Finest Restaurant in Cork?

rsta

Heading to Cork this weekend with the OH and would like to go to a top restuarant to enjoy a romantic dinner.

I've heard good things about Jacques Restaurant and Flemings Restaurant.

Any other restaurants in Cork City you would recommend?

Thanks in advance :-)

rebs23

The two you have mentioned already plus Club Brassiere on Lapps Quay, Les Gourmandies on cook st, Jacobs On the Mall, Greenes at Isaacs Hotel or the Ivory Tower are probably the best for fine dining.

dahamsta

I've heard nothing but bad about Jacobs, despite their reputation.

Dob74

I like the Liberty Grill. Casual and the food is great.

Oafley Jones

Dob74 wrote: »

I like the Liberty Grill. Casual and the food is great.

I like it as well. But it's nowhere near the level the OP is looking for.

tagoona

I must say , I've only ever been disappointed the 2 times I was at Jacobs.

Oafley Jones

tagoona wrote: »

I must say , I've only ever been disappointed the 2 times I was at Jacobs.

Every time I hear Jacobs mentioned, the word disappointed is usually not far behind. Took the GF to Greenes about two weeks ago. Service was excellent, although I was disappointed that they had taken the Tempura off the starters. The parfait more than made up for it though. Despite being perceived lower in the pecking order, i'd prefer much more of The Cornstore's menu.

Morrisseeee

Scoozis is a nice restaraunt, it has a certain 'mood' to it (and can be romantic too), food/service is always very good aswell.
If you are splashing out, and like a chinese, then try the Ambassador (I think its still there!).

JSK 252

Currans Restaurant I always thought was good.

http://www.curranscork.com/

Oafley Jones

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Scoozis is a nice restaraunt, it has a certain 'mood' to it (and can be romantic too), food/service is always very good aswell.
If you are splashing out, and like a chinese, then try the Ambassador (I think its still there!).

The Ambassador is a quality Chinese alright and is definitely still there. I stopped bringing dates to Scoozis when I turned 20, which is more a reflection of the crowd than the food.

Max001

Makes me laugh when I see threads like this, cause the comments are so diverse and disagreements many

Tripadvisor (TA) ratings are usually dependable if you stick to the top five or so, depending on what sorta cuisine you're seeking.

Continental has been top on TA since it opened which is quite an achievement. Star Anise is always up there and haveing eaten there a few times, I'd recommend it highly. Have heard rave reviews about Augustines
on Washington St, but not tried it yet. Heard really bad things about the Brasserie on Lapps Quay.
OP if ya feel like trying something a little different, think about The Silk Purse at 1, Union Quay, which is just across the river from the Clarion. Theres a review for it on Tripadvisor and its only been open a few months. Been there and the food is orgasmic, the staff are very friendly and I'm going back asap.
Literally the finest restaurants might include Les Gourmandises and Hayfield Manor and I keep hearing rave reviews of Ivory Tower, but not tried it yet.
I'd say though, that too many restaurants in Cork are trading on past achievements and I'd encourage you to complain/send food back if you're unimpressed - its the only way they'll learn not to take us for fools.
Also, like elsewhere, nearly all local restaurants offer early bird menus so you can eat well and eat reasonably now, for a change. Great examples include Les Gourmandises and Man Fridays in Kinsale. Was in Man Fridays
last week and they're doing 3 courses for €25/early bird, similar to Les Gourmandises. Bit of a steal in both cases! :pac:

Oafley Jones

JSK 252 wrote: »

Currans Restaurant I always thought was good.

http://www.curranscork.com/

Once again, not a top class restaurant. Curran's is much more a family place where you'd see kids running around.


edit: I'll just add before I come off as some Frasier type snob, i'm more than happy eating Hillbillys from time to time.

glanman

In my opinion of the ones mentioned:

Jacques: very good, intimate and good quality food

Flemings: A bit out of the city(10 mins) Good food and fine dining

Club Brassarie: Never been

Les Gourmandies: Quality French food, perhaps a little dated but still very good

Jacobs: An institution of Cork, most people have very high expectations going in so some reviews can be a little disappointing

Greenes: Good food, nice atmosphere

Ivory Tower: My favourite. Intimate, you walk past the kitchen on the way in and interesting dining room. Food is very good and not bad value. Get a bottle of the Lenbanese red:)

Liberty grill: Burgers, steaks and chicken, standard fair, solid but nothing special

Scoozis: Pizza, pasta, lasagne. Not quite what you are looking for as far as I can make out from your posts

Currans: See Scoozis

Ambassador: Never been but its a chinese and as far as I'm concerned Irish chineses are nothing really other than western food

For lunch on any day other than a Sunday(not open), go to the English Market and The Farmgate Cafe upstairs. 2 choice for style of lunch and everything is delicious, try the B&B pudding for afters!

Kinsale is good food, but a lot of places are trading on the Kinsale name so choose carefully if going there. Head to West Cork for special experiences. There are little gems all over the area such as Blairs Cove near Bantry. Too many to mention

Max001

+1 on the Farmgate for lunch. Fun food plus the theatre of the market going on below - can't beat it.
Soooooo hard to pass those puddings by! lol

Glanman if/when ya have time, would welcome your recommendations for West Cork.

Cheers!

glanman

Give me a few days and I will draw up a list:)

Had the best meal of my life in the Old Convent House in Clogheen Co. Tipperary(about 25 mins for Mitchelstown) recently. My words wouldn't do it justice how good it was, these reviews might:

http://www.theoldconvent.ie/Reviews.html

JSK 252

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Once again, not a top class restaurant. Curran's is much more a family place where you'd see kids running around.


edit: I'll just add before I come off as some Frasier type snob, i'm more than happy eating Hillbillys from time to time.

Well tbh then to get really good food at reasonable prices and get the upper class atmosphere then somewhere like the overdraft at minane bridge or man fridays in kinsale is where the cuisine is at.

glanman

On an overall theme why do people make such an issue about paying over €40 for a meal when they have no problem going out and spending €100+ on drink for a night. None of these places in Cork are over €60/€70 a head for 3 or four courses which I reckon is money well spent if its a good meal.

A good meal, good company and good bottle of wine or two (or decent beer) will beat a night on crap beer and the crap feeling the next day for me any day.

(Maybe I should put this in the rant section, just the first time I have posted about food on boards and its my pet hate)

chuci

the ivory tower is really nice and cozy.have never been disappointed whenever iv gone. the hardwood near the Franciscan well is just delicious as well have gone back a few times the food just gets better. Jacobs iv ever only eaten there twice but both times have been very nice and i haven't been disappointed with what iv gotten.i also like Fenns Quay at the back of the courthouse its small and the food is superb and no very pricey.

mik_da_man

Max001 wrote: »

Literally the finest restaurants might include Les Gourmandises and Hayfield Manor and Ivory Tower

I agree with the above.
Hayfield manor would be top of my list, if your out to go to the finest then it's the choice for ya.
Food and service is explempary

Illkillya

Very good summary by glanman, I agree with most of it.

If you can go outside the city then Ballymaloe House is my favourite spot. Nowhere in the city comes close in my opinion, but I do like Les Gourmandises. Hayfield Manor is good but have been disappointed there before. Flemings can be great but can be awful depending on your taste (the whole "grotty old house" experience works for some).

Jacobs was a great spot, one of my favourites, but they definitely went downhill in the past year. But that's not necessarily a bad thing since I think they also dropped their prices.

Jacques was delicious before, but last time I went there it was quite poor.

Regarding Club Brasserie... I've been there a few times and was really impressed by some of their stuff. Had a quiche there at lunch once and it was the nicest quiche that I ever had. The problem is the menu is not the best so I can see how you could get a dud, and the desserts aren't great.

Fenn's Quay - was only there once... I enjoyed it, but far from the finest in Cork.

Greenes & Ivory Tower...was disappointed at the time but that was years ago so maybe I'm doing them an injustice.

Liberty Grill: what glanman said
Scoozis: what glanman said
Currans: see Scoozis

If we're taking lunches into account... Farmgate was always in my top 3 but too many times this year the staff were under pressure, overcooked the food, etc., so I guess it has been leapfrogged on the list by Club Brasserie. Best lunch spot in Cork though in my opinion (and maybe I'm a bit of an old lady for saying this) is the Crawford Gallery Cafe. Really great stuff and their roulade (depending on the way it's cooked on the day) could be the best dessert in Cork.

Also, I would not take the Trip Advisor ratings seriously at all. I spoke to someone before from a hotel who told me that their rating was sabotaged by rivals. If you look at Continental, for instance, is #1 because it's got 5 star ratings from 13 people - most of whom made only 1 contribution to Trip Advisor. Could very easily be friends of the owner. On the other hand, look at Farmgate Cafe - ranked #54, only has 1 rating (4 stars, from someone with 10 contributions, i.e., a real person). They obviously didn't get their buddies to bump it up the charts, but if 13 of us here from boards.ie went and gave it 5 stars then it would be the #1 and it would probably stay there for a long time, unless it got sabotaged.

TripAdvisor ratings really only work in bigger cities with more of an internet culture where the rankings are not so easily skewed by getting a few friends and family members to sign up. They should weight the contributions so that reviews from people who sign up and post only 1 review don't count for so much.

In short:

If you will consider going outside the city, Ballymaloe House is the place to go, and there are probably other places around the county that would beat any of the city offerings.

But within the city, in my opinion, Les Gourmandises is still the best.

kcb

glanman wrote: »

Scoozis: Pizza, pasta, lasagne. Not quite what you are looking for as far as I can make out from your posts

Currans: See Scoozis

And very very average pizza, pasta and lasagne at that!

D-Generate

Early bird menu at Man Friday sounds well good. Although it has been a bit hit and miss over the past two years.
Usually the food is quite fantastic but the service can vary wildly. Last time I was there earlier on in the evening and the staff were extremely friendly and efficient but another time I took an American girl there and she was offended at the quality of service there. Very gruff. Seems to be a good place early in the evening but after 9 the service just plummets.

Where is Club Brasserie and Continental?

Also anyone have an idea if Longville house is good. I think thats the spelling. Some say food is great but setting is uncomfortable like you are a guest in someones living room.

PowerHouseDan

Must say i Love Il Padrinos on Cook Street, Excellent Food,Safe...

Max001

PowerHouseDan wrote: »

Must say i Love Il Padrinos on Cook Street, Excellent Food,Safe...

Would agree. Okay for pizza etc but they have or had a bad habit of seriously over-booking, particularly at weekends. Was kept waiting too long for a booked table twice and wouldn't risk it again, for pizza. Only thing stopped me walking out, was the likelihood that everywhere else (decent) was booked up.

Was in Longueville House some weeks ago for lunch and was underwhelmed by the food and surprised at the prices. I had vegetable soup of the day that came with home made wheaten bread. The soup was only okay, but didn't look very appetising. The wheaten bread was either a day old or had been sitting sliced for hours. Either way it was dry and tough.

My friend had pate, which itself was tasty, but the accompanying salad wasn't much to write home about - few plain leaves sparingly dressed.

Lovely location, shame about the food. With a drink each, the bill came to nearly €40. IMO not good value. Unlikely to be back.

Club Brasserie is next to the Clarion on Lapps Quay and Continental is in the side street leading from BT's to the end of Oliver Plunkett St. Some doors down from that Thai place.

dahamsta

PowerHouseDan wrote: »

Must say i Love Il Padrinos on Cook Street, Excellent Food,Safe...

Been there twice in the past, loved it both times. It's a tad cramped though.

glanman

I really like Loungiville house, great setting and food was good, god service, all round great for a special occasion/family gathering. Have to admit this as 3 years ago so a lot can change in 3 years

I liked Il Padrino too but wouldn't say fine dining compared to some others. Dont get me wrong, its good food and good value!

MJOR

The Ambassador is lovely for chinese and the boardwalk is nice too for a more casual bite, Jacobs is really only Ok and Greenes is fab.

Tony255

just saw an offer in the hayfield mannor for a 2 course lunch for €25 seems like a pretty good deal to me.

all_smilz

PowerHouseDan wrote: »

Must say i Love Il Padrinos on Cook Street, Excellent Food,Safe...

Ditto, it can be cramped but they served 17 of us in a college gang night out and served us flawlessly, food was great and i swear i had two glasses of wine, 3courses and a coffee for about 35euro.... i like it in the day time as well.... i think they consistently do well in my opinion...
not real fancy shmancy but real nice at the same time!

rsta

Thanks everyone All those restaurants sound amazing, its very hard to choose just one. I'd love a week to try them all :cool:

But, I'm thinking I'll go with Les Gourmandises, the menu looks fantastic. It's very good value too. They are doing 3 course dinner for €39.50 per person.

I'll post here next week and let you all know how it went

Thanks for the casual dining recommendations too, good to know for lunch.

Tony255

so ended up in club brasserie and it was fantastic, went there during the day and had a great meal inside and a coffee outside for €20 including tip which was a great deal in my opinion and a great location. would totally recommend it for anyone who has a spare 1/2 hours during the day to just go there and chill out with a newspaper/book really nice atmosphere

Ddad

mik_da_man wrote: »

I agree with the above.
Hayfield manor would be top of my list, if your out to go to the finest then it's the choice for ya.
Food and service is explempary

I've been to hayfield three times 9not by choice) and I've been disappointed on all three occasions. one was utterly shambolic. I'd never recommend the place.

Les gormandise is great, very good chefs but the room is a little dated. The food is very good. I'm not one for food fashions, either it's good or it isn't.

Cafe Paradiso, an excellent attitude to food, excellent produce. relaxed and informal. One of my favourite places in Cork.

Wouldn't rate Jaques at all. Been there twice and would describe it as mediocre.

Flemings has a very good rep. I haven't been there myself but I know a few lads that cooked there and they speak highly of the place. Bit remote though.

jacobs i'm afraid leaves me cold. Never been impressed but a lot better than Hayfield in the price bracket their in.

Scoozies, Amicus, etc do nothing for me. I'd rather have a sandwich.

overmantle

Some of the restaurants mentioned here are over rated. Small portions- lots of pomp and ceremony. Won't mention any names but have been left disappointed a couple of times, not just with the size of portions but also with the hole in my pocket afetrwards. Wouldn't mind if I was full also.

Dob74

overmantle wrote: »

Some of the restaurants mentioned here are over rated. Small portions- lots of pomp and ceremony. Won't mention any names but have been left disappointed a couple of times, not just with the size of portions but also with the hole in my pocket afetrwards. Wouldn't mind if I was full also.

+1

I think people think if they pay alot of money they have had a good meal.
There is nothing wrong with a reasonable restruntant.
Good food does not have to be expensive.

x43r0

My usual eating holes would be

Luigi Malone's - Emmet Place: Garlic Chicken is delicious

Amicus - Paul St: Not the best but a good all-rounder

Soho - grand parade: fantastic steak

glanman

I really don’t like Luigi Malones. Over priced, gimmicky and it really annoys me the way that they import a lot of their meats, Argentinean beef for example...

I'm just not a fan of chain/franchise restaurants, add Milanos to the list too!

Max001

x43r0 wrote: »

My usual eating holes would be

Luigi Malone's - Emmet Place: Garlic Chicken is delicious

Amicus - Paul St: Not the best but a good all-rounder

Soho - grand parade: fantastic steak

Luigi Malones? You cannot be serious man! :eek:

Tbh I'd rather admit to being a molester of farm animals
than admit to eating there. Then again, by labelling it an
eating 'hole', you are on the money lol

x43r0

Max001 wrote: »

Luigi Malones? You cannot be serious man! :eek:

Tbh I'd rather admit to being a molester of farm animals
than admit to eating there. Then again, by labelling it an
eating 'hole', you are on the money lol

Am I missing something here? Does the place use slave labour or serve human meet as "Argentinian Beef" or something?

I've enjoyed the meal anytime i've went

Mumha

x43r0 wrote: »

Am I missing something here? Does the place use slave labour or serve human meet as "Argentinian Beef" or something?

I've enjoyed the meal anytime i've went

Don't mind them x43r0 ! Luigis is just the job. In fact, I'm heading there for lunch...apparently they've got new choices on the menu including Roast Knuckle of Pork (Schweinehaxe). I like the fact that they have responded very well to the recession/depression to give great value and choice.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Restaurante Rossini on Princes Street. Without doubt it is the best Italian restaurant in Cork, at least. My only negative about them is that they have a habit of packing people in far too densely when busy (Christmas etc), but at this time of year they should be fine. Excellent food.

Max001

lol, sorry, that was a tad judgemental of me.

I've only eaten there once and it was probably the worst meal
I've had since coming to Cork four years ago. The Indian upstairs
/ next door was similarly awful. What Glanman says basically.
When I was there, the food was awful, they seemed to be adding
quantity to make up for no quality, the service was non-existant
and the prices were ridiculous. Struck me as one of the biggest rip
offs in Cork.
I tried Malones quite early on in my stay here and having eaten in
many places since, I know I can eat much, much better elsewhere
for the same $$ or less. As long as there are people who don't care what
they put in their mouths, places like Malones and that awful excuse for a
slop bucket Gambinis or whatever its called up from Paul St, will survive.
What we choose can be very subjective, so I'd say enjoy it if you like it,
but maybe try one new place, once in a while, that pushes your boundaries
.....you might be surprised.

Max001

Glanman....whens your Eating Guide to West Cork coming out dude?

Heading there Saturday and could use some good tips!

glanman

Il give you a few suggestions tomorrow ok! As I said Blairs Cove is well worth it... http://www.blairscove.ie/


What area are you going to (name some towns) and what are you looking for?

Max001

I'm okay as far as Kinsale and I know O'Connors in Bantry
but the rest of West Cork is a bit of a blank food-wise tbh.

Used to go to the Granary in Clon, but since it changed hands
and they took the fabulous goats cheese tart off, its dead to me lol

I tend to drive via Clon/Bandon past Castletownbere to Dzogchen Beara
every few weeks and sometimes head off along the coast for a wander.

Am an amateur photographer, so always exploring places off the beaten track, but coming up hungry :pac:

I'll quite happily go way off the beaten track for somewhere /someone that does simple food with love.....best ingredients, not messed with, you know what I mean

Max001

Free tip for anyone looking for something a little different.

The Silk Purse restaurant, upstairs in An Cruibin is newish and
doing fabulous Irish and continental food with a twist.
1, Union Quay, across the road from City Hall.

A sample menu is at www.themeatcentre.com

Very reasonably priced, great service and if you don't like it, I'll eat
my Cartman bobble hat!

Amtmann

A friend and I went to Luigi Malone's yesterday evening. Neither of us finished our food. It was rank. I could have cooked a better meal myself, and I'm an appalling chef. I will avoid it like the plague next time.

Jimmy1bob

Luigi Malones is total crap! The service is woeful, the food is dire microwaved slodge. You guys are aware that they "prepare" the food in an Industrial estate in Little island and ship it to the restaurant in Cork later.

I'm a bit suprised no-one has mentioned Augustines on Washington Street yet. I've been there for lunch twice and it has been excellant. This is serious FINE FOOD not the crap that most of ye are talking about.

Mumha

just back from Luigis, for Lunch, yum !

glanman

Max001 wrote: »

Glanman....whens your Eating Guide to West Cork coming out dude?

Heading there Saturday and could use some good tips!

Annies - Ballydehob 028-37292 is amazing

http://www.goireland.com/cork/annies-restaurant-attraction-restaurants-id3750.htm

O Connors Seafood - Bantry Not bad
http://www.oconnorseafood.com/

Blairs Cove as mentioned

Seacloud - just outside Bantry, suppose to be good, never been though

http://www.discoverireland.com/us/ireland-things-to-see-and-do/listings/product/?fid=FI_10258

Enjoy, hope the weather will be kind to ye:)

rsta

Well, we had a great time in Cork City last weekend. And to top it off the weather was excellent!

On Friday evening we went to Club Brassarie for dinner. It was really good. The service was great and the place had a great atmosphere. It was a busy place, but they didnt seem to mind if you wanted to sit there all evening! Food was good, not fine dining, but it was very nice for a casual/ish brasserie dinner. There was a lot of after work crowd in there so I'd say its very popular.

Les Gourmandises was excellent. We really enjoyed our food. The starters were very slow to arrive, we were waiting almost an hour... But apparently that's the norm in France? Anyway the food was definatly worth the wait. I had the beef cooked medium. It was absolutley perfectly cooked. My partner had the fish and it was delicious. I would totally recommend LG.

The OH was not impressed by how the Ivory Tower looked from the outside so we did not venture in!! I would have braved it, but the OH thought it looked really shabby and dark and dirty!! Next time I'm going in though as I thought it looked very interesting.

glanman

Should have mentioned that actually! Im surprised you even found the door. Looks a bit dodgy on the outside but so worth it inside. Glad you enjoyed cork:)

galactus

glanman wrote: »

I really don’t like Luigi Malones. Over priced, gimmicky and it really annoys me the way that they import a lot of their meats, Argentinean beef for example...

I'm just not a fan of chain/franchise restaurants, add Milanos to the list too!

I have been saying Malones is dire for ages. Great to see people agreeing with me. :pac:

I can't speak for other Milanos but what don't you like about the one in OP street? I think their pizza is authentic and delish! Also ther starters are not at all bad. Slighty pricey for what you are easting though...

For me, the outstanding restaurant in Cork is The Barn. Pricey but, for me, the food, service and atmosphere are unrivalled in Cork. Well worth the treat once or twice a year...