Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
The Winding Stair, Dublin, Co. Dublin

The Winding Stair

4.7 (2573)
€31 to €50
Irish
40 Ormond Quay Lower, Dublin, Co. Dublin D01 R9Y5

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 49 times today

About this restaurant

  • Charming
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for fine wines
The Winding Stair Bookshop & Café became a famous Dublin landmark in the 1970s and 1980s. Named after the Yeats poem and in honour of its winding staircase, it is overlooking the river Liffey, with an iconic view of the Ha'penny bridge. As a popular meeting place for writers, musicians and artists, it was a well known hub for debate and creativity with many poems written, novels penned and movies shot within its walls. In 2006, Elaine Murphy brought this much-loved spot back to life as a restaurant, championing seasonal, Irish produce. The bookshop, located on the ground floor, was retained, as were many of the old bookshelves, photos and memories. The room retains its timeless charm with stripped wood tables and floors, and Bentwood café chairs.The view remains as quintessentially Dublin as ever.
The food is good, old-fashioned home cooking, with produce sourced from artisans within the island. Drink sare local and international craft beers & wines from stellar producers.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    €31 to €50
  • Cuisines
    Irish, Seafood, Vegetarian
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Wed–Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Mon, Tue, Sun 5:30 pm–9:00 pm Wed–Sat 5:30 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (01) 872 7320
  • Website
    http://winding-stair.com/
  • Payment options
    Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress

Menu

The Winding Stair's menu was last updated on 6/24/2025.

€72 per person

Starters

  • Grilled Irish asparagus

    Dublin Hills goat’s cheese, preserved lemon, walnuts & parsley crumb

    • Ispíní Irish charcuterie board

      with house-cured vegetables & breads

      • Potted Dingle Bay crab

        with pickled cucumber, toasted soda bread & organic leaves

        • Courgette salad

          cashew nut tzatziki, pine nuts, red chicory & pomegranate

          Mains

          • Grilled Pigs on the Green pork chop

            baby spinach, pea, pistachio, feta & apple vinaigrette salad

            • Doyle’s sea bream

              lemon potato, pineapple & red pepper salsa

              • Youngs 9oz Black Angus striploin

                homemade chips, steamed greens & garlic herb butter

                • Ras el hanout spiced cauliflower

                  tabbouleh, pomegranate & walnut muhammara

                  Desserts

                  • Dark chocolate tart

                    sweet coffee mascarpone

                    • Mango & passionfruit tart

                      Wicklow berries

                      • Irish cheese board

                        with homemade chutney and crackers

                        • The Winding Stair bread & butter pudding

                          with whiskey sauce

                          Last updated: June 24, 2025

                          What 2,573 people are saying

                          The Winding Stair reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

                          Overall ratings and reviews

                          Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

                          4.7
                          4.7 based on recent ratings
                          • 4.7Food
                          • 4.7Service
                          • 4.6Ambience
                          • 4.4Value

                          Noise • Moderate

                          Loved For

                          • Dublin

                            Great for scenic views

                          • Dublin 1

                            Best Overall

                          • Dublin 1

                            Best Food

                          • Dublin 1

                            Best Ambiance

                          • Dublin 1

                            Best Value

                          • Dublin 1

                            Good for business meals

                          • Dublin 1

                            Healthy

                          • Dublin 1

                            Neighborhood gem

                          • Dublin 1

                            Great for fine wines

                          • Dublin 1

                            Romantic

                          • Dublin 1

                            Good for special occasions

                          • Dublin 1

                            Vegetarian-friendly

                          • Dublin 1

                            Most Booked

                          Review summary

                          AI-generated from verified diner reviews
                          The Winding Stair offers a "wonderful dining experience" with "excellent food" and "friendly service." The restaurant boasts a charming atmosphere with views of the River Liffey. Known for its "innovative menu," it features standout dishes like smoked haddock and pork belly. Ideal for both intimate dinners and group gatherings.
                          2,573 Reviews

                          1. Tari VIP

                            Nashville7 reviews

                            5.0

                            Dined 3 days ago

                            1. Overall 5
                            2. Food 5
                            3. Service 4
                            4. Ambience 4
                            We enjoyed dining above the Hapenny Bridge. The food was delicious and the bookish atmosphere added to the experience.

                            Is this helpful?

                          2. Denese

                            Atlanta2 reviews

                            5.0

                            Dined 4 days ago

                            1. Overall 5
                            2. Food 5
                            3. Service 5
                            4. Ambience 5
                            The service, attitude and helpfulness of the staff was top-notch and the food was excellent! Highly recommend for a Dublin classic restaurant. Bon apetite!

                            Is this helpful?

                          3. KRISTI

                            Palm Springs / Palm Desert Cities1 review

                            5.0

                            Dined 4 days ago

                            1. Overall 5
                            2. Food 5
                            3. Service 5
                            4. Ambience 5
                            Beautiful views, attentive service from Alex, our waiter. We had the Bream fish and the lamb rump. Both delicious and good size portions. Highly recommend.

                            Is this helpful?

                          4. Manfred

                            New York City1 review

                            4.0

                            Dined 5 days ago

                            1. Overall 4
                            2. Food 4
                            3. Service 5
                            4. Ambience 4
                            Nice people, good food, helpful, relaxed, very good

                            Is this helpful?

                          5. katie

                            Atlanta3 reviews

                            5.0

                            Dined 6 days ago

                            1. Overall 5
                            2. Food 5
                            3. Service 5
                            4. Ambience 5
                            We loved our meal and the location was perfect. .

                            Is this helpful?

                          6. Nadia

                            Dublin2 reviews

                            5.0

                            Dined 6 days ago

                            1. Overall 5
                            2. Food 5
                            3. Service 5
                            4. Ambience 5
                            Really Enjoyed our dinner exoerience. Delicious homy food and very friendly service. Thank you so much.

                            Is this helpful?

                          7. Jo

                            Dublin1 review

                            5.0

                            Dined 6 days ago

                            1. Overall 5
                            2. Food 5
                            3. Service 5
                            4. Ambience 5
                            A beautiful place. Great Irish food, lovely, relaxed atmosphere and a wonderful view - one of the best anywhere in Dublin.

                            Is this helpful?

                          8. Sharon

                            London5 reviews

                            5.0

                            Dined on June 26, 2025

                            1. Overall 5
                            2. Food 5
                            3. Service 5
                            4. Ambience 5
                            Excellent meal. I had the smoked haddock and my friend had the pork chop. We were both very happy. Pretty large portions. We loved our server! It is small but we didn’t feel crowded in and were able to talk easily.

                            Is this helpful?

                          9. Kathleen VIP

                            Los Angeles19 reviews

                            5.0

                            Dined on June 25, 2025

                            1. Overall 5
                            2. Food 5
                            3. Service 5
                            4. Ambience 5
                            What a great location. A wonderful interesting menu. Lamb was delicious, steak was delicious and the gnudi delicious. The winding staircase made for a fun locataion. The evening was perfect for our final night in Dublin

                            Is this helpful?

                          10. Laura

                            Virginia22 reviews

                            3.0

                            Dined on June 23, 2025

                            1. Overall 3
                            2. Food 4
                            3. Service 2
                            4. Ambience 2
                            The food was ok; the service was not. Despite having made a reservation weeks in advance, we were seated in front of the fire door, though many other (better) 2-tops were open. We waited about 15 minutes to be greeted. We ordered a bottle of wine that was visibly ready and sitting on the bar for about 20 minutes, as our server passed it again and again. She was more interested in setting empty tables. After finally delivering the wine she disappeared. Again we waited, until another server finally came to take our order. He eventually delivered it (the female server never returned). After finishing our ok meal, we again waited, and finally had to flag down the owner (?) for our check. He was also more interested in clearing tables than attending to existing customers. Our charcuterie and cheese were fine, with a couple of crackers and some bread. The gnudi was anything but "pillowy," but was rather like eating a lump of raw cookie dough with a teaspoon of pesto. Kind of disappointing. Maybe because we had just come from Croatia where the food was great, and the servers were friendly and attentive.

                            Is this helpful?

                          FAQs

                          The Winding Stair is rated 4.7 stars by 2573 OpenTable diners.

                          Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

                          1. Home
                          2. Ireland, Republic of
                          3. Dublin
                          4. Dublin 1
                          5. North City Centre

                          Make a reservation

                          2 people
                          7:00 PM
                          Booked 49 times today
                          Google Map for The Winding Stair

                          40 Ormond Quay Lower, Dublin, Co. Dublin D01 R9Y5

                          Additional information

                          • Neighborhood
                            North City Centre
                          • Hours of operation
                            Lunch Wed–Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Mon, Tue, Sun 5:30 pm–9:00 pm Wed–Sat 5:30 pm–10:00 pm
                          • Price
                            €31 to €50
                          • Cuisines
                            Irish, Seafood, Vegetarian
                          • Dining style
                            Casual Dining
                          • Dress code
                            Casual Dress
                          • Parking details
                            None
                          • Payment options
                            Mastercard, Visa
                          • Additional
                            Beer, View, Wine
                          Discover
                          OpenTable
                          • About Us
                          • Blog
                          • Careers
                          • Press
                          More
                          Our sites
                          Businesses
                          • Restaurant Management Solutions
                          • Restaurant Reservation Software
                          • Restaurant Marketing Software
                          • Restaurant Event Software
                          • OpenTable For Restaurants
                          • OpenTable For Restaurant Groups
                          • Restaurant Resources
                          • OpenTable Pricing & Plans
                          Join us on
                          • Privacy Policy
                          • Terms of Use
                          • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
                          • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
                          • Cookie Preferences
                          Copyright © 2025 OpenTable, Inc. 1 Montgomery St Ste 500, San Francisco CA 94104 - All rights reserved.
                          OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
                          Booking Logo
                          Priceline Logo
                          KAYAK Logo
                          Agoda Logo
                          OpenTable Logo