La Pause Dessert in Athenry

16/05/2026: We visited this tiny village by accident and instantly fell in love with the people and quaint town. I saw the Chinese restaurant and we decided to take a chance. Boy, Howdy!! It was fantastic. The restaurant is very clean and elegant. We were next to a cozy heater and we're attended to right away by friendly servers. We started with these airy crispy delicious light savory chip things that appear like pillowy clouds but have a light texture. I didn't detect the prawn flavor so had to stop where my husband reminded me of my shellfish allergy but I almost risked it anyway because they were so perfect. The crispy won tons are so pretty. They look like a button of filling with a pretty twist of flaky dough tied up like a scarf and quickly fried to a perfect golden brown. They are like a little present for your mouth and the rice filling was sweet and a perfect soft and chewy texture . The duck sauce is a lovely compliment for dipping. I had to force myself to stop so I'd have room for the entree. My husband said he loved the hot and sour soup. He asked to bring the leftovers back with us so that's a high endorsement. I ordered an Irish beef and green pepper in black bean sauce and some noodles . They arrived in short order and were presented like a sizzling fajita in a steaming platter on a wood base. The smell had me giggling with anticipation. The stir fried noodles were delicate and cooked to a perfect texture. They weren't gooey with sauce but lightly tossed so the flavors and seasonings coated but didn't smother the string sized noodles. My husband got the Thai prawns and curry. A platter arrived with my entree and nested beside on a heating gadget. We dug in deep. I knew from the appetizers that the food was going to be top notch. I wasn't wrong. The beef was tender and cooked to perfection. The sauce had a great kick but was eased by the richness of the black beans and peppercorns. But it was the green peppers and onions that impressed me. They weren't overcooked but sliced easily and I swam a bite in the sauce and bit into the most well cooked green pepper. It still had a fresh from the garden crispness but hot and juicy going down. We were already in love with the village and such open and kind people that we would have happily eaten pub food, again. But what a treat this restaurant is. If you're lucky enough to be in Ireland, especially within a 100 km of Galway then do your mouth a favor and get dinner here. They also do take away but the service is so good you deserve to treat yourself and some loved ones to a sit down service. If there were ten stars I'd pick 11.

27/12/2025: Excellent restaurant 👌. Great food and excellent staff. Would recommend. Will definitely call again 👍service is spot on. Very busy restaurant and extremely busy takeaway.