Chez Sara

I spent 6-​weeks on a business trip and landed in Malahide. A few colleagues and I found this gem while walking around after 12-​hour day of work.
Amazingly delicious food and even better atmosphere, which includes people of great character and grace.
This place was so spectacular that we ate at Chez Sara at least 3x per week. As a result we had tried everything on the menu, and specials as well. Our reactions were from «This is delicious» to «I will be sad to see the last bite disappear» to «We need to open an office in Malahide so we can eat here more often».
The chef is a talented young man and the owner is a brilliant vibrant character and incredible chef as well. The staff are charming and hilarious.
The restaurant is charming and small. It is not pretentious, more class and charm.

What’s so special about chez Sara? Two words, food… atmosphere.
This restaurant is a cosy intimate spot on the road parallel to Malahide Main Street. From the front door it looks like a shop front but inside it stretches out the back.
I would recommend it for couple nights, dates or a catch up with a small group of friends. It’s dark, cosy and full of candles. Service is great and the manager is super friendly, he always goes out of his way to introduce himself.
There is only 8 – 10 main dishes and the reason for this is they are all perfection. Try the salmon it won’t disappoint.

Why did I go ‘Chez Sara’? Well it was a special occasion you see. I lost a bet, and my friend — who obviously won the bet — decided that I would take him to the restaurant. Guys these days…
One star for the location. This restaurant is located in Malahide, in a little street just a few steps away from the sea.
One star for the place. The restaurant has a very intimate feel about it. It is not very big, the table are made of old French boxes, walls are covered in famous vintage pictures, everything is simple and welcoming.
One star for the food. I had fishcake as a starter, amazing and tasty. Then I had some cod with potatoes as a main, and that was equally beautifully cooked and tasty. And of course, the place being a wine bar I had some white wine, Picpoul. Just a glass, but what a glass !
One star for the waitressing. The waiting time was perfect, although I was starving ! The waitresses were very nice at all times.
One star for the experience. The entire evening went really well overall. I will definitely go back and bring friends — even French friends ! I recommend ‘Chez Sara’ and give the restaurant a 5 star in a heartbeat.
In the end my friend didn’t remember the bet and invited me… Shhh I won’t say if you don’t ;)
***Update***
I came back to the place with the same place. We are losing 1 star here…
The foie gras was presented on white bread. Shocking! It’s no pâté!
The hand cut fries were wedges. The textures wasn’t right either.
Otherwise the service was great and the overall experience very nice :)

Ate here last night — was a short notice thing. Had planned to eat elsewhere, but were ahem, uninspired by the place we found ourselves in. One of the locals (there was 6 of us) suggested this place. Said it used to be called the Wine Bar, and everyone still calls it the wine bar, despite it being called Chez Sara. Called them and they said they’d take us at 9pm.
Boy was I glad we moved here :-)
It’s a simple enough menu — lots of fish, some steak, and a few other things. I had mussels to start, and lemon sole as my main (being one of my favourites). Around the table people had pork belly, open vegetarian lasagne, chicken, and fish.
Everyone was delighted with their food. It’s modestly priced, really delicious food, with a basic, kinda French style to it. We polished off some house red and white (also great), and even went for desserts. I thought my tarte tatin was slightly below par versus the rest of the meal, but that’s basically looking for something to be picky about :-)
I would recommend this for anyone: tasty food with friendly staff in nice, simple surroundings. Excellent — I shall return.

Three things that equal a definite win for me? Crisp white wine, gorgeous chicken Caesar salad, and cheese (god, I love cheese). Chez Sara is perfect for a quiet evening meal, and its location provides the convenience of a night-​time stroll on the docks, in the hushed Malahide scene. When you walk in the door, you feel as if you’re stepping into a little side street restaurant in Paris. The main courses menu is somewhat brief but filled with quality eats, and they have a nice selection of entrées. Each time I’ve been here, there’s been a bit of a struggle finding a table, but the staff are exceptionally pleasant, so it’s forgivable — and well worth the wait. And you gotta give it to the chef as well! That’s right; chef, singular. So be patient with the service, and you will no doubt have a marvelous time here.