The Rooftop at Anantara The Marker

What do we need to know about the Rooftop at Anantara The Marker?

Open since 2013, The Marker Hotel was bought by and rebranded as Anantara The Marker in 2023. This saw a multi-million euro renovation to the already five-star hotel, with all rooms refurbished, a fresh update to the lobby and bars, and bespoke cabinetry and custom furniture across the hotel. It's always been a place to see and be seen, with Influencers and Tiktokers frequently spotted draped across the rails, while their Insta-boyfriends wear out their fingers taking photos, but this year was the Rooftop's turn for a refresh, with the hard, white geometric furniture gone, and softer, neutral sofas and loungers brought in to replace them.

On a clear day you can see the Poolbeg chimneys, the Aviva Stadium, and as far as Dún Laoghaire and the Wicklow Mountains, so you won't get many better places for a 360 view of the capital. Indoor and sheltered zones are mixed with outdoor terraces, with the addition of a new fire-pit. There's a new menu for summer 2025 too from Executive Chef Gareth Mullins, which they say is "fusing bold Thai and Asian flavours with fine Irish ingredients", a nod to their Thai-born parent company. A new cocktail list with similar Asian flavour inspiration completes the refresh.

What happens if it rains?

When you book online it doesn't specify seating areas, but you can request in the notes if you want to be in a particular spot. We had initially booked during the short-lived summer of 2025 and requested an outdoor table, but when the day (and the rain) came we called to ask what happens if the weather is particularly inclement. They said they can generally seat bookings inside or under cover, and only if conditions get extremely bad would they close the whole space and move people to the downstairs bar instead.

There's room for around 20 in the fully enclosed bit, and three couch-based seating areas under a permanent structure, so a bit of drizzle won't ruin your plans.

So if it's sunny where should we sit?

First you need to get up there - arrive early for your booking as we were waiting at least five minutes in a queue to see the host. The days of taking yourself to the lift and pressing the button are over. There's lots of radio-ing back and forth from reception to bar to tell them that you're here, that you're en route, and you'll either get all the VIP feels or find it a bit OTT.

This rooftop has wraparound views across the city so there aren't really any bad seats, but we prefer to face out over the Liffey and Grand Canal Dock, as the views the other way aren't as expansive. Your seating preference here might also come down to the type of chair you want to sit in - options range from single rattan chairs, to couches, to soft fabric loungers with little back support, so if this is an issue for your party, request the appropriate seating before you get there.

What if we just want drinks?

No problemo. They've made a big deal about their new cocktail list, "weaving exotic ingredients and imaginative storytelling into every glass". Drinks have names like "Elephants: Love and Bananas", and "Storm in Bangkok", using ingredients like Szechuan peppercorns, pandan leaf and Kaffir lime leaves (whose name is a debate for another day). If that all sounds too adventurous they cover the bases too with Margaritas, Old Fashioneds, and the lesser-seen-these-days Cosmopolitan.

There's a compact, not very exciting, list of wine and Champagne with all the popular grape boxes ticked - including Whispering Angel rosé for the Insta huns just back from their hols in the South of France. A glass of cava will set you back €16, Ayala Champagne €28, and wines by the glass range from €10.40 for Pinot Grigio to €17.40 for Chablis. There's no added value in buying a bottle - it's the same price to buy four 175ml glasses, so you can mix it up without penalty.

We tried the "Elephants: Love and Bananas" (based on the natural diet of elephants), and the "Storm in Bangkok", and while on first sip we thought they weren't half bad, a few more sips revealed far more sugar than we want in our drinks on a night out, and everything else fighting to be tasted over the inert sweetness. At €18-€21 a cocktail we were hoping for more balance and refinement.

As tempted as we were to try the "Celtic Sea" with it's "salmon-washed Method and Madness gin", we needed a mouth cleanse, and a glass of 3 Rios Vinho Verde and an Espresso Martini did the job. This cocktail was much better, with IStill vodka, Poitin coffee liqueur, espresso and Japanese buckwheat syrup. Next time we'll stick to the classics.

What's on offer for food?

The small plates are out in full force, at not so small prices. It's the kind of menu you'd expect to leave hungry after, and you could very easily drop €100 per person on food and a couple of drinks in a very short time, so keep an eye on your spending or prepare to get a shock.

Hand-dived scallops (sliced so it was hard to tell how many there were but we guessed two-three) came layered with an aged oxtail soy broth, pops of trout roe, bursts of citrussy yuzu, and crispy potato straws on (€21). It would have been a knockout if not for the woolly texture of the scallops. We guessed they were over-cured, with too long an exposure to salt/acid causing the scallop slices to lose any bite they once had.

The salt and chilli "spice bag" potatoes (€8) came next, with a spiced mayonnaise tasting mainly of Five Spice. With good flavour and just cooked veg this is one of the better dishes here, but those potatoes would have been so much better deep-fried instead of baked - maybe the crowd here are counting their calories.

"Muu Grop Warn", is described as Caramelised pork and Dublin Bay Prawn, with Little Gem, pineapple and orange (€18). This was an absurdly sweet, chewy, crunchy mound of what could have been a multitude of things. Nuts? Sure. Fried chicken? Perhaps. Deep-fried noodles? Could be...? No Dublin Bay Prawn should have to suffer this fate. There may well have been none in here though - it would be impossible to tell without a kitchen inspection. Don't order this unless you've got a toothbrush in your pocket to get the sugar off your teeth afterwards.

Handpicked crab sesame toast (€20) comes with "pickled cumcumber" (unfortunate typo) and sweetened Japanese mayo. If this had seen more time on the pan and been adequately drained of oil we would have had no complaints about this fancy spin on prawn toast.

Crisp Gochugang chicken with Thai "nam jim" dipping sauce (€18) had one major problem - it was about as crisp as an over ripe banana (also if you want to taste nam jim in Dublin go to Achara, cos this overly sweet mixture isn't it). It was so soggy we flagged down a server and asked had it been sitting under a heat lamp since we asked them to slow down the food. What followed was an explanation of what panko breadcrumbs are, and how they absorb sauce, before they must have taken pity on our weary faces and offered to bring the prawn wontons instead.

Thank God for happy endings because these were the best things we ate. The dumpling-like filling had proper chunks of fluffy Dublin Bay Prawns (€20 but they left them off the bill by way of apology), were juicy, crispy and just cooked, and only the non-existent Prik Nam Pla (a fish sauce and chilli dipping sauce) let it down. Was it supposed to be the soy dipping sauce? Prik Nam Pla has no soy. Thailand's ultimate, sour and spicy condiment would have taken this dish from "wow" to "holy cow".

Dessert consists of three different combinations of soft serve ice-cream (€9), but as the meal ended up being more drawn out than we'd planned for we ended up having to leave before we'd had time to try one.

How was the service?

At times we felt like we were stand ins for a training session. Our lovely waiter seemed very new and didn't have the answers to most of our questions, having to go and fetch other team members each time. Eventually answers on portion sizes and ingredients were answered, but it was all a bit protracted. Food and drinks were also slow in arriving, which was surprisingly given it was early on a rainy evening and there were only a few tables occupied. Is there anything worse than watching your cocktail slowly warm up on the counter with no one to rescue it.

After a decent wait for food, three of five dishes landed on the small table at one time causing anxiety to hit, so we asked them to hold the other two until we'd finished what we had. This request seemed to throw them, and much was made about whether or not the kitchen was already making the food and if they could halt the order. We dream of a day where we no longer have to have the conversation about wanting to eat food while its still warm. Also, where were we supposed to put the extra dishes? On our laps?

What about the prices?

Sky high, which is no surprise. Cocktails are at five-star hotel prices, coming in at less than The Sidecar in The Westbury, but well above almost everywhere else like The Mint Bar (€16.50), Peruke & Periwig (€15) and Bar 1661 (€5-€16). For those prices we would have expected more polish in those special cocktails.

Food wise you're averaging €20 a small plate - pricey by anywhere's standards, but we did feel full after sharing five plates between two. Two cocktails each and five sharing plates and you could easily be down €200 after adding a tip.

What's the verdict on The Rooftop at The Marker?

Let's be real. The Rooftop at Anantara The Marker is all about the views, and you'll pay for them on your bill. While it would be a dream come true for Dublin to have a rooftop restaurant with food to match the 360 skyline, there's plenty here to keep a mixed crowd (with deep pockets) happy on a glam night out. If you're on a budget you can pop in for a pre-dinner glass of wine and some complimentary pretzels, and if you've got money burning a hole in your pocket on the next sunny evening in Dublin, you could spend a dream-like few hours here on a lounger floating above the city with a glass of rosé in hand, nibbling on tuna sashimi. There are far worse ways to spend an evening.

When's it open?

Wednesday to Thursday from 5pm, Friday and Saturday from 3pm, and Sunday from 1pm. There are plans to open daily from June, weather permitting.