Jessica S.
Yelp
I really hadn't planned on us having lunch inside the Guinness Storehouse. But, given our day started off much later than I had planned, I had to flex. And, given that we had just over an hour to find sustenance, we made the climb to the 5th floor to see what our dining options were.
We chose 1837 because it offered table service. The menu seemed decent on first glance (I honestly didn't put too much effort into reading it before getting to our table), and they had the magical stout on tap. I was hopeful that they'd have other yummy beer concoctions on tap, as well, but ended up with a Guinness.
Our table was close to a window, but not next to it. I mention that because I wanted to play tourist and stare out the windows, but with other couples occupying the space in front of said windows, I had to be careful. I didn't want them to think I was staring at them or invading their privacy in any way. The views were still nice, but I'm sure the couples seated right next to the windows had a much better view than we did.
Our waitress was nice enough and took the time to answer all of our questions (mostly about the beers on tap, and to sympathize with me when I found they no longer serve Kilkenny.)
My husband and I shared a small order of the Sticky Guinness Chicken Wings; I ordered the Twice-Cooked Crispy Pork Belly and he ordered the Herb-Crusted Fillet of Cod.
I'm fairly certain they gave us a large order of the wings, which I'm eternally grateful for. They were perfectly sticky and sweet, without being too obnoxiously sweet. I couldn't taste the Guinness, but the other flavors blended into the sauce really popped. I don't think it needed the cream sauce that came with it, either.
I did enjoy the wings much more than the pork belly, to be honest. While it was a large portion (served on a bed of greens [which is what won me over!], and with potatoes and a couple of sauces), it was way too fatty and soft to be "crispy". I ended up eating the greens (which I think was some sort of cabbage) and most of the potatoes, leaving a majority of the pork on the plate. It just wasn't palatable.
My husband, on the other hand, fell in love with his cod dish. The fish was served on top of a small pile of vegetables, and he said that it was perfectly cooked and very tasty. I may have been a bit jealous.
It's a good place to sit back and relax for a bit if you've got some time to kill between tours or before leaving the Storehouse. The staff is attentive, and they didn't seem to get overrun by the number of customers in the space.