The best restaurants in Laois

08/01/2025: Be warned Sunday breakfast is so popular and the place gets very crowded, reservations are advised. We travelled overnight on a ferry from Pembroke to Rosslare during the Christmas period of 2024. Hollyhead Port experienced damage due to storm Daragh, so the Hollyhead to Dublin route, which is nearer to our home, wasn't available for us. We were exhausted driving en route from Rosslare to our home in the West when we searched Google maps for somewhere to eat breakfast. Google maps brought us to Treacy's. The premises looked cute, and its carpark was full for Sunday morning breakfast. As we entered, the place was crowded. We were asked if we made a reservation. We hadn't. We explained that we had travelled a long journey and only discovered Treacy's after doing a Google map search. We were accommodated, however, and stood in line behind others waiting for a table. Eventually, our party of 3 was led to a small table, which made us feel very squashed. We asked to move to one of the larger empty tables but were told they were all reserved. That was fair enough. However, when other unreserved larger tables became free before our food arrived, we were so tired from the long journey that we didn't ask to move again. We simply stayed squashed on one table. There was no offer to move us either, despite those larger tables remaining empty. Thankfully, the breakfast was delicious and we didn't wait too long for the food to arrive. My small pot of coffee was cold, but when I asked for another, the replacement was larger, hot, and heavenly! The atmosphere was rushed. Staff were extremely busy with getting food to tables, and people seemed to eat quickly and go quickly, only to be replaced by even more diners. We did not find the place comfortable at all. The staff and manager acted like they were working on an assembly line getting through the food service and diners as quickly as possible for maximum profit. Food, however, was of excellent quality and was delicious. Once we were fed, we quickly paid and felt obliged to leave quickly like those before us. We were still tired from travelling, but at least we were fed a good meal. Treacy's was not a place to rest after eating for us. We did that in another quiter eatery we stopped at for lunch before continuing with our journey home to the West of Ireland.

02/01/2025: Just popped in and had 2 toasted sambos and coleslaw and chips. Wow delicious food , lovely fresh ham and everything so so tasty. Definitely stop here. Homely feel too and staff so friendly.

13/12/2024: The best cappuccino and sausage roll in the world..it is very yammy yammy 😊

04/12/2024: Pastries are beautiful, it is pricey but the pastries are totally worth it. We ordered a latte and a hot chocolate but they weren't drinkable as they were way too strong. But pastries are amazing 😍

23/12/2024: Super breakfast highly recommend. Great dinner options roast beef very good

20/12/2024: Excellent food. The dinner was fabulous. Staff was accomodating. The selection of food was immense. The place inside hadn't been renovated in a while, but we came over in Christmas season and the decorations made it cosy. Age friendly parking. Plenty of parking spaces. Free parking.

18/12/2024: Had lunch here a couple weeks ago , very busy but worth the wait ! We had lunch , everything was lovely and fresh ,we had our baby with us and staff were so accommodating and service was super considering how busy they were especially Aideen who went above to really accommodate us despite being under pressure ! Best place for lunch in portlaoise for sure !

08/12/2024: Gorgeous cafe, the girls that served me were so friendly and helpful. I had a delicious Vienna bread sandwich and latte that were delicious. Lovely Christmas tree too 🤗

28/11/2024: Easily THE best café in Portlaoise for food quality, the coffee, the atmosphere and the best of all that this super spot has going for is it, the outstanding staff led by the gent of an ower Tom. Couldn't recommend this place more.

21/11/2024: Love this cafe being coming here for well over a year ,food is exceptional and served with the polite and professional staff this makes it a beautiful experience.

01/12/2024: Super place food and staff top class

03/11/2024: 40th birthday dinner for 15. Food was excellent, staff friendly and efficient. Great value for money. Definitely recommend. We'll be back 😀

14/01/2025: First visit and it won't be the last, high recommend.

05/01/2025: Got the bovine burger and brisket fries. Both were great tasting and great size too. Definitely worth the money. You probably won't have room for dessert after you finish.

01/12/2024: Came here from Kilkenny and oh men let me say the atmosphere to service to food was unbelievable. Very well mannered people. Will be back next time. Thank you for the service

30/11/2024: I visited this restaurant today (30/11/2024). Very neat and clean restaurant with a good ambience. The food was also very delicious. The most satisfying part was the service and hospitality of the staff. Thank you Ruchi.

21/12/2024: I have to preface this as someone who travels to Japan very often that I would never expect the same levels of food here as I would in an establishment in Tokyo. The ramen here isn't the best, but the other dishes are an absolute delight. The gyoza is some of the best I've ever had in Ireland and the Ebi Tempura was absolutely to die for. The Sushi was as expected from an Irish-Japanese; a bit overpriced but still quite tasty. It's a great restaurant and worth visiting, if you stay away from the Ramen. The staff are very friendly and the service was excellent in a very cosy, relaxing atmosphere too.

30/11/2024: Great stuff, unbelievably tasty food, beautiful place and a lot of consideration to one's dietary requirements 💯

30/12/2024: Everytime I go in i either get the meatballs and pasta or bolognese and pasta. The food is always great, portion sizes leave you full but not where you want to sleep and the staff are amazing. Would highly recommend if you love italian.

30/12/2024: Really tasty food, one of the best experience I ever had, nice music, good atmosphere. Thank you!

09/01/2025: Wonderful! It's worth going for the atmosphere, mainly.

08/01/2025: Food was nice and staff were pleasant would call again

22/12/2024: The Santa's grotto at Solas exceeded our expectations. It is the first year for our 2 year old son really being excited about Santa and today was a magical memory for our family. We started off with perfectly brewed coffee at the cafe and then were met by a jolly and joyful elf who guided us in to meet Santa's animals. We then went through an amazing sensory tunnel of lights which my little boy really enjoyed, made magical reindeer food and decorated a cookie with Mrs Clause. There was also colouring and other craft activities for little ones to get involved in. Santa was a pleasure to meet. My son's jaw dropped, he was in awe. His gift was also a lovely book - great to get something educational that will last rather than a cheap plastic gimmick. Every elf we met along the way was so kind, they were enthusiastic, offering to take photos for us and it was clear that so much attention to detail had gone into this experience to make it magical by such a wonderful team. My little boy was too little to ride the free fair rides (included with Santa) this year, but they are an added bonus and he was quite happy to watch bigger kids go round and round! We will absolutely be back for many years to come. Good value for money compared to other Santa experiences out there. Handy parking. Ample comfortable seating in the cafe. Wasn't overbooked or feel crowded and we were never left waiting longer than 2 minutes for any of the activities. Was buggy friendly. If you're looking for a magical family day out at Christmas, look no further.

16/12/2024: The Santa’s Grotto experience at Solas is magical. As a local of the town I’ve seen the work that has gone into it and it really has paid off! A really enjoyable experience, well done to all involved ✨🎄

26/12/2024: Fantastic shop / staff with super selection of wines including O Dwyer's, delicious Irish cheeses & organic oats, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cards, etc etc

07/12/2024: Super coffee and great selection of excellent wines and hampers reasonably priced. Staff very helpful. Will be back!

29/11/2024: Fantastic place, I couldn't recommend it highly enough. Robert👌🙌👍😎

26/11/2024: Always great wholesome food. Small or large plate choice. Lovely staff but our timing was bad. Spent more time waiting for toasted sandwich than we had to eat. Wouldn't stop me returning tho!

21/11/2024: Beautiful little pub with alot of history and a beautiful pint

12/10/2024: A real traditional Irish Pub with a great pint