This could have been a better review...was very excited based upon Yelp.ie and Westbury Hotel recommendations. Sorry to say our experience disappointed solely due to timing. Food is good-don't get me wrong. Started with salmon app. Serving is smallish but taste is outstanding. Wine (French Grenache/Sarah recommendation) was average at best. Main course took over 40 minutes to be served. Cheek/tongue entree-if you've been afraid of tongue, try it. Delicious. Well balanced dish with roasted onions and parsnip purée. The purée is amazing. Cheek is tender, flavorful and not fatty. Think pot roast to the 100th degree. Sherpards Pie-steamy hot goodness. Unlike the pastry crust in US, this is covered with piped potato purée that is put under the broiler and browned to create a crust. We ordered a side dish-duck fat roasted potatoes. Sinfully delish. Order it. Had a new bottle of white-Chablis much better suited to our palate and a good white to pair with meat if so desired. Dessert-a mini serving if the cheesecake AND brown bread ice cream. Ice cream is fantastic. Has texture of dried breadcrumbs with almost a sweetened butter cinnamon ice cream. Perfection. Cheesecake is unlike any other. Served in a jar and layered. Bottom is like a lightly sweetened fruit preserve. Middle layer is a whipped cheese cream of sorts that has a robust but not overpowering. Maybe marscapone? Top is covered in the same crumbs that top the ice cream. Just delicious. We thought it couldn't get better than dinner at Winding Stair last night, but it's the difference between homemade comfort food at its pinnacle and refined International/French/Irish cuisine at its best. read more

The Pig's Ear - Cheesecake complete at Pig's Ear. Excellent interpretation of the original, but lighter and more flavorful. - Bistros Near Me - Dublin, D

I started with the butternut squash and spelt 'risotto', which i was really excited about as the title seemed to imply that i would be receiving some sort of alternative take on the dish but what i received is exactly what it should of been.... my fault i suppose though. It was nice a little cold and too el dente for me but i know others would apreciate this. I think ordered the cod. This was really tasty and beautifully presented. It was a little on the small side, but I was very happy with the taste. After our mains were cleared my sister had a sudden wave of nausea. She quickly had to leave the table, but didn't make it far before she fainted. The staff handled this so beautifully! She faints alot and sometimes staff crowd around her and panick. Not here, they calmy listened to myself and my other sister explaining all she needs is some water and hair and they quickly and descretely got a chair for her and sat her next to the kitchen with some water. I can't tell youhow grateful she was for the way they handled this, she is a very shy person and the caos that can be created when she has an episode, also makes me faint again. The staff here are so friendly and receptive, we were alll very grateful for them. The pork belly which someone at my party ordered was very good and cooked pefectly. And the lamb was also incredibly tasty. We finished themeal off with the cheescake and as it was a birthday they put a candle in it, and THANK GOD didn't sing! There was enough eventfulness and attention on our table as it was. Would go back! read more

We spent 10 days in Ireland, and all agree that this was by far the best restaurant we ate at. We had the fixed price menu at 6:30 p.m., and feel we had a great meal. The service was perfect, the atmosphere is beautiful, and the food was excellent from start to finish. I highly recommend. read more

This place was pretty great! I had the lamb shepherds pie and I'm not typically a fan of lamb but this dish was amazing. My dad had the pork belly and it was very delicious although a bit on the sweet side. The chicken was good nothing special just chicken but still had a good taste. By far the best thing at this place is the cheesecake. It comes in a little Mason jar and is very light and fluffy. I wish I'd have got about 3 or 4 to go when I left they were that good. The overall atmosphere was a bit upscale and I recommend you have on appropriate attire. I felt completely underdressed in jeans and a collared shirt. I would also not recommend this place for small children. I took my 11month old with me and got weird looks from everyone when they saw him. Thankfully he was well behaved or who knows what could have happened. They had no highchairs for kids and no place to change a kid. I had no major issues with taking my baby there however I would caution others with kids and recommend a more kid friendly place. Overall this place was great and I'd recommend it to others. read more

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Ran into this place for lunch while I was visiting Trinity College. Ordered the pre-fixe and it was excellent. Prices a little high though. read more

Waaaay too expensive. $23 each for lunch not counting drinks or dessert? All the food is deconstructed and fussy. Cheesecake came in a mason jar in a striped bag. It was layer of not very cheesy custard with graham cracker crumbs on top. Not what we were expecting. Won't be back. read more

Great for lunch or dinner. This is a casual place that serves excellent food. The service is also really good and its perfect for a meal woth friends or family. The pork belly dish and chocolate desert in particular are definitely worth a try! read more

My only complaint about this restaurant was how difficult it was to get a reservation. The food was great. My wife had the goat cheese app which my have been the best tasting cheese dish I have had in my entire life. I had the steak with the mushroom ketchup, not s mushroom fan, but this was really good. She had the lamb. Great meal and service was also very good. Decided to try a new wine, not good, but we are the only ones to blame for that. Next time we go back to Dublin, we will return to The Pig's Ear. read more

An outstanding meal in a quiet, almost hidden, little restaurant. Pork belly and salmon dishes were as good, if not better, than Yelpers have described. And any place that gives you an Opinel steak knife is just cool. read more

The Pre fix lunch was amazing. The Fresh fish was on point. Go for the wine pairing and you are set!

Underwhelmed by main course and underfed overall: my wife was here last night and got home hungry. Had a delicious marinated salmon starter but the chicken and mashed potato main course was something that might be served to children, with puréed potatoes with a few sweet corn on top. Brown bread ice cream delicious - but only one scoop? read more

Definitely make a reservation ahead of time. You walk up the stairs and they have your table ready for you. There's not a specific host stand so it would have been strange had we not made our reservation ahead of time. The food and service were both perfect. We had a table by the window overlooking Trinity College and the park. I had the Shepard's Pie, very delicious and well-made and served hot. My friend had the Salmon and loved it. The music playing was also really neat. A jazzy take on newer pop songs. Definitely a great place for a date or just a nice girl's dinner to catch up with great food and wine. read more

I was really disappointed. The menu seemed a bit pretentious and complicated to me, and I'm pretty easygoing on all fronts. Like, I'm happy with pretension if it's done with a bit of flair, I guess. I had the pork belly, which was a little salty but of good quality, and had the citrus-cured salmon to start. Neither rocked my world. The service was great, the decor is super and I love the way the sugar etc is presented, a cute attempt at a country cottage kitchen feel. I wouldn't come here for the food, I'm afraid. read more

I loved the Pig's Ear Restaurant! I was visiting Dublin and went there for a special occasion. I ordered the goat cheese appetizer which was lovely, as the pine nuts and honey complimented the warm goat cheese nicely. The pig knuckles appetizer wasnt bad, if you like that sort of thing. The soup was also great. I had the salmon for my main meal. The mash was really nice and the salmon was cooked impeccably. However, it came with mini shrimps and capers which I didnt like. The shepherd's pie was fantastic - I highly reccomend it. For dessert, the chocolate tart was bitter but very good and the sea salt ice cream with it was perfect! The cheesecake atually comes in a jar, its not a slice of cake so that dish was very unique. The ingredients in it tasted fresh and I would reccomend it if you like cheesecake. The decor for this place was pretty upscale but very nice. It had a warm yet classic feeling and the art on the wall and the sunshine peaking through the windows gave the whole place a good feeling. The only reason this place doesnt get 5 stars is because of the service. The waiter was not friendly and for a place like this, I would expect better service. So for a fun night out in Dublin, with great food and a lovely atmosphere, check out the Pig's Ear. Plus, its really close to Merrion Square for an evening stroll after dinner! read more

There truly is great food in Ireland and The Pig's Ear proves it! Then why the four stars vs. five you ask? It comes down to two things: 1) there is no real "atmosphere" here. You won't be dazzled by the "place", and 2) the starter of Dillisk Cured Irish Salmon left much to be desired on flavor. The salmon was rubbery. The cucumbers did not seem too fresh. But let's focus on the positives. Everything else was simply FANTASTIC. Our second starter was Tartare of Irish Beef Brisket. Amazing. Set a new standard for Tartare for me. Sorry France. We then had Irish Beef Cheek and Venison for entrees. All presentations were lovely. Portions look small but are actually very filling. Works of art on the plating. Well done. Add Duck Fat Roast Potatoes and you want for nothing. But the food was so good we decided to have an Irish coffee and try the vanilla cheesecake. VERY CUTE presentation. I won't describe it. You just come and order it. I can promise you, if you are a foodie, you will LOVE The Pigs Ear. read more

We were in Dublin 2 weeks ago and saw good Yelp reviews. We decided to try. For a Michelin rated restaurant the food was excellent but the wait staff was not what we would except. Very disappointed with them and they took away from what could of been a great dining experience. read more

After reading some awesome reviews, I really wanted to try this place out. I was doing a short visit to Dublin, so I usually eat my main courses at one place and my dessert at another. So I decided to try the deserts here. And now comes the reason for the one star. We sat down and ready to order the desert and some drinks, the server tells us she has to ask the manager if it's okay. We were a little puzzled with that comment and then we watch her ask the manager something and he looks at us for a moment and then shakes head, she comes back and tells us that we must order a main course before ordering dessert. So...next comes the "WTF" look on our faces, the server was apologetic, so we didn't make a scene. Honestly we would have understood the manager's decision if the place was packed and a line out the door, but it was half full on a Monday night. So you know what? here is a nice "Up Yours" yelp review for you guys. I really can't stand snobby places like this. However, something awesome came out of this. I ended up at a really awesome place called The Farm Restaurant (around the block), everything at this place is organic, drinks, food, dessert, etc. The Sticky Toffee Pudding(popular local dessert) is amazing, it was so amazing that I had 2 servings. I will write a more in depth review on their yelp page. The Pig's Ear wasn't meant to be and I am really glad I ended up at the Farm. read more

We picked this place based on a MICHELIN review, and it certainly deserves the mention. This place is a great value for a surprisingly good mid-day lunch break. Their bread and butter alone gives you a first peak into how good your meal will be. I had the cod with pickled cauliflower. One of the best fish dishes I've eaten. read more

Without doubt the best meal we had in Dublin in the three days that we were there. Extraordinary steaks. And you can't miss the steak tartare. read more

For this record this was a 4.5 star experience...My mom came in town for a quick visit a couple weekends ago and as luck would have it, she was just a few days past her birthday. I personally hate celebrating my own birthday but love any excuse to celebrate the bdays of others. Anyway...I wanted to take her somewhere nice and also unique as steak joints are pretty rampant where she is from. In glancing at the menu for The Pig's Ear it looked like we had a winner. The location is easy to miss on Nassau - just a tiny sign, a door, and a set of stairs. Once upstairs you are greeted by a quaint, nicely lit room overlooking the Trinity campus. They seated us at a table by the window and we promptly looked through the wine menu. The waiter recommended some kind of Rioja for myself and my mom opted for a Cotes du Rhone. Once we had our drinks and J arrived, we were ready to order. For starters we went with the Earl Grey Tea Cured & Smoked Salmon with cucumber, trout caviar, buttermilk and dill and the starter size of the Salt Baked Celeriac with chestnuts, kale, truffle & cep cream. The presentation of both dishes was perfect. The salmon had very interesting flavours and was definitely my favourite of the two. The celeriac was also nice but I'll probably try something else next time. Now for the mains I can't be sure what the accompaniments were but my mom ordered the Irish Salmon, I had the Roast Cod and J ordered the Roast Chicken. Each dish was expertly cooked and came with a wonderful assortment of vegetables to complement the meat. We also threw in an order of the duck fat potatoes which were a nice touch. Sadly none of the dessert items jumped out at us but that was probably for the best as we were extremely full. With the wine and starters this was not a cheap meal but it had great quality and unique flavours so I would definitely recommend for a more special evening out. Will come again! read more

My husband and I recently spent a romantic night in Dublin and we were looking for a nicer restaurant to have dinner in. We were directed to the Pig's Ear. We had no problem getting a same day reservation. We walked over from our hotel and found the location without difficulty. The Pig's Ear is upstairs, taking up four stories (there is a second dining room and a private dinner room, but we were seating in the main dining room). The decor is lovely cream and black and you almost feel like you are having dinner in someone's home. It was a bit warm in the dining room and opening the windows would have helped. The crowd also appeared to be mostly collegiate thinkers, but that was fine. The food was very good. We split the crab salad appetizer which tasted of the sea in the best way. I had the Shepard's Pie which was phenomenal. My hubby had beef cheeks, which were so soft and moist. We both enjoyed our wines too. We chose not to have dessert and the bill was over 100 Euros which is a little pricey. Overall I would rate Pig's Ear a 3.5. read more

Easily the best meal I had on a recent 2-week trip to Ireland. A lovely room, and excellent service and wine. We were a party of 4 on a Saturday evening. We ordered 4 starters, 4 mains, 3 desserts, and 2 bottles of wine, and every single dish we ordered was outstanding. I particularly loved my asparagus and egg yolk appetizer, which tasted like the absolute essence of asparagus and egg yolk, with other lovely elements to balance and keep it fresh. The desserts were surprisingly brilliant - creative and utterly delicious - as were all the meats in the main courses. A friend had a bit of black pudding as part of hers that was unlike (and much better than) any that we had ever tasted, and the lamb, salmon, and pork belly were all wonderful also, as were the vegetables. The one vegetarian in our group was very satisfied also. Ireland has fantastic ingredients, but this restaurant did more than make the most of them: there is a really gifted chef here who creates surprises but always in the very best of taste. read more

We were warned that the food in Ireland woudl leave a lot to be desired but were pleasantly surprised to find the contrary to be true. Pig's ear was definitely one of the nicest places we ate at while in the country. A modern seasonal menu with delicious spins on local favorites with a great view of trinity college. I would definitely recommend this as a stop while in Dublin. read more

I had dinner here on 2 separate occasions during a business trip to Dublin. The wait staff were attentive and helpful and the food was good. I couldn't get over how delicious just the bread and butter were that they bring before your entrée. One evening I had tomato soup (very good) and a pork chop served with pumpkin risotto. The risotto was good, but the pork chop was a little bland. The second evening I ordered the Dublin Coddle, which was absolutely delicious. read more

I was in town in business and went here last night solo. Lamb was just amazing- along with the appetizer; top notch food. The four stars equates to not the most attentive derive. Maybe that is because I was solo. read more

Absolutely great good and service. 27 Euro for 3 course is great deal. Highly recommended. Need reservation.

Absolutely wonderful food. Early bird menu is a great bargain. Service was great, only downside was the excessive up-selling on the wine list. read more

Outstanding service and food. Very authentic Irish. Needed explanations on almost all dishes! Fun ! The service was impeccable only surpassed by the quality of the food. When in Dublin you must stop at the Pigs Ear!! read more

18/07/2015 - Prior reviews allude vaguely to parts of this restaurant experience and while the menu seeks to innovate on trad food, it fell short in price versus quality. The salmon was mediocre at best, the pork belly was all too bland and the veg plate was unspriritedly blackened. The limitations placed on customers and what they order was draconian - each person MUST order a main plate, sharing is a cardinal sin, and starters couldnt be served because of time limitations as each meal is hand prepared. (Yes this is what happens without reservations) The atmosphere is blatantly pretentious, but the service wasnt even up to pub standards, wrong order delivered, then had to wait another 15 minutes for the correct order to be prepared - really? 15 minutes to prepare a salmon that was obviously in a warmer - please. Avoid this place and let the stuffy Politician types think they are experiencing haute cuisine. Many newer forays (Fade St Social comes to mind) are running rings around this over branded behemoth. read more

Had a great dinner here with two friends. The restaurant seemed packed, so I would definitely recommend making a reservation, but we were able to get what seemed like the last open table. Food was excellent--quality over quantity--bigger portions of meat, smaller portions of starches. Beef Cheek was amazing, as was the Black Forrest pie. Let us sit and catch up for a long time and did not rush with the bill. On the pricier side, but a great place to go for a night out. read more

High quality food with outstanding service in charming setting overlooking Trinity College. Good variety on the menu, fairly priced (with even better value on the early-bird if you happen to like the choices). Team service approach, with just the right level of efficiency and friendliness. Deceptive from street, as it stretches over multiple floors (which implies a climb of one long flight to the restaurant, and then an additional restroom climb of two flight for women and 3 flights for men). No need to recommend specific dishes as everything we tasted was well-prepared. read more

WOW! They has me at the bread basket! Everything was great! From the bread, the starter, the meal and the service. A must go. Will return if ever in Dublin again. read more

Best mid price restaurant in Dublin as far as I'm concerned. I had the "Pig's Ear" Lough Erne Milk Fed Lamb Shepherd's Pie for €18.95. Yummee. Perfect comfort food. A high qualify take on a traditional irish favorite. Excellent service. Loved the craft beer ('Galway Hooker). I will be back. read more

Cant go wrong. Fantastic entrees. Best Cheesecake ever. Wonderful service. Will go again next time in Dublin

I had the taster menu here for new years eve ,I had the scallops and thought one tasted a bit funny and then within a matter of minutes the room was spinning on me I had to go up to the bathroom to be sick ,I know there were staff in the restaurant who knew something was up with me but didn't ask on my return was I ok or what was wrong ,I had very little to eat that day and had no drink before I arrived at 7 that evening so the only thing I can put it down to is an under cooked scallop. I paid as my friend had eaten all her courses and didn't want to make a fuss but just wanted it noted . read more

The first time I went there was great, yammy food, good service and nice environment. That's why I went there again. However, it was a disaster this evening. Can't believe the restaurant could be noisy like a pub. People were talking so loud that even caused my earache, and the stuffs just said they could no nothing about that when I ask if I could get a quite The first time I went there was great, yammy food, good service and nice environment. That's why I went there again. However, it was a disaster this evening. Can't believe the restaurant could be noisy like a pub. People were talking so loud that even caused my earache, and the stuffs just said they could no nothing about that when I ask if I could get a quite table. I was so disappointed this time. I brought my friend and waited until 9 pm to have a table. I really couldn't stand the noise and had to leave the restaurant even I was expecting whole day to have a nice dinner there again. table. I was so disappointed this time. I brought my friend and waited until 9 pm to have a table. I really couldn't stand the noise and had to leave the restaurant even I was expecting whole day to have a nice dinner there again. read more

Had dinner here last night and was slightly disappointed after reading all the rave reviews. The restaurant is nicely decorated with a view towards Trinity College, it is simple but tasteful and has a relaxed pleasant atmosphere, so far so good, Had the sausage roll for starter, very disappointing. For mains we had steak which was good and for dessert we had rhubarb trifle which was excellent and a strawberry dessert which was terrible. Overall I felt it was expensive, considering all the good deals you get in Dublin these days. If the food and service had been better I would have felt the prices were justified, my wine glass had a chip which I felt should have been noticed and we had a long wait for our bill even though we asked a couple of times. The room was also very hot when it filled up, the windows could have been opened. A nice restaurant but I feel they could drop their prices a little. read more

Very disappointed with this place after being recommended by a friend. Location is wonderful, decor, linen napkins and all that, but the food was extremely disappointing and downright awful. I had called in early on a Saturday after a debate in Trinity. My initial impression was: menu is extremely expensive for 12.30 pm Saturday lunchtime. The most reasonable option was a €19.00 main course, not including 'sides' which were an extra €4.00. Come on even for fully employed professional the pricing is ridiculous. Didn't like note at at end of the menu stating the least a customer could order was a main course either. My friend and myself found the €22.00 early lunch menu very limited. I went with the duck which rarely disappoints. It did there. Dry, no sauce, very little veg as I didn't wish to be ripped off by the 'sides'. My friend got some kind of vegetarian option and it was truly awful. The emphasis seems to be more on the appearance of the food rather than the actual taste. The majority of people in there were Chinese tourists. Definitely will not be returning. So tired of being ripped off by over- hyped Dublin eateries. Seriously does one have to go to L'Écrivain to get a decent tasty meal? read more