QUICK-FIRE SUMMARY
Vibe Check
A steak house with the right balance of notions. A team who are attentive, responsive, warm, knowledgable and just a bit bloody cool. A small and vibrant space filled with a bit of everything from first dates to fortieth dates, nights out with friends, and people in suits with red faces and full bellies. Go as glam or understated as you want, everyone is welcome here.
Cost For Eats
€160
Cost For Booze
€40
Booze-Free Options?
None on the menu, but the barman was able to whip up a pretty marvellous mocktail on request. Ask for the “gin fizz” without the gin.
Highlight Dishes
Instead of calling out a highlight dish in this post, I want to shine a light on something the chef did for us. We ordered a 24oz Chateaubriand steak to share. He likes it medium, she likes it rare so we asked for it somewhere between the two, if possible.
The chef served the steak cooked to perfection in two sections. For him, it was wonderfully medium, and for her, it was perfectly rare.
It’s small efforts like this that make you want to return to a restaurant.
Literal chef’s kiss for that effort 🤌
This spot is great for…
Date night, friends catch up, team dinners with work…There’s no notions here so if you’re after a steak, this is the place to go.
If you want to book a table head to…
DISH THE DETAILS…
At the risk of sounding like an awful cultchie, there is something about Ranelagh that gives me joy. Making the trek from Drogheda down to this small corner of Dublin is not exactly easy, but it’s worth it every time. So many hidden gems to be unlocked in this one pocket of our capital alone, and The Butcher Grill is certainly one of those gems.
So – funny story before we get into it. The Butcher Grill was actually where I came up with the idea for this wee blog project. It was Richie’s birthday in February, and we had gotten all gussied up for a night out with a slap-up meal. Tamara had booked the table weeks before and excitement was building. Only…I had intended to book the table, but must have been distracted by something shiny during the booking process and never completed the transaction. Cut to Feb when we rock up to one of our favourite restaurants, only to be turned away with no table. Morto.
I imagined up an elaborate reason to go back as soon as possible, and Alphabet Dinners was born.
Every month I announce the next restaurant on Instagram, and you know it’s a good sign when an Argentinian commends your choice of steak house. A very good sign. The Butcher Grill is one of the four times on this blog where we are allowed to visit a familiar restaurant. We know and we love this spot, and for good reason. The atmosphere is truly welcoming, without the forced smiles of corporate oppression. The team genuinely appear to communicate well, and as a diner that makes the experience so much easier. It is always busy, but never frantic. The food arrives in a timely manner, without being so fast you start to worry.
We had seafood to start; the BBQ Octopus with red pepper & chorizo sauce, and the Yellowfin Tuna Tostados with avocado and chipotle mayo. Sitting perched at the bar we were in prime position to enjoy front-row seats as the action unfolded. We’ve both worked in hospitality and there is something we love about feeling like part of the performance again. We opted to share a 24oz Chateaubriand steak for mains with broccoli and fries for mains. Everything was served on heated plates, which shouldn’t be exceptional, but having been in other steak spots in Dublin you would actually be surprised… By the end of our indulgence, the dessert menu was a distant option for us, so we opted for a Negroni and a Gin Fizz without the gin.
What’s the best way to summarise The Butcher Grill? For us, it has come to be a place that is completely reliable, You just aren’t going to have a bad meal here. The kitchen and wait staff go the extra mile to make you at home, they just seem to genuinely give a sh!t and that is rarer than you would think. The menu does seem to have been whittled away over the years since we were first there, but the simplicity breeds a level of consistency that you can rely on. They know what they do best, and they aren’t wasting time with anything else. This is where you go for great steak paired with an abundance of wine options and some carefully made cocktails to wash it down.
WANT TO FOLLOW ALONG ON OUR NIGHTS OUT?
You can follow all the craic on Instagram where I am going to be looking for recommendations, shout outs, sharing updates and who knows…maybe running a few competitions along the way. Join us here.
2 Responses
That write-up and those pictures would almost make a veggie like me doubt myself… Sounds an amazing spot, I’ll be recommending to all my meat-eating friends!
Haha! Yes, this probably isn’t the spot for veggies. But I would love to go to a Vegan / Veggie restaurant as part of the blog! Do you have any recommendations??