The Winding Stair

4.7

2510 Reviews

€31 to €50

Irish

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Apr 22, 2025

April 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 40 times today

About this restaurant

Charming
Good for special occasions
Great for fine wines

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

Location
40 Ormond Quay Lower, Dublin, Co. Dublin D01 R9Y5
Neighborhood
North City Centre
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Beer, View, Wine

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 supplement€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

What 2,510 people are saying

The Winding Stair reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

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
4.4Value

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 Ambiance
Dublin 1
Best Value
Dublin 1
Healthy
Dublin 1
Neighborhood gem
Dublin 1
Great for fine wines
Dublin 1
Romantic
Dublin 1
Good for special occasions
Dublin 1
Vegetarian-friendly
Dublin 1
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Winding Stair is a charming Dublin gem, celebrated for "excellent food," "exceptional service," and a "great atmosphere." Overlooking the Liffey, it offers a unique bookshop vibe and diverse menu, including gluten-free options. With "delicious" dishes like smoked haddock, it's a must-visit for its "lovely" ambiance and "attentive" staff.

2,510 Reviews

M
Maryrose
New York City3 reviews
5.0
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 5
The food here was amazing and we had a perfect view of the River Liffey. Get the Striploin and Pork Belly, we were able to split these 2 entrees between 3 people and had the Bread pudding dessert. Definitely recommend!
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P
Paula VIP
San Francisco2 reviews
5.0
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We loved this little spot! The service was friendly and the food was fantastic! A perfect place for lunch.
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v
volosina
Baltimore1 review
5.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing place and delicious food! We will come back again
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B
Barton
New York City1 review
3.0
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
What was once known as a popular meeting place for writers, musicians and artists is now a high end tourist restaurant. The goal of the restaurant was to serve good food and turn tables quickly. We were rushed to order and eat our food. This wasn't the experience we were hoping for. I give the restaurant 4.5 stars for the food quality, - my steak was excellent. The quick turn atmosphere of the staff was the negative factor.
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E
Ella
Seattle2 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 13, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing food and super kind waiters! Loved my time here.
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T
Tom
Dublin2 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 12, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Great good and wines, the duck was really good. Friendly staff
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B
Brigitte VIP
Las Vegas6 reviews
4.0
Dined on April 12, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
I thought the food, service and ambience were excellent. I liked the second floor. My mistake was not asking for a seat by window to have a nice view of the ha’penny bridge and liffey river. But truly the food was very good and our server, was excellent. I recommend the bread pudding for dessert. It was delish!! 10/10
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J
Johnny
Dublin1 review
5.0
Dined on April 12, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
They can make most of their options gluten free. Excellent wine menu.
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F
Francis
Dallas1 review
5.0
Dined on April 11, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The location was great, the food was fantastic, and the service was exceptional. Winding Stair was recommended due to its location and food - those did not disappoint. A bonus was the service. I had fish, and my friend had a vegetarian dish. Both were delicious. We also had desserts, which were excellent. The atmosphere is also really cool. It is a bookstore by day and a restaurant by night. A note: it is called Winding Stair for a reason. If you are not eating on the ground floor, be prepared to go up a narrow winding staircase. I would recommend this place 100% and hope to go back next time I am in Dublin.
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A
Anne
Dublin1 review
5.0
Dined on April 10, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Delicious food. Great friendly and attentive service. This was our 2nd visit and would certainly recommend.
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FAQs

The Winding Stair is rated 4.7 stars by 2510 OpenTable diners.

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

Home
Ireland, Republic of
Dublin
Dublin 1
North City Centre

Make a reservation

Booked 40 times today

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

Additional information

Neighborhood
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 Lot
Payment options
Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Beer, View, Wine

Website
http://winding-stair.com/
Phone number
(01) 872 7320

The Winding Stair

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Menu

Starters

Soup of the day

Braised beef cheek bruschetta

Potted Dingle Bay crab

Macroom Dairies' buffalo burrata

Mains

Pigs on the green pork belly

Doyle’s Irish white sole

Youngs 9oz Black Angus striploin

Irish potato boxty

Desserts

Almond chocolate tart

Panna cotta

The Winding Stair Bread & Butter pudding

What 2,510 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is The Winding Stair restaurant rated?

Is The Winding Stair currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat