The Restaurant Recommendation Thread

evilivor

Faith wrote: »

Am I the only one who think Perry street is completely overrated? Tables crammed so close together that it feels like a Ryanair flight, and boring, expensive food. I don't understand why it's always so busy

Totally with you. Dreadful spot.

BanzaiBk

Faith wrote: »

Am I the only one who think Perry street is completely overrated? Tables crammed so close together that it feels like a Ryanair flight, and boring, expensive food. I don't understand why it's always so busy

Woeful service and the food is so bland.

TeletextPear

A question for anyone who may have been on Pope's Quay lately.

I saw a few months ago that the Bierhalle restaurant was rebranding as (I think) The Charcoal Grill. Now the Bierhalle website and facebook pages have vanished but I can't find any trace of The Charcoal Grill in its place - anyone know if it's opened up?

kcb

Faith wrote: »

Am I the only one who think Perry street is completely overrated? Tables crammed so close together that it feels like a Ryanair flight, and boring, expensive food. I don't understand why it's always so busy

I was there the day it opened and haven't been back since. it was farcically bad that day but you could write it off as opening day "nerves"!

Interesting to hear that it's still as bad as I first thought.

It strikes me as a place that might get away with being bad though as it seems to attract the type of customer that is more interested in being seen there rather than actually getting good value for money etc.

kcb

Would it be a good idea / possible for a mod to update a "summary post" for this thread listing anywhere new and/or recommended?

I find when I do need to think of somewhere to go I can never remember all of the places that I have said "I must try there"!

Faith

Glad to see it's not just me! I sat there for nearly 20 minutes before someone cleaned the table, and the background noise was SO LOUD that I could barely hear myself think.

kcb wrote:

It strikes me as a place that might get away with being bad though as it seems to attract the type of customer that is more interested in being seen there rather than actually getting good value for money etc.

There's definitely an element of that. My dining companion, who chose the place, commented that "This is the 'in' place now, I think".

evilivor

kcb wrote: »

IIt strikes me as a place that might get away with being bad though as it seems to attract the type of customer that is more interested in being seen there rather than actually getting good value for money etc.

^ this.

jdawson

sporina wrote: »

had a kebab from the sultan stall over the weekend - almost as good as one I had in Berlin - and they are the real thing..

Where do they run the market stalls?

Karmella

jdawson wrote: »

Where do they run the market stalls?

Douglas court on a Saturday, Blackrock market on Sunday. That I know of anyway.

Their kebabs are gorgeous!!!

the beer revolu

TeletextPear wrote: »

A question for anyone who may have been on Pope's Quay lately.

I saw a few months ago that the Bierhalle restaurant was rebranding as (I think) The Charcoal Grill. Now the Bierhalle website and facebook pages have vanished but I can't find any trace of The Charcoal Grill in its place - anyone know if it's opened up?

The partnership with the Bierhaus came to an end a few months back. Bierhalle remained open as normal and is now changing to the Charcoal grill. Afaik it is still open now but not sure as halle or grill.

Markcheese

Karmella wrote: »

Douglas court on a Saturday, Blackrock market on Sunday. That I know of anyway.

Their kebabs are gorgeous!!!

He has opened a place on on penrose quay (opposite Jury's inn ) don't know if it's the same fare as his stall, should be though ...

pwurple

Markcheese wrote: »

He has opened a place on on penrose quay (opposite Jury's inn ) don't know if it's the same fare as his stall, should be though ...

Sultans is open on the quay, and you can get the kebab alright. I think they are also at the thursday market in mahon point.

nerwen

pwurple wrote: »

Sultans is open on the quay, and you can get the kebab alright. I think they are also at the thursday market in mahon point.

They are indeed at Mahon on Thursdays, had a kebab there this week and it was awesome.

Sultan is currently closed though, as explained here.

Karmella

Oh I didn't realise he'd managed to get a spot at the Mahon market! I haven't been to it in a couple of years though so not much of a surprise

the beer revolu

the beer revolu wrote: »

The partnership with the Bierhaus came to an end a few months back. Bierhalle remained open as normal and is now changing to the Charcoal grill. Afaik it is still open now but not sure as halle or grill.

Update:

It is now called The Charcoal Grill, is open has the old Bierhalle menu and a 3 course set menu for €20

TeletextPear

the beer revolu wrote: »

Update:

It is now called The Charcoal Grill, is open has the old Bierhalle menu and a 3 course set menu for €20

Awesome, thanks for all the info Beer

Markcheese

Karmella wrote: »

Oh I didn't realise he'd managed to get a spot at the Mahon market! I haven't been to it in a couple of years though so not much of a surprise

Nope, sultan is not in Mahon market ..

nerwen

Markcheese wrote: »

Nope, sultan is not in Mahon market ..

Oh that'd be my mistake then, I thought that's what I got when I was there this week.

BanzaiBk

Tried Deep South with the girls. Didn't think much of it to be honest. Very much "drink food". The setting is lovely though. Given that they are new enough the food might improve.

D'Agger

Got a kebab in the Blackrock market from the Sultan stall today after reading about it here - top notch, can't wait to go back!

Guy who served was bang on - got a tub of mixed spices for chicken, he advised me to cook it with some lemon juice & garlic so can't wait to give that a bash this week

Markcheese

nerwen wrote: »

Oh that'd be my mistake then, I thought that's what I got when I was there this week.

That was probably Gidi's kebabs... Israeli guy,nice kebabs a bit simpler than sultan....
The steak sandwich stall (lolo's) in Mahon point has mad Qs but same lads do crepes and pulled pork sambos in
Douglas ....seriously seriouslygood, you wont need/ want to eat for rest of the day ... !!

D'Agger

Markcheese wrote: »

That was probably Gidi's kebabs... Israeli guy,nice kebabs a bit simpler than sultan....
The steak sandwich stall (lolo's) in Mahon point has mad Qs but same lads do crepes and pulled pork sambos in
Douglas ....seriously seriouslygood, you wont need/ want to eat for rest of the day ... !!

Pulled pork sambos.....oh lordy! :pac:

gimmick

Amigo on Washington Street gets all the applause for its pretty amazing burritos.

SteelyDanJalapeno

gimmick wrote: »

Amigo on Washington Street gets all the applause for its pretty amazing burritos.

Have been there 3 times now, consistently okay for me.

3 Burrito bars in Cork now and all only average in my opinion.

kcb

5 stars for ORSO. Made it there for the first time recently ... top notch. One of the best meals I have had in Cork. Nice friendly informative staff and generally a good atmosphere. Not a lot of room but it works well.

ABajaninCork

Where is ORSO? And what kind of food does it offer??

pwurple

What did you have to eat in orso? Need more details!

Was in jacques this week, hadn't been for years. They do a menu of 2 courses for 24 euro which seemed like good value. That menu is available all night tue, wed, thurs and before 7 on friday and saturday. I had the pears with blue cheese and slow braised ribs. Both were delicious.

sporina

kcb wrote: »

5 stars for ORSO. Made it there for the first time recently ... top notch. One of the best meals I have had in Cork. Nice friendly informative staff and generally a good atmosphere. Not a lot of room but it works well.

really???

what did you have???

kcb

Orso https://www.orso.ie/
On Pembroke Street, next to that bar Cantys

We had monkfish and lamb, some sides (tapas), all dishes were so fresh, flavoursome and with a different twist without being odd.

They don't do bookings so get their early, check in and go for a drink while you wait for a table.

nerwen

Finally went to Greene's last Sunday after hearing about it's amazingness for years. Not sure what I think honestly; our food was pretty awesome, but the service and everything else was just bad.

When we arrived for lunch we were standing around for about 5 minutes waiting for someone to appear, it was only me and my mum plus two more people (already seated) in the place. When the waitress finally came around her opening remark was "oh, you want a table" and "you can only order off this set menu that's 4 courses". For lunch, 4 courses? Anyway, we got seated (directly next to the only other table in the room that was in use...) and then the waitress disappeared again, for maybe 10 minutes.

We finally got some food and the starter of fried black pudding balls with apple sauce was absolutely gorgeous. My main was a mushroom risotto, my mum had a featherblade of lamb type thing with root puree, they both looked great and tasted delicious. And then, several minutes after we got our mains the waitress came out with potatoes and veg for my mum on a little plate, it was 4 boiled potatoes, some carrots and swede all boiled to within an inch of their life, all cut in random chunks. And I'm like... The lamb looked absolutely amazing on the plate and then they add that?

There seems to have been a shift in staff at this point as (we'd not seen anyone since we got our mains) a new waitress came around and when we (very politely) moaned that we couldn't possibly fit the dessert informed us that of course we didn't have to have all the 4 courses. So we grabbed our check of €45 and got out.

I'm left with a desire to go back for the food but never set my foot in there again due to the ****ty service. Maybe they should go into takeout.

D'Agger

I've only eaten lunch in Orso but have to say that I liked it despite it being a bit cramped - found the service to be quite good and the staff to be very friendly.

GobblyNob

evilivor wrote: »

Cafe Bar Deli has closed down.

I wanted to go there but the name "Cafe Bar Deli" was so unimaginative & boring it just turned me off the place. Maybe I'm a snob.

Was it a nice spot?

ncmc

My elderly parents are visiting me next week and I wanted to take them somewhere nice for dinner, I'm in Fermoy but don't mind travelling to Cork. Reading through this thread has me thinking I might take them to Annie's in Sundays Well, would this be a good choice? They like good food but aren't drinkers, does it have Beth much of a pub vibe? Also it looks quite pricey judging by the sample menu on the website, does it do any early bird menus or set menus?

pwurple

ncmc wrote: »

My elderly parents are visiting me next week and I wanted to take them somewhere nice for dinner, I'm in Fermoy but don't mind travelling to Cork. Reading through this thread has me thinking I might take them to Annie's in Sundays Well, would this be a good choice? They like good food but aren't drinkers, does it have Beth much of a pub vibe? Also it looks quite pricey judging by the sample menu on the website, does it do any early bird menus or set menus?

Annie's is nice. I find the portions very big.

If you want Old School, maybe The Barn in glanmire? Food is good, the place is a throwback to the 80's. And they have a dessert cart!

evilivor

ncmc wrote: »

My elderly parents are visiting me next week and I wanted to take them somewhere nice for dinner, I'm in Fermoy but don't mind travelling to Cork. Reading through this thread has me thinking I might take them to Annie's in Sundays Well, would this be a good choice? They like good food but aren't drinkers, does it have Beth much of a pub vibe? Also it looks quite pricey judging by the sample menu on the website, does it do any early bird menus or set menus?

Annie's is much more a restaurant than a bar at this stage. The food can be fantastic there but it is quite expensive. For nice food I think you'll get better value in Star Anise perhaps.

ncmc

Thanks for the replies evilivor and pwurple, I don't mind the price of Annie's as long as it isn't very 'pub like' at those prices, I'd be looking for restaurant touches like tablecloths etc! Must look at The Barn actually as I've been recommended to go there before, would be handier than going into the city too.

leahyl

ncmc wrote: »

Thanks for the replies evilivor and pwurple, I don't mind the price of Annie's as long as it isn't very 'pub like' at those prices, I'd be looking for restaurant touches like tablecloths etc! Must look at The Barn actually as I've been recommended to go there before, would be handier than going into the city too.

The barn is very popular with the older clientele - good food but be careful because as far as I know they charge you for your sides like potato/veg that usually come with the meal in every other restaurant, this might have changed though cos it's over 2 years since I've been there

sporina

ncmc wrote: »

My elderly parents are visiting me next week and I wanted to take them somewhere nice for dinner, I'm in Fermoy but don't mind travelling to Cork. Reading through this thread has me thinking I might take them to Annie's in Sundays Well, would this be a good choice? They like good food but aren't drinkers, does it have Beth much of a pub vibe? Also it looks quite pricey judging by the sample menu on the website, does it do any early bird menus or set menus?

annies is defo not a "pub" vibe but what kind of place are you looking for? like what standard? annies is v v nice - food is wonderful..

but what kind of place would your parents be into? like meat and veg or something a bit more adventurous?

ncmc

My parents are quite into food, they wouldn't just be 'meat and two veg' types. They love seafood and I think my dad in particular would enjoy the more unusual items on the Annie's menu. The only thing I'd have been worried about was if there was a real pub atmosphere, people drinking all afternoon etc, but if its more restaurant like then I think they'd like it.

sporina

ncmc wrote: »

My parents are quite into food, they wouldn't just be 'meat and two veg' types. They love seafood and I think my dad in particular would enjoy the more unusual items on the Annie's menu. The only thing I'd have been worried about was if there was a real pub atmosphere, people drinking all afternoon etc, but if its more restaurant like then I think they'd like it.

oh annies is a must so!!!! they will love it!!

sinful to have seafood without a nice glass of wine though and they have some fab wines!! maybe you can indulge lol..

defo not a pub atm.. a beautiful old style bar - beautifully refurbished bar and restaurant..

be sure to ask for a table along a window though.. the others are not as nice..

BanzaiBk

The OH and I headed to Orso during the week, it was fantastic. We shared the roast fish which was monkfish along with the vegetable fritters, some dipping sauces and flatbreads. Every plate was absolutely delicious, every single morsel. They have a chocolate board for dessert! Need I say any more !

pwurple

leahyl wrote: »

The barn is very popular with the older clientele - good food but be careful because as far as I know they charge you for your sides like potato/veg that usually come with the meal in every other restaurant, this might have changed though cos it's over 2 years since I've been there

Was in the barn last month and they didn't charge for sides, the menus were complicated though I have to say. Early bird, plus a la carte, plus specials, plus wine list. All different booklets. We were confused! Food made up for it!

sporina

pwurple wrote: »

Was in the barn last month and they didn't charge for sides, the menus were complicated though I have to say. Early bird, plus a la carte, plus specials, plus wine list. All different booklets. We were confused! Food made up for it!

i have heard mixed reviews about this place..

mates of mine we puzzled when the waitress didn't like that they had booked a table for an odd number of people…
on the other hand i have heard that the food is food,.

gimmick

Been to The Barn plenty. The food is very nice and the service I found to be excellent. The only downside is that it is after getting very shabby. Could do with new carpeting, remove the wallpaper and repaint/re paper.

byronbay2

sporina wrote: »

i have heard mixed reviews about this place..

mates of mine we puzzled when the waitress didn't like that they had booked a table for an odd number of people…
on the other hand i have heard that the food is food,.

Phew, that's a relief!

Malari

sporina wrote: »

mates of mine we puzzled when the waitress didn't like that they had booked a table for an odd number of people

That's so strange?! Why on earth would that be an issue, unless they had brought an extra person and they wouldn't fit properly at the table?

Loire

Went to Ramen on Sunday with the kids. Nice place with a chilled out vibe. V generous portions and the ice-cream machine is deadly!

sporina

Malari wrote: »

That's so strange?! Why on earth would that be an issue, unless they had brought an extra person and they wouldn't fit properly at the table?

thats the point - they found it strange..
they had made the booking for 3 and the waitress did not seem comfortable with the odd number.. they found it funny.. but when i asked them how was the barn, this was their 1st response

Malari

sporina wrote: »

thats the point - they found it strange..
they had made the booking for 3 and the waitress did not seem comfortable with the odd number.. they found it funny.. but when i asked them how was the barn, this was their 1st response

Oh yeah, I was being rhetorical :-)

rob316

Just avoid luigi malones, I was there recently not by choice I might add and the food is still atrocious. Ranging from tasteless to disgusting.
Dessert was the only decent thing.