Restaurant Review #2 - D'arcy McGees

Over the years, walking home from work up the main street I've been stopped by many a stranger asking a very familiar question. "Do you know where D'arcys is? I can't seem to find it.". A lot of the time these people were very close to their desired destination, but weren't able to spot what seems like a hidden passage between the Chinese restaurant and the beauty salon. It took me a while to find myself the first time I went for dinner, but I'm glad I made the effort to seek it out.

I'll admit it, I go to D'arcys a lot. I've been there on a busy Saturday night when the place is packed with hungry customers and I've brought a group of similarly hungry friends, and I've been on a quiet Tuesday afternoon when I'm the only person in there. And to be honest the only difference in the experience is trying to find a table on the busy Saturday (We figured out by booking a table ahead of time that remedies the problem.). Well also the menu is slightly different on a weekend but I will get to that.

The food is great, although be forewarned that the spicy Chinese dishes are very spicy, and whilst I can usually tolerate spicy food I wasn't able to finish the salt chilli chicken the first (and last) time I ordered it. I've now happily settled on the bacon cheeseburger, which in my unqualified opinion is the best bacon cheeseburger in the town. If you haven't tried this wonderful creation yet, you really should. The service is always great and the staff are very nice. I've been there so much the staff are starting to recognize me when I come i and even remember my orders, which makes me fear for my not so secret identity.

Whilst the food, service and atmosphere of D'arcys cannot be faulted, they do have some nagging little quirks that could be improved upon. One is the fact that the menu on a weekday is different to the one on a weekend. I'm sure they have their logistical reason for doing this, but the bacon cheeseburger I spent the last paragraph gushing over isn't available on a Saturday. I'm semi hoping that someone in D'arcys is reading this and changes their mind, it's the best thing on your menu. The second is D'arcys has zero online presence. The only Facebook page I could find hasn't been updated since last year and the website focuses more on the location in Templeogue with Arklow as an afterthought. I know this isn't really relevant to the food or service but when Christys and The Old Ship are putting so much effort into their online game, it's weird that D'arcys seem not to.

But those are just small criticisms and don't reflect on the food or service everyone puts in, if you have an evening or an afternoon free you should head to D'arcy Mcgees and prepare for a great time. Even better if you get the bacon cheeseburger,

If you want to book a table at D'arcys, you can reach them at (0402) 91556.