The best restaurants in Laois

12/08/2026: Really fast service, and staff are very friendly, lots of fillings to choose from and you can get hot or cold drinks. Really clean inside and very efficient. You don't have to wait long even if there is a crowd And there are plenty of places to sit outside to enjoy your sandwich.

24/07/2026: Excellent service at the best price

27/07/2026: Ordered a Birthday Cake from Primrose Cafe. It was perfect, exactly what we ordered and tasted delicious.

20/07/2026: Hidden away in Killeshin, the Primrose Cafe was a great find - had a lovely salad with beautiful brown bread and finished with a superb espresso.

28/07/2026: Only eaten here the once but it was unreal 🔥 They should definitely doore leaflet drops etc around the town! It's a hidden gem...

31/03/2026: Very good food made from heart effort into it

11/08/2026: Great location. Great spot. Yes. Definitely worth a try

11/08/2026: Food is yummy lots of chice, spotless facilities

22/08/2026: Came in with a friend got a last-minute table, but the food was exceptional and so was the service.

21/08/2026: Food: Prosciutto honey Gorgonzola on bread was good but it needed more honey. Creamy prawn pasta was lovely. Nduja pizza was also very nice but it was definitely undercooked, very little browning on the crust. The sticky toffee pudding was very good. The tiramisu was the biggest disappointment. It was not at all cold, very liquidy, and the lady fingers were not soaked all the way through. It was as if it had been made and refrigerated when we were still on our starters. Quite disappointing. Service: Everything came out in good time and our orders were promptly taken but the waitress was quite cold. We did not get a very warm welcome and they forgot our dip. Also, when we asked to pay we didn’t receive a bill to check over, we were just presented with the card machine. We also were not greeted when we came nor did we receive a goodbye, I think this is very basic stuff that a server should do. Atmosphere: It was decent but nothing special. Nice flowers and heater and blankets which was good as we sat outside. Overall it wasn’t their finest day. I’ve been here before and it’s been better than this. I will come back again but I will definitely be hoping for better service and better attention paid to the quality of the experience.

04/08/2026: Visited yesterday evening for a dinner while passing through. Very friendly staff working well when busy, unfortunately food was not up to scratch. Had turkey and ham , was very bland. Veg was very soft and bland too almost like a bag of frozen mixed veg...Everybody likes their food to be hot but the food was ridiculously hot must have been blasted in an oven ,plate would scald you. Got a baby bowl for my daughter and she could not even begin to eat it for good 10 mins or it would have burnt the mouth off her. Ordered goujons & chips from kids menu for my son and asked for couple of extra goujons if possible instead of chips for him, hes autistic and will only eat the chicken. After a long wait, 5 to 6 of the smallest over-cooked goujons came out for him , and I was charged 13e for them which I taught was a bit expensive. As I said staff friendly, relaxing atmosphere cant fault them but we were disappointed with the quality of the food especially for the price point.

24/07/2026: Very friendly and efficient service

13/07/2026: Their braised beef hash is wonderful would highly recommend and their pastries/cakes always hit the spot.

03/06/2026: I was passing through Portlaoise at the weekend and wanted a quick bite to eat. I stopped at the Parkside Shopping Centre due to handy parking outside and went into Kelly Lou's. I chose a sausage roll and coleslaw and while it's something I like I seldom order it as they can be a bit hit and miss. However, on this occasion it was full of sausage meat with lovely flaky pastry and absolutely delicious. Just what a good sausage roll should be. It came with coleslaw, some salad and crisps and I enjoyed it immensely. I then had a lovely lemon cupcake and an equally lovely latte (in a tall glass the way a latte should be served but seldom are). All in all a delicious lunch and based on my experience I would definitely go there again if I was in Portlaoise.

27/07/2026: We had a fantastic meal at the hotel restaurant. The food was absolutely 100%—fresh, delicious, and cooked perfectly. Every dish was full of flavour and exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to our server, Jasmine, who was so friendly, welcoming, and attentive throughout our meal. She made us feel well looked after and really added to the overall experience. We would definitely recommend this restaurant and will happily return the next time we’re here!

13/07/2026: Im staying at this hotel for 8 weeks due to work commitments from the UK. The hotel is fabulous, the staff are great always friendly and talkative. I would like to mention Jasmine in particular she always speaks and is very polite.

06/08/2026: Dog friendly - we were able to sit inside with our dog

30/07/2026: Really great coffee and atmosphere. Would highly recommend.

26/08/2026: Nice little place with great coffee and pastries, but why ask for tip from customer for a takeaway ? I know it is up to the customer to tap the no tip button, but it puts them in an uncomfortable spot when the cashier is waiting for payment to complete. Most people would tip out of awkwardness and wouldn't want to return because they felt so.

11/08/2026: Good coffee and a snack for a break in down town of Portlaoise. The place is nice and if the weather is good, staying outside is great to feel city's vibe.

29/07/2026: Great pub, great pint, great staff. Especially Sarah, runs the place smoothly. Highly recommend.

14/07/2026: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brilliant traditional Irish pub with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The staff are absolutely amazing—friendly, attentive, and accommodating every step of the way, making sure everyone has a great experience. The pints are always top quality, and it's a fantastic place to relax with friends or enjoy some live music. The pub has plenty of character and makes both locals and visitors feel at home. Highly recommended if you're looking for an authentic Irish pub experience!

01/09/2026: I googled nice restaurants in Carlow / Kilkenny and i go the Michelin List website, i saw Bramley's listing and said to myself, I've heard about this place, but could not recall any detals, so just booked it and it was fantastic, we had the tasting menu. the food was amazing and the staff were just great. We will definitely be back and would recommend you to visit also.

07/08/2026: Very expensive tastless no seasoning tiny portions the fish was a sliver pork not bad but the flavours weren't there

09/08/2026: Very good! Foods great and relaxed atmosphere

09/08/2026: Took 15 minutes for our order to be taken. We got chicken wings for a starter this took 20 minutes to come out. They were only alright. We ordered a burger and vol u vant for the main which took 40 minutes to come out. The burger was fine however the vol u vant was 17.50 for a main course and 10.50 for a starter. With the main course vol u vant I got one vol u vant. I would assume two as it is a main course and I assume the starter also only comes with one vol u vant so essentially I paid €7 for a small thing of chips. Food was bland. The cherry on top was the €4 charge for two glasses of miwadi. This alone will make me not return. It is beyond cheeky when you’re spending enough for bland over priced food. I said it to the girl when we were paying with and she said “oh the payments already gone through”. As if she couldn’t have refunded it. Will not return!

22/08/2026: Amazing coffee and the breakfast sandwich was incredible. We almost didn’t go for a bad review on the coffee, and this was one of the best coffees I’ve had ever. Cortado on oat milk was incredible!

16/08/2026: A 10/10 coffee. Stopped here on a drive to dublin. I had a decaf cortado. I often regret paying for decaf coffees out and about because they can taste like warm milk. If I had this coffee every day, I'd never need a caffeinated coffee again. I had to check it actually was decaf. So delicious. Also had a breakfast melt which was v tasty.

29/07/2026: Fantastic new music venue & beer garden newly opened. R

26/07/2026: Always a great spot. Food mid week A fab beer garden and the music is brilliant