I came here with my mom while she was visiting me in Dublin so we could have something to drink while we sat in the park on a sunny day. I was extremely impressed. The caramel macchiato was really delicious. They also gave out a piece of chocolate with our orders, which was both unexpected and delightful (not a word I use often...or ever really). I'd never had their chocolate before and…Read more I came here with my mom while she was visiting me in Dublin so we could have something to drink while we sat in the park on a sunny day. I was extremely impressed. The caramel macchiato was really delicious. They also gave out a piece of chocolate with our orders, which was both unexpected and delightful (not a word I use often...or ever really). I'd never had their chocolate before and it's really tasty. I also got a biscuit cake as well, which was one of the better ones I've ever had. A very good place to go if you're looking for coffee and something sweet. I've also heard that the hot cocoa is incredible.

The campus is functional, but not pretty. Mostly large, grey, concrete buildings with some glass included. There's a good sized pond in the center of campus, as well as great sports facilities and green spots. The school has a good reputation too, and there are a lot of good connections to be made. It's a large university for Ireland, but depending on where you're from it will feel…Read more The campus is functional, but not pretty. Mostly large, grey, concrete buildings with some glass included. There's a good sized pond in the center of campus, as well as great sports facilities and green spots. The school has a good reputation too, and there are a lot of good connections to be made. It's a large university for Ireland, but depending on where you're from it will feel pretty small very quickly. It's a university, so you're not checking Yelp to find out where to attend most likely...so UCD offers its services pretty well. There is housing, food, sports, classes, and degrees here and all of them adequate or above average.

The staff are extremely friendly, and really try to learn your name and order even after only coming in a couple of times. The coffee is good as expected, and so are the sandwiches and treats they have. It's a pretty spacious Starbucks too and is really good for studying and writing papers, which is why I spent so many entire days hanging out in the place. The big difference with this…Read more The staff are extremely friendly, and really try to learn your name and order even after only coming in a couple of times. The coffee is good as expected, and so are the sandwiches and treats they have. It's a pretty spacious Starbucks too and is really good for studying and writing papers, which is why I spent so many entire days hanging out in the place. The big difference with this Starbucks though is the view. The backside of this place is all glass windows overlooking Dublin Bay from Blackrock, and is really peaceful and beautiful to sit near if you can get a seat. They also have a deck outside back there so people can smoke, or not smoke, while they have their coffee and enjoy the view.

PS, it also overlooks the Blackrock DART station and a bus stop so if you're into people watching it's pretty good for that too.

The food here was very good, but I'm not sure I would go again without my Chinese friend. It doesn't seem that welcoming to outsiders, and we learned of a significant price difference between what my friend called the "price for foreigners" and the regular prices for dumplings (we're talking 4 times as many dumplings for a cheaper price). My dish, a dry deep fried chicken with chiles was…Read more The food here was very good, but I'm not sure I would go again without my Chinese friend. It doesn't seem that welcoming to outsiders, and we learned of a significant price difference between what my friend called the "price for foreigners" and the regular prices for dumplings (we're talking 4 times as many dumplings for a cheaper price). My dish, a dry deep fried chicken with chiles was great, and loaded with chiles (which made it look like a lot more food than it was). Everyone was very happy with the quality of food. The service was adequate and they were helpful after talking with our friend some, which makes me wonder what it would have been like without him with us.

The restaurant was clean and tasty, but I'm just a little turned off by what I consider bad business practice. I would have never known this was occurring without being there with a friend that called them out on the price/portion size and maybe it's not really an inside trader type of thing, and just because he complained about it so they made something up...I can't honestly say and so I won't fault them too much for it.