Dawson Brasserie

The Dawson Brasserie is attached to the hotel of the same name. I had breakfast here the morning after my stay as the hotel included it after a mixup with my room. I ordered the porridge and a coffee. Both were great, however the coffee came out a full 20 minutes prior to my porridge, and do it was gone before breakfast arrived. Overall service was very slow, but the porridge was good.

What a lovely spot for a breakfast pastry and coffee. I picked one of the wettest days of the year to arrange a meeting on Dawson Street and ducked in here to avoid the rain. It’s blessedly peaceful and very elegant. Coffee and a pain au chocolat came to a reasonable € 3.50. The service was absolutely lovely. It’s a little oasis. Not the Manchester kind.

Food and atmosphere were both great, I’m definitely a fan. The waiters were great and full of life as was the restaurant Manager, they provided exceptional service but I like the fact they enjoyed the night too, At one stage our waiter was dancing the «tango» with her colleague, Happy staff makes for a happy atmosphere.
There was a 2 person band playing in the corner of the room. They had the right style of music but were a little loud if you were sitting close to them and wanted to talk to you fellow diners.
There was disappointment initially when ordering as a number of items on the menu were unavailable. On one hand we said okay no problem as it was St Patricks weekend so it must have been busy on the other hand we were there at 7.30 for dinner so how could they be out of certain items already.
My taste buds were tempted by the menu and they were not disappointed. The food was exceptional and menu choice was right on target. I had a steak which rivalled that of Shanahan’s. The wine selection was very good and the choice of reds were all ones I could drink all night, and I did just that.
The downside for me here was not the meal but the front of house staff, the staff who took the phone bookings and who meet/​greet you at the door are what I feel loses the star on my rating. These came across slightly full of themselves and did not listen to their guests and did not go out of their way to help.

As you enter Dawson Brasserie there is a chic bar area. The restaurant is towards the back and its a grand room. Huge vaulted ceilings, mirrored walls, very art deco meets classic European meets modern chic. The food was delish, we ordered the beet salad, beef dish and a vegan dish. The staff was super friendly and accommodating.
Definite hot spot in Dublin!