The Grayson in Dublin

02/12/2024: My wife and I make a point of going to cocktail bars as part of any trip and have been fortunate to visit some of the worlds most highly rated ones in USA, Mexico,London, Italy, Canada and beyond.Vintage Cocktail Club has a blank exterior, need to ring a bell!! Fun start! We were led upstairs and sat at first table by the door... not the best spot but we did not book so... ok. Service felt pushy and very corporate. It lacked any form of enthusiasm while they stared at there oversized tablets! Server tried to push sparkling water on us... I assume there would be a charge for it but it was not listed on the menu. Drinks menu was good, laid out in historical order... but no Prohibition era inspired cocktails which I felt was strange... and my kind of cocktails. The milk punch was not a clarified milk punch... my mistake I made a wrong assumption but felt i should have been informed... luckily my wife drinks milk... I do not! Her cocktail was great, she was told it was bitter... which see likes, and I, not so much.... It was not bitter and I enjoyed it. The interior is well decorated and designed but looked like it had not been cleaned in forever... the entrance door above 6 foot was covered in cobwebs(not part of the decor) as was any place that caught light from other guests phones. Over all... could be an awesome spot but it felt like a corporation!

13/11/2024: This is a lovely place, decor was beautiful and dimly lit rooms created a wonderful atmosphere. We (couple in our late 50’s) were excited to try it out. The hidden door/speakeasy vibe was fun and felt like a new adventure. The server was lovely and did her best. We are wine drinkers so were disappointed to see only three reds offered by the glass. I tried the Cabernet and the Pinot Noir and both were meh. The food is what derailed the night. The hummus platter was pretty good- hummus quite bland though. Then we shared the Sharable Platter and it was horrible. So salty I woke up this morning with swollen eyes. Meatballs were tough chewy salt balls, sliders super salty, the rest of the platter was all deep fried gunk. All this accompanied by Snoop Dog sounding rap/jazz? music all night and we couldn’t wait to get out of there. To be fair the cocktails being served looked amazing- very artistic presentations and prices for the drinks looked pretty reasonable. My bottom line: perfect place for 20-30 somethings who like fancy cocktails (and rap music) to come for date night before going elsewhere for a nice dinner.