Anna S.
Yelp
On my first night in Dublin, I was excited to try Bar Pez. I looked at their website online and saw that they appeared to have bar seating and a yummy seasonal menu with lots of small plates. I arrived around 8pm on a Saturday for dinner.
Being by myself, I did not think I'd need a reservation. I thought the bar seating was first come first serve and I love sitting at a bar. In fact, looking at their website, there was no indication that reservations were required or that they were even highly encouraged. There was also no indication that each table had time limits for dining either. But upon arriving, I was quickly told that I would not be able to eat there and the best they could do was offer me a glass of wine in the standing room section I asked if I could be put on a waitlist but there was no option to do so.
Since it was my first time in Dublin, I really didn't expect it to be such a bother to arrive somewhere, as a party of one, with no reservation. I also didn't realize that Dublin is such an early dinner type of town. 8pm seemed to be their last seating of the night.
Fortunately, some very kind strangers offered me a seat at their table and allowed me to devour some food during the last 15 minutes of their reservation. The food and wine was solid, based on the little I had time to try, but I'm afraid much of the experience was overshadowed by the blunder in communication about reservations which ultimately left me feeling unwelcome.
If you are planning to check this place out, I highly recommend grabbing a reservation even if you are a party of one. I would also recommend that the restaurant does a better job of communicating that reservations are required, that walks-in are near impossible to accommodate, and that they don't offer a waitlist option upon arrival. This would've allowed me to have a much better experience.