The best restaurantsof irish in Kilkenny

06/01/2026: A beautiful pub in Kilkenny, both inside and out – right by the Nore Bridge with views of the old town and castle – large yet cozy, as everything is spread across several rooms. The food was surprisingly good – far more than your typical pub fare, but truly hearty, home-style cooking prepared with love. I had the Clonakilty Chicken, for example (chicken roulade filled with black pudding and wrapped in bacon, served with well-seasoned mashed potatoes, fresh, delicious braised vegetables, and mustard sauce). The pub is justifiably proud of sourcing its produce locally. Of course, they also have good beer and a really nice selection of whiskeys, which, as a Scotch fan, introduced me to the Irish variety. When we were there, a duo was playing and singing Irish folk music (every evening from Sunday to Thursday), and they were really good – each of them played several instruments, so it was truly entertaining. A highlight of our trip.

29/12/2025: Good food, good music, good atmosphere.

18/12/2025: Very nice old world pub, lots of sports memorabilia on the walls and good pints

19/10/2025: If you want a fun pub with live music, this is the place to go!

13/10/2025: The best pub in Kilkenny. Spent a few hours with some locals there. The best group and lots of fun. Best Guiness to be had there. Didn't eat there. Don't know if they have food.

17/09/2025: Fantastic bar with very friendly service. Extensive whiskey collection and very helpful staff! Highly recommended

15/12/2025: This place is awful. The food is terrible, service is worse and it's expensive. We ordered the burger and vol au vent and they were horrible. The salads are bland and disgusting. The server was rude, clueles and didn't even know what lager beer was, so we drank water. Please avoid this place. It was just horrible. I made sure to tell our tour guide never to recommend this place again. In fact, don't bother going to Kilkenny at all. It's not worth it.

15/12/2025: Kyteler’s oozes with character and history!

26/11/2025: The food is amazing and very testy!!! Great service

02/11/2025: Traditional Irish cooked breakfast. Handy city centre location. Plenty of room. Seating on two floors

31/12/2025: Staff were incredibly friendly and helpful during my stay here. My room was absolutely spotless clean and overall lovely. It is a great location, 20 minute walk from the city, and close to everything else. Overall great experience, would definitely recommend to anyone and would stay again :)

30/12/2025: Fantastic food . 5 mins drive from kilkenny city centre ( well worth the drive ). Great service 👏. Could I just recommend ( to the chef ) adding a roast potato to the roast dishes? Please don't change the stir-fry, it's 💯 % amazing. At least 3 separate dining/drinking areas +outside personal boots. I'll be leaving my hotel again next time to eat here . Also background music was fab 👌 .

12/11/2025: One of the best places in Kilkenny for food. Service is excellent. Been ba k a few times now

05/11/2025: Have been here a few times,always an enjoyable experience, nice selection of food on menu,plenty of gluten free options,the staff are brilliant ,nothing was too much trouble, one of kilkennys best restaurants .

29/01/2026: Great place to have a cocktail in the evening 😆

20/01/2026: We ordered the battered catch of the day and cottage pie. Everything was delicious!

09/01/2026: Lovely bar, friendly staff and a great outdoor area.

17/11/2025: A great place for a pint near the train station. The staff was very kind and open, so that's a plus, and the price was totally fine.

22/12/2025: Delicious food in a very welcoming pub!

21/09/2025: Had a nice pint of Smithwicks and the missus had a wine.

18/12/2025: Great big pub with plenty of TV’s for watching live sport and a good stage for live music

09/10/2025: Delicious food Excellent service

31/12/2025: Nice hotel Great location Lovely food The only real let down is the shower curtain. The thing was like a jellyfish, it kept coming in on me & clinging to me. Shower screen would be 💯 % better.

26/12/2025: Fairly spacious rooms. Not too fancy, clean and comfortable, with a pub and restaurant. A great atmosphere guaranteed! Pleasant and generous breakfast. Free parking.

11/11/2025: Only there for evening meals and drinks. Some nice cozy corners. Very friendly and engaging staff - very welcoming. Kind of slow mid-week so it felt spacious and quiet.

08/11/2025: Spacious, clean and comfortable room

11/01/2026: We had a two night stay at The Rafters Gastropub, we had a family room for 2 adults and our 3 teenage sons. The room was clean. warm, the beds were comfy and the amenities were everything we needed. We had a fabulous full Irish breakfast each morning, 5 stars!! The location is excellent, right in the centre of the city. Gerry and the staff were amazing, they couldn’t do enough for us. The bar is lovely with live music on the Saturday night which we really enjoyed. We will be back!!! Thank you Gerry and staff. Majella and Noel

11/01/2026: Rafters is in prime location In the heart of kilkenny staff very friendly and welcoming gerry the owner couldn't do enough to help u rooms very nice breakfast is very very tasty best value for money stay in kilkenny in my opinion