Restaurant review: Dublin's 2 Caribou is a hit for food, drink and attitude

So they have done it again. The lads behind Impala in Cork and Kodiak in Rathmines have another hit on their hands. 

These guys run pubs with attitude, effortlessly stylish, with great staff and with a proper selection of drinks. 

I love that they offer a large selection of Irish and international craft beer on tap and in bottle. 

They also sell black and yellow macro beers for those who are happy to have their beer money repatriated to London and Amsterdam.

Caribou replaced the much loved P.Macs and has been given a full makeover with a gorgeous mid-century modern feel — after two Westmalle Tripel (9.5% abv) you might think you were in Copenhagen in the 1960s. 

There are even first edition books on some of the shelves; I took photos so I could hunt them down online.

Caribou is a bar first and foremost so expect a more raucous (but joyous) atmosphere than in a regular restaurant. 

On the Sunday we visited the room was packed but we were quickly found a table and later moved to a larger one when kindly staff noticed how much food we had ordered.

We began with beer (it’s a bar after all), a pint of Whiplash Blue Ghosts Pilsner (€7.40) for me, and a 500ml bottle of Stonewell Dry Cider (€7.50) for the Engineer, perfect thirst quenchers. 

The food menu is longer on the weekend and includes steak-frites, roast beef, and bacon and cabbage. These look excellent in their pics but were sold out by 3.30pm. 

The snacks, salads, and sandwich menu had plenty to offer so we were not too disappointed.

First up a pair of gildas (€7), as spicy and salty as the Rita Hayworth character they were named for, the anchovies in particular of excellent quality. 

Next ‘popcorn chicken’ (€9), which thankfully was nothing like the version served in fast-food outlets. 

These were solid chunks of chicken in a honey barbecue flavoured crumb with a properly tangy ranch dressing — I can still taste them. 

Smoked aubergine dip (€6) was properly smoky while retaining its vegetal-earthy aubergine freshness, and the toasted thinly sliced sourdough on the side was a good foil.

Chopped Caesar salad had an option for adding fried chicken so of course we complied — tender and juicy in a crisp crumb and sitting atop a properly dressed salad with an abundance of parmesan. 

Perhaps a thicker grate of parmesan would have worked better, but this was still excellent.

The Engineer’s fish sandwich (€13) was a piece of IPA battered cod in a crispy bun with chunky tartare sauce in a bap. 

The contrast between the fluffy bread, the crunchy batter, tender fish, and crisp salad worked perfectly. 

My Japanese style ‘karaage fried chicken’ (€11) in a potato bun with Asian slaw was similarly well balanced, the chicken thigh tasting lush and the batter spicy, sweet, and rich in umami. 

The potato bun did fall apart a little so this was an excuse to remove it and eat the chicken and slaw on their own (I’m sure I saved at least 30 calories).

The drinks list in Caribou is faultless when it comes to beer, cocktails, and spirits but is perhaps a little short on wines. 

The wines listed are well chosen however, and prices begin at just €28 for rosé and €29 for a perfectly drinkable Sangiovese or Macabeo. 

We went with a litre bottle of Austrian Arndorfer Zweigelt which was listed under the section “Rotating Wines — From Our Friends at Grape Circus”. 

Grape Circus wines appear regularly in this paper’s wine column and this was the perfect wine for our food — a proto-typical natural Zweigelt, bright, juicy and fresh tasting and just 12% abv. 

Given the nature of this style of wine it would have worked better served cool or, better still, chilled. I’d love to see Caribou offer this option.

Finally a mention of service, I have given it 10/10, the first time I’ve done this since my first review on this page in 2015. 

Our first course was perhaps a little slow arriving (they were clearly very busy), but we were so enchanted by all our staff encounters we didn’t care. 

Eimear, our primary waiter completely bewitched us with her wit, charm, and efficiency. 

She even magicked an off-menu dessert of ice-cream with maple syrup and pistachio, and arrived with our ‘doggy bag’ left-over chicken in a box balanced expertly on her head. 

We can’t wait to go back.

The verdict

• Food: 9/10
• Drinks: 9/10
• Service: 10/10
• Atmosphere: 9/10
• Value: 9/10