Cavistons of Sandycove

The shop is too small to have more than an ‘okay’ selection. What there is tends to be overpriced. Tasteful enough, just small.
My interest is largely in the seafood, which is generally good. What isn’t good or consistent is the staff. Eg., asked for fish for sashimi, youngester obviously killing his summer break from school waved a hand and said «it’s all good». No, no it’s not. Not for sashimi. On another occasion, older man intervened in similar conversation and actually seemed to know what sashimi was. Pretty random, so, if you want to fry it, fine. If you want advice about what fish is fine to eat raw, not so much.
I find the ready made foods rather clunky, but they have snob appeal. Mostly, I wanted sashimi quality fish in Glasthule, which was obviously a bad idea.

*rating food emporium not restaurant next door*
When you walk in, it immediately feels like Pandoras Box for the foodie. A lovely deli counter at the door with fresh made to order sandwiches and a welcoming friendly staff (Sarah was fab). My salmon tossed lightly with mayonnaise and dill on a crusty homemade Mediterranean roll with red onion and home grown lettuce (€ 4.20) was on a totally different level to the pre-​made chicken stuffing or ham and cheese at the petrol station and the price wasn’t that far off. My entire bill (see receipt) was € 35 which included organic fruit, veg, olives, coconut water, supersize loaf of homemade sourdough, prosciutto, calamari and a sandwich. Not cheap but it’s a place of «you get what you pay for» and I needed these treats today. Knocking down a star because many items (all of the olive oils or Jane Russell sausages) were not priced and the sausages were € 3.50 which is a big markup over what they sell for at the farmers markets. That’s a pet peeve going to a shop!

Cavistons is great for getting that ingredient you might not find in the local supermarket.
It’s very specialist, with great selections of fruit, veg, cheese, yoghurts… Okkk basically everything haha.
It’s pricey tho. Ur paying for the top quality produce your gona go home with. So if your cooking on a budget, run away!!!
I like cavistons tho, only go once every now and again to get something fun but I do and will continue to give them my business.

A quaint little bistro just south of Dublin’s city center in the charming little seaside town of Sandycove. The menu is primarily seafood and the wine list is simple but well chosen. The food was cooked to perfection and simply presented. The queen scallop with roast cherry tomato & basil olive oil and the char grilled sardines with rock salt & lemon starters were excellent. The organic Salmon and the roasted monkfish fillet main dishes were outstanding. The staff was very hospitable and eager to help you choose the best items in the menu.
Can’t wait to go back.

My boyfriend brought me in here for a little looksie about a month ago. At the time, I took a quick, covetous look around the shop, but my eye was drawn almost immediately to the little tank in the corner filled with large, feisty lobsters. I was born in Maine, so I adore lobsters. The problem is that most of the time when you go to pick up a lobster, the tank is overcrowded and the lobsters are sluggish and unhealthy (in this case, as Alton Brown would say: I buy the porkchops) Now I don’t have a problem with dispatching the little guy when I get home, but I prefer for my lobster to be healthy and well taken care of before he hits that big lobster tank in the sky. Cavistons impressed me. Their lobsters were mobile in the tank, had plenty of space to move, and were of good color and vitality. I bookmarked the joint in my head and began plotting my return.
Fast forward to yesterday —
I legged it into Cavistons and went directly to the Lobster tank. Ok, maybe not directly, more like via fresh, plump wexford strawberries and barrels of fennel and onions. I targeted the little guy and started to mill around in search of someone to fish him out for me. The shop was packed, and there is not a definitive flow of traffic, making it hard to spot where one line ends and another begins. Normally I would knock off a star for the confusion, but it seems to be part of the charm of the shop — it hearkens back to country shops and market stores and also gave me a chance to pick up some ingredients I didn’t know I wanted until I saw them. I finally got to the fish counter and asked for the lobster. The man behind the counter fished the lobster out of the tank, put him carefully into a plastic container, and tightly double wrapped him in plastic bags…
…so that’s where I’m deducting a star. An experienced fishmonger should know not to wrap a live crustacean in plastic bags (oysers, clams, lobsters — all a no no) and had I not immediately unwrapped the little guy, it could very well have been € 25 and a dinner wasted. That being said, this place is 5 star in every other respect, and I will happily return as often as I can to indulge in fresh foodstuffs.
Recommended for Foodies.

I will eat Brie anytime, anywhere, and on top of anything. This time happened to be on a sunny saturday afternoon in Dun Laoghaire on top of some rocks overlooking Dublin bay. That works.
The picnic consisted of a big loaf of bread, spicy salami, brie, pasta salad and fresh strawberries. Cavistons was a great place to get most of this and was high quality without being over-​the-​top expensive. The fish looked good but we didn’t have anywhere to cook it so that will have to be next time.

A great selection of food and if you are missing a special ingredient for a special recipe there is a very good chance you will find it here.
Great Fish counter with a good selection.
The worst part of shopping here is the queue as you try to pay for all your goodies and you have to stand there at the deli counter looking at all the glorious sweet and savory foods on display — but perhaps that is there aim to temp you into buying even more. At least they have the odd bit of tasters as you wait to pay.
Great staff who always seem to have a smile.

Food Emporium it says over the door… makes you feel all «I’m putting away the calories» by just saying the words.
Inside you are greeted with a range of foods so appetising and diverse that you are not sure where to start. I started with the chocolate.
We used to use these guys to cater for office bashes and important meetings, the food was always excellent. However… and this won’t come as a shock to anyone who knows the rather affluent area, it all comes at a price… a large price and as good and all as they are I’m not sure its quite worth it.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the place is great but I think there are others doing the same sort of thing for a little less!

Ah to be rich! To be able to forgo the necessity to shop in Aldi, and fill the fridge with the finest cheese, the spiciest salami and the juiciest olives from the unrivaled delicatessen at Cavistons in Glasthule. These perfect sandwich-​fillers would accompany the crispiest fresh bread for a delectable lunch, rounded off by a delicate pear tart or fresh strawberry cake… mmmm…
Such lavish quality doesn’t come cheap though, and a shop in Cavistons can only be justified when a visit from the in-​laws or some such important event is pending. A truly grown-​up shop that unfortunately will have to wait for my business for a decade or two.