The best restaurants in Kilkenny

10/08/2025: We went with three children for a snack, and it's a small but charming place. The pastries were delicious, as was the coffee. Highly recommended.

09/08/2025: Great location for breakfast !!!!

04/01/2026: Absolutely fabulous. For such a smallish Restaurant, it had everything. Plenty of room between tables, lovely atmosphere, the nicest staff,and the food was excellent. 3 friends out for dinner, and each one agreed on all. Well done. We will be back soon.

02/01/2026: Restaurant is lovely and staff are friendly but it is definitely overrated and very overpriced for what you get. Starters were nice but still way overpriced. €56 euro for two main dinners which we ordered the chicken supreme. It was a tiny piece of chicken on a spoon of mashed carrot and parsnip, and a few mini potatoes. I couldn't believe it was served as a main dish and at such a high price. Very disappointed. Would not return, and would not recommend.

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.

16/10/2025: Such a lovely cafe and good customer experiences ! Would highly recommend to come and visit this cafe ! We love literally everything ! ❤️

14/10/2025: I enjoyed the bowl. Lots of vegetables, very colorful and good flavor. I felt very welcome.

02/01/2026: A good friend and local recommended here so we decided to treat ourselves on the last day of 2025. My husband and I shared the garlic prawn plate with homemade bread at €15 which whilst delicious was small in volume. I ordered the fish of the day (cod at €24) and my husband had the battered fish and chips with mushy peas and tartar sauce at €19.50. Fish was fresh and tasty. Our children had a choice of sausage and chips or battered fish and chips and ordered one of each at €10 each. The only thing I would change would be to add some vegetable to the kid's meal to make it more balanced, healthy and filling. For drinks, we had water for the table, glass of milk (€2), Miwadi (75 cent) and a glass of Horgelus at €9. Overall, very impressed with the quality here. Recommended if in Kilkenny.

06/12/2025: We had a small Irish breakfast and it was very good! Everything was hot and fresh! Staff was very accommodating! Would highly reccommend! Sorry I forgot to take pictures.

06/01/2026: I visited Lenehans Public House over the Christmas period. It’s conveniently located near McDonagh Junction. Service was prompt, staff were friendly, and the facilities were clean and well maintained. The only drawback was seating for our party of four, as we didn’t have a reservation and the venue was very busy, so we only stayed for one drink before moving on. That said, it’s understandable given the time of year.

31/12/2025: Such a lovely welcoming pub and has great food. We went with 2 kids and everyone loved what they got. Great portions and great value for money. Don't hesitate to call in here. We will definitely be back 😁

23/01/2026: Brian is awesome at this teeny tiny pub! We were only able to stay for one drink (tired mother-in-law), but we wish we could have stayed for hours! Thanks for the brief bit of music and camaraderie!

07/01/2026: We decided to go by Hole in the Wall because of its history and the reviews were good — we stayed for 6 hours and left saying it was the best night of our life. The bar is small (only about 9 chairs) and forces you to make friends quick. We met people from all over, told stories, sang songs, and played lots of instruments. Michael, the owner of the bar, is incredible and Brian is very kind and a talented musician. Loads of laughs, great people, lots of Guinness (the only tap). Show up with an open heart and you’ll have a wonderful time.

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!

11/01/2026: Yes! Butcher served up the dream steak for me last night,🔥 an explosion of flavour and texture with the beautifully cooked Rib-eye Special, salad and chips as the sides🍿🥗. Loved the hints of caramel sweetness in their glorious pepper sauce...! Their expertise in creating this gluten-free find for me, makes Butcher a steakhouse par excellence. You'll search far to find our incomparable Irish beef bettered than here 🇮🇪

01/01/2026: Spacious and welcoming. High-end cuisine and quality cuts of meat. The prices are high but fair.

18/01/2026: Food overrated Chips waste of time. Chicken poor Way too expensive

11/01/2026: Great atmosphere and music Great service, kind waiters

22/09/2025: Friendly and authentic gem. Fresh, delicious sandwiches with highest quality ingredients, made to order, with care. Very good value! We had a lovely outdoor picnic on this beautiful sunny day and enjoyed every bite.

01/09/2025: If you’re looking for authentic Sicilian flavors, this place is a gem! The sandwiches are amazing with fresh bread, quality ingredients and great combinations. The Italian owners from Sicily are very friendly. Highly recommended!

08/11/2025: Delicious lunch in Zuni's. We had the belly pork and the cod. Great service, excellent food and a lovely restaurant.

31/10/2025: Very nice food with friendly service 🙂

03/01/2026: A good friend and local recommended here so when my husband and I got the offer of a babysitter for the afternoon off we scarpered. First timers here and we found staff attentive and helpful as we were guided through the menu on request. The decor is beautiful and the mood is relaxed. We ordered water for the table, a non alcoholic beer at €5 and glass of Tempranillo for €7.50. For starters, we chose the crab and fish cakes with a mild percik sauce at €9.95 and the very decently portioned sticky pork ribs at €9.50. We gifted each other tastes of each other's dishes and were suitably impressed with the moreish flavours. For mains, I followed our waiter's recommendation of Nasi Goreng which is an Aroi signature dish at €22.50 and as melt in the mouth as my husband's Lamb Massaman (€21.75) was: spoonfuls of which brought me back to restaurants in Chiang Mai and Phnom Penh; I was happy with my choice and wasn't consumed with pure envy! Totally recommended for fragrant flavours, very decent portions at reasonable prices, beautiful atmosphere and helpful staff. I will have to plot my return visit when next in Kilkenny. Keep doing what you are doing🥂. Tip 1: Mon-Fri: lunch served 12-5 any main course + homemade gelato for €14. Tip 2: Sticky Ribs and Nasi Goreng highly recommended.

01/01/2026: We had booked the wrong day in our own error but they were very kind and offered us a table despite being very busy. We were very appreciative. The food was delicious as always, and the service was very helpful and good. Thank you.

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: Kyteler’s oozes with character and history!

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.