The best restaurants in Dublin

03/05/2026: Its closed for good while. The food was always nice though.

30/12/2025: If you are looking for a nostalgic trip back to the late 1980s, this café in Rathfarnham Shopping Centre delivers—though unfortunately, it seems the cleaning and maintenance schedule also stopped around the same time. What could be a charming local hub is, in reality, a masterclass in how to make customers feel unwelcome. Atmosphere & Hygiene The first thing you notice is the decor, which hasn't been updated in what appears to be 40 years. While "vintage" can be a vibe, "neglected" is not. The physical environment is only outmatched by the coldness of the staff. From the moment we walked in, we were met with a rude and unfriendly demeanor. There was no greeting, no smile, and a general sense that our presence was an inconvenience to the people working there.For a local shopping center café, the pricing is extremely overpriced. You might forgive the cost if the quality was high, but the food was a disappointment. Our meal was overpriced and dry. In a bizarre move for a place charging premium prices, they actually charge extra for butter.There is no kids' menu and zero effort made to accommodate families. It is distinctly not family-friendly, which is surprising given its location in a residential suburb. It is a genuine shame that this is the primary dining option within Rathfarnham Shopping Centre. The local community deserves a vibrant, clean, and welcoming space to grab a coffee or a bite to eat. Instead, this establishment lets the whole area down. Save your money and your move and go elsewhere.

06/12/2025: I was bursting to go to the wee so I came into rathfarnham shopping centre and went to the little cafe upstairs and I ordered a tea cause they wouldn’t let me use the toilet cause it’s customers only anyway she charged me €3.20 for a pot of tea with one lousy tea bag in it…..absolutely shocking and the staff are incredibly rude ther was a older lady looking for an extra bit of butter And they refused to give it to her until she paid more money

15/07/2026: Genuinely worst workers of all time can’t get an order right and also get offended by asking for more toppings sound for th two peppers mate and I asked for salt and she tried to kill me

11/07/2026: Got a footlong meatball and the meatballs were absolutely disgusting

09/04/2026: The lunch time workers here are so clearly miserable it is insane. Feel like I am constantly walking on thin ice around them (especially the manager) it is consistently bad to the point where i dread interacting with them. The guys working on weekends and during dinner time are chill though. Emphasis on the great weekend workers!

14/03/2026: **UPDATE: They've now graciously allowed water along with dinner (which should have been the standard from the start..) Keep writing the truth in the reviews because the staff and RUDE manager Camila do read them :-)*** Where do I start. 1. Food quality: Get yourself an air fryer instead, the food quality and quantity is NOT worth it, TRUST ME, I've been here 2 shitty years - they'll either close early, sell out their food to other people that are NON-residents ie. they do NOT care that you've prepaid, trust. 2. Legality: They used to have seconds, it was in the Roebuck Castle terms and conditions, but they decided to change that even though fine print on the UCD website before said otherwise. One semester it's soups or dessert will be included with meals, and water definitely included for dinner, and the next semester no soups and no water :) Don't waste your money 3. RUDE MANAGER making service DELIBERATELY DIFFICULT by being so, unnecessarily, passive aggressive and so incredibly PETTY, towards students trying to order their lunch. Basic service training is ASKING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE ON THEIR SANDWICH and not EXPECTING THEM to know what ingredients YOU have in stock and then being unduly exasperated at them when they try to tell you their order. Why are you in this line of service face-to-face with people if you clearly think we're all idiots? What kind of power trip do you have losing your mind over asking for an extra spoonful of sauce? 4. The weekend people here are the best. Shoutout Jogesh! I hope they get paid extra because they legitimately carry this place; they are nice, polite, thorough, patient. Best customer service I've ever had at Roebuck was with the weekend boys that work here now.