what our customers say...

We had a really great time thank you.  The changes to the menu worked out really well and were in fact much nicer than my original choices!  The restaurant made a really good impression and I am sure we will use it again in the future.
Julie Stephenson ~ March 2010

It was a really fantastic night. Your staff were excellent. The bunch of people that came rarely leave the South side - ridiculously! I think after last night they will do in the future though!
Charles, on ely chq brasserie ~ Feb 2010

Everything was superb, especially the service. Your staff are head and shoulders ahead of what is considered good in town. I spent 12 yrs in NYC and you guys would measure up to the best over there. Thanks for everything. We will be back for our directors dinners & additional client events in 2010.
Dave Santry, Pioneer Investments ~ Dec 2009

Terrific food, exquisite wine, great service, and a buzzing atmosphere. All from 10 different countries loved it. What more can you say!
Leonard Valentino, CITI ~ Dec 2009

We had a great time. Lovely spot; great service (brilliant girl from the Seychelles!) and nice choice of wines.
Frank Coughlan, Independent Newspapers ~ Dec 2009

Just a few lines to say that we really enjoyed our meal on Friday night. The food and service were very good. It was a most enjoyable night! Thank you to all at Ely Chq. Merry Christmas, Mairead Murphy ~ Dec 2009.

Our group had a lovely time last Friday night at ely winebar. The venue, food, atmosphere and service were all excellent and a good night was had by all.
Ann Lennon, Global Real Estate  ~ Dec 2009

We all felt the waiting staff were exceptionally helpful,  very pleasant, efficient and very informative. The meal was exremely good along with the wine choice.  I can honestly say that I would have no hesitation in booking it for a 4th year in December 2010 or for any other events that we will host in the interim. 
Antoinette, The Mater Hospital ~ Dec 2009

We had a fantastic evening with you last night it was faultless.  The atmosphere was great, the food was delicious and the service was excellent.  Thank you all so much for a great evening.
Lillian, d'Amico Ireland ~ Dec 2009

The meal on the 20^th was a great success, many thanks.  Ely has long been a favourite of my husband and myself but catering for such a big group is always a different story.

Specific comments:

• Food was excellent and of a quality to match the price
• Everyone at the one table, ability to get out of seats easily (i.e. no banquet seating) and sufficient elbow room for each diner
• Steak where ordered was cooked to each individuals preference and did not incur a surcharge
• Celiac options highlighted on the menu without having to ask waitress for clarification

It is a get together of old friends that I organise every year and while we usually change venues, I think plenty will be persuaded to start a new tradition and return to Ely! Sarah ~ Dec 2009

what the critics say...

ely celebrates a decade in business at the very end of 2009, a decade during which Erik and Michelle Robson's wine bar has become, for many, one of the key destinations in the city. You can talk about their magnificent wines, and their lovely, simple food, but for us ely is characterised by its staff, who are upfront, upbeat , classy and friendly, and it is from these young folk that the energy of this radiant place emerges. Proof of the ely pudding is the fact that having gotten the format in design, drinks and food right whenever they opened, the Robsons have barely had to tweak the formula. Happy birthday baby.
John & Sally McKenna, The Bridgestone Guides 2010, on ely winebar

ely brasserie is the principal restaurant destination of the trio of elys. "Providers of good times" is how the Financial Times described these characterful cellars and the airy wine bar. That is thanks, once again, to superb staff, and to punky modern cooking that is precisely executed: scallops with black pudding and walnut butter; Lough Neagh eel with verjus; poached salmon with molasses bacon and tarragon cream. The little people's menu, incidentally, may well be the best in the city.
John & Sally McKenna, The Bridgestone Guides 2010, on ely bar & brasserie.

ely classic signature dishes are the order of the day in the gastro pub, where we would love to see some more of the modern Irish artisan ales on the list. A great room for chilling out after work. 
John & Sally McKenna, The Bridgestone Guides 2010, on ely gastro pub. 

"The real draw in ely is the wine list, probably the greatest in the land"
Tom Doorley, The Irish Times

"The wine list verges on encyclopaedic - it's very long and full of surprises, the sort of list that makes you go 'ooh' and occasionally 'aah'"
Paolo Tullio, The Irish Independent

"For some people, the food menu in a wine bar is as big a draw as a great tempranillo served by the glass in the finest stemware. But in ely, the huge, leather-bound wine list does all the work to bring in customers to what is one of the most entertaining wine bars this side of Bogart’s bar in north Africa".
Tomás Clancy, The Sunday Business Post

"In the land of Guinness, the 470-bottle wine cellar at this wine bar is a refreshing change. This two-story bistro has more than 90 wines available by the glass and one of the hottest singles scenes in town. Draped in wrap dresses, cashmere sweaters and stone-washed jeans, Dublin's fresh-faced professionals pack the dining room, cellar bars and a romantic, street-level lounge with an onyx bar and a stone fireplace. A family farm in County Clare supplies the restaurant with organic meat for dishes like lamb burger on creamed potatoes and bangers and mash."
Wendy Knight, The New York Times

"Three wine bar/restaurants, brainchild of energetic husband-and-wife team Erik Robson and Michelle Moyles. All carry a commitment to organic ingredients, plus a terrific selection of wine by the glass. The original basement in Ely Place is perhaps the most endearing, except for warm summer nights when outside Ely CHQ at Customs House Quay is the place to be".
Ernie Whalley - Qantas The Australian Way

"We love Ely, and so, it seems, does everyone else who steps in off Ely Place and heads downstairs to this uniquely atmospheric room. Lovely cooking, a fantastic wine list, and really fab staff have made Ely the very definition of a cult address, a place that is part of the fabric of Dublin."
John & Sally McKenna, The Bridgestone Guides

"On a summer evening, upstairs in ely chq brasserie is the perfect place to people spot; there is a good terrace area and when the nip in the evening starts, they even bring you out blankets to warm your toes".
The Evening Herald