Silk Road Cafe in Dublin

An oasis of good cuisine and great culture in a wonderful setting in old Dublin.

Very happy to be able to experience such a good service and lovely food, I 100% will be back and recommend to my friends to go as well.

I was gifted a voucher for afternoon tea at this cafe just before Covid locked us all down. When we had the 1st reopening I called to book in and was informed that they were not doing afternoon tea at that time and to call again. When I called again I was told the voucher was out of date. I explained the scenario as above and was told to email Rikke as no manager was available. I have now emailed many times, send private messages looking for a response and have been totally blanked in all instances!!

I’ve been to Silk Road Cafe many times and every single time the food and the coffees are excellent and the service is spectacular. There’s not another place in Dublin like it.

Great place with amazing selection of coffees, cakes and lunch served with a smile. Visited the Chester Beatty library few days ago with some friends and we stumble upon the Silk Road cafe. And we were glad we did. We got some coffees and cakes to start before our tour and the cakes were delicious and great coffees. And we couldn’t resist not to have lunch after our tour. Great selection which accommodate our group of vegetarian and vegan friends too. Everything was freshly done in the cafe. And the service was friendly and professional. Couldn’t recommend this place enough. Will be back soon.

This cafe is such a hidden gem! Tucked away next to Dublin Castle gardens, it has a huge selection of great food, cakes and baklava they all make in house! Coffees and teas are delicious and the staff are always helpful in explaining their offering. I can’t recommend this spot enough.

rude staff make you feel bad, they also make the worst coffee in dublin .*also there is nothing wrong with me buying a meal from somewhere else and getting coffee from you.I did not treat your staff rudely , the person who was rude to me was one of your chefs working in the kitchen using their hands to say get out of here . Instead of communicating with me verbally, you rudely used your body language so that you can get out from here. The staff who came for the second time warned my brother in a polite way, there is nothing wrong with him. but whoever gave us the first warning i really think there is a problem with communication. also boiling the milk, pouring it into the glass and then pouring the espresso over the milk does not make it coffee and these prices do not deserve it. Please be clear and I hope you find a solution to your problems asap . anyway , dont take it personal , critique is a present. thanks

First class food in a comfortable spotlessly clean restaurant. Ibrahim, his family and his staff are very welcoming people. The restaurants caters for vegetarians as well as carnivores and is excellent value for money. I love this restaurant as I can always get top quality vegetarian food whenever I am in Dublin. I bring all my foreign visitors to this restaurant and everyone of them has spoken very positively about the quality of the food and the helpful staff.

The Silk Road Cafe is my number 1 most favourite place to eat in Dublin. The food is flavourful with decent portions. The lemon chicken is heavenly and I usually always order it, however if they dont have it I know that anything I have will be delicious. The variety offered makes it hard to make a decision sometimes! I bring anyone who visits me in Ireland to the Silk Road Cafe, and I recommend it to anyone who asks!

Hands down the very best vegetarian Mediterranean fare Ive had in Dublin so far. They also have allergen indications and the staff are extremely helpful!

A huge thank you to all at Silk Road. The afternoon tea on Saturday was for my hen party, and it was AMAZING! The quality of the food was superb, the quantity was amazing, the service was just perfect.... all in all, it was fantastic. As a coeliac, I was especially delighted with the gluten free choices - every bit as amazing as the food the others got. And the vegans said the same. Its very special to be able to feel like youre not missing out when you have a special dietary requirement.Every one of us were amazed and loved it. Ive asked all to spread the word about the amazing offering to their friends and family (I think they will anyway), and to give positive feedback online/reviews, etc.

Tasty food, good value for money, good service, nice location, interesting, worth a visit

Lovely food and pleasant atmosphere

Very average food - would go elsewhere (reviewed 2 weeks after I visited, had rice with shrimps and a salad)

Wonderful experience at Silk Road Cafe, had an afternoon tea that we enjoyed so much we returned for dinner. If you’re apprehensive about Middle Eastern cuisine, don’t be - everything we tried was truly delicious. And the baklava! Heavenly. Combined with the lovely staff who were extremely friendly, accommodating and professional (especially in the face of one of my party making ridiculous seagull-related demands), this place is a real hidden gem right in the middle of the city. Highly recommend.

Nice cafe with good potions and good value. Plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.

Well located restaurant with a quiet and cozy atmosphere. The food is served as per the costumers choice, with I found very practical. The food options are varied, vegetarian-friendly and really tasty. They also have a good selection of cakes and pastries that are totally worth the try. There is some queue by 12 AM to 13 PM, but nothing really long-lasting. Tables are available in and outside and reservations are possible. The staff is kind and friendly and the food has a really good price for Dublin patterns. The garden surrounding the place is a very good option to chill after eating.

Love this place and took friends there yesterday and they loved it too. I had Persian chicken and it was extremely yummy. All the food looked amazing so will definitely be going back to try more. Thank you to everyone who runs this place, you do a fantastic job

Beautiful coffee and cakes. Staff is very polite and always a relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommend 🤙

We all had gorgeous lunches today, spinach and feta pie, salads, vegan moussaka. Great service as usual! (Missing the menu board tho 😉Outdoor tables a Great addition. Well be back soon.

We had a hard time finding gluten free options in Dublin, but almost their whole menu was gf. You also get to eat in the elegant Chester Beatty museum courtyard with views of the Dublin Castle! Best meal of our entire two week trip! Absolutely outstanding food and reasonable!

Great cafe, with a wonderful selection of foods. There was a Tuskish menu, everything looked delicious. I opted for the vegetarian stuffed pepper, with a salad. Generous portions.There are tables inside and outside with plenty of space. Very friendly staff and great service. A nice ambience to the cafe. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Shame we had a big breakfast their food offer looked just amazing! Had the most amazing cappuccino and tried some baklava which was so tasty. Very nice stop for a coffee with lovely views of the castle garden.

Great fresh and colourfull food. Perfect service, love it.Even bought some exotic spices 😊❤️.

Nice spot for an afternoon tea thats completely different to the normal. Very tasty and really friendly staff with a lovely casual laid back vibe. Great to visit on a nice day so we could enjoy the grounds after.

Food beautiful. Staff very friendly and helpful. Would really recomnend this cafe especially their afternoon tea. Really enjoyed my visit there. Will be back.

Just left the Silk Road Cafe with a group of 16 people, the food was wonderful and tasty and the staff made the group feel very special and looked after all their needs . Thanks for having us and will be back again soon.

I haven’t even finished my food yet and this is the best meal I’ve had in the 4 days that I’ve been staying in Dublin. I’ve been to some of the best rated restaurants in the city and I’m sad I don’t stop into more little places. If you’re visiting Ireland I strongly suggest finding small local cafes or lunch spots because they seem to have the best food. Amazing!!

Excellent food, adorable cafe, lovely to eat with a view of the gardens. It’s our favorite meal so far!

Staff shouted at me for coming at 16:00, even though hours advertised as till 16:30. Left me in a bad mood for the day, which is probably the worst review you can give.

Myself and my partner went here for Afternoon Tea and the food was amazing. There was lots of different varieties and as much coffee & tea as we wanted. I would 100% recommend this place, the staff were so friendly and excellent service. I will definitely be going back.

Delicious and unique foods with options that vary each day, friendly staff, free water, reasonable prices, and excellent location in the wonderful Chester Beatty museum. What else could one wish for?

Absolutely loved the food here. Everything looked very appealing. Mostly middle Eastern dishes, including vegan. Scrumptious. Best aubergine Ive tasted in a long while. I had filo pastry spinach pie. Big portion, with three salads. Chickpeas were very tasty.Cappuccino was hot and strong.Ordered inside. Ate outside.

Really impressed, some of the best food I’ve had in a while. The delivery was quick and easy and the spinach pie was top notch! Keep it up so I can order from you guys again!

So delicious!! The nicest meal Ive had in a while. I savoured every bite ❤️ the vegan desserts ar divine 😍

This is such a hidden gem in Dublin. We grabbed a quick lunch after a Dublin Castle tour. The flavours, 🙌🏼.. Add it to your to do list, you won’t regret it.

This Cafe inside the Chester Beatty museum looks to be a very inviting place with both inside and lobby sittings thats spacious.Food also looked very delicious.However the line on this day moved extremely slow. 15-20 minutes to move just a few people.

The food here is delicious.You may choose fish, pork, lamb dish and fill it with rice and vegetables.Portion is huge, you can ask for half of the portion.Great place as well, on the gallery building. Price for such a plate is more then reasonable, especially comparing with cafe in the castle.Definitely recommend this place.

FANTASTIC FOOD WE USUALLY GET THE HALF PORTION . LOTS OF NOURISHING FOOD IN THAT... THEY SELL WINE & BEERS.AND ALCOHOL FREE BEERS ALSO..VERY SPACIOUS SEATING AREA... EVEN WHEN PACKED ITS NOT LOUD...AS IT HAS A VERY HIGH CEILING.... WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND SILK RD CAFE.......ENJOY..!!

Im not one for writing bad reviews but on this occasion,  i felt that i had to. I had been keen to try silk road cafe and visited for a week day early lunch. I ordered the falafel & salad plate and a small milk coffee. On tasting the coffee, I felt that it was very sub par. I politely told the waitress that i didnt like it and asked if she would mind replacing it with a tea instead. The waitress said that she would ask for me. Shortly afterwards, a stern faced, matronly barista confronted me at my table, asking me what was the problem. I calmly told her that I didnt like the coffee". Truth be told it tasted like dish water and I had just paid e2.85 for a small cup of it. She then accused me of having drank half the cup already.  What actually happened was that the liquid in the cup was about 1cm down from the brim. I had tasted the coffee and then taken a second sip to confirm as I wanted to be sure before sending it back. I didnt take my action lightly. She then gruffly said that she would have a tea sent out to me. Not to sound melodramatic,  but I was physically shaken by this encounter.  Sending the coffee back was certainly not a personal slight to the barista, it may have been an anomaly,  I dont know,  I just know that i wasnt satisfied with it. When the waitress brought out my tea I told her that the barista had been very rude to me and I intended on writing a bad review. She didnt say anything. At this point,  had they made amends in any way or proffered an apology, I wouldnt have written the review but unfortunately that didnt happen. It is precisely because of this kind of response that people dont complain in restaurants. People are afraid that if they complain they will be treated badly and the whole experience will be ruined,  this is precisely what happened to me, I was accused of being a cheat by an egotistical barista! Anyway, aside from the service, the food was lovely, the salads were fresh & delicious. The environment was lovely and bright.

Coffee, pastries, lunch, everything I have had at the Silk Road Cafe is excellent, and Ive visited a number of times. The fact that it is in the wonderful Chester Beatty Library (free entranceis great, but it does seem to hide this small gem from the non-museum going public!

Great vegan afternoon tea! It was just a pity we wanted more but they just do the vegan food by booking before hand... The afternoon tea was 5 savoury options and 5 sweet...

no-fuss cafeteria style service, huge salads, great hot lunch, the best meal Ive ever had in a library... they actually use spices and flavors, a welcome change from typical pub or museum cafe fare... baklava was a little dry but hey no ones perfect

They offer a real unique afternoon tea experience. Really enjoyed it!

How lovely to discover such a wonderful passion for food from The Silk Road Café.I love high-quality authentic food and I was delighted to enjoy a cross-section of superb dishes recently. I highly recommend this establishment. My sincere thanks to you all :)

Lovely place inside the Chester Beatty Library. Food is very good, there are vegetarian and vegan option, too. All around is very quite even if there is a lot of people. Around 10 tables outside the cafe and 5 inside. Prices are fair and quality of food for shure better than a lot of diners around (and maybe cheaper too). Enclosed some pics. Try and enjoy.

Looks like Mediterranean food. Only had a cappuccino. It was ok. The ambiance of sitting in the glass ceiling court yard was the best part.

Agree with posters below. Food is fantastic and excellent value.Staff (especially young dark haired ladyneeds to be all fired and replaced. This is unbelievable and not Dublin like.Baffled by combination of great food and very poor staff :-o

My favourite restaurant in Dublin in the most beautiful, peaceful surroundings. The food is amazing and reasonably priced. The small salad is especially good value. I love going there as the staff are always so pleasant and helpful. The desserts here are to die for. Visit the Silk Road and spend a most relaxing hour or two in marvellous venue.

Worst staff I have ever seen in my whole life. Both, the young lady and the old one were not friendly at all but the young one was SO RUDE to me that I even told her if she could have manners and be polite. The menu is not clear and they are not helpful but the opposite. Food was okay but the staff spoilt the place by being UNRESPECTFUL with clients.