Having read some marvellous reviews of this restaurant, was really looking forward to dining there. The setting and location are idyllic and was happy to have a table by the window as requested. Menu was exciting, but as I'm just a 'one plate' person, not really into desserts, I ordered from the 'a la carte' menu. I ordered rump of lamb with a bean casserole. I ordered salad on the side and potatoes. The waitress was very friendly. Our 'meat' mains arrived, minus the bean casserole as advertised. Also minus salad and potatoes. After about ten minutes I tried to catch the waitresses eye to ask about our side orders. I eventually had to go to the counter to ask for same. I had to do the same to order coffees and pay the bill. The restaurant was not understaffed, there were four waitresses present, unfortunatley, they didn't appear to be 'present' to the needs of the diners. To my mind, this poor service let down the efforts and hard work of the chef, as the food was excellent. It also lets down the idyllic location and setting of this lovely restaurant and doesn't make for a memorable experience.(I appear to have probs with my computer, clicking on star ratings. My ratings are as follows : Nil for service, 4 for food, atmosphere 5, value 3. Guess overall must be a 3)

The setting for this restaurant couldn’t be nicer sitting right on the beach. We had hoped to avail of the Early bird however when we rang earlier in the evening to book for 6.45 we were told they had a lot of people coming in at that time and if we could come for 7.15. This was fine with us, however arriving a little early after 7 were were mystified to find only 6 other diners there. We ate from the a la carte menu, to be honest with the lovely choices and very reasonable prices I’m glad that we did. The most expensive starter was 7.95. Fish of the day was the most expensive on the mains at 24.95. The restaurant servers Kettlye Irish beef with both a fillet and sirloin steak on offer. Homemade tomato break was lovely. The wine menu is good with the most expensive wine over 30e. I ordered a deep fried goats cheese starter which came with beetroot puree and beetroot and blackcurrant ice cream was the most gorgeous started I had in a long time. The cheese was beautifully cooked and worked so well with the beetroot. My husband had the rabbit and wood pigeon terrine which was nice. It didn’t come with any bread which I think would have been nice. Mains of duck and Cod were good. My cod dish was on a mixed bean ragout, the dish is served in a bowl which makes it hard to eat from I thought. The cod portion was really big. Each main comes with an additional side order, we both opted for mash and this was beautifully creamy mashed potato. The reastaurant was not really hugely busy however the service does let it down. There were 2 staff originally on the floor, one had gone by the end of the evening. The speed with clearing plates, taking the bill down and then coming to collect the payment was just too slow. It was a lovely relaxed atmosphere but sitting with empty main plates for 10 mins plus is not nice. Eventually we had to bring the bill and card to the bar to pay. It’s a shame to see good food let down by bad service

Response:
Thanks for visiting the Beach House & for taking the time to write this review. We are delighted that you were impressed with our great food, relaxed setting & also our fantastic views of Lough Swilly. Apologies for the problem you encountered with the service. I have looked into the issue & ensured that it will not happen again. We look forward to welcoming you to the Beach House again soon. Kind Regards, Claire Mc Gowan Proprietor

Posted by: the beach house on 21/10/2010

Exquisite! Was here twice last week. Once as a couple and once as a family. This restaurant is in the most beautiful setting looking out onto Lake Swilly. Cocktails were two for one when we visited, so we availed, yum! My husband had the beetroot/blackcurrant icecream and goats cheese starter, which he said was scrummy. I had the prawns which were good. However, my next course, the roasted cod, was excellent. The desserts are wonderful, so leave room. I had the cheesecake...a proper cheesecake too. and my other half had the creme brulee. However, the white choc and marshmallow parfait is a feat of engineering worth seeing - we didn't have it but saw one coming out..Wow!! When we went as a family I had two young girls with me and they had the kids lasagne which they devoured and homemade icecream for dessert - all gratefully received. The restaurant was very busy that evening with a wedding reception upstairs, so the service wasn't as top notch as the previous time. This really is now my favourite restaurant in Donegal. Even the little cat outside adds to the atmosphere!!

Response:
Thank you for visiting & reviewing the Beach House. We are delighted that the Beach House is your favourite restaurant in Donegal. We are indeed located in the most beautiful setting. In particular our team are absolutely delighted with your comments about our great food. At the Beach House we are passionate about food. We carefully select the best ingredients Donegal has to offer so we can give our guests an ‘exquisite’ dining experience. We look forward to welcoming you to the Beach House again soon. Claire Mc Gowan Proprietor

Posted by: the beach house on 21/10/2010