The best restaurants in Carlow

07/09/2026: Always a great experience here, atmosphere, food and staff

29/08/2026: Excellent food, reasonably priced. Possibly the best restaurant in the midlands

11/09/2026: Enjoy our trip to Mullichain Cafe food delicious friendly service 😋

06/09/2026: Sunny August day, cycle along the barrow and lunch in st Mullins 😊

11/10/2026: There's a reason people queue to get something from here! The food is delicious and the staff so friendly. It's worth the wait!

06/10/2026: Every time I visit Carlow, I need to grab a good coffee first! There are three specialty coffee shops in Carlow, but on Sundays, Waterlilies is the one to go to. And judging by how busy it gets, I’m definitely not the only one who thinks so. 😄 It can actually be quite challenging to find a free seat here on a Sunday — the place is extremely popular, especially around lunchtime. They serve excellent specialty coffee, using beans roasted by FarmHand, a small Dublin-based roastery. I’m not sure which beans they use for the daily espresso, but you can also buy bags of freshly roasted beans, including some excellent coffees from Ethiopia and Brazil. Waterlilies is also, as far as I know, the only proper sourdough bakery in Carlow. They have freshly baked sourdough bread available daily, as well as pastries and other treats. And then there’s the cheesecake. 😍 I’m not sure if it’s available every day, but if you spot it on the counter, definitely give it a try. Finding genuinely good cheesecake in Ireland can be surprisingly challenging, but they absolutely nailed it here, creamy, rich and perfectly balanced. A great little spot for specialty coffee, proper sourdough and, if you’re lucky, an excellent slice of cheesecake. Definitely worth a stop when you’re in Carlow.

24/09/2026: We arrived with a booking and got table straight away with no wait. Mind you it was early enough 6pm on Saturday. Place is small but cosy. Lovely decor with Fiat 500 etc, however atmosphere was lacking. I ordered glass of prosecco and got wine in champagne glass instead so asked to change that. All good. Food is really good though. Lasagna tasted amazing and flavoursome. Pizza is made in woodfire oven and yoi can see and taste the difference. We ordered garlic bread too and please be careful when ordering it. It was great no complaints but it was full 12 inch size you basically get second pizza. Impossible to eat and the staff doesn't warn you. Maybe they expect us to know it. So we got half pizza and half garlic bread take away. No biggie just be aware of it. We have made another booking again and will be more aware now.

17/09/2026: very bad experience , the staff dont know how to speak and the are so rude and unprofessional.

05/09/2026: Spotless, very friendly service. Food piping hot, 10/10 Whoever is running this store is doing a bang up job.

26/08/2026: Called here after the community games in Carlow it was busy but there was no problem getting a seat, staff were very friendly

11/09/2026: Outstanding food. One of the best meals we have ever eaten. Service equally professional and friendly to match the place.

30/08/2026: My partner and I have dined here several times over the years and Sha-Roe never fails to impress. The food, service, and setting are all fabulous. We look forward to our next visit there and hopefully many more to come.

07/09/2026: Really great pub and eatery. Very warm welcome on entering The Tara from all members of staff. Very impressed by the decor too. Food was fantastic, I had chicken wings and a beef and Guinness pie. Portions were huge. Id recommend this place for either food and drinks.

29/08/2026: Food is back to being delicious. Great atmosphere. Staff are lovely. Our local even though we are from the next town over.

22/06/2026: Didnt stay here but the food here is excellent. Quick, friendly and efficient service too. The place is beautifully decorated and very comfortable.

29/05/2026: The staff are wonderful in every respect. The breakfast is really good, as is the dinner in the restaurant. The room was large with a charming, old-world feel.

01/10/2026: Very cool place with a lot of interesting things! Some of them weren't workinh however but still I'd go back.

10/09/2026: Very nice place to visiti. Run by local volunteers and well attended. Cafe inside too for a quick bite to eat and tea or coffee. I took my mum there to have a walk around and it was all very accessible. Recommended.

19/07/2026: Garden centre is fabulous, food is so good you will want more, staff are always very pleasant and helpful

15/07/2026: As a family we love a ramble around, it's a lovely afternoon visit for all the family. We all love to pick out flowers and accessories for our garden, then pop in for a coffee and bun while the kids have a run round in the playground and maze. We love checking out all the newest garden furniture and ornaments in the store itself, and the kids love picking out new books. So much in this establishment.

20/07/2026: Lamberts coffee house is rhe place to go if you want to experience beautiful coffee i would highly recoommed anyone to pop in when passing

15/05/2026: One of my favourite places to get coffee. Old world trendy and hip vibe.

05/09/2026: Lovely old world type pub. Well worth a visit.

18/08/2026: Brought my kids here not that long ago. servers were perfectly nice however seemed very understaffed. my food took a very long time and was cold by the time it got to our table. no fault of the girl working as she had many tables and seemed to be doing it alone. the food was still perfectly fine and we ate and thoroughly enjoyed.i also noticed that some of the higher ups seemed to be speaking quite shortly to the staff, which i find unacceptable. if you see this, please consider hiring more people or having more help in the dining room!

05/09/2026: The service was absolutely amazing and epic. Friendly, fast, efficient... cannot complain one bit about the staff. My issue was with the food. I ordered wings as a main and the wings were overly dry and lacking in any flavour. The rest of the party ordered the beef lasagna and that was utterly brilliant. It was voiced garlic bread with cheese would have been a better side than the chips. We requested chips as the side to each meal. Chips were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside lovely!

05/09/2026: The teach is famous in Carlow for consistently providing good service and meals with knowledgeable staff and skilled chefs. But the introduction of the specials board has shaken things up with new choices and delicious food. I had the ribeye steak with sauté mushrooms and onions, French fried onion in tempura batter, cherry tomatoes and a delicious Guinness and tarragon butter. The steak was mouth watering tender cooked perfectly and every month full was a joy. Thanks Teach we will be back.

21/05/2026: Lovely atmosphere and visually nice. A few sups of the black stuff which tastes mighty there