Samphire - Donabate

Booked on opentable but received a call to say the restaurant was fully booked, but I could be out in bar. Got bar menu rather than restaurant menu. Service was very good. Food was okay, some good some alright.

Website photos of food available in 'Samphire ' restaurant completely misleading. Very basic/limited menu, descriptions of dishes not correct. Voucher purchaser mislead.

Went on a package last weekend, it was a gift. Bit the whole experience was very disappointing. Room (the Ireland eye suite) is very old fashioned and looming. .everywhere in the room there wereally fake flowers and cheap wall decoration. Carpet has stain and look leki it never been cleaned, shower doesn't have a place to hold soap! Restaurant was poorly decorated, the waitress was nice and the food was average. Won't recommend and will definitely not come back.

Following excellent reviews from friends and in the newspapers over the years we decided to stay at the Waterside Hotel and book a meal in the Award Winning Samphire Restaurant. On our way into the restaurant we read the excellent framed reviews that were adorning the walls and we couldn 't wait for our meal. We were greeted by very friendly and helpful staff. It is after this point that our disappointment really hit home. We were shown to a table in the middle of a cold room and not at the window table that we had booked. I was very disappointed to be handed an early bird menu that resembled a bar food menu so I asked to see the A la Carte offering. This menu was not much better and had none of the fantastic local seafood that we were expecting but we decided to try and make the most of it. I then asked the friendly waitress for the wine menu but she politely informed me that there was not one. She asked if we would like red or white and when I said red she then informed us of the two choices that were only available. We then studied the menu in more detail and we soon came to the realisation that we were not going to experience the Award Winning meal that we had been anticipating for many weeks. We double checked with the waiting staff if this was the same restaurant that was featured in the framed reviews on the walls and they said it was. At this point we cancelled our table and retreated to the bar feeling a little down trodden. I think they should remove the Samphire name from the restaurant as the experience is not as advertised.

Booked on open table, but received a call to say that the restaurant was fully booked, but I could be in the bar. I have bar menu instead of restaurant menu. service was very good. eating was okay, something good.