Listed and first reviewed on: 01/09/17
My sister was visiting Lagos for a very short period of time and I really wanted us to bond over lunch, so after perusing Dealdey , I eventually chose the Dubliner Ikeja deal which cost 6,000NGN for a three course meal for 2. Dubliner Ikeja was very easy to locate as it is opposite the old Alade market. My Taxify driver located the place without stress.
PARKING: There is parking for about 6-8 cars and street parking is not available.
AMBIANCE: I didn’t particularly like the ambiance. Like the name implies, it’s a basic pub. I just don’t understand the essence of the “restaurant” aspect. The decor is old, the chairs are old-fashioned and not comfortable. Dubliner Irish Pub is ideal for drinks with friends, dining alone or with friends, but definitely not with bae. There was music playing in the background.
SERVICE: Before heading out to the restaurant, I had called to make reservations. The male attendant who picked up sounded like he didn’t know anything about the business. My sister had some questions to ask concerning portions, but he was very ignorant. He promised to put us through to someone who was knowledgeable but that never happened.
Anyways, on getting there, we were welcomed by the manager/owner; a very interesting looking lady with an accent. My sister and I introduced ourselves and she looked pretty much confused. Apparently, the attendant we spoke to over the phone forgot to inform her about us.
Apparently, Dubliner is not a walk in restaurant. Before visiting, you have to make reservations and let them know what you would like to eat because they get the ingredients and prepare the food based on demand (silly in my opinion). Since the attendant forgot to tell the madam, we had to make do with whatever they had.
FOOD & DRINKS: For appetizer, my sister and I had 2 pieces of spring rolls each which wasn’t bad. It tasted pretty good, and we expected all the other meals to taste just as good or even better. Our entree was fried rice and chicken. The chicken was okay, not the best I’ve had, but decent. The fried rice was a different story. My sister and I didn’t like the rice, it tasted weird and not in any way delicious.
For dessert, I had a scoop of cheap strawberry ice cream, while my sister had their marble cake. The cake wasn’t fresh, so she ended up not eating it.
We got 2 glasses of chapman which cost 1,000NGN each and 2 bottles of water at 200NGN each.
We had to pay a sum of 2,400NGN with cash because the POS wasn’t available.
OVERALL DUBLINER IKEJA EXPERIENCE: Overall, I rate them a 5/10:
The portions are quite large, so if you are a quantity over quality person, this is your spot.
The manager sincerely talks too much, it was very tiring.
It took hours before our meals arrived. The appetizer took about 30 minutes, then another 45 minutes for the entree to arrive.
The decor and chairs need a major upgrade!!
I loved the chapman and spring rolls, everything else wasn’t great tbh.
They need to fire that attendant and get a more attentive person.
The manager talks just tooooo much. I had to fake a smile 80% of the time. Their toilet was a totally different story. Very old wares and a bad smell. There was no light in there so i was even scared to pee