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The Winding Stair, Dublin, Co. Dublin

The Winding Stair

4.7
4.7
2464 Reviews
€31 to €50
Irish

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2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 35 times today
  • Charming
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for scenic views
The Winding Stair Bookshop & Café became a famous Dublin landmark in the 1970s and 1980s. Named after the Yeats poem and in honour of its winding staircase, it is overlooking the river Liffey, with an iconic view of the Ha'penny bridge. As a popular meeting place for writers, musicians and artists, it was a well known hub for debate and creativity with many poems written, novels penned and movies shot within its walls. In 2006, Elaine Murphy brought this much-loved spot back to life as a restaurant, championing seasonal, Irish produce. The bookshop, located on the ground floor, was retained, as were many of the old bookshelves, photos and memories. The room retains its timeless charm with stripped wood tables and floors, and Bentwood café chairs.The view remains as quintessentially Dublin as ever.
The food is good, old-fashioned home cooking, with produce sourced from artisans within the island. Drink sare local and international craft beers & wines from stellar producers.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    €31 to €50
  • Cuisines
    Irish, Seafood, Vegetarian
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Wed–Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Mon, Tue, Sun 5:30 pm–9:00 pm Wed–Sat 5:30 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (01) 872 7320
  • Website
    http://winding-stair.com/
  • Payment Options
    Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress

Menu

€56 per person

Starters

  • Soup of the day

    • Braised beef cheek bruschetta

      crispy egg, caramelised onion, pickled pearl onion

      • Potted Dingle Bay crab

        with pickled cucumber, toasted soda bread & organic leaves

        • Macroom Dairies' buffalo burrata

          candied beetroot, caramelised walnut & chive vinaigrette

          Mains

          • Pigs on the green pork belly

            mashed potato, apple & celeriac slaw, grilled spring onion, apple ketchup & cider jus

            • Doyle’s Irish white sole

              burnt butter, capers, parsley, lemon, almonds & baby potato

              • Youngs 9oz Black Angus striploin

                homemade chips, steamed greens & garlic herb butter

                • €7 supplementEUR 7.00

              • Irish potato boxty

                Kearney Blue stuffed Portobello mushroom, wilted spinach, hazelnut & parsley pesto

                Desserts

                • Almond chocolate tart

                  with honeycomb & raspberry sorbet

                  • Panna cotta

                    with poached rhubarb & oat biscuits

                    • The Winding Stair Bread & Butter pudding

                      with whiskey sauce

                      Last updated: 10 March 2025

                      What 2,464 people are saying

                      Overall ratings and reviews

                      Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

                      4.7
                      4.7 based on recent ratings
                      • 4.7Food
                      • 4.7Service
                      • 4.6Ambience
                      • 4.3Value

                      Noise • Moderate

                      Loved For

                      • Dublin

                        Great for scenic views

                      • Dublin

                        Irish

                      • Dublin 1

                        Best Overall

                      • Dublin 1

                        Best Food

                      • Dublin 1

                        Best Service

                      • Dublin 1

                        Best Ambience

                      • Dublin 1

                        Best Value

                      • Dublin 1

                        Innovative

                      • Dublin 1

                        Healthy

                      • Dublin 1

                        Neighbourhood gem

                      • Dublin 1

                        Great for fine wines

                      • Dublin 1

                        Romantic

                      • Dublin 1

                        Vegetarian-friendly

                      • Dublin 1

                        Most Booked

                      Review summary

                      AI-generated from verified diner reviews
                      The Winding Stair offers an enchanting dining experience with "amazing food," a "great view" over the Liffey, and a "charming" atmosphere. Known for its "excellent service" and "delicious" local dishes, this Dublin gem is perfect for any occasion. Guests rave about the "wonderful" wine list and "attentive" staff.

                      2,464 Reviews

                      1. Teresa

                        London2 reviews

                        5.0

                        Dined 3 days ago

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Lovely restaurant cozy and has a great view of the river.

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                      2. Alec

                        London1 review

                        5.0

                        Dined 3 days ago

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Exceptionally good food at a very fair price for the quality. Attentive, friendly service and our host provided a bang-on wine pairing. Lovely atmosphere and memorable dining experience!

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                      3. Philip

                        Dublin1 review

                        5.0

                        Dined 6 days ago

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Booked a table for 5 for an informal business dinner with 2 colleagues visiting from Spain. Everything was excellent. Great table. Great atmosphere. Attentive and friendly staff. Food was amazing - crab starter was delicious and the sole main course was one of the best seafood dishes I’ve had in years. Our guests were delighted with the evening.

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                      4. Robert Scott

                        Philadelphia13 reviews

                        5.0

                        Dined 6 days ago

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Second time in many years. Excellent food and service.

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                      5. Jean

                        Greater Boston3 reviews

                        5.0

                        Dined 6 days ago

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Excellent range on the nenu, food was delicious, service on the ball and warm. Yet again a great experience.

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                      6. David VIP

                        Dublin5 reviews

                        5.0

                        Dined 7 days ago

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Fantastic restaurant; great food with great service,

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                      7. OpenTable Diner

                        New York City1 review

                        5.0

                        Dined 7 days ago

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Incredible meal. The haddock and cheese potatoes were amazing! The staff was extremely attentive.

                        Is this helpful?

                      8. maddy

                        Kansas City4 reviews

                        5.0

                        Dined on 3 March 2025

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Very good food and fun atmosphere. Really liked the restaurant and will add to our must do list when we come back to Ireland.

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                      9. E.M. VIP

                        Chicago40 reviews

                        5.0

                        Dined on 1 March 2025

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Lovely dinner with a great view of Dublin. Lots of fish options, and very accommodating for gluten-free requests.

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                      10. Rachel

                        Dublin2 reviews

                        5.0

                        Dined on 1 March 2025

                        1. Overall 5
                        2. Food 5
                        3. Service 5
                        4. Ambience 5
                        Really lovely food and the service was just superb

                        Is this helpful?

                      FAQs

                      The Winding Stair is rated 4.7 stars by 2464 OpenTable diners.

                      Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

                      Make a booking

                      2 people
                      7:00 pm
                      Booked 35 times today
                      Google Map for The Winding Stair

                      40 Ormond Quay Lower, Dublin, Co. Dublin D01 R9Y5

                      Additional information

                      • Area
                        North City Centre
                      • Hours of Operation
                        Lunch Wed–Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Mon, Tue, Sun 5:30 pm–9:00 pm Wed–Sat 5:30 pm–10:00 pm
                      • Price
                        €31 to €50
                      • Cuisines
                        Irish, Seafood, Vegetarian
                      • Dining style
                        Casual Dining
                      • Dress code
                        Casual Dress
                      • Parking details
                        Public Parking
                      • Payment Options
                        Mastercard, Visa
                      • Additional
                        Beer, View, Wine
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