Café Jacques in Skerries

20/10/2024: Nice staff and excellent food. Highly recommend!!

19/10/2024: The Brick House served us our best meal during a 10 day family trip in Ireland and Scotland. We stopped in for lunch on a whim after a stroll through Skerries and didn't expect much, but we were blown away by the quality of the food and the service was great as well. The wait staff were kind and attentive. They seemed puzzled why a group of American tourists would be visiting their humble place in Skerries, which is criminal, because the food is so good. We ordered the following: Mussels - supremely fresh, small mussels (which makes them sweeter) in a garlicky white wine butter sauce. A very generous portion despite being part of their tapas deal where you get to pick several dishes. Pork belly bites - rendered crispy as they should be in a mildly sweet and tangy bbq style sauce. Very tasty. Seafood chowder - reminds me of my grandmothers oyster stew. A variety of fresh seafood in a light broth with little droplets of seafood fat. Tastes like childhood! Calamari - lightly battered and fried crispy, tender, with a solid sweet and spicy thai chili sauce. Hot wings - medium large wings fried crispy and juicy, generously sauced. Wings done right! Someone in our party also ordered a salad, possibly a chicken caeser, and they were happy as well though I didn't taste it. The pints were poured proper and promptly! If I had to levy a criticism, it would be that the outdoor seating in the back was tight for our party 5. We may have asked for that that though (don't recall), so this is a very minor gripe. Overall if you want quality, affordable food with friendly, down to earth service, I can't recommend The Brick House enough. Do it! Note - I would typically reserve 5 stars for a truly perfect experience, but I feel the need to indicate 5 stars here to offset the fact that the Brick House only has an overall rating of 4.4 stars. In this day and age, it can be difficult for a restaurant to stay busy with a star rating of less than 4.5, and I feel The Brick House certainly deserves to stay busy!