Mandarin Castle in Dublin

14/08/2025: On August 11th, I had an unpleasant situation. My friend and I went in for lunch and sat at one of the last 3-4 tables outside. Shortly after, the waitress came and she told us that we had to go inside to be seated, because sometimes customers are standing in line for a table. I said that we didn’t know and apologized. To which the waitress replied that this was not my first time here and should have known. This statement was completely disturbing as neither I need to memorize how operations work in your coffee shop nor I felt secured someone tracking my earlier visits. On my last visit, I first saw this waiter when I went inside to see what desserts were available and to place an order, to which she rather rudely told me that I needed to sit at a table first. So on this visit, we immediately sat at a table. It sounds like your place either lacks proper training or staff is treating based on their mood. I also observed that this waitress did not approach other customers the same way which made us feel further down. Previously, I visited this cafe years back, there were no waiters, and everyone just sat outside. Regardless, this is nowhere near how a service should be provided in this industry. Then my friend and I paid the bill, said thank you, goodbye, to which the waitress remained silent, tried not to look at us, looked unhappy. At that moment an elderly woman came up and asked her a question about the payment, she also answered unkindly. We left a little shocked and realized everything after we had previously been in a good mood, but after that it was spoiled. I have never encountered such service in this cafe, I always liked this place and the staff. As in principle, it is unusual to see such service in Ireland after many years of living here. I very often visit different coffee shops and restaurants in the city and this is the first time I encountered such low level of service.

07/08/2025: I do love having a cup of coffee with a nice piece of pastry or a nice salad in the backyard on a sunny day here