I was hoping for good food based on the Yelp reviews and Rick Steeve's best of Ireland travel guide. We were greeted with a smile, got seated right away, server was friendly until I told her that my mussels/shrimp/ calamari plate was cold and and the mussels were chewy. She argued saying that they were fresh and that there was a reason why the restaurant was busy. Since I didn't want to embarrass the hubby, I simply smiled and told her ok, leave the plate. She continue to argue, I didn't. She then took the plate took it to the kitchen - 10 min later she brought back the same mussels,only to argue again that they were fresh. By this point I just didn't care. I asked for the check and a different person asked me about the mussels, I didn't care to answer but as soon as I told her my version she preceded to lecture me on how fresh and wonderful their mussels are. I simply share my experience, you make your decision. I also ordered the goat cheese salad, which came with a nice piece of goat cheese, mostly iceburg lettuce, a few nuts and no dressing. The best part of the meal was the brown bread and the Guinness. Cheers! read more

Was here on Holiday! It is little more than overly priced, mediocre food for tourist. If you are looking for a non-authentic Irish pub this is your place. The Florida and California license tags on the wall should have been my first indication as such. Male waiter was dismissive regarding a beer request. I would not recommend this pub. read more

I've dined here before and the food was nice, standard pub grub nothing fancy but it's handy and in the heart of town. However, after my most recent visit I will never return and never recommend it to anyone. The food I got was inedible and when I sent it back and asked for it to be taken off the bill I was told it wouldn't be taken off the bill and I had to pay. I was shocked by this. I thought it was common practice to remove anything from the bill that was not up to standard. I know that's the case in the restaurant I work in and any restaurant I have worked in in the past. It wasn't like I ate the food and they wanted it removed, I actually couldn't eat the food because it was cold, dry and tough. I said I wasn't paying for something I couldn't eat. The waitress then said she would call the guards (Irish police) on me if I didn't pay. I was shocked to be treated like this, I actually thought it was a joke at first. I said I'd call the consumer protection agency and I would be reviewing this experience on Yelp. To this, she told me not to threaten her with bad reviews (This was after she had threatened me with the guards). We paid for the meal that was eaten by my friend (which was also pretty cold) but not for the meal I could not eat. At this stage, we were told we were not welcome back (not that I had any intention of going back after this horrible experience), again I was shocked that a customer would be treated this way. I think they were understaffed that day because the service was very bad and very slow and maybe this was causing stress on the waitress that was rude to me and my friends, however, it does not excuse the way we were treated. During all this I asked for a manager and was told there was none, I was also told that the meal would be docked from the employee's wages, which if true could be why the waitress was so angry, but still does not excuse the way we were treated. read more

This past Saturday we ate at the Hairy Lemon for our fifth time so I guess I should probably comment on our experiences! We stumbled upon this place back in October after recently moving and wanting to experience "Irish Cuisine." The waiter was extremely cheesy (it was clearly a popular stop for tourists) but the food was delicious. We ordered the seafood chowder, chicken breast with goat cheese, bacon and mashed potatoes, the braised lamb shank with vegetables and red wine jus and the bread pudding. The chowder was just okay, but everything else was wonderful. The chicken was extremely moist and came with a very hearty slice of goats cheese. Top that off with bacon, vegetables and potatoes and you have a serious winner. The braised lamb melted in your mouth and came with a wonderful sauce. The bread pudding was probably half butter but we enjoyed every bite. Despite the over-the-top waiter we decided this would be a great spot to take any visitors from the US. Since that first experience we have had different waiters who have been much more mellow and easy to be around. We have tried a variety of dishes such as the Beef and Guinness pie, Traditional Cottage Pie, Mini Battered Cod and Chips and the Dublin Coddle. The only miss was the Dublin Coddle - not because it was bad necessarily - it just had strange textures and was not the quality of the other dishes. The pies are both wonderful but my favourites continue to be the lamb shank and chicken with goats cheese. We will definitely be back with our next round of visitors soon. read more

Great spot and is exactly as it should be. Super-friendly staff, great pints, great atmosphere and really great food (assuming you order properly). Can get busy on a Friday night but worth the jovial crowd and the feeling like you are truly enjoying a great traditional Irish pub. read more

I am sitting in my favorite pub in Dublin and decided to write a review as I wait for the food. The Irish food here is the best I have had anywhere in Ireland. The seafood chowder is the best ever! Aside from the food, the staff is absolutely super. I am from the states and have been in Dublin for 9 months on a work assignment, I come here at least twice a week and I feel like part of the family here. The Hairy Lemon is definitely a pub you must stop in and eat a meal and have a pint when in Dublin! read more

Well what can I say, I have ordered mojito and the barman told me that 'it has ended' [?!] - does not matter that I have ordered it 15min before and it was well - available. Not mentioning, that they did not prepared it with fresh ingredients but just poured it in from the bottle with pre-made artifical flavours.. what is funny - when the barman was telling me that 'they dont have it anymore' next to him there was 2/3 full bottle of Smirnoff Mojito... well I can understand he was busy and tired [middle of Sat night] but hey - Im sure they can get better people for this job. I have asked a girl-barman about the same and she nodded that yeah they have mojito... then the nice-barman lad break in and said to me 'to not order same thing with 2 barmans at once' lol... I've give it up.... place was very dirty anyway. Not coming back! read more

The food here is so good! Their cottage pie is probably my favorite, but everything is so good. They have a chocolate desert served in a Guinness's glass that you will split and share to be polite, but really don't want to. My family was in town for a week we ate here 3 times and probably would have eaten here more if we didn't feel guilty for not branching out to other restaurants. read more

So normally not a super picky diner, or regular reviewer, but I felt it was my duty to let fellow Yelpers know how truly bad the food was at this establishment! The worst excuse for Guinness Pie (fake weird puff pasty rock like thing on top-not cooked on, but rather plopped on as an afterthought, not even edible. The pie was nasty, just hunks on fatty meat, so not good. The other meal we ordered was equally bad, even the mashed were tasteless resembling boxed potato flakes-yuck! I do give the servers credit for their marketing skills (as I overheard their claims of the best .... ever, in their description of their barely edible food) So many great pubs in Dublin, avoid this one, trust me! read more

This place was very nice! It was a little expensive for college students, but the food was good and we enjoyed the atmosphere and our waiter was very friendly and accommodating. Overall, I would definitely recommend this place and go back! read more

I had the yummiest beef and Guinnes Pie here! The beef was so tender and delicious. My husband had the Famous Dublin Coddle which was good but my meal was better. We had Simon as our waiter and loved him! He was so confident that they had the best food and they really do! We had Guinness mousse and cheesecake for dessert, they were so good! One of my favorite meals in Dublin and would definitely be back! YUM read more

Excellent beef and Guinness pie. The servers were very friendly and service was quick. This is exactly what comes to mind when I think of an Irish pub. I will definitely be back. read more

Our party ordered the Irish Stew (two consecutive nights), roasted vegetables, goat cheese salad and the Guinness pie. All were superb, the Irish Stew stood out as the best ever. We ate at the Hairy Lemon two consecutive nights. Ask the waiters for the restaurants history. read more

this place is a must go, delish food esp the bread and butter pudding and friendly staff make you want to stay for all of the drinks.

Pretty good food. Nice to do some people watching from the window while dining. Food was good but not outstanding, and the location is great. read more

When we walked in, we were told a table would be ready in 10-15 minutes so just grab a drink at the bar and head back. Table wasn't ready for another 40 minutes. Ordered right away and food didn't arrive for another 50 minutes. Food was mediocre. Would not recommend. read more

I was here last night..Paddys night 2012. It was €5.70 for a bottle of heineken. This is an outrageous price..this must be the most expensive pub in Dublin!!! read more

A great, authentic Irish pub, and our first stop on an inaugural trip to Dublin. We went for a "must have" Guinness, but ended up having lunch, and quite enjoyed it. The place is dark and eclectically decorated, as all good pubs are, but the service was good, and the food on par. read more

Hubs and I ventured here last night for dinner. Ambiance is fabulous! Terrificly old (or at least seemingly old) Irish pub. Lots of wood and cool nooks and crannies. Food was pretty good but overpriced. 5 euros for a bowl of chips/fries, 6+ euros for a small salad, 10 euros for calamari that was delicious but at a rate of over 1 euro/piece, not worth it. Vegetarian curry was good, but be ready for spice. Salmon over rice was ok though overcooked. Basically this is a pub in a tourist area and it is what it is. read more

I was there today with some friends... having a good time I reckon... however, a guy from the staff came to our table while my friends where smoking and said that the table was reserved and we had to move... I asked when it was reserved for, the guy said for 8:30(PM) and that they usually dont say anything to the customers to not bother them... I saw the time and it was 8:45PM ALREADY!, and we where on that table before 7:00PM. We had to pick up all our stuff and move (I guess they had a mess on their bookings and just saw the table almost empty and decided that they needed)... so we had to pick up our stuff and move... If you go there... you better ask BEFORE if your table was already booked... I am going to avoid as much as possible going back there... there are other friendly places in Dublin read more

Dublin was our last stop in Ireland having had fantastic food all along the way, and the Hairy Lemon was no different!! Our hotel steered us there as we were looking for some lunch upon our arrival, and they said it was very good as well as right around the corner. Our server Darren, (whom I later found out is also the food manager), was a most delightful, quick witted fellow who sized up our family perfectly! His recommendations were "spot on" and his conversation informative and interesting regarding Dublin and sports, (my son was interested in the hurling and rugby), and the origin of the name. We enjoyed his interaction immensely! I had the vegetable soup, my husband the Irish stew, one son had a Cajun style salad with grilled chicken, and the other had the Guinness stew. The soups were generous servings and presented piping hot, excellent flavor and quality of ingredients. The salad was generous as well. Prices are very reasonable, excellent service. We came back the next night for a drink after dinner which was a Friday, the bar was packed, but the service remained friendly and inviting. I would definitely recommend it and make sure to ask the history of the name, it's a fun story! read more