Dining in westmeath

damalo

Hi all,

I'm wondering does anyone know a really nice place to bring someone for lunch in or around Athlone. Its for a date and would be a lunch thing rather than evening time thing. I was thinking of something outside Athlone in some country club / hotel or something. Anything up to 45mins outside of the town would be great.

Anyone got any good reports or even the name of some hotels outside the town?

Thanks 1 mill,

D

Occidental

If it's a Sunday try the Village Restaurant in Glasson. It's about 10 minutes north of Athlone on the Ballymahon/Longford road. Don't think they do daytime food on weekdays.

Wineport Lodge just outside Glasson is also worth a try.

damalo

Wineport looks v nice indeed and so does the other place. Just what I was looking for..just hope they're both open on a Saturday!

Saruman

Also pick a golf club. The restaurants are usually open to the public.

damalo

Saruman wrote: »

Also pick a golf club. The restaurants are usually open to the public.

Sounds great...do you have the name of one? I'm not from the area so am clueless.

Saruman

Again, around the Glasson area. All the nice places are there
Cant think of the name.. might be just http://www.glassongolf.ie/
The one im thinking if is just at the end of town, take a left and head as if you are going towards the water.

damalo

Saruman wrote: »

Again, around the Glasson area. All the nice places are there
Cant think of the name.. might be just http://www.glassongolf.ie/
The one im thinking if is just at the end of town, take a left and head as if you are going towards the water.

Sounds good - ill check that one out aswell. Appreciate it

lightening

damalo wrote: »

Wineport looks v nice indeed and so does the other place. Just what I was looking for..just hope they're both open on a Saturday!

Yeah, second both of them. Fantastic places, great food. Glasson Village restaurant is amazing value, the Wineport is certainly worth it, but will cost that little bit more.

damalo

lightening wrote: »

Yeah, second both of them. Fantastic places, great food. Glasson Village restaurant is amazing value, the Wineport is certainly worth it, but will cost that little bit more.

Looks like the village restraunt is only open on the Sunday but the wineport appears to be on a saturday..being a hotel i'd expect them to me

Thanks again!

damalo

Both places not open on a Saturday...for lunch..any other ideas? Worst comes to worse ill make it a Sunday cause some of these places look pretty nice.

Occidental

The Village Restaurant is well worth it if you can go on a Sunday. As a possible alternative for lunch on Saturday, you have the Olive Grove in Athlone town beside the bridge. If it's a sunny day and you get a table beside the window it can be really good.

damalo

Occidental wrote: »

The Village Restaurant is well worth it if you can go on a Sunday. As a possible alternative for lunch on Saturday, you have the Olive Grove in Athlone town beside the bridge. If it's a sunny day and you get a table beside the window it can be really good.

I just read about that place. Thanks again for the advice. Much appreciated

Dame Edna

Why not try the Tyrrellspass Castle its about 30 mins if not less from Athlone and really nice and the food is great!

lightening

Hey, just like everywhere in the country, expect a 25% reduction in quality during xmas time. Office partys, rushed kitchens, xmas reduced menus....

I have been out the last few nights and dining hasn't been great.

(the ethnics are good though!)

damalo

Yeah that would add up alright on the service...as long as the setting is nice though I dont mind. Hopefully hitting lunch instead of dinner will mean the service wont have degraded so much

thalia_13

If you are looking for a nice lunch, outside of town, there are a few places, Grogans in Glasson do food during day, its nice and scenic out there, parking is bit of pain tho. On the Connaught side then, near the castle you have Left Bank Bistro, its lovely, and you are near the river for a walk down past barracks along the shore if you feel up to it.
The Olive Grove is lovely, esp now that it moved. A great new palce is the Motte and Bailey. Its out in Mount Temple. Come off dual carraigeway for Ballymahon/Longford, if coming from dublin its the first slip road. If coming from Galway its the 3rd.
There is a road parallel to the on-ramp to Dublin, if you are on the dual carraigeway you can see Heatmerchants etc through the bushes. Thats the road to Mount Temple/Baylin. It also on same side as Ericssons factory, so you know you've missed it if you reach Ericssons on your RHS. Follow signs for Mount Temple, you drive through Moydrum to get there. Alternatively if in Moate follow signs for Mount Temple. The resteraunt is in the village, near golf club. Chef is ex-Olive grove, so is v good!

Enjoy Athlone! Haha never thought I would say that!
Oh and if you are in town, near Golden Island is coffee shop called Coffee Haven, they do nice food, tasty and large portions for reasonable prices! The coffee is lovely too.

damalo

thalia_13 wrote: »

If you are looking for a nice lunch, outside of town, there are a few places, Grogans in Glasson do food during day, its nice and scenic out there, parking is bit of pain tho. On the Connaught side then, near the castle you have Left Bank Bistro, its lovely, and you are near the river for a walk down past barracks along the shore if you feel up to it.
The Olive Grove is lovely, esp now that it moved. A great new palce is the Motte and Bailey. Its out in Mount Temple. Come off dual carraigeway for Ballymahon/Longford, if coming from dublin its the first slip road. If coming from Galway its the 3rd.
There is a road parallel to the on-ramp to Dublin, if you are on the dual carraigeway you can see Heatmerchants etc through the bushes. Thats the road to Mount Temple/Baylin. It also on same side as Ericssons factory, so you know you've missed it if you reach Ericssons on your RHS. Follow signs for Mount Temple, you drive through Moydrum to get there. Alternatively if in Moate follow signs for Mount Temple. The resteraunt is in the village, near golf club. Chef is ex-Olive grove, so is v good!

Enjoy Athlone! Haha never thought I would say that!
Oh and if you are in town, near Golden Island is coffee shop called Coffee Haven, they do nice food, tasty and large portions for reasonable prices! The coffee is lovely too.

Wow thanks for all of that. Left bank is tops alright

I've booked the village restraunt in Glasson for the evening. We'll see how it lives up to the good reviews

whyulittle

thalia_13 wrote: »

A great new palce is the Motte and Bailey. Its out in Mount Temple. Come off dual carraigeway for Ballymahon/Longford, if coming from dublin its the first slip road. If coming from Galway its the 3rd.
There is a road parallel to the on-ramp to Dublin, if you are on the dual carraigeway you can see Heatmerchants etc through the bushes. Thats the road to Mount Temple/Baylin. It also on same side as Ericssons factory, so you know you've missed it if you reach Ericssons on your RHS. Follow signs for Mount Temple, you drive through Moydrum to get there. Alternatively if in Moate follow signs for Mount Temple. The resteraunt is in the village, near golf club. Chef is ex-Olive grove, so is v good.

Just a small correction for all that it matters. If you are coming from Galway, it would be the fifth and final exit off the by-pass, not the third.

damalo

Thanks again to all you guys and gals.

/me thinks people from Athlone are v nice

whiskeyman

Anyone been to Woodville House in Mullingar?
Any reviews if the food / dining experience is good?

ta

thalia_13

whyulittle wrote: »

Just a small correction for all that it matters. If you are coming from Galway, it would be the fifth and final exit off the by-pass, not the third.

god yeah your right, i dont really venture over to the roscommon side completely forgot bout the elan exits etc...

lightening

thalia_13 wrote: »

Enjoy Athlone! Haha never thought I would say that!

More and more of my Dublin friends are spending time in Athlone, the river, the wineport, the food, the deerfarm, the town, the pubs, the taxis, the hotels, and again, the biggest asset...

The river.

Saruman

Dame Edna wrote: »

Why not try the Tyrrellspass Castle its about 30 mins if not less from Athlone and really nice and the food is great!

Was this a joke?
Seriously though... the food is not even good compared to a below average pub. the only thing it has going for it is its a castle, and once inside any spell you were under dies when you realise its like a small town cafe restaurant.

So unless there is another restaurant inside i do not know about, and i would hope not since i spent almost an hour in the hallway waiting for a table.. then this is a rubbish tourist trap.

thalia_13

lightening wrote: »

More and more of my Dublin friends are spending time in Athlone, the river, the wineport, the food, the deerfarm, the town, the pubs, the taxis, the hotels, and again, the biggest asset...

The river.

Is Glendeer not closed altogether? Might have some Xmas thing going on at the mo, but far as I know they closed it down. Seeing as I come from Athlone I have an unfair bias...might be nice now but you didnt have to grow up there when there was no shopping centres, or cinema, or anything to do bar go to the library!

whyulittle

thalia_13 wrote: »

god yeah your right, i dont really venture over to the roscommon side completely forgot bout the elan exits etc...

Sure who could blame ya!

Occidental

thalia_13 wrote: »

Is Glendeer not closed altogether? Might have some Xmas thing going on at the mo, but far as I know they closed it down. Seeing as I come from Athlone I have an unfair bias...might be nice now but you didnt have to grow up there when there was no shopping centres, or cinema, or anything to do bar go to the library!

A lot of school coaches going in and out of Glendeer this past few weeks.

lightening

thalia_13 wrote: »

but you didnt have to grow up there when there was no shopping centres, or cinema, or anything to do bar go to the library!

I don't like shopping centres, I don't really like cinemas.

When you were growing up did you avail of the river or all the lakes? Fishing, rowing, canoeing, sailing? That is some amenity to have lying at your feet.

thalia_13

lightening wrote: »

I don't like shopping centres, I don't really like cinemas.

When you were growing up did you avail of the river or all the lakes? Fishing, rowing, canoeing, sailing? That is some amenity to have lying at your feet.

Of course I did, I was just stating that Athlone might be attracting lots of people now, but years ago there was nothing there for anyone. Bar German fishermen. I grew up near Lough Ree, spent every day of every summer down there, my best friend lived beside the lake, so I spent most of my youth outside in the countryside, not shopping/cinemas etc. For tourists to the town now, there is alot to do apart from avail of the shannon and lakes. Years ago there wasnt even anywhere decent for them to get a meal.

One downside of the growth of the town is the amount of fast food places, I remember it was only the Big Snack, and if you got brought there once a year you were lucky. Its sickening walking down the streets or even in the countryside these days and seeing supermac or mcdonalds wrappers discarded everywhere.

Anyhow back on topic, OP hope you enjoy the meal/date!

damalo

Just wanted to update and say I went to the village restraunt...it was amazing. Service and food were 110%. My advice is to book as late as possible so you dont have to rush to make way for another booking.

Thanks for the recommendation...bloody marvellous

Occidental

Glad you enjoyed it. I've always thought it had a great athmosphere and the food's been consistently brilliant for years.

pubpub

Completely disagree about the Tyrrellspass Castle - food is great - portions are huge - absolutely love the veg and you have to get the garlic potatoes - tip from a local ring before you go - even if its only half hour or twenty minutes before hand and you won't be waiting long. Usually go for Sunday lunch and the only problem I have is the lunch menu rarely changes - but as we say if its not broken..... though it seems that the evening dinner menu is much more adverturous

Mrs. MacGyver

Dame Edna wrote: »

Why not try the Tyrrellspass Castle its about 30 mins if not less from Athlone and really nice and the food is great!

Yes the food is lovely there indeed!

A few years a go i was at a 70th a good bit from Athlone on the Galway side and theres a sort of converted mill on the banks of the shannon (can;t think of the name) but the service, atmosphere and food was mighty - all i remember is having the wild boar and feeling like i was in food heaven. Don't think theres anywhere decent in Moate or kilbeggan ,

lightening

Anyone eaten in "Hatters" in Athlone town? Heading there in a couple of weeks. Nice and close to Gerties, lovely pub...

Seaneh

The moate and Baily in Mount Temple, Di Belle and The Left Bank Bistro beside the castle in Athlone.

Grogans, Glasson Village Restraunt.

Wine port is ****e, trust me, I know...

Seaneh

lightening wrote: »

Anyone eaten in "Hatters" in Athlone town? Heading there in a couple of weeks. Nice and close to Gerties, lovely pub...

Hatters is good alright, the old Head Chef, Donal, left about a year ago and opened The top Deck right across the road, and that is nice aswell.

Athlone is still lacking a really top class kitchen thought, a lot of good/avrage kitchens but nowhere special, and a few way over hyped/over priced places too, Wineport and le chateau spring to mind in the later section.

E@gle.

damalo wrote: »

Just wanted to update and say I went to the village restraunt...it was amazing. Service and food were 110%. My advice is to book as late as possible so you dont have to rush to make way for another booking.

Thanks for the recommendation...bloody marvellous

i live less than 2 minutes from that restaurant and iv never been there before, i must give it a go

AckwelFoley

Seaneh wrote: »

The moate and Baily in Mount Temple, Di Belle and The Left Bank Bistro beside the castle in Athlone.

Grogans, Glasson Village Restraunt.

Wine port is ****e, trust me, I know...

Thats Motte and Bailey..

Moate is the town near it.

I love de 'ol Town of athlone.

Great nightlife imo great food, and im there to keep the women happy

JupiterKid

I'm not an Athlone native but I do know the town very well and the places to eat in that I'd recommend would be:

Wineport, Glasson
Village Restaurant, Glasson
Left Bank Bistro, Town centre
Le Chateau, Town centre
Pavarotti's, Town centre
RiverS, Town centre

I've been to the Tyrellspass Castle "restaurant" and it was awful. Horrible tourist trap as another poster put it. The best food served in Tyrellspass is in The Village Hotel.

lightening

Seaneh wrote: »

The moate and Baily in Mount Temple, Di Belle and The Left Bank Bistro beside the castle in Athlone.

Grogans, Glasson Village Restraunt.

Wine port is ****e, trust me, I know...

I go there nearly every month, its fantastic, did you have a bad experience, go for an xmas do? What happened?

Saruman

JupiterKid wrote: »

I've been to the Tyrellspass Castle "restaurant" and it was awful. Horrible tourist trap as another poster put it. The best food served in Tyrellspass is in The Village Hotel.

Yes, the hotel is grand... although coming home from Athlone yesterday (everything was closed there as it was before noon) we got to Tyrellspass and figured we would eat there.. by now it was about 12:30 or so. they were not serving food.. just pub sandwiches.. still it was nice but my wife wanted some proper food

whiskeyman wrote: »

Anyone been to Woodville House in Mullingar?
Any reviews if the food / dining experience is good?

ta

I want to ask the same Question... Its only up the road from me... look at their website... apparently they are offering a courtesy car or free room for the night if you want to drink??? Im assuming its fine dining and pretty expensive... they seem to have a fancy new chef they are happy about.

muckety

Haven't tried the new Woodville but it looks good and the courtesy car idea sounds like a plan!

Any other good places to eat in the 'other end' of Westmeath (Mullingar/surrounds)? Both 'fine dining' and the less expensive - more family oriented - options?

mkv83

JupiterKid wrote: »

I've been to the Tyrellspass Castle "restaurant" and it was awful. Horrible tourist trap as another poster put it. The best food served in Tyrellspass is in The Village Hotel.

i'm pretty sure the Village hotel has been closed by the health and safety people....

Saint_Mel

Went to the new Olive Grove the other week but wasnt overly impressed.

Inside was nice enough but a few poor sods were put at tables beside the
doors onto the decking and they were frozed out of it.
2 couples asked to be reseated 2 minutes after sitting down.
They had a little fan heater plugged in at the top of the resteraunt.

Food was ok but I thought the menu was limited enough.
We got steaks, 1st one ordered was Medium, I asked for mine to be
cooked Medium aswell ... unfortunately the waitress wrote it down as cook
it Well

pubpub

Both 'fine dining' and the less expensive - more family oriented - options?

For fine dining around Mullingar I would say the Belfry on the Castlepollard - it was amazing - apparently it is under new management so I don't know what it is like now. To be honest best town for dining is Tullamore - amazing selection of restaurants compared to Mullingar.

damalo

Jees...really started off a nice conversation on the topic

T'pass castle is grand if your on the road or just want a standard lunch. Its deffo not somewhere I'd bring someone for a date! That said the food is nice and there's not much waiting around. The time I was there before I was driving back from Dub to Galway and needed something quick. Job done there

Am going to try out "Hatters" (?) in Athlone this weekend - I've heard good things about it.

BTW thanks to all who replied to my initial post - things went so well along the weeks we're going out now yeehaww You Athlone people are the biz!

Occidental

Good for you.

Hatters is a nice cosy place. Good food, good atmosphere and not too pricey. Very good place for a date and Gertie's upstairs isn't bad either. There's an internal stairs between the two as well.

muckety

pubpub wrote: »

For fine dining around Mullingar I would say the Belfry on the Castlepollard - it was amazing - apparently it is under new management so I don't know what it is like now. To be honest best town for dining is Tullamore - amazing selection of restaurants compared to Mullingar.

is the Belfry reopened already? The previous owners closed before xmas, apparently they are opening somewhere in Mullingar town (worth keeping an eye out for, they ran a good restaurant in the Belfry!).

lightening

Yeah, Damalo, good thread, there was a sticky but it died a death, sometimes these threads are better than a sticky.

Gerties is a lovely pup. Lots of clutter, but clean, great atmosphere, no wide screen tv's (I think)...

Looking forward to Hatters myself, been put off till Feb now.

Saruman

OK i tried the Woodville house last night. It was not as impressive as i hoped.
Lovely place, staff were friendly.. i think its unfair to judge as its a new chef, new menu etc.
I had a soup for starters and it was very nice, My Riggatoni pasta was also very nice, However the new chef seems to have a fettish for putting red peppercorns on everything.. possibly even the desert but i did not wait to find out, i was stuffed
My wife had a Fillet steak, it was VERY tender and lovely.. but it said it came with a meddly of veg and creamed potatoes. The medly of veg was deep fried, dry crispy veg and no potato in sight. Red peppercorns everywhere.. My pasta came as described but again, peppercorns everywhere. Her ceaser salad did not taste good to me, red peppercorns on that too... Its possible because the chef is Italian he made it properly and its not as nice as standard caeser dressing to me.

We got a nice wine from a special list, only €16.99

The bill never arrived so after 20 mins so we left and tracked down a till and then spent another 15 mins waiting while they figured out the till and removed a desert that had not been ordered. I did not even know about it till they explained the delay at the end.

Im not going to write them off... As i said, new menu and chef but i did not like what came with the steak.
Oh on the plus side, apart from lovely surroundings and staff, We got a big bread basket with different breads and bread sticks, and also a complementary starter not on the menu, it was deep fried something... not sure.. but it was lovely.

The meal with wine and starter, no desert/tea etc came to under €80

damalo

lightening wrote: »

Yeah, Damalo, good thread, there was a sticky but it died a death, sometimes these threads are better than a sticky.

Gerties is a lovely pup. Lots of clutter, but clean, great atmosphere, no wide screen tv's (I think)...

Looking forward to Hatters myself, been put off till Feb now.

Was @ Hatters last night. Great service..nice and quick and it was the late sitting so they werent trying to get us out the door before the next sitting.

Gertie's was v v busy but is a pretty nice bar...imagine it would be a really nice place if it wasnt so packed. Music was gak also

billbond4

Thyme is a new restaurant where the olive grove used to be and its very nice too.