The best restaurants in Kilkenny

01/01/2025: Atmosphere and welcome couldn’t be better! Loved the live music and friendly atmosphere. Definitely worth the visit!

07/12/2024: Malzards don't do food, but Fred the landlord is the perfect host... Pub of 2024 is well deserved..

25/01/2025: Giving my review after just one visit, so maybe slightly premature, but plan to return soon. Visited with my uncle & cousin for my first time on a Thursday night, and, as a local, I was delighted to see the place was hopping busy!! The Restaurant Manager on the night, Lorraine, was outstanding, & struck such a great balance between being genuinely friendly & providing intuitively-attentive service at appropriate times, rather than being intrusive! Personally we found one male member of staff a little overbearing & disruptive during our obviously personal deep chats, given the night that was in it for us, but it feels unfair to complain about that when it was definately well-intentioned, & maybe just lacked a little awareness! The food was thoroughly enjoyable however; we went tapas style & shared throughout, but personally, in hindsight, I think I would have preferred just our Starters to share, followed by a single Main course each, and then shared deserts...but that's very much a personal preference as a female among two hungry males, and, such is the set-up in Tabú, the choice is very much your own as to how to structure your meal!! Thoroughly enjoyed the night, & very much looking forward to a return to Tabú over the next week or two! We are lucky to have such a great Award-Winning restaurant in Thomastown, and althou always room for another, perhaps with a slightly different emphasis, maybe that's just me being greedy & liking to have a choice!! Thank you Tabú...long may you last in our lovely town ❤️

31/12/2024: Very interesting food options, most of which work well. From what we had the highlight was the meatballs, others were OK like the tacos, but a bit too much lettuce used to bulk them out. Had a croissant dessert with a creme and berry filling which was a delight.

18/02/2025: Great ambience, very relaxed but attentive staff too. Lovely food, my sole was perfectly cooked and totally delicious, as was my wife's duck. We had a great time and will definitely be back next time we're in Kilkenny.

13/02/2025: Gave this place a try after a long absence. I have mixed feelings about it. A busy place, it takes "sittings", so if you wish for a relaxed evening....well!!! One does check the watch..silly self pressure I did find the food good and tasty, but there was a sameness about the menu from previous memories. Service is top class and very old style efficient. You can have a good night out...if you go for the late sitting.

23/12/2024: This is an excellent restaurant which is due to the great service with quality of food served to the customer.

21/12/2024: Very nice restaurant in the middle of Kilkenny. The staff is very kind and food is amazing. The soup is brilliant and the wraps are very good. I highly recommend

03/01/2025: 16.50 for 3 scones and 2 coffees. Coffee was awful (taste burnt and gone off) and felt I couldn't pass the front door as I was getting take away.

30/12/2024: The place is small and pack full in lunch hours . But the food was really great. I really like the friendly staffs. I never had such tasty pancakes ever. Really appreciate the staffs and their service.

14/11/2024: A small cosy place in a small street hiding the most scrumptious treats and surprises..the lady serving is very hospitable and polite..loads of variety in pastries and coffee options..the best cafe in town i would say..a must-go

12/11/2024: Hazelnut latte w Blue cheese and roast beef sandwich - very good experience

04/01/2025: Great place for family get together

16/12/2024: Nice spot, been a couple of times now. Only loss of the star is on each visit, a steak was ordered by a different person in our party. Each time it was cooked longer than asked for, we didn't raise this with the staff so won't fault them for it.

19/01/2025: Trad night on monday . Great for lunch.

16/01/2025: Perfect hide away from reality. Great food and service. Stay for the music.

04/02/2025: Fantastic hotel. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Rooms were immaculate. Breakfast and dinner excellent. Would certainly stay here again.

23/01/2025: Exceptional food and flavours, and staff are always on their game.

01/02/2025: Food never fails here, always a good experience and staff are always so helpful and friendly

26/01/2025: Excellent restaurant, first time visit by recommendation and it didn't disappoint us. Large portions, fresh made dishes. We were really amazed! Beer prices are little bit high. Next time we will try something else. For every recommendation!

19/10/2024: D'un point de vue français la façade ferait presque fuir (comme souvent en Irlande) mais il faut pousser la porte, c'est juste parfait à tous points de vue, ambiance, cuisine, rien à redire. J'ai fait beaucoup de pubs / restaurants en Irlande, celui-ci fait partie de mes préférés.

14/08/2024: The food was VERY GOOD, the place is welcoming and the staff super friendly!

18/02/2025: The food was very good. The service was polite and prompt. We enjoyed the ribs and beef stew. Both were filling. We were disappointed that there was no live music but it was a very quiet Monday night.

04/02/2025: Great pub for lunch, dinner or drinks! Their Ginness Stew was the best we had in Ireland.

20/01/2025: We stumbled upon this cozy and friendly bar our first night in Ireland. We are American and were looking for a place to watch the American Football game. This bar had it on the TV towards the back. Although I can't speak to the food we did have some wonderful drinks and entertainment. We ordered a smith, a Guiness and plenty of Jameson gingers. All the drinks were great, but what made the experience was the live entertainment and the patrons of this bar. The patrons seemed to consist of many regulars or friends of the regulars. We met Charlie the bartender who was so kind to everyone including us. He took the time to talk to me about our trip and showed sympathy about the current political climate in the US. We also met other travelers and now have new friends. I recommend this bar if you are passing through Kilkenny and I hope to go back one day.

21/12/2024: This little bar is so full of life. There was live music when I visited and people singing along to songs they knew. Loved the atmosphere. I don’t think they have food though.

06/02/2025: I like a decent pint of Guinness and heard this was good while we were in kilkenny for the weekend. Well it's probably the best Guinness I've drank in all of Ireland. Consistently the best Guinness one after another. The barman kept pouring creamers and we kept drinking them lol. The food is also absolutely lovely its a must try while here. Anytime I know anyone is heading to kilkenny I send them here for the Guinness. Keep it up guys

03/02/2025: Amazing service and gorgeous food. The staff are very pleasant. Cosy spot with a lovely beer garden

14/02/2025: Top class service and delicious coffee.

12/02/2025: We stopped in Louie's Café for coffee during a brief visit to Kilkenny. The café is nicely furnished and the staff are friendly. We were served by a Croatian gentleman who was polite and welcoming. The coffee and scones were both delicious. The other two staff members, from Moldova and Spain were very friendly and all the staff were very well presented. They gave the impression of a well run premises. The toilets were spotless. The pricing was fair, and reasonable given the quality of the café. We would happily visit again, if we are in Kilkenny in the future.