong smelly cheeses with my last glass of red wine. All in all, this restaurant gets my highest recommendation if you want to spend an evening chatting with friends over an excellent meal with warm, friendly company. read more

See all

The most awful meal I have had in Ireland to date. Aside from ringing the doorbell, which in itself is bizarre, the staff are far from welcoming. Do they really hate their jobs or are they the least personable people that the owner could find?! Either way, extremely off-putting. No warmth whatsoever. The starter of onion soup was somehow tasteless... not sure how that's possible? The main of mussels and fish was horrific. I've never smelt a worse meal in my life. The stench could be smelt down the end of the table. Every mussel was closed and therefore inedible. I was famished and ate the fish, although the random stench was horrific. The vegetables were served towards the end of us all finishing our meal. I couldn't stomach a dessert after such an awful starter and main. All round an extremely disappointing meal. Do not spend your cash here. read more

Every couple of months my Dad and myself go out for a nice meal somewhere to have some nice food, a nice bottle of wine and some good chats. This month I chose the infamous Guinea Pig in Dalkey. I saw they have a special on at the moment, 4 courses and a bottle of wine for €90 per couple (or father & daughter in our case!) Some might say this is still pricey, but it's really not when you are being served excellent food, by such friendly and excellent staff, in a nice relaxed environment. At the end of the day this is what we judge an establishment on! Good food, good service and good atmosphere. The Guinea Pig certainly ticks all the boxes. Even though we were choosing from a set menu for the special offer, there was still so much to choose from, whether you eat seafood or not! Firstly - try not to fill yourself up in the delicious fresh bread you get once settled into your seats! We shared our starters, a calamari and a chicken liver pate, both equally as good as each other. Then for the mains I went with the sirloin steak, to compliment my delicious bottle of red of course! It was cooked to perfection and exactly how I had asked. Not to mention it was a huge portion! My Dad went for the 4 fish mixed grill, which has 4 generously sized pieces of fresh fish that change daily. Both our mains went perfectly with our seasonal greens and chips. Then, just when your plates have been cleared and you're rubbing your full belly.. The dessert tray arrives! How could we resist! I really like that I can see everything in front of me that's on offer. There was heaps to choose from, but as we were so full we went for fresh fruit and it was perfect! We were both expecting the food to be good but our expectations were exceeded as everything was so delicious - even the orange sorbet we got between meals! It was such an enjoyable evening, I will definitely be back. The Guinea Pig is the perfect restaurant to go to if you want a chilled evening in quiet surroundings. Even though the restaurant was full it wasn't loud and hectic at all. I love it's old world style and long may it live! It's definitely a different dining experience that people must try. read more

See all

It's not often where you come across even a good restaurant in a small, quiet town. It's even hard to find this in a big city. This is not the case with the Guinea Pig. We had decided to come here for dinner one night and arrived at 6:00PM to find the restaurant empty. We later found out that the locals ate dinner much later. The restaurant is much larger on the inside than it looks from the street. But it is still intimate with just the right amount of decor. We were greeted by the chef when we came in and shown to our table. We took our time to look over the phenomenal menu. There are so many different dishes to choose from. Even though there were several plates, there weren't too many to overwhelm someone who was indecisive. We were not in a hurry so we took our time. We decided to start with soup. I had the Cassolette de morue: smoked cod with cream and tomato along with herbs and melted gruyere cheese. The flavor of the smoked cod mixed perfectly with the cream and tomato. The herbs and cheese added some sharpness to the dish. It was absolutely wonderful. It made me wish I had a huge bowl of it to sit and eat by the fireplace. For the main course, I chose the Bourride de fletan et moules: a bouillabaisse with halibut and mussels mixed with garlic aioli. To say that this plate was good is a tremendous understatement. The bowl is filled with fresh mussels surrounded by some of the most flavorful, cream-based bouillabaisse I have ever had. I was full but seriously was considering asking for seconds. For dessert, we had the creme brulee. This was also fantastic. We finished our bottle of wine and said goodbye to our wonderful waitress and our kind host/chef. I truly feel that this may be one of the best restaurants that I have ever been to. If I am ever back in the area, I will definitely make reservations to go back to the Guinea Pig. I am considering flying back there just for the French Night that they have there. Keep up the great job! read more

I had a meal here years ago and I went again more recently and I was disapointed. The menu choice was ok but the presentation of the food and the flavours were not so great. It is sad as it is supposed to be one of the best resaurants in Dalkey but not anymore. The regulars will sill go there and so will people who have heard it is good but....I will not be. Too many good other restaurants out there. It is like they are still trading on a good name which is not there anymore in my opinion. read more

I ate here on a whim while I was in Dalkey for Lobsterfest last summer. I asked a local selling ice cream on the street where he would go for seafood in town and he sent me to Guinea Pig The Fish Restaurant. I arrived with a date just as they were opening for dinner and found out that you have to have a reservation in advance to dine here. I felt disappointed, because now I really wanted to try this place out. I was in luck though, because the hostess made room for us gave us a reservation for their early bird special. [Edit: You might not always need a reservation, but this was during Lobsterfest, so it was a busy night for them.] Our table was by the window and perfectly set. The restaurant is owned by a family and highly regarded. The ambiance of the place is cozy, well managed, very clean, and decorated in a vintage yet posh way. The restaurant was full the entire evening and people came in and out, but the staff treated each patron as a personal guest into their home. We paid 25 euro each for the 2 course meal. If we had planned on a longer evening, it was worth splurging 40 euro each which included a bottle of wine and an extra course. I had the seafood chowder as my starter, and as a self-proclaimed expert for this dish, it was one of the best I've had in Ireland and anywhere. [The best I've had was at a family restaurant in Dungloe. Donegal called The Middway.] For my main course the crab cakes were perfection. The patience it took to prepare these was astonishing with each bite. I ordered them with vegetables, but might've preferred the house salad. Their dressing is homemade and very fresh (I got to sneak a bite from my date's). I will go back here, even though it requires a DART trip from Dublin's City Centre. It's like a vacation or gift to yourself with feasible travel. I loved my first trip here. read more

Only ever been here once, Suprisingly as well as I love my good food and live literally up the road but I guess the usual reason would be because of the price! It's obvousily a very fancy and "take your wife out on a special night out" sort of place so I wouldn't expect it to be very cheap! Besides the price I must say that the food there was absolutely exquisite ! top of the range seafood which I had both starter and main but also on the menu for the non fish eaters a wide and tasty looking selection of meats and pastas! The service as well was up to scratch! I experienced no delays in waiting for my food or drink and they were very polite too! I also must comment on the smell that you could just about sense coming from the kitchen..it's presumably not intended but actually a nice touch to your meal as you can smell other Dishes being made and it actually puts you In the "food mood"..it's definitely a bonus! All round congrats on my part! Ps Lost a star due to price, my only negative comment! read more

Seriously good quality food. Love the place. Been ther many many times. best sweet chili sauce around read more

We had an opportunity to eat at the Guinea Pig twice in the last week - party of 6 and 7 respectively. So the very good news is that the food is very good. Lots of fresh seafood cooked beautifully. But restaurants needs both great food and service to bring customers back. After our first meal we all agreed that the food was terrific and there were mixed views on service. The second dinner proved once again that the food is top notch but service was very poor. We were very unhappy with the tone of our female server and I was appalled at how she addressed my father when he asked a simple question. There is no room for condescension in service. The kitchen works too hard to have someone hurt the overall experience. Would we return? We're not sure. There are many great choices nearby. But our compliments to the chef. And to the server, you hurt what could have been a stellar experience. Update: We did return, at least my parents and sister did, on Nov 6th to celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary. My parents were warmly greeted at the door and enjoyed a splendid meal, including French Onion soup and beautifully prepared Sole. The owner and his family members were at the helm and provided the best service. So much so that my mom asked me to update our July review to reflect their lovely evening. Happy to do so! Thank you, Guinea Pig. read more

This place was recommended by our hotel, the Hotel Fitzpatrick. Quirky old place where you ring a buzzer to enter. Hasn't been redecorated since the '80s by all appearances. We sat next to an ancient couple, each with a very large glass of wine which they nursed throughout the meal. The gentleman kept falling asleep while his wife chattered on, seemingly oblivious. They apparently were regulars and it was fun to watch them interact with the server and enjoy the food. The restaurant has a nice, quiet, intimate ambience. We had great service and good food. We both had the special early bird dinner which came with several choices and a bottle of wine. Great seafood. Nice sides. And potatoes. Always the potatoes. read more

There's lots of good places to eat in Dalkey, but Guinea Pig is one of the best. There's a wide selection of fish and a fine steak and chicken if you want to skip seafood. The fish is prepared in a variety of ways, from simple grilled to cooked in an elegant sauce, so there's plenty of choice. The Guinea Pigs special meal (four courses and a bottle of wine) is a great deal, but its a lot of food, bring your appetite! We were very happy with the sides and the vegetables, they were very fresh and well prepared and no part of the meal was overlooked or got second shrift. A family run business for decades, the interior is beautifully decorated and the service was friendly and professional. I'd suggest calling for a reservation, the place is very popular. read more

Had a seriously good lobster Thermidor in the Guinea Pig last week. Wonderful smiling service from the charming Amelia. Mervyn, the chef/owner deserves high praise for maintaining high standards for so many years in this jewel of a restaurant in the heart of Dalkey. read more