Samphire - Donabate

I made a reservation through OpenTable, but I received a call informing me that the restaurant was fully booked. However, I was offered a spot at the bar instea... read more I made a reservation through OpenTable, but I received a call informing me that the restaurant was fully booked. However, I was offered a spot at the bar instead. I ended up with the bar menu rather than the regular restaurant menu. The service was excellent, but the food was just okay—some dishes were good, while others were just average.

The photos of the food on the 'Samphire' restaurant website are completely misleading. The menu is very basic and limited, and the descriptions of the dishes ar... read more The photos of the food on the 'Samphire' restaurant website are completely misleading. The menu is very basic and limited, and the descriptions of the dishes are inaccurate. It feels like voucher purchasers have been misled.

I went on a getaway last weekend, which was a gift, but the whole experience was quite disappointing. The room (the Ireland Eye Suite) felt very outdated and ha... read more I went on a getaway last weekend, which was a gift, but the whole experience was quite disappointing. The room (the Ireland Eye Suite) felt very outdated and had a gloomy atmosphere. There were fake flowers and cheap wall decorations all over, and the carpet was stained and appeared to never have been cleaned. Additionally, the shower didn't even have a place to hold the soap! The restaurant's decor was lacking as well; however, the waitress was pleasant, and the food was just average. I wouldn’t recommend this place and definitely won’t be returning.

Following excellent reviews from friends and in the newspapers over the years we decided to stay at the Waterside Hotel and book a meal in the Award Winning Sam... read more Following excellent reviews from friends and in the newspapers over the years we decided to stay at the Waterside Hotel and book a meal in the Award Winning Samphire Restaurant. On our way into the restaurant we read the excellent framed reviews that were adorning the walls and we couldn 't wait for our meal. We were greeted by very friendly and helpful staff. It is after this point that our disappointment really hit home. We were shown to a table in the middle of a cold room and not at the window table that we had booked. I was very disappointed to be handed an early bird menu that resembled a bar food menu so I asked to see the A la Carte offering. This menu was not much better and had none of the fantastic local seafood that we were expecting but we decided to try and make the most of it. I then asked the friendly waitress for the wine menu but she politely informed me that there was not one. She asked if we would like red or white and when I said red she then informed us of the two choices that were only available. We then studied the menu in more detail and we soon came to the realisation that we were not going to experience the Award Winning meal that we had been anticipating for many weeks. We double checked with the waiting staff if this was the same restaurant that was featured in the framed reviews on the walls and they said it was. At this point we cancelled our table and retreated to the bar feeling a little down trodden. I think they should remove the Samphire name from the restaurant as the experience is not as advertised.

The website photos of the food at Samphire restaurant are quite misleading. The menu is very simple and limited, and the descriptions of the dishes are not accu... read more The website photos of the food at Samphire restaurant are quite misleading. The menu is very simple and limited, and the descriptions of the dishes are not accurate.