Take me to church, feed and entertain me. Loved this place. Can I get an Amen? I went early with a group of colleagues and we ordered off of an early bird type menu that was served on the second floor. Two courses for about 20€ and three for 25€. During dinner, a live traditional band was playing and a couple of very nice Irish dancers also entertained. They were truly fantastic. The food itself was pretty good. I had the beef and Guinness Pie, which is the stew with a crust on top. I like that it got to the table piping hot and it had so much meat in it, I couldn't finish. The flavor was good but the meat was a bit chewy. The side vegetables - green beans and carrots- were cooked to the perfect tenderness but the seasoning was lacking. The highlight for me was the dessert. The apple pie and ice cream was heavenly. I wanted more ice cream! Nice presentation too. The service was fine. Our server was there when we needed him and brought things promptly. The only recommendation I would give our server would be to smile once in a while. What could it hurt? He looked somewhat miserable which detracts from the dining experience. read more

The Church - Apple pie - Bars Near Me - Dublin, D

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Had dinner in the gallery on Irish Night. It was wonderful! I can't think of anything they could improve. read more

So, I didn't really want to like a place full of yuppies that charges €6.20 for a "craft" porter and puts a doorman at the front to control who is pretty enough (or in the company of pretty enough) to be let in. But then I had the daily special - half a roast duck, red cabbage served in braise, and roast potatoes - and decided it was worth selling my soul for that. The chips/fries are good too, and I don't need to tell you that they pair great with aforementioned ass-expensive craft porter. The set-up outside is really convenient for watching games or for not watching games. A couple umbrellas and heat lamps provide comfort to the tables and stools set up for the big screen area. The outdoor seating area is also large enough that you can, undisturbed by game watchers, simply enjoy the night air - which again pairs great with ass-expensive craft porter and sell-your-soul delicious roast duck. Long story short, I'm conflicted. I don't want to like it here; instead, I love it here. read more

Recommended by the Hotel, looked promising, terrible service but at least the food was bad. My fish and chips were suspect as to freshness and my wife's lamb stew had definitely turned. Asked for more vinegar from the waitress and she disapeared for 15 minutes. Came back and explained that she had to go to the toilet and then 'spaced' the vinegar. Told her that the lamb stew was bad and that's why my wife hadn't eaten it and she replied. " people normally love it".. At your own risk, sure there is a hospital close by. read more

The atmosphere is surrounding a built out church that accommodates two floors with the top floor being open to the lower level. The location is very authentic with a real church feeling. The menu is thorough and has an accompanying wine, liquor and mixed drinks listing. Food is good. It not great. The atmosphere is what I recommend to see and experience. read more

A beautiful church converted into a wonderful restaurant. We enjoyed Irish singing and especially the very talented Irish dancers they had the day we visited. Food was especially good as well. read more

The Church - Bars Near Me - Dublin, D

I love what they've done with the building, although drinking inside Church does feel somewhat sacrilegious. The huge organ down the end of thehall is a nice touch. The Church wouldn't be on my list of top places to have a pint, but it's not bad for a visit every now and then. Just make sure you check out the toilets - they are massive and well cool! read more

I've been here quite a few times, mainly in the restaurant/gallery part and I have received great service and the food has been good. Unfortunately tonight was not that same experience. Met a friend for dinner, on a Monday of all nights, and they said the wait for upstairs would be a half hour (mind you, this is at 7pm) because they didn't have enough staff working. Decided to grab a seat downstair and get some pub grub. It didn't seem like an very busy night but still waited a good 20 minutes until someone came over to take our order. The server was extremely inattentive, not coming back to get drink orders, fill waters, etc. She didn't check back once through the entirety of the meal and finally made her way back about 15 minutes after our entire meal was finished. I know it's just "PUB" food, but there is something to be said about that, it doesn't have to taste like it. I ordered the burger and it was almost charred and certainly didn't taste like beef. The bun was twice the size of the burger, so I lost the bun and just ate the burger. The handmade chips were nice, although they were cold once we got our food. Lovely venue, great for live bands, mediocre food and not so great service. ICK! read more

I must have walked past The Church on Mary Street dozens of times, and I always thought that it's outdoor seating area would be lovely place for coffee (or a pint, for the day that's in it). It wasn't until last weekend that I was in that area of time with a sufficiently sparse itinerary to actually go in and sit down. I was not disappointed, as the outdoor area is very pleasant - Irish weather aside of course (I was constantly taking off and putting back on my jumper to suit the vacillating sunshine). The prices for coffee were steep enough, even by Dublin standards, and my white coffee was too cold by my standards, though it is true that I am a stickler for hot beverage temperature. My companion, whose drink was pretty much the same temperature as mine, thought that hers was fine. Inside - which I was only in briefly on my way from the front door to the outside - seems very impressive, and I imagine that it would be very amenable to an evening's drinking. In its previous incarnation as an actual church rather than as a venue known as The Church, St Mary's Church catered to the spiritual needs of an impressive set of people. Wolfe Tone and Sean O'Casey were baptised there, Arthur Guinness was married there and John Wesley, the guy who founded Methodism and who has lots of West Brit institutions named after him, preached there. All in all, a nice café in part of town bereft of such places. read more

This is going to be short - and if you look at my other reviews you know I can go on and on. This lovely place is aimed at the 'sophisticated' ... and maybe some tourists. It is nice and spacious, most of the time. But your wallet will soon be spacious. Somebody needs to tell the management that they are not in Temple bar (which isn't too far away) but 5:80 for a Paulaner is a big stretch. Safe to say I took my time drinking and won't be rushing back here. read more

The Church is a bar and restaurant which, as the name suggests, actually used to be a church. I bring all my visitors here because it's beautiful. I haven't been here for the drinks or the club, but I usually have dinner. They have a 3 course dinner menu that is delicious. It's quite pricey, but you get a ton of food. I had the goat cheese and beetroot bonbons and the chicken supreme and they were amazing. Their desserts are really good, their creme brulee in particular is delicious but is also relatively small. They have music shows to entertain diners almost every night. Most nights I've been here, they had irish dancing, which is always fun for people visiting Dublin: great atmosphere and dancing. One time though they had a rock band. I would avoid the Church when it's that type of music. Regardless whether or not you enjoy rock music, it doesn't fit the atmosphere. Given the layout of the place, the echo was so loud. You can tell all the customers were not enjoying it, and we left shortly after. read more

The Church is a pretty cool place to eat or grab a few libations. Because it was formerly an actual Methodist Church back a few hundred years ago it still looks very much the same inside and has great acoustics. I have eaten here a few times and the food is lovely. I do tend to pop in more often for drinks with friends though due to its handy location and outdoor heated seating areas. read more

I have been there a few times already and the service is always good. The architecture is pretty cool, as it really looks like a church in the inside =0 The food is delicious and they bring it to you pretty quickly. Try the Guinness stew, it is the best dish I had there. The desserts... pretty poor. I had a carrot cake that tasted as it was made last Xmas. Don't bother have it there, go for one of the cafes in the neighborhood. read more

The Church - Nachos - Bars Near Me - Dublin, D

We did not order any food, just drinks and dessert. The church is beautiful and so unique!!! We LOVED it!!! Not only was there live music but they also had irish step dancing which made my night!!! The drinks were good as was dessert, we got the chocolate cake and the cheesecake. The service was less than attentive, but friendly enough. We were there to catch up with friends so we didn't mind the lack of check ins. I will recommend this place and will come back when we return to Dublin!!! read more

Love the setting of this place, not just love but absolutely fascinated by it. Love the history of the church and would've loved to take a tour, but that will have to wait for the next visit. The space is pretty huge with a lot of different places to sit, eat, drink and be merry. After a long day, we decided to grab some grub and a few drinks here. We ordered the Steak sandwich with shoestring onions and chips with the recommended Glass of of Vortice Nero d'avola. My friend had the chicken thai curry with neftali Sauvignon blanc. The steak sandwich was one of the best that I've had anywhere, seasoned well and tender. My friend loved the curry! I wasn't a fan of the wine but we quickly moved to the beer flights and all was well in the world. Overall, a great experience... Good food, awesome ambiance and solid service. read more

Didn't reserve table, was offered table but when I asked if child carriage would fit through door, the waiter withdrew the invitation. I actually asked her if that was the reason, that we had a 2 year old with us and she said yes. Bitch move. read more

The Church is amongst those locations that appeal to visitors straight away. "Sure, it's been a church, but let's make a pub out of it" is what the Irish must have thought - such things may come to one's mind. It is a nice place for afternoon pints after shopping on Henry St., or for a good meal in the restaurant on the mezzanine below the restored organ. Also great for business lunches. Come the weekend, however, the place (and the punters) tries to change into a New York-type of cocktail bar and nightclub; which may lead to overdressed and overintoxicated people in tight skirts blocking the way to the unisex toilets without any cosmopolitan feel to it. read more

A good bar on the North Side I hear you cry? Well you can see the south side from it so it's not that bad. Only joking by the way, I know there is as many good venues on the North side of Dublin as the South but that passage of water they call the Liffey is somewhat impassable for some. Unusual bar being a former church. Cool decor and feel to the place. Met some friends there last year and we has some drinks on the ground floor in the vaulted ceiling main bar. Dublin prices but not Temple Bar craziness. We then we down the steps to the crypts/dungeons to a really cool late disco bar. Thoroughly enjoyed the music, not the main stream mush. Not the biggest of venues underground but cozy and crowd seemed to be friendly. Somewhere not the norm and not a bad spot to find yourself in. read more

This place is pretty cooll! Big space, it's a former church and now a bar, restaurant and club. I went there for lunch; there's a lot of tables so I assume you're able to have a seat almost every time... good atmosphere also, this is not a typical Dubliner Pub but more a restaurant where people like to go for lunch or listen at one of the Live Irish Music show in the Evening! The food served is also very good and portion are quite big! I had a sunday late lunch there, with a Bloody Mary, and it was very pleasant!! read more

Real nice place for lunch. Quaint atmosphere - a pub/restaurant in a church! Enjoyed the wrap, soup, salad lunch special for 10 Euro. This is a place to definitely recommend to anybody. I really enjoyed the meals and the church atmosphere was unique. I wonder if my meal was blessed? read more

I went here just for drinks on a Saturday afternoon/evening. The interior is huge and different and pretty much like a classic beer-hall but with the addition of stained glass windows. There is a huge bar in the middle of the floor. I personally hate the "floating bar" concept - basically no back wall and the counter can be approached from any side". This means that there's no real way to queue for drinks and people get served in random order with the bar-staff usually grabbing orders like headless chickens. I found the prices particularly expensive for drinks especially the pretend-posh beers, like Stella, Erdinger and Becks. They're throwing them out for anywhere from €5.80 to €6.30 which is dericulous for a daytime pint. The atmosphere was pretty much the opposite of what I like in a bar - epically noisy choir of people shouting across their own table be heard above the background noise, the continuous grating screech of chairs being dragged around - all echoing around the high ceiling. So yeah I pretty much hated the place based on it's 'ambience' but then I'm not one for the "superpub" anyway so I had probably just wandered into the wrong place I suppose. read more

We came on high recommendation. Some of the food was quite good, the lamb for example. Some food was sub-par, sea bass was well over cooked. The most disappointing was the poor service. We waited two hours after ordering to get our food and I am convinced we would still be there if we hadn't run down the server. We were not asked to freshen drinks and tables of people came and left while we waited. The establishment is beautiful. read more

I'm just now reviewing and it was a year ago since I have been here. I can't speak on the food, as I only had wine. At first I felt kind of bad, it being a church and all. Then I remembered Jesus turned water into wine and I immediately felt guiltless. Super cool concept, beautiful on the inside..and happened to catch live music. If I'm ever back in the U.K. and ever back to beautiful Dublin, the Church and I shall meet again. read more

This is one of the most beautiful bars i have ever been to. The details all around are beautiful and the organ pipes are still intact, Its a very comsmopolitian bar, it reminds me of sex and the city. Perfect for a first date, or any date in fact! read more

Ok this restaurant is horrible the food came cold no sauce had to ask for everything twice. Only upside was the staff were nice.

We stopped into this place after seeing it was only a 3.5 star and we should have kept going. The nachos had the fake cheese and the burger was raw and lumpy. Thank god for the Guinness. Avoid like the plague and keep walking to find a real restaurant. read more

This is the coolest bar in Dublin, in my opinion! Situated in an old church (that Arthur Guinness was married in), the vibe is really neat. There are many levels to this bar- a restaurant, a bar, and a club. I enjoyed the bar and also ate some bar food (Guinness beef stew!). Reasonably priced, and they also had my favorite beer on draft. There are ample bartenders, and though for a minute we struggled to find room at the bar, my friend and I enjoyed our time. Factor in clean bathrooms and great beer for 5 stars. read more

Great cocktails and good irish music and dancing. Burgers are a bit pour and expensive while the platters for two of bar food is good value. The venue is amazing. Cannot wait for a sunny day to try their beer garden for lunch read more

OK, it use to be a church. And yes, there is bar in the middle and organs on the other side, but other than that, nothing special. Friend and I dropped by just to eat some dessert (as everything else was closed) and were very disappointed. Service was really bad and slow, and my apple pie was not so bad, but her chocolate cake was terrible. Dry, maybe even old. Nice touch was only the two dancers performing Irish dance during the dinner, but of course, we couldn't see them (at all) as we were seated far back behind a pillar. But that didn't mean there was a discount included because the seats were bad... read more

The Church is a very recognisable building but never one that I found myself drawn into until now. I ventured here for a casual after work drink with a friend on a Wednesday afternoon and the experience was quite pleasant but nothing special. We both ordered nachos to share and a few glasses of wine all of which was to a pretty high standard. What enhanced the experience tenfold was the brilliant service we received. Everything we asked for arrived minutes after ordering and when we moved from inside to the self service outdoor beer garden there was no long wait at the bar. Outside is a lovely spot for a drink on a sunny day and ideal for people watching. Our friendly and helpful waitress named Claire also provided us with a pamphlet that explained the building's rich history. It was built several hundred years ago in the early 1700s from the same architects that designed the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham and the Old Library in Trinity. over the years The Church [which really was a Church] has been used for a variety of different things. The pamphlet takes you on a self guided tour of the building, it was really very interesting. Lost marks for me because there was a lack of atmosphere and it seems like a venue unsure of what sort of crowd it wants to attract but it's a perfectly serviceable bar. read more

We decided to come as a large group and the setting was really nice. However, due to a nut allergy, a friend of ours was forced to change her bread selection. Halfway through, she noticed mold all over the bottom of the bread. Everyone lost their appetite and will never return again. read more

Had a very fine evening on Thursday night, the first week of January. You are very aware that you are in a former church. Music was good and fun. Beautiful bar down the middle of the room. Nice vibe. We ate and drank at the bar. GREAT service. Had the seafood platter. The healthy side of me wished that not everything was battered and fried, but DAMN everything was tasty. Enjoyed the opportunity to take a photo with a bust of Mr. Guiness, who's beer money built the place. I'd go back. read more

The live music was a blast. The story behind The Church was fascinating. Our last dinner stop after ten days in Ireland. So memorable!

A very lovely venue and very friendly staff. If you are hoping to catch one of their live bands I would recommend coming a little early to get a good seat. read more

Really really bad food poisoning from here. I think it was the mussels, but I can't be sure.

I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. We had heard about it from a friends recommendation and I am so happy we went. We had an amazingly delicious meal at the restaurant. Then had great drinks in the bar with the best traditional Irish dancing and music. It was definitely a highlight of our trip to Dublin! read more

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The locale is unique because of the history. However they are capriciously slow on service. It started with an acceptable pace, but after a while everyone around us got served except us. Took a whole hour to get 2 burgers, one steak sandwich , one lamb stew. Not once the waitress came to explain the delay. Having said this the food was good, and fresh. read more

Ok, the place looks impressive at first. The decor - hence the name - looks like a church, with the bar at the centre. They have a back patio, ideal for summer. All look like it could be a great place, at least, the opportunity to impress is here. Now, let's get down to business.. 1st criticism: The service. They seem to be understaffed. You can see people running everywhere, but it's like they never come to your table. Not the most friendly. I just cannot stand staff in a place where you go to eat who could not be bothered smiling at you. Ok, it is a "Church",. but it's no reason to pretend we're on a funeral day. Also, maybe it is a license issue, just remember that on Sunday evening they ony serve food until 8pm... isn't that a bit too early? anyway... 2nd criticism: the food. Well, maybe I should thank goodness that they stop serving food after 8pm on Sundays. Honestly, and for those who read my previous reviews, you'd know by now how picky I am, the food is far from being great... hardly good even. A lot of onions and rocket salad (typical) to hide tasteless, plain food. The lasagna were burned, with no real taste, I can't even remember if there was a hint of tomato.. The salads are so so, certainly not fresh, again, full of the almighty onions and rocket salad. For sure they could not be fresh lasagna. Pasta dishes won't bring you heaven either. They use a lot of herbs, spices and other seasonings to hide the true taste of their food.. After going out of this place, I had a heavy sensation in my stomach. A back taste of "unfresh" lasagna mixed with onions.. and rocket salad indeed. Altogether, a very poor food experience. i still leave 2 stars as it is worth going there for a drink there, the interior design is unique I must say. However, I cannot recommend the place for its food. I must agree with Annie's feedback, the concept of the "open" toilets is really really really weird. read more

Beautiful decor, very busy, we arrived, footsore, cold and weary. The food looked great though we were trying to be good as we were eating later on so we all ordered a sandwich, coffees and water. Prices are a bit on the dear side but when you're tired, jaded it is worth paying that wee bit extra for guaranteed comfort, service and quality. We 3 reckoned it was a tad on the expensive side but did hit the spot. They also have a a gallery restaurant, a cellar nightclub/bar and a terrace for those dry days we get so few of. Don't forget to pick up a flier for the church which'll give you a good synopsis of the history of the place. I will go back but will pick my moment better to avoid the crowds. read more

Good food. Great service. My first stop for a meal in Dublin. Beautiful converted church with some original fractures still present. Menu at my visit was somewhat limited. Would return as everything was tasty. read more