Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill, Dublin

One of the things we love the most when we travel is going out for some nice food. If it’s a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary, then it’s even more important that we go out for some nice food and treat ourselves. While in Dublin, we thought it would be great to go out to a restaurant for our anniversary and when we saw that there was a Marco Pierre White Steakhouse in Dublin, we booked it and were very excited for our visit.

We had looked at the menu online and both decided that we would go with the steak, especially as it was for an anniversary meal.

Food and Drinks

We arrived at the restaurant, checked in with the host and they sat us at a table, which was between a loud party of 10 and a table of 2.

The table of 2 looked like it was a date, really sweet and the party of 10, they were a mixed group, loud, a little rude and we were hoping that they would leave soon. Luckily for us, they were on desserts, so it wouldn’t take long.

The table we were sat at was in the corner at the back of the restaurant. Great location as you can see the rest of the restaurant. The server came and took our drink orders, Louis had a Blood Orange Mimosa and I had a glass of rose wine.

We both looked over the menu, decided that we would go with the hot sourdough loaf and butter as a starter, as the table next to us had ordered it and it looked lovely.

We both ordered our steaks, Louis likes his steak well done and I prefer mine medium.

The drinks came, the starter came and we were having a lovely time, enjoying ourselves at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill Dublin. When the main course came, this was where we were a little surprised. Each main was €40 / £34 / $42. We has a small pot of steak cut chips and the steak on the plate. No garnish or anything.

The problem we had

While we were waiting for our main meals to arrive, we encountered an unusual situation. The couple seated at the table next to us were visibly upset about their meal. They mentioned that their risotto was disappointing, with undercooked chicken and hard risotto rice. This immediately raised some concerns for us, as it suggested that the food might not be as “high-quality” as we had expected from a renowned place like this.

When our steak arrived, I was somewhat disappointed by the simplicity of the dish. For €40, I was hoping for something a bit more up market, but it was just steak with a pot of chips. Still, I thought, “It’s a fancy restaurant, so let’s see how it tastes.” To my relief, the steak was cooked to perfection. The flavour was good, and it was clear it had been grilled over charcoal, which added a nice touch. Unfortunately, Louis’ experience with his steak was far from ideal. When he cut into one side, it was cooked well done, but when he cut into the other side, it was medium. We were both baffled – half of his steak was perfectly cooked, and the other half was completely underdone. We’d never seen anything like it before!

As the steak wasn’t prepared as we had hoped, we decided to wait for the server to check in on us. When they arrived, we explained the issue with Louis’ steak. The server quickly went to get the manager, who was very polite and asked us what the problem was. After we explained the situation, the manager immediately took Louis’ steak away and assured us they would bring two new steaks out for us. It was handled well, but the experience left us feeling a little disappointed, given the reputation of the restaurant and chef.

As we had to complain that the food wasn’t cooked correctly, it made us feel uncomfortable and not wanting to stay and eat.

The manager brought us two new mains, both cooked correctly, as well as broccoli with hazelnuts and a sauce (not sure what it was).

As this situation ruined the night for us, it was a meal that we had been planned for a couple of months, it felt like a huge let down. When we finished our meal, we were offered dessert, which we declined. We asked for the bill and the server tried to offer more drinks, which we also declined.

When the bill came, they provided some discount due to the issues that we had that evening, which was appreciated, we paid and then left, feeling very deflated and let down.

Would we recommend?

Simple answer, no. Neither of us would recommend the restaurant and would say, try somewhere else. Dublin has lots of restaurants including one called The Ivy right across the road, which we are planning on trying on our next visit to Dublin.

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill, Dublin Address