Nice Restaurant for Friday

dazzday

Hey guys,

Looking for a nice restaurant with good food, a relaxed atmosphere and below exorbient prices for tommorrow evening in town. Theres a group of us, all couples, looking to catch up and enjoy a quality meal.
Having trawled through old threads (+1 for setting up a galway restaurant sticky btw!), Ive pretty much narrowed it down abit.

Ruling out Vina Mara and Abalone, as they are quite intimate, a little pricey and Id plan to visit them with herself on a more appropriate occasion.
Looking to stay in town so ruling out the pullman, O'Gradys and possibly De Robertos ( although i keep hearing good things about this place...thoughts on it?)
Have a couple of fussy eaters with us (sigh!) so I think its a no to seafood, Chinese and Indian.
Ruled out alot of the quay st restaurants due to prioce, past experinces etc
Anybody have anythoughts on these in terms of price, food, atmosphere etc...

Cookes
Malthouse
Gemelles
Park House
Branaghans
Kirbys
Quays
Oscars ( Pricey i know but been once before and found it great. Not sure if it would be suitable though for a few of us)


McSwiggens is currently the backup plan, as we pretty much know what to expect!

Cheers guys!

PopeBuckfastXVI

Cava - Their food is delicious, atmosphere is suitable for a romantic meal, or a big group, and their Tapas menu won't break the bank.

DD67

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Cava - Their food is delicious, atmosphere is suitable for a romantic meal, or a big group, and their Tapas menu won't break the bank.

I would second Cava went there with two other couples and had a great time good food and wont break the bank.

I would also recommend Gemelles and Cookes been there with a group of friends and both were very good.

dazzday

Been reccomended Cava a few times, but seeing as im going Port House in Dublin on Saturday, two Tapas in a row may not be ideal!!!

Gemmels and Cookes both sound very promising

Webbs

Had a few groups of friends who have been to Cookes in the last few months and all were disappointed with the food but enjoyed the atmosphere, shame as its a good little spot.

dazzday

Webbs wrote: »

Had a few groups of friends who have been to Cookes in the last few months and all were disappointed with the food but enjoyed the atmosphere, shame as its a good little spot.

seems the same thing being said on the menupages.ie reviews. Shame because it looks a lovely spot.

Anybody have experience with Branaghans?

?Cee?view

MaltHouse definitely. Excellent value for the high quality food you get, especially if you stick to special offer menu and don't go a la carte. Good atmosphere - not a bit stuffy. Perfect place for the type of group you describe.

dazzday

The malthouse? Got very mixed reviews from there. Whats the a la carte menu like price wise?

finisklin

Da roberta's is fantastic...great grub and always a good crowd. Can be a bit tight space wise...recommend the pizza and the cannelloni is to die for!
Only thing is its off the ebaten track....it's in salthill so may limit your options for drinks afterwards.

Enjoy if you go ahead.

?Cee?view

dazzday wrote: »

The malthouse? Got very mixed reviews from there. Whats the a la carte menu like price wise?

The a la carte is a bit more expensive , but to be honest, there's plenty of choice on the set menu. Two courses €25, three €30.

www.themalthouse.ie

Check out their website.

I've been there twice and looking forward to going back. Tom Doorley in the Irish Times gave it a good review (and he's a picky b****rd!).

Was there over the Volvo Ocean Week and was very impressed with the courtesy they showed to people who hadn't booked. Also, my wife (who was joining us) was 45 minutes late and they had no problem letting us wait for her at the table, even though they were clearly very busy, giving us more to drink etc.

Try it.

BTW, no connection to the place, just enjoyed it.

?Cee?view

I don't get the whole Da Robertas craze. At best it's alright. There's far too much pasta and pizza on the menu, but granted some of these are good.

It's about as authentically Italian as Roma Pasta Sauce. It's really an Irish Italian rather than an Italian restaurant.

Madame Razz

Artisan (where Ard Bia used to be) is NYOM!!!

Been there a few times and always top notch.

?Cee?view

Madame Razz wrote: »

Artisan (where Ard Bia used to be) is NYOM!!!

Been there a few times and always top notch.

I heard that from a few people, although I haven't been there myself yet.

irisheddie85

dazzday wrote: »

Anybody have experience with Branaghans?

tried it last week with the girlfriend. The early bird menu was good value for two big courses. Check the menu though as im not sure if it would suit very picky eaters. Me and the girlfriend both thought it was very nice

dazzday

Thanks for the help guys! Based on what Ive seen hear ive narrowed it down to these 4. Want somewhere for 3 couples to have a relaxed quality meal, not breaking the bank and able to have a good conversation.... looking to start at bout 8 so could be too late for early birds

Oscars - Quality of food, prices range quite well
Branaghans - Good reviews, nice pub, too intimate?
The Malthouse - Great value on the set menu, but looks a little limited
Gemelles - Wide variety on menu, not heard alot else about it though

Mrs OBumble

churchview wrote: »

It's about as authentically Italian as Roma Pasta Sauce. It's really an Irish Italian rather than an Italian restaurant.

Optional potatoes with every dish? Or do they come as standard, but the option is pasta instead?

(I've never actually been there, heard nice things about it from non-Irish people though.)

Alessandra

churchview wrote: »

I don't get the whole Da Robertas craze. At best it's alright. There's far too much pasta and pizza on the menu, but granted some of these are good.

It's about as authentically Italian as Roma Pasta Sauce. It's really an Irish Italian rather than an Italian restaurant.

I don't know where you get this from? The times I have been there I have only been served by Italians.. Not that it makes a difference who's running it so long as it's good quality.



Definitely +1 for Da Robertas.


In general there aren't very many good places for dinner in Galway(city) though.

HarryD

Was at Malthouse and Branagans recently
Both good atmosphere and great service.
I got lamb in Malthouse which was very fatty - a bit disappointing.
Food in Branaghans was better but not exceptional.

My 2c
HD

?Cee?view

Alessandra wrote: »

I don't know where you get this from? The times I have been there I have only been served by Italians.. Not that it makes a difference who's running it so long as it's good quality.



Definitely +1 for Da Robertas.


In general there aren't very many good places for dinner in Galway(city) though.

Just because an Italian serves it certainly doesn't mean the food is authentically Italian. Without a doubt all the staff and the family that own it are Italian.

Don't get me wrong. If I want a takeaway pasta dish, I get it from Da Robertas.

However, for example, you'll look long and hard in Italy to find any restaurant that'll serve gargantuan portions of pasta as a main course. Pasta is usually just one of several intermediate courses.

The last edition of "Italia Stampa", a magazine published by members of the Italian Community in Ireland, talks about Italian restaurants that "have adopted a hybrid formula in their cooking to please the tastes of their Irish customers". Da Roberta quite obviously is in this category.

I've a friend who told me he'd never go to Italy because he hates Italian food. I asked him what he hated about it. "Can't stand Pasta". He couldn't understand how in my last week there, I'd eaten the best of locally produced Italian food, without Pasta or Pizza passing my lips.

It horses for courses. If you like Pizza and Pasta, and good Pizza and Pasta at that, Da Roberta is great. If you want the real Italian thing, give it a miss.

_ZeeK_

dazzday wrote: »

Hey guys,

Looking for a nice restaurant with good food, a relaxed atmosphere and below exorbient prices for tommorrow evening in town. Theres a group of us, all couples, looking to catch up and enjoy a quality meal.
Having trawled through old threads (+1 for setting up a galway restaurant sticky btw!), Ive pretty much narrowed it down abit.

so where did you go, and how was it?

oldyouth

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Cava - Their food is delicious, atmosphere is suitable for a romantic meal, or a big group, and their Tapas menu won't break the bank.

Just back from a weekend in Galway. Great craic. My sister in law and hubby live there and booked this place for a meal last night. Lovely food and great staff. We were told at the start we had to be out by 9.30 for the next sitting but come 10, we were only starting to get polite reminders. Yep, the tapas are great

boardswalker

churchview wrote: »

There's far too much pasta and pizza on the menu, but granted some of these are good.

It's about as authentically Italian as Roma Pasta Sauce. It's really an Irish Italian rather than an Italian restaurant.

Firstly, are we talking about the original Da Roberta's or Osteria Da Roberta.
Many people don't make clear which one they mean.
The original is more of a family restaurant - friendly to young children.
The Osteria is more adult oriented and the food is italian - less "Irish Items" on the menu.

Osteria is a very good restaurant. Its been there for a while now and its still doing the business without being dependant on tourists - as many of the Quay Street options are.

Where exactly is Cava?

gaeilgegrinds

Dominic St, same side as Áras na nGael, closer to Garda side than Monroes side.

Hmm. Will most definately check it out some evening. Conlons on Eglington Street is good. Fantastic seafood, good atmosphere, helpful serving staff and not too expensive either

churchview

churchview wrote: »

If you want the real Italian thing, give it a miss.

I too like Da Roberta's but Basilico in oranmore is probably the best Italian in galway had a great meal there a few weekends ago.

On the above quote, I work with some Italians and the amount of pasta that they eat and the number of times they eat it during the week would certainly give me the impression that eating a lot of Pasta is very much a real Italian thing.

dazzday

Galway was hopping friday night...seemed everyone had the same idea!
Ended up in Branagans, and must say was very happy with the choice.
Friendly, relaxed atmosphere, ideal place for a group of friends. Probably not ideal for a first date type scenario as the place was a litttle noisy with banter (although that could have been largely due to the party of 16 celebrating a birthday beside us!).
Food was very good. The starters were exceptional, in particular the coconut-fried tiger prawns and the clam and mussel selection (even our fussy "no - oinion" eater was happy!).
No complaints with the mains either. Portions were HUGE. Fillet steak was good (although De robertos apparently gets the nod for best steak!), while the dauphanise served with it was exceptional (next time John intends to order the fillet steak - hold the steak!). Others had the salmon, sausage, and the mushroom-stuffed chicken...all very happy with it.
I went for the Sirloin myself, which was cooked nicely, although it seemed more "pub" dish then the others served with fried onions and chips. But definately something to be ordered if you want a good hearty meal.
No desserts as the mains were more then enough.
Spent a good 3 hours there enjoying the meal and the atmosphere, no pressure to rush ouselves. The bill was very favourable; a starter,main + sides, 2 bottles of wine (the chilean red was flawless), and hennessys/coffees for 6 people came to €35 each....felt it was very good value for what we got.
All in all reccommended!

On a sepreate note, ended up in the Port House Tapas bar in Dublin Saturday night. Tapas certainly an ideal meal following the Friday meal! Really nice place, and really light on the wallet... 6 tapas, 2 desserts and 2 large glasses of wine for less then €50.