Damascus Gate in Dublin

Conveniently located within walking distance of our hotel, this Lebanese restaurant serves tasty food in rather uninspiring surroundings. The dining room is dark and somewhat shabby, with an overcrowded, rather bizarre decor, and the tables are small. Service was fairly quick, although there was a minor issue with our booking. The food was very tasty, the portions were huge and the dishes, while satisfying, were not particularly sophisticated. The overall presentation was nothing special, either. A good place for an enjoyable, straightforward meal at competitive prices, but not somewhere you would want to linger. The food is definitely better than the surroundings! Three stars for a good, average restaurant.

Good Syrian food. Grilled chicken with outstanding hummus. The older gentleman was very welcoming and one of the reasons we went back. The younger chap was a bit pushy on the wine, opened a large bottle instead of just a small bottle of Prosecco. The food is amazing so we will be back.

Ordered take out hummus and pita. It was quite good.

Had a really lovely family meal here would recommend, the staff are great the food great the location sucks a bit if your not a local.

Friendly and helpful host/owner. Delicious flavors and a good value. We especially liked the Mezza with calamari, mushroom, baba and hummus.

Amazing middle Eastern food in the heart of Dublin

I've lived in the city centre for over 20 years, and have always known I should try Damascus Gate, yet I kept putting it off. I am subscribed to all the Lovin Dublin and Char Food Guide etc newsletters, and am forever being told by "the new hottest place". I've been a fool! This is the best restaurant I've been to in YEARS. An absolute gem, hiding in plain sight. With a restaurant market that is constantly shifting (and often quite pretentious and over-hyped), especially with rental costs on Camden st, it's no wonder places keep shutting down. Now I know why Damascus Gate is still standing amongst all this change - because it's superb. The food pricing is insane (I told him he should increase it!) not just for the amount of food, but the quality. Every single item on your plate has been treated with love and detail. Even tiny slivers of flatbread had multiple seasonings on them. The hummus is like cream, the charcoaled meats are flawless, the rice is the fluffiest, it's all just perfection. I really, really appreciate this attention to detail for what are deemed the basic ingredients in most places. But the most important aspect of the evening was the hospitality. You don't get treated this well in most places any more (maybe if you're going to €300 per person places, which I'm not). This is clearly a passion project for this family run business, and that's how we were treated - like genuine house guests. We felt pampered, considered, and the host went out of his way regarding recommendations and wine pairings, along with creating a really warm, relaxed atmosphere. It was a busy saturday night, but we never felt rushed or that the staff were stressed. Everywhere else lately i feel like we're being scrutinised because they need to turn the table over for the next slot. This restaurant is clearly an incredibly well-oiled machine, yet you feel like you could take all the time you want - they never let you see or feel their busyness. Can't wait to get back, and my friends who came all the way from Donabate will also be driving back in asap.

The food was delicious and plentiful. However, the waiter's service left much to be desired; it was as if he were pushing people away. They should improve this aspect, as the waiters are the face of the establishment.

Relaxed atmosphere, good service and delicious flavors

The food was amazing, both quality and quantity. I shed a tear when the plate was empty. The service was great, there was good humour and superb efficiency. The atmosphere was perfect, no loud music or crowds shouting. Perfect place for a date night. We will most certainly be back soon!