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Chameleon
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Children:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
11 reviews for Chameleon
11 reviews in English
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Review from Liz M.
Dublin
16/5/2012
This is my favorite restaurant in Dublin/Ireland. Love the variety of dishes, the spice of life as they say. It is a social restaurant the way you share the food and the staff are very friendly. Both thumbs up, summing up; great food, excellent staff, very clean, great choice of food, nice wine, coffee and most importantly divine desserts. Not be missed.
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Review from Ashley M.
Dublin
6/5/2012
Enjoyed a dinner for six on a Friday night for my birthday and we were absolutely spoilt with exceptionally good food and wonderful service! They had no trouble handling our gregarious group of tipsy women with some serious dietary restrictions (vegan and veg) and allergies (coeliacs) in a respectively timely manor!!! The servers were courteous while making sure we had nothing to want for, without being intrusive- which is a magical combination. This is now the third time I've dined here and they have consistently impressed. Thanks Chameleon for a great night!
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Review from Sam S.
2/2/2012
Great food nice atmosphere and good service. I will be back for the beef rendang :-)
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Review from Eoghan S.
29/3/2011
In a nutshell, one of the worst service experiences I have ever had.
To be fair, it looks nice inside and the food is not bad, but not good enough to overcome the following rant:
Our table was booked for a group of eight the previous day. When we booked the restaurant said we had to make our food orders in advance because they were not used to dealing with large groups (yes, 8)! So we did.
Shortly after the last two of us arrived (ten minutes later than everyone else), they laid our starters in front everybody except the two of us that arrived last. They were so late with the last two starters that the rest of the table had to start eating and had finished theirs. A repeat event happened for the main course. I had alerted it the staff several times during the meal but no apparent attempt was made to satisfy us.
All that and we had ordered our food the day before!
This place also had the audacity to include a "service" charge on the bill.
Enough said. -
Review from Brian J.
Dublin
17/6/2010
Hi there,The Dane is back.
What a wonder full place. A last a place where they don't look at you like you are from another planet when you say : No I am not finished I am just going out for a smoke. I chose a 7 dish(or was it 8) course together with my friend and that was the best meal I have had so far in Dublin. The only reason they don't get 5 stars is because of their wine card,but I guess I have to look far and around for that in Dublin. But a place which is absolutely worth a visit, and for sure I am coming back. -
Review from Alison C.
9/10/2010 1 photo
Charming.
Had a lovely dinner date with hubby here as it's right around the corner from the Project Arts Theatre. We ordered the rijst-tafel summatra which focused on fish dishes as well as a shrimp noodle dish to share. Honestly if I had ordered the noodles as my dinner I would have been disappointed as it was small and expensive.
The rijst-tafel on the other hand was incredible. About seven separate dishes were included and each one that arrived at the table was more delicious than the last. I had the best calamari of my life, a gingered white fish, some incredible chili pepper prawns, and a surprisingly delicious warm kale salad. There was also fried and boiled rice, a noodle dish, sesame salad, and crab cakes. My advice is stick with their special rijst-tafels and you will be a happy customer. One is easily shared between two people if you plan on adding an appetizer or dessert to the meal.
I loved all the sauces and toppings (peanut and coconut shavings!) for the dishes. It made for a lot of new flavor combinations and a fun dinner experience. I was also impressed with the friendly service and the explanations about the food like a homemade chili sauce that was perfectly spicy. With the dark wood and soft lighting you are almost guaranteed to have intimate conversation so add some very decent but inexpensive wines and you've got a perfect date spot. -
Review from Maire B.
14/10/2009 1 photo
Three of us chose this place to try on 'dine in Dublin' week and boy am I glad I did. The food here is indonesian, and for the week they were offering a full meal for 30 euro, which is about 20% of their usual prices. As well as the 3 course dine in Dublin option they also had a Rijst Tafel option, which is 7 small dishes plus rice and condiments (as well as dessert and tea/coffee). We all went for this option.
Rijst Tafel is perfect if, like me, you are chronically indecisive in restaurants. Like tapas you get to try a number of different dishes without committing to one. It also helps you be more adventurous because if you don't like some new thing you have 6 other options to eat. The food was fantastic. I even liked the dishes I thought I wouldn't like. We had pork, chicken, beef, and crab all with varying degrees of spiciness. There's a fair bit of chili in most things, but I think it cured the cold I had been nursing!
I would say the decor and atmosphere upstairs is nicer than downstairs as they have some low coaches with low tables which is really atmospheric. On saying that sitting at a normal table was quite nice too - they all had comfy leather seats.
Chameleon even manages to avoid the main problem of most Asian restaurants - the absence of desserts - by having a few "Anglo-Saxon" staples like chocolate brownies and cheesecake, which were as good as the rest of the meal. I was already going to give it 5 stars when the waitress asked me what type of tea I'd like, as they had a selection. I'd give it 6 stars if I could! I will definitely return.Listed in: Favourite Food-Eats
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Review from Franck M.
Dublin
15/8/2010
Quite low average, playing well the ethnic card to their advantage. Formula could be great, but although friendly, the staff is just sympathetic unsophisticated temple bar fare.
Not rushing back soon, price is well over perceived value. -
Review from Ciara K.
Dublin
16/10/2009 1 photo
I've heard consistently great reviews about Chameleon, and it's a place that on paper, I should absolutely love. The food is Indonesian, and the decor is dark and very romantic, with big cushions on the floor where you can lounge to eat at low tables, just like the Indonesians do. (There's 'proper' normal height tables and chairs too for those who might find floor-seating uncomfortable.)
To be honest though, my experience here was very disappointing. Between two of us, we ordered the the Rijst Tafel, and a dish of fish cooked in a banana leaf. While the RT was an interesting opportunity to try a few different dishes (like Maire, I too am chronically indecisive when it comes to ordering), the fish was one of the worst I've been served. This method of steaming the fish in a banana leaf is used across Asia to keep the flesh moist and to seal in flavours like lemongrass and chilli. But this dish was completely overcooked, dry and very tasteless. For around €18, it was very poor indeed.
I've never heard another bad report about the restaurant, and for that reason I will give it another try sometime. But I won't be ordering fish. -
Review from M M.
Dublin
17/8/2009
Dublin's one and only Dutch - Indonesian Rijst Tafel Restaurant! What the Beep is that you might ask? As I certainly did when I was taken here. Well, it is a restaurant that serves rice, a rice table. Humm! Rice? I was taken out to eat rice, to choose from a menu that serves rice! How exciting! Well, it kind of is because it is different to other places around town.
Your meal consists of a bed of rice served with small sometimes spicy side dishes. The nicely spiced Indonesian food livens up the taste buds with out the need to douse them with water afterwards, and the a la carte menu is creative too, but Rijst menu is the best. I cannot remember what we ordered as we didn't have a clue but everything that came to our table was devoured after we commented on how well served, presented and nice it smelt.
I will definitely be coming back here again with a big group of friends to introduce them to this wonderful place. -
Review from Natalie M.
Dublin
4/9/2009 1 photo
Chameleon is an Indonesian food restaurant - steep stairs, but worth the risk. The decor and ambience on the floors upstairs is great, not to mention the mouth wateringly delicious food!!!! Staff very helpful and enthusiastic about food.
