Oxmantown Smithfield in Dublin

27/01/2025: Second time here, great atmosphere. Food seemed nicer the first time I was here. Definitely on the pricier side but the restaurant is beautiful. Cocktails were really good.

20/01/2025: We booked a table for 10 people to celebrate a friend visiting from Australia. The €55 set menu is mandatory for large groups which is fair. First warning though, the €55 set menu is more expensive than the individual items combined from the a la carte menu (approx. 10-15% more), and this was excluding the 10% service charge for the large group (no issue with service charge). This is outrageous as the selection is quite poor. The first red flag as we arrived was that we were originally seated at two separate tables and had to request to be moved. The second red flag was that one member of the party could only stay for one course but was forced to order a full 3 course set menu for €55 rather than just getting one starter. Absolutely no need to be this strict and it soured the mood from the start. Thirdly, we were double charged for our water (11 euro at €5.50 per bottle). And to add insult to injury, the server had asked all of us about steamed or boiled rice but never informed us that it is an extra 1.50 for fried rice which was another disappointing surprise when the bill arrived. I mean, talk about a clown fiesta. Altogether, the €55 set menu cost us €70 on average excluding drinks which left us feeling robbed and was terrible value for money. Overall disappointing experience where we were not made to feel like important customers despite the fact that we were bringing a large bill to the restaurant. Just terrible.