Location: Kilkenny
Top Restaurants in Kilkenny
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Top 10 restaurants in Kilkenny, Ireland
Kilkenny is over 400 years old, but it sure doesn’t show its age. Yes, it's an awe-inspiring throng of medieval cathedrals, castles, abbeys and other massive stone buildings, but Kilkenny loves to party. An endless stream of arts festivals celebrating theater, comedy, bluegrass and dance is constantly pumping the city with new life, toe-tapping energy and international flavor.
Things to do in Kilkenny
1. Zuni
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By BanzaiClepton - Dublin
Just off the Main Street in Kilkenny. With a two course early bird for less than €25 you can get high quality food for a decent price. I had Chick pea and smokey bacon soup (excellent) followed by Sirloin which was cooked to perfection. You get a 10% voucher for drinks in the bar afterwards which is a nice touch as we treated ourselves to cocktails for dessert. A must visit for food lovers.
2. Ristorante Rinuccini
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Award winning Ristorante Rinuccini is a fine-dining Italian restaurant owned and run by the Cavaliere family in the heart of Kilkenny. Established in 1989, Rinuccini is the city's longest established restaurant, Rinuccini is renowned for its cuisine, service, decor and extensive wine list catering for lunch, dinner, group bookings and private dining. Celebrating 27 years in business, Rinuccini are long-time supporters of the South-East's artisan producers whilst their Italian ingredients are imported directly from their home surroundings of Lazio, Italy. Ristorante Rinuccini are recent winners of the Irish Restaurant Association of Ireland's 'Best Customer Service' in Ireland 2015 and 'Best Wine Experience' in Leinster 2016.
Reviewed By DGFarrell
A very enjoyable dinner off the early evening menu selection; a value packed option. We had the venison with risotto and the fish of the day (hake). Our starter was the cheese stuffed rolled zucchini. All choices were excellent and well presented. We chose the carafe of house wine, a Montepulciano, which turned out to be a great selection and well priced. Our dessert choice, ice cream was rich and tasty, although I might be tempted to try something else if I returned. Service was impeccable and professional. The restaurant is rightly known and recognized as one of the best in Kilkenny. It was particularly busy on our Saturday night visit and Reservations are recommended.
3. Langton's
Overall Ratings
4 based on 816 reviews
Our extensive Bar and A la Carte menus are available both in our Restaurant and Bar. Food is served all day until 10:30pm. Langton's Bar is a buzzing environment where you can enjoy authentic traditional Irish food in relaxed, comfortable and stylish surroundings. Winner and current holder of the 'National Bar of the Year' (Best Bar in Ireland) award a record 5 times! Live Irish Music from 7 to 9pm. Sample some of our 7 local beers on tap, the most available anywhere in Kilkenny. The Langton Room Restaurant The award-winning Langton Room is a unique dining experience. This elegant restaurant exudes warmth, friendliness, sophistication, charm and character. Explore our exquisite yet simple menus, created using the finest locally-sourced ingredients, offering the perfect mix of traditional Irish and international cuisine.
Reviewed By Irish_Traveller085 - Ireland
If you're a tourist travelling to Kilkenny, looking for an authentic "Irish" experience, Langton's is definitely NOT the place for you. The decor is contemporary, and no different to bars you find across the globe, and the atmosphere is much the same. In a nutshell, this is a big bar that comes across as being more focused on volume of traffic, than on creating an "experience".
However, if you are just looking for excellent food, and at a really good value prices, then this is the place for you. The menu is fairly standard pub fayre, though leaning towards the higher end of the scale. Each of us had a different dish, and each one of them was high end restaurant quality. The presentation, the portion size, the quality, the taste, all of it perfect. As pub grub goes, this is as good as I have had anywhere!
On the downside... if first impressions were anything to go on, I never would have even sat down. Upon entering the bar, I met two different staff members serving tables, but of which had a sour look on their faces. Despite it being obvious that we had just entered (we were wearing our jackets, close to the door, and obviously looking for a table), neither of them made a gesture of welcome, despite both catching my and others in the group's eyes. They just stared for a second, and walked on without any sort of acknowledgement. Incredibly unprofessional, and as with all bars with a similar issue, probably down to poor training from management. However, we we did get seated, the service did improve a lot.
4. Anocht
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 385 reviews
Enjoy a unique space for fine dining each Thursday, Friday, Saturday and bank holiday Sunday overlooking Kilkenny Castle. Anocht offers award-winning food inspired by a wealth of local artisan producers, full bar license and first class friendly service.
5. Campagne
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 717 reviews
Reviewed By Majella21 - County Waterford, Ireland
We had a wonderful three course Sunday lunch here yesterday. The food was really delicious. Beautiful fresh and seasonal ingredients, prepared and cooked beautifully to give unusual combinations. My Warm Spinach Mousse starter was delicious and served with a leek sauce that was packed with flavour. And my other half’s Duck Liver Parfait with Fig Chutney and Spice and Walnut toast was also delicious. Mains of Venison Royale and Roast Pollock with seasonal vegetables were full of flavour and interesting textures. Finishers of Baba au Rhum and Chocolate Mousse left us very happy with our experience. There is a very extensive wine list and we were delighted the availability of very nice wines in carafes, as one of us favored white wine and the other red. We found the staff very attentive and pleasant, without being pushy.
All in all, an experience that left us talking about it for the afternoon and a strong desire to return. Well done to the Chef and his team.
6. Royal Spice Indian Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 486 reviews
Royal Spice Restaurant in Kilkenny is set in the heart of the beautiful medieval city, Royal Spice presents constantly evolving menus and a carefully matched wine list – all designed to reflect an ethos of modern Indian dining in
Reviewed By AnnM06022011 - Waterford, Ireland
Warm welcome. Nice ambience. Friendly staff. Reasonable wine charges.
Menu is good value for money. Nice light crispy poppadoms with 3 dips were served while waiting for our starter When we asked what they were we were told “ they are all nice”
Starters were served with no garnish and presentation lacked imagination. Chicken tandoori for starter was a whole chicken breast which was overcooked. It had some burned bits which is tolerable but expectation is for something more soft and juicey. It was dry but edible and the flavour was good. Nothing on the plate but the chicken and a drop of something dragged with a spoon. The murg starter was nice , lovely flavour but again poor presentation.
Mains were good. The pilau rice was very good. Korma and Masala were again served with no garnish. A little chopped coriander would have made a difference.
Good value for money. A little effort would lift this restaurant a lot.
7. La Rivista
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 433 reviews
Reviewed By madmartina - Dublin, Ireland
We arrived on time for our booking to be ticked off in no uncertain terms by owner/manager who claimed we had not advised them of our booking time when we contacted them. However a table was available and taken aback and embarrassed we sat down.
We ordered from their Dine and wine menu which clearly stated we could order any pasta dish from their a la carte and requested a lasagne and were told in a very Brusque manner by the same person we couldn't. In an attempt to make the best of the evening we ordered our meal and in fairness the food was excellent.
The other floor staff were very pleasant but I will not return . I have never received such rude behaviour in a restaurant. When checking my booking when I got home, I had included the correct information.
8. Matt The Millers Bar & Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Matt The Millers Bar & Restaurant is a perfect location for your meal, private parties and festive occasions. We offer breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as an extensive drinks menu, with a high service standards that we strive to deliver in every area of our operation. Recently awarded Ireland's Best Music Pub...We have Traditional Irish Music every evening along with more music on select nights of the week. For private parties, we can put any one of our five bars at your disposal and we are happy to do as much, or as little as you need us to do to make your party a huge success. Every effort is made to ensure that our extensive menus of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are constantly updated to make sure that every taste is catered for. Our extensive food menu is also available at the bars. So, whatever you're looking for and whenever you want it - you can rest assured that it's waiting for you at Matt the Millers' Main Bar.
Reviewed By Win M
Good food great location. Medium level service. Server and bar guy were both quite nice but what looked like one server just wasn't enough to actually check in on anyone. Had to wait quite a while to get a 2nd beer from a distance with some hand motions. Food was great, also got good advice from the bartender on places to visit (after going to the bar to pay - too much for one several to reasonably keep up with).
9. Lanigan's Bar & Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 569 reviews
Lanigans a Family run Traditional Irish Bar and Restaurant with Live Music every Thursday / Friday and Sunday with Top Irish Bands Divil The Bit & The Kilkennys during Wintertime and live music 7 nights a week during summer months . Our Menu is a must to try if your passing through Kilkenny. At Weekend Nights Lanigans Transforms into a Night spot in Kilkenny with DJ and some of the best drinks Promotions to be had in the City. We are a 2 minute walk from Kilkenny Castle and located 2 doors from the Kilkenny Tourism Office. Our Brunch/Breakfast menu is served from 11am with Dinner/Lunch from 12.30Pm. Multiple choice of Sport viewing in Bar with our 6 Large Plasma Screens and we also offer Accomodation for travellers on a budget in our purposley built 40 bed Tourist Hostel which is the only "Irish Tourism" Approved and Centrally located Hostel in Kilkenny - beside our Bar . A Warm Welcome and a friendly smile will always await you when you come to Lanigans - See you at the Bar
Reviewed By Sreejit_Narayan - Bengaluru, India
We had lunch here on a day trip to Kilkenny from Dublin. Lanigan's had good reviews and it was near the castle and so we decided to try it out. We were delighted by the quick service and quality of food. Would love to spend more time in Kilkenny during our next visit and tryout more dishes from the menu here.
10. Left Bank
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 701 reviews
Reviewed By 234valerie3
This bar had been recommended to me and didn't disappoint. It is full of very quirky paintings and artefacts. There was a guy playing the guitar and singing lots of 60 to 80s hits and in fairness didn't drown out our ability to chat to each other. The Guinness was by all accounts really great which is always a sign of a good pub. Well worth a visit .
