Fire Steakhouse & Grill on Dublin’s Dawson Street is located on the grounds of the Mansion House, home to the Lord Mayor of Dublin. The building that houses Fire’s main dining room was originally built in 1864 as the Lord Mayor’s ‘Supper Room’. It is an impressively large room with vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows, and it has recently undergone a multimillion-euro upgrade. 

The jewel in the crown of Fire restaurant right now is their outdoor terrace which is covered by a retractable roof and heated so well you will be forgiven for thinking it’s indoors!  The raised terrace is located on the first floor of the building and overlooks the beautiful Lord Mayor’s Garden with its stunning Victorian fountain. 

It is very clear from the moment you walk in the door of the restaurant that excellent service is the number one goal of the staff at Fire. We were greeted at the entrance by the front of house staff that showed us to the bar area where we were welcomed with a strawberry topped glass of prosecco.  While we enjoyed our drinks, General Manager Nicole Jordan came to say hello and welcome us before showing us to our table. The Terrace is stunning, from the green-carpeted floor to the multiple colourful bouquets along the walls. We would go as far as to say it is the prettiest outdoor dining terrace in Dublin City. It really didn’t feel like we were dining outside. 

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For this period of outdoor dining Fire’s culinary director, Richie Wilson has created a special Al Fresco menu for €55 per person for 3 courses. From which we ordered, starters of the Potted Crab & Cray Fish, which is an Irish brown crab, smoked gubeen butter, crayfish, fennel & citrus salad with sourdough croute. You could taste the quality and freshness of the ingredients used to create this dish. We also ordered Fire’s famous wood-fired tiger Prawns, which are chorizo & crayfish stuffed, and cooked in a mini skillet in garlic butter and roasted in Fire’s signature wood fire oven.  

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For our main dishes, we had the seared scallops with fennel & apple fried pink fir potatoes and dressed razor clam chowder sauce. For our second choice for main was the rib eye steak. You cannot go to Fire and not order at least one steak. It is after all home to the world steak championship each year!  Included on the set menu was a 10oz rib-eye, prime centre cut steak, but upon recommendation from our very knowledgeable waiter we decided to upgrade with a supplement to the 12oz 35-day dry-aged Irish Hereford prime cut rib eye, a decision we did not regret.  

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For dessert, we had iced praline parfait, gingerbread biscuit, cherry gel and topped with crunchy crushed caramel. We also had the Apple crumble with vanilla bean custard and salt butter caramel. These were the perfect end to a perfect meal.  ice cream

Overall, the service was excellent, all staff were so friendly, so helpful, and completely on the ball.  The setting was spectacular, the view of the mansion house garden, the sound of the water trickling from the fountain over the soft jazz music playing in the background was just perfection.  

We were very comfortable and warm, often unusual for dining outside in Ireland!  It was one of those rare savour every mouth full, delectable meals that you do not what to end.  This was the first time, in a long time that we felt we were out for a relaxing meal without having to think about Covid because the restaurant effortlessly took everything and abided by the highest of covid safety standards.  So much so that we just felt completely safe in this environment, and we didn’t have to worry about it. In these current times, this feeling of security cannot be underestimated. Every single detail of the customer journey was thought about. From the beginning, when you enter being asked politely to sanitise your hands and all staff wearing masks (correctly). The little bowl containing hand towels on your table when you first sit was a lovely, practical touch. When a member staff poured warm water on them they expanded into soft sanitising wipes. The menus being fully sanitised after each time they were touched also gave great peace of mind.  Or the best way to put it is from a customer overheard at another table “This place makes Covid fancy!”     

Fire offers the opportunity to not only enjoy good service and great food but also beautiful cocktails. Fire is a perfect all in one, you have a space for a drink on arrival before you go to your table and when you are finished dining on the upper terrace you can be shown to a lower terrace beside the garden to enjoy a cocktail or finish your wine at your leisure without that feeling of you are beings rushed out the door. And once again with excellent service, the extremely attentive staff appear just as you take your seat with the offer of a cosy blanket if needed. 

There was a lovely atmosphere throughout our Fire experience.  The restaurant was buzzing with people happy to be out enjoying a meal with family, friends and loved ones plus friendly staff genuinely happy to be back doing what they have trained in their careers for, providing first class service.     

WRITTEN BY ABIGAIL FOX CARROLL & CLYDE CARROLL