Recommend some good venues in Meath.

Archeron

Just an idea to keep the Meath forum rolling along.

As there are so many of us in Meath, and we may not know each others towns very well, I thought it would be an idea for us to recommend places in our own towns that we would suggest to our fellow Meathites should they ever find themselves in the area.

To kick off, if you're ever in Trim, I heartily recommend the Beacon restaurant in Brogans of High street. www.brogans.ie
There is a serious lack of places to eat in Trim, but this is a great place which I learned at a recent birthday meal here. The restaurant itself is a tad expensive, but is a really well designed and modern venue. The staff are extremely friendly, and the menu is quite wide and varied. While the food is expensive, you get a good belly load, and everyone at the meal agreed that it was good value in the greater scheme of things. The friendly staff even let us put the birthday cake in their fridge despite the fact that we bought it in Supervalue
Put with that the very helpful and attentive approach of the staff, and the well stocked bar, and it makes for a good restaurant in a town lacking in that department. The only downside to me is the grand piano being played in the corner, I'm not a fan of that at all, and it kind of drowned out the conversation a bit too much.
For anyone looking for something other than restuarant food, the bar does offer bar food as well. The menu is limited, but the steak sandwhich on ciabatta bread I had there was the best I've ever had and when me and my brother were eating it, it took only 10 minutes before everybody else in the bar had decided to order the same thing.
I'd give it 4/5 and recommend if you're ever in Trim to give it a go.

Anyone else know nice venues in Meath? Pubs, restaurants, clubs? Share the knowledge so we all know where to go in this fine county!

auggie2k

The Vortex in Dunshaughlin, they did it up recently and it made a great difference (good music too)

I like Peters in Dunshaughlin as well, great food and a nice pub all around.

La Bucca in Ratoath is new and they do a gorgeous steak, not too expensive either.

Access

I have to agree with auggie2k...

In Dunshaughlin, I would recommend Peters for the food and the Attic nightclub at the weekends for a mad night out... I have a few mates over there and when we head out it seems to be the place to go as the vortex is a bit out of town and too far away from the chipper! O Briens has decent pints too... never had a bad one in there yet!

In Navan, You cant beat the Loft for food and china garden for a decent Chinese take away... but not particularly good for a sit down meal the last couple of times i have been there.

Archeron

Access wrote: »

I have to agree with auggie2k...

In Dunshaughlin, I would recommend Peters for the food and the Attic nightclub at the weekends for a mad night out... I have a few mates over there and when we head out it seems to be the place to go as the vortex is a bit out of town and too far away from the chipper! O Briens has decent pints too... never had a bad one in there yet!

In Navan, You cant beat the Loft for food and china garden for a decent Chinese take away... but not particularly good for a sit down meal the last couple of times i have been there.

How big is Dunshaughlin now? The more I hear about it, the more there is there.....

Goldenquick

The Napper Arms Hotel in Oldcastle, you can't beat it for food. Go in, order your lunch and it's on the table within 5 mins. Great for a meal at night too.

Ruu_Old

The Naper used to be an old haunt of mine, gotten a bit pricey though but I suppose same could be said for anywhere. Caffreys in Oldcastle also isn't too bad, nice grub and decent atmosphere.

Access

Archeron wrote: »

How big is Dunshaughlin now? The more I hear about it, the more there is there.....

Dunshaughlin seems to be rapidly expanding every month, but the traffic is always as bad as ever.

Also, i omitted to mention the Síbin. Great atmosphere midweek but food is better in peters.

Goldenquick

Caffrey's serve a lovely meal Ruu but the only thing is, they forget to come back and take your order for dessert and I always need my cheesecake .

I went into a lovely pub in Navan a few months back for lunch, can't remember the name of it, but it's at the opposite end of the town to the shopping centre. The food was served upstairs at a carvery, lots of business people lunching there. I'll try to find out the name of it on Thurs. as I'd really recommend it.

- bo -

I dont really head out around here (Navan) as much as I used to.

Havent been in a while, but I love O'Flaherty's pub grub on a Sunday afternoon (O'Flaherty's is at the lights on Brews Hill, directly across from the China Garden)

And I love a couple of midweek pints in Smyth's (on the Square)

writetojd

The pub grub in the courthouse in johnstown is good for sunday evening. Went there the weekend and was impressed. Cheap enough and you get large portions

bottomdog

In East Meath there are two new restaurants in Bettystown, The Coast and Relish, both next door to each other.....both overlooking the sea......both very good, well worth the trip.....Oh and in south Drogheda....Lemongrass....excellent.....also for an alternative night or best lunch Salthouse in Drogheda....not Meath per-se but Drogheda has a food in both camps...

dream brother

Beside's food and pub, what else is there to do around the North east! Any recommand something fun! Would Blanch. be any good for anything??

K_P

Eat Zen in Ashbourne - possibly the nicest Chinese I've ever had. And their sound-proof twinkly-lit karaoke booth looks amazing.

Archeron

K_P wrote: »

And their sound-proof twinkly-lit karaoke booth looks amazing.

That sounds intriguing!

Mr Boombastic

I would normally go to a few places in oldcastle but i was in Oldcastle house hotel (ceili house) recently and the food was really nice- huge menu with loads of choice. Service was very friendly- will definitely return:)

Darren R

The ground floor in Kells must be one of the best places to eat in Meath.Have been there many times and it has always been top class.I think it might be run by the same people who run the Loft in Navan but I could be wrong

DublinWriter

K_P wrote: »

Eat Zen in Ashbourne - possibly the nicest Chinese I've ever had. And their sound-proof twinkly-lit karaoke booth looks amazing.

Last year I brought someone there who had lived and worked in Hong Kong for ten years.

He said their duck was the best he ever tasted.

I've been there a few times myself and the food is really, really, really good and the service excellent. I've never been drunk enough to try the Karaoke booth (yet).

If beef is your thing, go further up the N2 and you'll find 'The Snail Box', probably the best stakes in Ireland.

Both venues have always been uber-popular, I'd advise booking.

mickrourke

Darren R wrote: »

The ground floor in Kells must be one of the best places to eat in Meath.Have been there many times and it has always been top class.I think it might be run by the same people who run the Loft in Navan but I could be wrong

Well i will defintely second that, the steak is the best ever and the prices are extremly reasonable. Not sure about the owners though.
To go out in kells, chaser is good and so is mcgees, not really a lot of choice for diskas but they do 80's music every Friday night in the vibe

Hanson

Well lads, I'm from Trim and I work in Knightsbrook Hotel. As far as food in Trim is concerned, I think that Knightsbrook has the best(apart from the Castle Chipper) The pubs are great too, the main favourites for people my age (18-21) being Mcormacks and The Abbey(recently refurbished). If ur ever out on the piss here, make sure u go to Xango on a saturday night, its a very good spot. The best club I've been to in Meath though is Solar in the Newgrange in Navan.

cue

Wau in Trim, above the Sally Rogers is great for Sunday lunch thai style. My kids love it! Gaylords in Navan is slow but good for Indian. Eden in Bellinter House is pricey but good for special occasions, great service. There is a place out by Enfield along the canal which does excellent pub grub. Cannot remember the name of it.

Moanin

cue wrote: »

There is a place out by Enfield along the canal which does excellent pub grub. Cannot remember the name of it.

Fureys.Good spot for as steak.It's gone very quiet though since the motorway opened

cue

Good to know. I like quiet

sinnerboy

DublinWriter wrote: »

If beef is your thing, go further up the N2 and you'll find 'The Snail Box', probably the best stakes in Ireland.

Courtesy bus home too . gotta love it

Big Ciceros in Ashbourne is really nice too .

a "cheap eat" is The Brock , ' though i think that's just over the border ? Simple , but really good trad "sunday roast" fare , modest prices

DublinWriter

sinnerboy wrote: »

Courtesy bus home too . gotta love it

Really? That doesn't surprise me, best customer service I've ever had in Ireland.

sinnerboy wrote: »

Big Ciceros in Ashbourne is really nice too .

How does it stack up to the other Italian on the mainstreet?

Having said that, Eatzen for me, everytime.

Bandara

DublinWriter wrote: »

If beef is your thing, go further up the N2 and you'll find 'The Snail Box', probably the best stakes in Ireland.

With all due respect this is just ridiculous. If you really think this is the case I can suggest about 15 places off the top of my head that serve proper world class food at the same cost that will blow your mind.

Lets not get blinded by county patriotism here. Its just a decent place to eat with good service, well done to them, but they are hardly the best by a long long way.

(Edit - this is not meant to be a dig at you dublinwriter - the poor standard of food and the public extreme lack of knowledge concerning it in this country just bugs me.)

DublinWriter

Hammertime wrote: »

With all due respect this is just ridiculous. If you really think this is the case I can suggest about 15 places off the top of my head that serve proper world class food at the same cost that will blow your mind.

Lets not get blinded by county patriotism here. Its just a decent place to eat with good service, well done to them, but they are hardly the best by a long long way.

(Edit - this is not meant to be a dig at you dublinwriter - the poor standard of food and the public extreme lack of knowledge concerning it in this country just bugs me.)

Clue - my name is Dublinwriter, I live in Meath, so county patriotism doesn't enter into it.

Sure, go to Shanahans and spend €300 on a brunch for two, that's your prerogative.

Please list those '15 other places off the top of my head' for the benefit of the rest of us. I feel the munchies descending.

Bandara

My pleasure Mr Writer, I am always happy to educate and inform....

In no particular order and costing about the same or less as The Mightly Snailbox but infinitely superior.

Coast in Bettystown, sharp modern quality food, a nice change from the chicken wings and apple tart brigade.

Locks, Troy Maguires new home is superb, a technically excellent chef.

Winding Stair which deservedly won its Bib Gourmand

Cafe Bon in Malahide is possibly the finest Bistro in the country, owned and run by a Michelin starred chef and its about €35 for 3 courses.

Chapter One Early bird is €37 for 3 courses for a M-Star restaurant.


If you require any more please do ask.

redfacedbear

DublinWriter wrote: »

How does it stack up to the other Italian on the mainstreet?

Having said that, Eatzen for me, everytime.

I've only eaten in Cicero's once but for me it doesn't come anywhere close to La Bucca (the Ashbourne branch).

Eatzen was excellent the couple of times I've tried it.

There's a lovely lunch place on Batchelor's Walk (Lock's?).

For pubs in Ashbourne Kelly's would be my number 1 choice. Good pints of Guinness, no live 'muzak' (unlike the Ashbourne House), they turn the tellys off after the sport is finished and the smoking area is very comfortable.