Monto Café and Steakhouse restaurant a Dublin delight

Montco Cafe and Steakhouse restaurant

Now that I am back reviewing restaurants again, a very popular restaurant from Camden Street was high on my list. Camden Street and its nearby streets are Dublin’s foodie quarter with over 45 restaurants on it. All types of cuisine are available here, from Chicken through to Chinese through to Indian, through to vegetarian. As you can see all types of cuisine are available satisfying the most discerning palate.  

This week’s restaurant is?

Well, it’s a very popular restaurant with good reviews that I have also eaten in before the pandemic. Monto café and steakhouse is the restaurant and it offers something most restaurants in the Camden Street area don’t. A wide and varied menu that offers fish, and meat dishes alongside pizza and pasta. 

Monto Café and Steakhouse, is a family owned restaurant that first opened its door in 2015. Their pizza is cooked in a wood fired oven and their meat is cooked over hot coals. When I had lunch there in 2019, it was hopping and it was easy to see why. The varied menu which I already mentioned, offering great food at a fantastic price.  

Having eaten in Monto Café and Steakhouse before, I wanted to see if they have pivoted into a great takeaway. I had noticed in the past that some restaurants that pivoted offered a limited menu. This was not the case with Monto cafe and steakhouse. And as a fussy eater I still had a lot to choose from. 

So once I found them on the Just Eat app I spent awhile looking at the menu before I ordered. There was so much to choose from but in the end I ordered my favourite pasta dish Classic Carbonara. Spaghetti and crispy bacon bound in a rich cream and egg yolk sauce finished with parmesan, makes up Monto’s Classic Carbonara. But you will find a lot of restaurants use pancetta instead of bacon. I am happy to have bacon or pancetta in my Classic Carbonara as they both taste great.

Classic Carbonara from Monto Cafe and Steakhouse restaurant

So how was my Meal?

Classic Carbonara can vary according to the restaurant you get it from. Some chefs add in garlic, and or black pepper, and replace bacon with pancetta. Others make the sauce too creamy. As a fussy eater, I can’t eat garlic directly. However, when mixed in with lots of spices and chili’s that’s a different kettle of fish. The spices and chili’s help mask the taste and smell of garlic. So whilst I can have BBQ sauce with garlic as an ingredient, garlic bread is a no-no to me. 

Anyways back to my Classic Carbonara. The pasta was cooked Al Dente. Which means it tastes better and is healthier. The reason why Al Dente is healthier is that it has a lower glycemic index than overcooked pasta. This also makes it better for blood sugar control. The Carbonara sauce was not too creamy. The bacon was not too chunky and cooked just right.

Classic Carbonara on a fork from Monto Cafe and Steakhouse restaurant

So having got the pasta Al Dente, and the carbonara and bacon perfect, how did it taste? Well, it tasted perfect to me and just as I hoped it was not too creamy. I left nothing behind, which is a sign that I had a good meal.

So what did my meal cost?

The Classic Carbonara was €14.95 before a 25% discount of €3,73 was applied (this discount is applied on all orders over €10). With a service charge of €0.50, and a delivery charge of €2.99, the final cost was €14.70.

Monto Café and Steakhouse, 8/9 Camden Street Upper Dublin 2.