Place to eat in Maynooth?

MayMay

Bringing a friend out from town tomorrow and looking for somewhere nice we could get a bite to eat around 9/10pm? And not Supermacs please Thanks.

Baggio

you could try moyglare manor if your feeling rich hahah......

or the hotel on the outside of maynooth on the straffan road...straffan lodge hotel??..something like that...

Ciao'.....Baggio......

MayMay

Thanks Baggio. Went for the Indian above Caulfields in the end, would highly recommend it!

slumped

bit late but donatellos off main street is a classy little italian.

more like a trattoria than formal italian restaurant but YUMMY

s

Maynooth

slumped wrote:

bit late but donatellos off main street is a classy little italian.

more like a trattoria than formal italian restaurant but YUMMY

s

where exactly is that? i can't place it.

Terry

Just past the Leinster Arms.
Heading towards the college, take a left down the laneway by the newsagents.

Where's my Cat?

Can't believe no one said Stone Haven. God, the garlic potatoes alone sell this place. MMMMMMM.

I'd love to go to Donatellos some time but I can't find the door to get in.

MayMay

Where's my Cat? wrote:

Can't believe no one said Stone Haven. God, the garlic potatoes alone sell this place. MMMMMMM.

I'd love to go to Donatellos some time but I can't find the door to get in.

Ha ha what?? You can't find the door? I haven't been there yet though so I don't know what you mean....I might check it out this weekend, sounds nice.

Where's my Cat?

I've always wanted to go, I can see people in there having a great time from the window but how did they get in there?

Obviously I can't suggest to my husband that we go because we will then disgrace ourselves trying to get in through the window or suggesting we eat outside or something.

Can someone with a brain and a knack for logistics help me out?

decbuck

I second the stone haven. Menu has a bit of everything.

Donatellos is nice, but you are sitting on top of one another.

MayMay

Where's my Cat? wrote:

I've always wanted to go, I can see people in there having a great time from the window but how did they get in there?

Obviously I can't suggest to my husband that we go because we will then disgrace ourselves trying to get in through the window or suggesting we eat outside or something.

Can someone with a brain and a knack for logistics help me out?

Ha ha ha ha....tell you what so, even though I don't have a brain I might go there this weekend so I'll let you know how to get through the secret passage, I wonder if there's a password to get in?

Where's my Cat?

Ah thanks Maymay! I'm clearly too thick to go myself.

Let me know how you get on.

The Machine

Just wondering what would be peoples current recommendations? Is the Stone Haven still good or is there anywhere else?

Munya

Darn I was going to say supermacs. Try the hotel..I think I ate their once..

MickH503

The Machine wrote: »

Just wondering what would be peoples current recommendations? Is the Stone Haven still good or is there anywhere else?

Stone Haven is always good. LemonGrass in the Glenroyal Hotel is very nice too. Royal City chinese is good.

abitlonely

I go to Caulfields quite a bit, best pub for food be it a turkey/ham dinner
or a steak sandwich.. mmm
I think they finish about 830-900 though.

Has anyone been to L'Avenue, on the corner near the credit union?

x-xRaCheLx-x

Stonehaven- food lovely, staff lovely, the seating is sh!te though... seriously thats the only word for it, your either at the back of the restaurant and ignored and frozen for the whole night (like the 1st time i was there) or we were right beside the kitchen which I read somewhere else is great for the buzz.... You couldnt have a conversation for the noise of that cappuchino machine and you couldnt get out until the end of the meal because everyone around you would make a face for having to pull in chairs etc (I'm a smoker but aside from that it was so warm beside the kitchen both of us were gasping for a bit of cool air!) But the food is seriously amazing, its almost very nearly worth it!:rolleyes:

The Raven.

abitlonely wrote: »

I go to Caulfields quite a bit, best pub for food be it a turkey/ham dinner
or a steak sandwich.. mmm

I haven't been there for a while, but the food used to be good. I especially liked the Indian restuarant above. The food and service were excellent. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. If you go there regularly, maybe you could tell me what it's called.

abitlonely

The Raven. wrote: »

If you go there regularly, maybe you could tell me what it's called.

Check back here later but I'm near certain it's the Meghna Premier Indian Restaurant.
Never been there yet.

The Raven.

abitlonely wrote: »

Check back here later but I'm near certain it's the Meghna Premier Indian Restaurant.
Never been there yet.

Thanks, Abitlonely. It's a great place to go for a special night out. We used to go there as students of NUIM. I love the decor and atmosphere and especially the Indian music in the background.

The Delhi Darbar in Celbridge is also very good, and not too far away. The food is excellent, great service and plenty of room.

stockman

Hi,
i had the misfortune of having a meal at l'avenue on saturday night. The service was terrible and the waitress was rude. The food was insaneley over priced for what you get, it was 32 euros for the fish special. For this sort of money you can eat in a restaurant like the famous restaurant "chapter one " winner of the mitchelin star in Dublin and enjoy a meal cooked by the celebrity chef "Ross Lewis". I found that l'avenue was actually more expensive and the food when compared to a top class restaurant was more like takeaway food. l'avenue actually asked the table sitting beside us to finish up their meal and move out to make room for another party even when there was other empty tables available, i have eaten in restaurants all over the world and have never seen the likes of this. I will definitly never ever eat in a place like this again.

gman2k

The Avenue is my favorite restaurant in Maynooth, food has always been excellent, as has the service. Nothing pretentious about the food, just good honest grub. Not cheap, but not really dear either.

Eccles

My current favourite place in Maynooth on balance is the fairly new little bistro near the main college gates .Great balance of quality and price .VERY family friendly if a little cramped in some seating areas.Never really impressed by the Stone Haven despite three visits.L'Avenue did nothing for me either (based on one visit not long after they opened ) and I cant believe they are trying to pass themselves off as a 5 star gourmet place when they failed to rise to decent bistro standard in my opinion...
Donatellos is very 'old school' (family run?)Italian place but worth a visit ,it hasnt lasted as long as it has by providing bad food and service...Space is also a bit tight in here .
As far as I know Moyglare Manor (sold?) isnt open for 'fine' dining at the moment -would love to hear otherwise if Im wrong .Up until about 2 years ago had one of the best wine collections in the country along with a world class sommelier ('wine waiter' )...sadly departed -had a bad experience there afterwards ....Barberstown Castle is a lovely spot also in the highish price range and Finnstown House in Lucan is well worth a look if you want to drive a bit further .Oh yeah Carton House is nice -have only ever had the delicious 'bar/reception' food but service is ABYSMALLY slow .
Again if you can travel a bit further Leixlip House Hotel is probably the best, reasonably priced 'fine dining' place within 15 minutes of Maynooth -Theres always a keen Early Bird .They do FREE Accomodation on Thursday night if you spend 75 euro on grub they advertise.BUT CHECK as some of there offers seem a bit vague to say the least eg Pie and a Pint Night with Pasta Parcels being offered as the 'Pie'?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Personally Ive never been mad about The Riverside in Leixlip after 3-5 visits -service especially slow-but at 50 euro for dinner for two with a bottle of wine Im going to call again in the next week...
Weston Aerodrome near Leixlip nice for food more so during the day but the Lebanese multi course special at night is awesome...I thought it had come to an end after an onslaught of dishes when he came out and asked if we were ready for our main courses!!!!Sadly service has gotten very slow there too lately...A recurring theme unfortunately lately .
Celbridge Garden center always serves top quality but hardly cheap food all day and is lovely for a bowl of soup and slice of brown bread or something more substantial up to 5-6pm-arriving in late afternoon though, especially mid week is NOT recommended -once got served a mountain of boiled potatoes and little else with dry ,hard lasagne- by the flustered waitress who seemed to take offence initially at my arriving at the outrageous hour of 515pm...
Zest in Clane ...smashing!Avoca on Naas Rd at Sagart kinda similar to Celbridge Garden Center (high praise for the garden center really!) but wider choice and more polished all round ...Eh K Club if youve money to burn!!!???
Phew !

lynamhairycake

stockman wrote: »

Hi,
i had the misfortune of having a meal at l'avenue on saturday night. The service was terrible and the waitress was rude. The food was insaneley over priced for what you get, it was 32 euros for the fish special. For this sort of money you can eat in a restaurant like the famous restaurant "chapter one " winner of the mitchelin star in Dublin and enjoy a meal cooked by the celebrity chef "Ross Lewis". I found that l'avenue was actually more expensive and the food when compared to a top class restaurant was more like takeaway food. l'avenue actually asked the table sitting beside us to finish up their meal and move out to make room for another party even when there was other empty tables available, i have eaten in restaurants all over the world and have never seen the likes of this. I will definitly never ever eat in a place like this again.

Good point - gave it a few tries but never found it good at all. Greene's on the other hand is very consistent and a sight cheaper.

Had lunch in Mantra recently - decent menu and tasty food.

Unfortunately all the Chinese places are rather bland.

Davidth88

Hi,

I have to echo the thoughts on The avenue.

We have attempted to book there 3-4 times , each time offered that stupid 7 or 9 choice . ( I hate that , ie the customer isn't as important as trying to squeeze revenue !! )

In the end we took the 9 , got there the place was half empty !!

It was expensive , food was only ok.

We have not been back , and won't be back either.

Latest meal out was the Leixlip hse ( ok in Liexlip ) , that was really nice.

Used to enjoy the Indian above Caulfields , but it changed hands about 18 months ago , and the good food went with it I am afraid.

Yet to try Greenes .......

Eccles

I know this started out being a Maynooth restaurant thread and the OP has long since had their dinner out but it seems to have evolved into a local eating guide...Anyway:

For a cheapish and very cheerful FAMILY meal out Da Vincis in Leixlip is impossible to beat .20 euro early bird special Mon-Fri(?) Starter /Main/Glass wine and a tea or coffee(Cappuccino a mere 50c extra)I suppose you could split the prices 4/10/4/2 which would be rather cheap as it is BUT the kiddies ALWAYS get a ball of dough/rolling pin/and other toys to play at making their own pizzas etc AND balloons when leaving ...(Sure wouldnt THAT alone be 4-8 euro in Liffey Valley!!!???)

I dont know if Alvitos at the other end of Main Street is owned by the family who own Da Vincis or if it ever was but sadly it totally fails to impress me in any way .Ive been maybe three times and it has nothing at all to recommend it .To be honest I dont know how it remains open ...it has NONE of :value/tasty food/fast,efficient,friendly service/athmosphere/class/cosiness....On reflection it may be the blandest restaurant in Ireland .Any one agree/disagree?

At the very opposite end of the satisfaction rating possibly the greatest secret in Irish cuisine.......The Old Beehive on the Old Lucan Road (now a Cul de Sac) near Kings Hospital (private school) at the back end of Palmerstown.You turn left at the Palmerstown crossroads("Vincent Byrnes" former site) (heading TOWARDS Dublin city)and left again at the next T junction and its about half a mile up that road on the right.This place is ran by Stewarts Hospital and is a kind of training project for people with mental disabilities (not sure if thats the most pc description ,feel free to update the term)As such profit is not a high priority and the prices are seriously discounted .Its a year or two since Ive been , but as an example soup was 2 euro ,deserts 3 or 4 euro and even a steak baguette maybe 8 euro .I think a glass of wine was 4 euro...And the bargain prices wasnt where it ended ...food was TOP quality ...you had/have to be a little bit more patient maybe with the waiting staff particularly when taking/giving the order but their supervisors /"able" co workers were also excellent .As a reviewer once said you can almost sense the 'Love' in the place and its food.I see they have branched out and have a couple of other venues eg Lucan ...anybody been?Alas the big 'catch' is that they only open daytimes Monday-Friday ....

Nice little Italian place ("Pregos"?) above a takeaway at Lucan Lidl also ...Maybe not gonna impress a 'fussy' 'date' but solid ,fairly 'authentic' and value...

xzanti

+ 1 for the Stone Haven, gorgeous food but as someone else said the seating arrangement is poor.. We were there twice, the first time we were nearly sitting on the laps of the people beside us, trying to have a private conversation with each other was awkward to say the least, second time we were there was for a Birthday dinner for a friend, there was a big group of us and we were ignored for most of the night, trying to get a drink from the waitress was a bit of a nightmere..

Mmmm_Lemony

Very impressed by these places.

Living in Leixlip/Maynooth area for about 8/9 years and this is the pick of the bunch for quality and service. A little on the pricey side but any time I've been there the service has been excellent. Their sticky Toffee Pudding is unreal!

If you are willing to travel, Il vesuvio in Kilcock (might not be exact spelling) is a fantastic Italian. Huge menu which is normally an indication of poor quality food, but this is not the case at all.

Da'Vincis is ok but they go through staff alot, particularly recently so it depends on the night how good it will be, Al'Vitos is terrible.

cyrusdvirus

Stonehaven... All day, everyday.

Had friends across from the UK recently, we went out there for a meal.

One of them suggested that Stonehaven meat would cure any and all vegetarians of their affliction!!

I_luv_2_ski!

Greens in Maynooth is really nice...i also loved Kens but its gone now!!! Miss Wongs in Leixlip is lovely and since moving to the back ar*se of Maynooth/Straffan I'd still drive to Miss Wongs for a take away! The Loft is also quite nice and relaxed! really like the bar food in the Leixlip house as well! Greens in Maynooth is also quite nice (over the castletown inn-i think)

Theres quite a few nice ones around the area!

Actualy saw a flyer from La Banca in Lucan the other day...they have a special for two people mid week...main course and starter OR desert and a bottle of Wine €50! not 2bad for a meal for two...altho its no Mc Donalds at 4in the morning...its a bit of a walk but so worth it!!! haha

SQ2

Would throw half an oar in for Donatello's in Maynooth as the beloved fillet and mash with pepper sauce has always been perfectly to my liking but a couple of things surfaces that annoyed the s*** out of me...

1, the menu now has a small print at the bottom of the page each person muct spend 18 euros each- always did and more but thought that cheeky

2, When you get a glass of coke etc it's poured from a 2 litre bottle rather than a fresh "split" bottle or a can. So you pay your 2.50-3.00 for a manky glass of flatness! I asked to be served my next drink by the neck so I could pour myself and the waiter was forced to admit the above. I think it's a bit rich to be practicing this in a restaurant looking for a reputation of high standards

I've been told by many that the steak in O'Neills is the overall winner now by the way.. makes sense I suppose given that the owner used to be a butcher!

I_luv_2_ski!

SQ2 wrote: »

the menu now has a small print at the bottom of the page each person muct spend 18 euros each- always did and more but thought that cheeky

whats really bad? what if you only wanted one course or in many cases when me and my friends go out were going drinking after so as little money as possible is spent on drink...although I'm sure the drink tab would bring it up!!! thats just wrong!! Maynooth is a STUDENT town!!!

Tilt Gone

The Stone Haven without doubt is the best. When booking just ask for a table at the back as there is more space. Fried brie for starters and Ostrich for the main. Can't go wrong there.

Mmmm_Lemony

I_luv_2_ski! wrote: »

Actualy saw a flyer from La Banca in Lucan the other day...they have a special for two people mid week...main course and starter OR desert and a bottle of Wine €50! not 2bad for a meal for two...altho its no Mc Donalds at 4in the morning...its a bit of a walk but so worth it!!! haha

Tried their early bird offer last week, 20 starter, mains and desert. Absolutely top drawer service and the food was delicious too. Probably the best service from a reasonably priced restaurant in ireland I've seen.

They know how to cook a medium steak too, which is (pardon the pun) rare!

I_luv_2_ski!

Mmmm_Lemony wrote: »

Tried their early bird offer last week, 20 starter, mains and desert. Absolutely top drawer service and the food was delicious too. Probably the best service from a reasonably priced restaurant in ireland I've seen.

They know how to cook a medium steak too, which is (pardon the pun) rare!

must try it so...but i'll be needin my steak medium well so...not too much pink does it for me!!! lol

Redsoxfan

SQ2 wrote: »

Would throw half an oar in for Donatello's in Maynooth as the beloved fillet and mash with pepper sauce has always been perfectly to my liking but a couple of things surfaces that annoyed the s*** out of me...

1, the menu now has a small print at the bottom of the page each person muct spend 18 euros each- always did and more but thought that cheeky

2, When you get a glass of coke etc it's poured from a 2 litre bottle rather than a fresh "split" bottle or a can. So you pay your 2.50-3.00 for a manky glass of flatness! I asked to be served my next drink by the neck so I could pour myself and the waiter was forced to admit the above. I think it's a bit rich to be practicing this in a restaurant looking for a reputation of high standards the way.

My experience with Donatellos

-Messed up a booking I had made and didn't have a table for me at all when I arrived
-Minimum order policy is not to my liking
-Tables are too close together
-Wasn't overly impressed with menu or service

I won't be in a hurry to go back.

SQ2

I don't mind the close tables, and the service has always been ok for me, but the other 2 things really grind my gears!

On a positive note I tried out Twist for their new evening meals the other evening and was very impressed indeed... highly reccommended.. BYOB too

Redsoxfan

SQ2 wrote: »

On a positive note I tried out Twist for their new evening meals the other evening and was very impressed indeed... highly reccommended.. BYOB too

What is the menu like-doesn't seem to be on their website.

Is there any charge ('corkage') for BYOB?

missmyler

O'Neills for Pub food is one of my favourites. Come here quite regularly just to get their starters. Usually order 2 of them and they do the job nicely. Their prawns and mozarella crostini are delish. Lasagne and burgers for mains are great too, homemade and big portions.

Nice cosy atmosphere and very polite staff. Great for rainy days. Cant fault the place (and i dont even live in Maynooth)

Mmmm_Lemony

missmyler wrote: »

Lasagne and burgers for mains are great too, homemade and big portions.

I'd have to disagree.

Had a homemade burger and chips one day with a mate before heading into town, and was looking for something quick. Took 30/40 minutes, the chips were from next door, looked dry and tasted re-heated and the burger was only ok, considering it was a homemade burger.

I had a soup and sandwich combo previously and thought they were ok, and this is why I went for the burger, so I was a little dissapointed.

It would be ok for a spot of lunch but would not recommend for an evening meal. With the recession busting menu's about you can get something alot nicer and better presented and served for around the same price range.

misty floyd

I'm really surprised by the negative comments about the Avenue. I have nothing to do with this place and I don't know anyone that has. For me, its got everything that I look for. Everything except the price but I'm willing to pay an extra few euro for a meal if its good quality. It has a good atmosphere, the staff are good/friendly and the food is excellent. Wines are good too.

I'd choose this place over the stone haven any day but I'd be happy to go to either. Pity nothing like these are in Celbridge. I agree that Dehli Bardar is good (not exactly top class) but if you are not in the mood for Indian and you want to eat in Celbridge........taxi to Maynooth.

ChewChew

Agree with misty. I've been to avenue quiet a few times and no complaints. Was actually there last night and the place was hopping off it and the staff were able to manage everything perfectly well and the food was lovely.service/staff were great too!! no complaints. .. so i'm going back tomorrow!

meganj

agree with both posts above.

I love avenue! My OH is a very fussy eater and so it's great for us because he can have a burger (which are goregous in avenue) and I can have something yummy, but I must admit I really like their chicken wings.. mmm. I think the food is very reasonably priced, but only if your not ordering the fish which someone mentioned above.

As for the staff, I think they're grand, except when you ask for a plain burger and instead of coming without lettuce, it comes without a bun... but maybe that's just my fault for not explaining it.

Mmmm_Lemony

Tried the stone haven recently, and thought the food for the most part was very nice, had the steak with peppered sauce and it was delicious and cooked to perfection. GF had the roast duck, which was very nice too. Side veg and salad was good. Ordered a side of fries, as they were 3.95 and figured they must be something special. Appalled to find they were the likes you can but 2lb bags of in dunnes stores for 1.50. Terrible.

The bill came and I was disgusted to find that for myself and gf, 1 shared starter, 1 shared dessert and 2 mains came to €80+. Christ its expensive! Also, to have a salad as a mains you add 8.50 which is what it costs as a starter, and can't imagine it beign twice the size!

2 Waiters were on, the bloke was very good, professional, attentative, the girl was terrible. Snappy and bad-mannered. When I asked for the bill she said ok, and then proceeded to have a 15 minute conversation with her colleague, came back and dropped it on the table. Then when passing literally snapped it out of my hand! I'm sure it wasn't myself or gf that upset her, but she was certainly taking it out on us. But she's just an employee and you can get a bad one on a bad day anywhere. The bill is what really made my mind up on the place.

I don't understand how people can call L'Avenue expensive and not to a high standard, when this place is in my opinion, extremely overpriced!

The food was for the most part very nice and well presented, and its a nice enough cosy little place, but I won't be back again unfortunately, unless of course they do a complete overhaul of the menu prices.

CruelCoin

MayMay wrote: »

Bringing a friend out from town tomorrow and looking for somewhere nice we could get a bite to eat around 9/10pm? And not Supermacs please Thanks.

probably too late, but a place called "Stone Haven" is brilliant. Try the ostrich.

Massive Muscles

Avenue: Overpriced mediocre ****e for a town desperate for food.

Donatello's: Overpiced ****ty Italian, the longstanding success of which is a sad indictment of Maynooth's foodie credentials

Stone Haven: Consumer disorientated place. Stick to pizza M.


There is only one place in Maynooth listed in Georgina Campbell's guide and that is Carton House. If you actually like nice food at reasonable prices then head to Zest in Clane or the Leixlip House Hotel.

Massive Muscles

Av

Massive Muscles

A

hairy cake

Massive Muscles wrote: »

Avenue: Overpriced mediocre ****e for a town desperate for food.

Donatello's: Overpiced ****ty Italian, the longstanding success of which is a sad indictment of Maynooth's foodie credentials

Stone Haven: Consumer disorientated place. Stick to pizza M.


There is only one place in Maynooth listed in Georgina Campbell's guide and that is Carton House. If you actually like nice food at reasonable prices then head to Zest in Clane or the Leixlip House Hotel.

Would pass on Leixlip HH - very average. I have heard bad reports from Carton House (seemingly change of staff there recently).

sekhon_boy

hairy cake wrote: »

Would pass on Leixlip HH - very average. I have heard bad reports from Carton House (seemingly change of staff there recently).

I am going to Donatello's for past Five years or even more and i have tried all others in the town.All of them good, cannot stand Stone heaven in Maynooth, Smell like old pub !!!!!!

Donatello's food standard always has been the best, why the hell people go to a Restaurant to taste a glass of coke , that sound like person need to go to Chip SHop get a bag of chips and a Fizzzy !!!! can of Coke. to get the best taste you need to pay the price, Remember you cannot buy a Lobster for the price of Salmon. I pay that price because i can see what am eating and i can taste the freshness.

sekhon_boy

x-xRaCheLx-x wrote: »

Stonehaven- food lovely, staff lovely, the seating is sh!te though... seriously thats the only word for it, your either at the back of the restaurant and ignored and frozen for the whole night (like the 1st time i was there) or we were right beside the kitchen which I read somewhere else is great for the buzz.... You couldnt have a conversation for the noise of that cappuchino machine and you couldnt get out until the end of the meal because everyone around you would make a face for having to pull in chairs etc (I'm a smoker but aside from that it was so warm beside the kitchen both of us were gasping for a bit of cool air!) But the food is seriously amazing, its almost very nearly worth it!:rolleyes:

I just went there once and cam back from the door, it smells like old pub ............ Horrible smell