Sova Food Vegan Butcher - Dublin

Most recent visit was trying to order the seitan roll for takeaway, but told that it was off the menu after 3pm (website says 5pm) so ended up paying €17.90 instead for a takeout salad bowl which really was bland and missable. Did a little test with a few friends, showed them the picture I took of the salad bowl, and said guess the price. All 3 guessed €10 cheaper than it actually was. The last 2 times I was in the old venue were just terrible. I’d invited someone along both times and ended up apologising the whole time. Been here 5/6 times in the old venue since they opened years ago, and once in the new. They got lost along the way somehow. Won’t be back myself. Couldn’t recommend it to anyone anymore

Had dinner here before a show. We shared a starter which was excellent and had a main each. I ordered the Shaphard’s pie (possibly too salty for me) and my husband had the asparagus risotto which only had one piece of asparagus. Overall food was tasty, portion sizes were adequate (they looked small but filling) and prices were reasonable. I would agree with other reviewers that referenced the absence of the BYO info that’s not clear and yes the menu was limited.

We booked Sova Vegan Butcher on the promise of lots of choice for dinner for my girlfriend who doesn't eat meat. The menu on the website looked great, and the reviews, although mixed, seemed OK. Please take this is a a word of warning on two fronts. The menu advertised on their website is highly inaccurate. There was a choice of only 4 main courses (not the kebabs etc. advertised as available on a Saturday, the evening we went) and to add to the issue, only were 3 available. A seitan steak, an asparagus risotto and a Mediterranean style pasta. How disappointing, basically no different (with the exception of the steak) to any other restaurant which offers something veggie/vegan. We had the seitan steak which was decent. We had olives to start. I didn't think olives could provide us with disappointment, however, they were evidently out of a jar, and laced in chopped garlic to try and disguise this. Secondly, it's BYOB (not just alcohol, but any sort of drink which isn't water). I will happily admit if I missed this on the website, but it would be really helpful of this was pointed out somewhere beforehand. Also, at no point was the €6 corkage for wine advertised anywhere. A bit steep in my book. An additional problem which seemed to affect everyone in the restaurant was the length of time to serve the food. We waited 1 hour 10mins for our main to arrive, which they did apologise for. At the end the server didn't ask us how the food was, else I would have politely explained rather than having to write this here. Overall, I cannot recommend this restaurant. Spending money on food should be a fun and pleasant experience and this was neither.

Felt very disappointed by Sova as had seen so much good stuff about it. Went for dinner, the lunch menu is different. It’s bring your own alcohol which is good to know before hand but we weren’t looking to drink. Went to order and the main I wanted wasn’t available- just wish I’d been told that before having five minutes to decide. I then made the mistake of getting the pasta of the week, which was broccoli pesto with smoked tofu, pumpkin seeds and rocket. It was so bad- pasta was over cooked, and the sauce was flavourless- no hint of salt, garlic or pine nuts… got salt and pepper which made it a bit better but still was not good. My partner had the steak, which was okay but the potatoes which came with it were also very over cooked and kind of mushy. The sauce was almost overpoweringly beer-y, although at least it had some flavour! Glad we didn’t get starters and obviously we didn’t stay for dessert

3 of us enjoyed this meal; a vegan, fair weathered vegetarian and a meat eater. We all left happy and sated. If you like Eastern Mediterranean cuisine or would like to try on veganism for size, this place is great. It’s well made delicious comfort food with lovely friendly staff and a pleasant laid back atmosphere. Note: Covid certs are scanned, so bring your QR coded cert. if you have a safe travel pass instead, bring ID. I put suitable for friends because I could only tick one option but this is also suitable for solo and couples dining. The space is a bit cosy for larger groups.