The Winding Stair Restaurant 2.5 star review: The Winding Stair used to be my favourite restaurant in Dublin and my girlfriend was kind enough to bring me here for my birthday. Was not impressed at all unfortunately. The food was only average (compared to what I used get there) and quite expensive for the portion size. The wine was also very expensive. I miss the way it used to be.

The Winding Stair Restaurant 3.5 star review: Visited here on a cold dark Monday night and had a very nice meal. There were only two other diners when we arrived at 6.30, which meant there wasn't much of an atmosphere, but the music was creating the right ambiance, and the room is beautiful, not to mention a surprisingly romantic view over the Liffey (who knew the Liffey could be romantic?!)

We both opted for the early bird menu which is good value, but one of those menus where there's maybe only one dish you really want. That said, the food is really very good. My pork chop was delicious with a sweet balsamic glaze, which was wonderfully complemented by the generous helping of black pudding mash.

Dessert didn't appeal to me, but the boyfriend was pleased with his chocolate pudding with pistachio crumb. All washed down with a lovely red wine and strong espresso.
Service is friendly and attentive, without being over bearing.

I will definitely be recommending The Winding Stair to my friends as its such a lovely space, the food is good and well priced.

The Winding Stair Restaurant 2.5 star review: Disappointing meal here last night. We booked a table for the family to celebrate a birthday. It was a cold night and our table was beside the door so every time it opened we were hit with a freezing cold breeze. The staff did their best to minimise it but it wasn't pleasant. Most of the food was ok except for my mussels. The first time they brought them out they were only luke warm. They were piled high in a big dish so there was no access to the sauce. They brought me a second batch and while these were hot, there was no sauce so rather unappetising and by this stage I had nibbled on the chips and so wasn't hungry any more. They took them off the bill.

The Winding Stair Restaurant 2.0 star review: The restaurant is in a nice location and the service is good but the menu is very limited and seriously overpriced. We went there for a birthday lunch and my initial impression was that the set menu was good value. However, looking in detail at the set lunch had very limited choice (bacon, fish and vension) Not meats that everyone would be attracted to..maybe tourists? My wife who is a veggie found something but the starter was cold (my starter was cold also) My steak was nearly 30 EUR, quite tough with a big lump of garlic butter and no veg.....not great value. Overall, a seriously expensive restaurant with poor choice (lots of fish but no chicken! dish)

The Winding Stair Restaurant 1.5 star review: I've been a regular diner here since the restaurant opened & i've always enjoyed both the food and the friendly service. However... it's no longer the case.

On a recent visit - with as many staff as there were diners, the service was appaling... very slow. The food did not make up for it. I opted for a vegetarian main course - cheese & butternut squash in I believe a tortilla. When the food eventually arrived it was a thick soggy pancake, with warm cheese & carrots - no squash, & no mention of the omission. Very unprofessional & discourteousnot not to mention the swap.

I then ordered my favourite dessert - bread & butter pudding with whiskey sauce. What was delivered was horrible - bread & butter pudding in a pool of grey milky fluid with oil floating on it. This used to be a delicious cream sauce - what I got was thin milk with grease. It was unappetising looking & it's taste didn't do much for it either. Most diosppointing.

Previously dining here with other friends for a weekend lunch one of my circle requested something slightly off menu - to comply with a medical condition. The waitress refused to ask the chef for an alternative, and had to be asked 3 times, while my friend had to convince her that similar requests had been gladly met on previous visits. Eventually with bad grace she complied - then promptly swaped our table with another waitress. The chef was more accommodating.

Sadly, my days at this restaurant are over. There have been a growing number of niggles with it over my last few visits, and quite frankly Dublin has better offerings in terms of food, value and service than what this restaurant can deliver. I think it's a case of them getting too big for their boots and forgetting their primary service offering - as Fergal Quin says - the customer is king.

The Winding Stair Restaurant 3.0 star review: This restaurant is in a fabulous setting overlooking the Ha'penny bridge, however, the food sadly is no longer what it used to be. The menu remains the same apart from the specials which change and the dishes, although tasty, lacked that extra something you expect from the winding stair. It's overpriced for what you get and I left feeling dissatisfied with my Winding Stair experience. I don't think I'll return and would no longer recommend it for food or value for money. The atmosphere is still great but the food sadly is not.

The Winding Stair Restaurant 4.0 star review: Decided to bring both our parents here for a night out. We chose The Winding Stairs as its menu is quite traditional and simple. We all opted to order from the early bird/pre-theatre menu which offers 2 courses for €24.95 (€27.95 with a glass of house wine) or 3-course €29.95, (€32.95 with a glass of house wine). This was really good value as portion sizes were extremely generous. I had the pea soup to start which not being a lover of peas was unsure of but I'm glad I tried it as it was delicious and full of flavour. Between the 6 of us we ordered a mix of all the starters and everyone really enjoyed them. I had the Kish plaice fillet for mains which was nice and light but still contained some bones and was kind of bland on flavour. The accompanying vegetables were tasty. White fish is difficult to cook and needs lots of flavour but it didn’t happen this time, I think there menu would be much better with a more flavoursome fish option amongst all the meat. My partner had the lamb shank which was a huge portion but he said it was lovely. He left his smashed scallion potato which i devoured as it was delicious. I opted out of desert and instead opted for a desert wine which was nice but over-priced at €7. Deserts were generous and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We ordered house wines with an additional bottle of Esprit de Sérame which complimented my fish very well. We arrived at 6.30 and they had requested the table back by 8.30, even though we lagged behind a bit no-one tried to force us out. The room was consistently busy all evening with no free tables. The table for 6 we were on was small and far too cramped and much more suited to a table of 4. We were also beside the kitchen window which meant a lot of traffic and I got hit against more than once and poke in the shoulder with a bottle opener in the pocket of a server. Waiters were friendly and offered good advice on wines although they didn’t have all the wines listed on the menu. My biggest gripe is when service charge of 12.5% is included. I don't like to be forced

The Winding Stair Restaurant 2.0 star review: We went here as part of a work lunch. If it wasn't for our group the place would have been dead. The food reads amazingly but unfortunately it flatters to deceive. The taste, flavour and presentation leave a lot to be desired. The pricing is far too high for the quality of dishes being produced. I had the prawns on toast for starter. The prawns had a strange almost crumbly texture and the toast was soggy and nasty. The main of steak and chips with garlic butter was something anyone can whip up at home. Half a tub of overpowering garlic butter lumped on top as well. The service was good on the whole bar when we questioned what was floating in the vinegar and were told it was sediment as it was white wine vinegar. It wasn't white wine vinegar and it wasn't sediment so we really didn't like being blatantly lied too by the staff. Will not be returning, average food at above average prices.

The Winding Stair Restaurant 4.5 star review: We decided to give Winding Stair a try on Friday night while walking around the city center, and were lucky to get in without a reservation. Winding Stair is quite small, and very nicely decorated restaurant, with very attentive service. They have very nice selection of wines and the menu includes good variation with meat, game, fish and fowl, so you have plenty to choose from. Overall very nice experience. The early bird is quite affordable. I recommend you book beforehand, since this was the first time we actually made it in without booking, and this was our third try.

The Winding Stair Restaurant 2.0 star review: I was recommended this restaurant last year so decided to go last weekend. Very disappointed, I felt it was over priced for what you got. I had Flat bread with a few veg for starter and this was just under €12!!! For flat bread!! I thought it was going to be fancier than it actually was. I then had streak for my mains and it was just like something I could have thrown together myself at home. I was very disappointed as I had the impression it was fine dining with the prices but was far from it.
Staff very nice, nice enough atmoshpere, but food not great and over priced.