Places to eat in Dundalk!

sudzs

Similar thread for Drawda so I thought, why not one for Dundalk!!

Have been to Riva, Clanbrassil St, a couple of times now, for the evening menu.

As there doesn't seem to be many places for decent pub food in the town and I'm not a big wine fan, it was great fo find somewhere with a selection of bottled beer and Heineken on draught.

You get a complementary plate of a foccacia with 2 small bowls of dips, one pesto, the other, I'm guessing hoummous! If it was hoummous then it needed a lot more seasoning, including garlic, tahini and a lot less water. But it was free so can't complain!

I had the spicy fishcakes to start. Made with tinned salmon but what do you want for the price, around €7 as far as I can remember. And not sure about a balsamic dressing on the salad garnish though. But apart from that, really tasty and will definately have them again!

Had the monkfish wrapped in herbs and parma ham for my main course. Oh dear! The herbs! Strongly suspect they were of the dried and mixed variety, you know the ones in the little silver canisters from Goodalls. This came on "a bed of mashed potatoes" and that was it. A bit mean I thought for the price, around €25. But just as I was more than half way through my fish and spuds, the veg arrived. A purée of carrots and parsnips I think, not bad, just too late. I pointed this out to the waitress with sign-language as my mouth was full, but she just looked at me with raised eyebrows and walked away. No explanation, no apology, nothing! I noticed another table had the same trouble with "chunky chips" arriving as they were half way through the rest of their meal. Chips looked great btw!

We skipped dessert so can't comment on that! But overall not bad at all for a pint and a bit of grub in the evening! If only they could get the timing right though and lose the dried herbs, it would be really good!

FlipperThePriest

Golden dragon, also on clanbrassil st.
Friendly and relaxed atmosphere, you're never rushed (unlike the Jade).
Food is good as far as chinese goes around here. Staff are very polite.

Despite it's recent bad publicity I'm gonna stick by it, defo my pick for chinese.

Roso's at Roden place also a great little restaurant, a bit of expensive but you defo get what you pay for as far as quality and service. Probably my favourite restaurant in town.

peejay1986

The Windsor by the Shopping Centre is absolutely gorgeous. Its pricey (nothing majorly over the top) but well worth it. Friendly staff and lovely premises. Can't recommend it enough. Go! Now!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

peejay1986 wrote: »

The Windsor by the Shopping Centre is absolutely gorgeous. Its pricey (nothing majorly over the top) but well worth it. Friendly staff and lovely premises. Can't recommend it enough. Go! Now!

It's not a patch on the Lisdoo Steakhouse for quality and value.
I feel eating out is a personal thing and we all have different tastes and standards. Some people will love the Jade while others wouldn't step foot in it. The town has a large selection of places to eat and that reflects the different requirements of the customer.

There is plenty of Pub food in the Lisdoo, Jockeys, Condiland others unlike what the OP said. There are good Italian, Chinese and Indian Restaurants as well as a choic of fine dining. There are lots of places like Darver Castle within a short distance as well. I don't know what more can be expected for a town this size.

Mr Magnolia

They can't cook a steak in the Lisdoo, not good for a 'steak-house'. The Windsor does a better job than it.

The Punjab and Rosso are the only 2 restaurants I'd recommend to a stranger in the town. There's a few other places that are decent enough and a few that are hit and miss.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

They can't cook a steak in the Lisdoo, not good for a 'steak-house'. The Windsor does a better job than it.

The Punjab and Rosso are the only 2 restaurants I'd recommend to a stranger in the town. There's a few other places that are decent enough and a few that are hit and miss.

My point exactly! I am one of those people who usually has staek when eating out and I think the Lisdoo is streets ahead of the Winsdor for streaks. The quality of the meat and the cooking are both superior in my opinion. You feel otherwise and that is fine but it proves that when it comes to restaurants it's down to personal taste and opinion. I know some who think Fitzpatricks is a poor pub grub when others think it fine dining.
I wouldn't eat in the Punjab if you paid me to but I like Rosso (although very overpriced for what you get).

LOTTOWINNER

Myles Unimportant Quadruped wrote: »

I wouldn't eat in the Punjab if you paid me.

Just wondering do you dislike Indian food or just this particular Indian restaurant?
I've eaten there a few times and enjoyed the food.

Waitsian

LOTTOWINNER wrote: »

Just wondering do you dislike Indian food or just this particular Indian restaurant?
I've eaten there (the Punjab) a few times and enjoyed the food.

So have I - great food, nice place, polite staff. Grand spot.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

LOTTOWINNER wrote: »

Just wondering do you dislike Indian food or just this particular Indian restaurant?
I've eaten there a few times and enjoyed the food.

Oh no nothing about that place at all except I can't even be in the same room as Indian food. The smell of rich spices and curries are not my cuppa. Sorry for the ambiguity.

Guvnor

The Crowne Plaza is good. Upstairs has a better selection than the bar/brasserie downstairs but both are good.

I dislike the Lisdoo for the simple reason that there appears to be three different areas and three different menu's and the one I was in near the car park was rubbish of the highest order.

One or two nice places in Carlingford but a bit of a drive. IMO there is not much good places about.

Fitzpatrick's is goodish but overpriced by a good margin.
Ballymascanlon is pretty decent and fairly good value.

All imo of course.

patrickc

for good home cooked quality food, ma brady's all the way.

StiffLitlemicky

patrickc wrote: »

for good home cooked quality food, ma Brady's all the way.

Yeah Ma Brady's is a real high class establishment:p

You might as well go to McDonald's for a meal.:pac:

LOTTOWINNER

StiffLitlemicky wrote: »

Yeah Ma Brady's is a real high class establishment:p

You might as well go to McDonald's for a meal.:pac:

Unfortunately Ma Brady's is a mere shadow of it's previous self, there was a time I would have recommended it, but not anymore!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

StiffLitlemicky wrote: »

Yeah Ma Brady's is a real high class establishment:p

You might as well go to McDonald's for a meal.:pac:

+1

patrickc

StiffLitlemicky wrote: »

Yeah Ma Brady's is a real high class establishment:p

You might as well go to McDonald's for a meal.:pac:

when i grew up in Dundalk and go back there I always make a point of eating in it, havent in the last 2 years or so, but for a good dinner I always thought it was great

poccocurante

Riva brasserie for a lunch only.
Lisdoo for an evening menu, a la carte only, good stuff.
Fitzpatrick's, don't eat burger, try something different, read the menu.
Winsdor if you are hungry, not bad.
Maggie's bistro Carlingford for a sea-food and a bit of romantic, take your partner out.

sudzs

Fitzpatrick's, don't eat burger, try something different, read the menu.

And if you're a vegetarian then ask for the vegetarian menu. I didn't even know they had one, (they don't offer it, you have to ask) until one day I was ordering stuffed mushrooms as a main course and the waitress suggested a more substantial version that was on the vegertarian menu!

Still no sign of a chickpea, a butter bean or a bit of tofu, but a few meat and fish-free things to choose from.

But Fitzpatricks is definately overpriced. And watch out for cracked dishes! (Especially the ones containng the dipping sauces that come with the cooked to death crab-claws!)

Dundalkianite

What about the Brake in Blackrock?

bettedavis

Dundalkianite wrote: »

What about the Brake in Blackrock?

i think the brake is over rated. very small selection to choose from and very pricey for what you get. i hate ordering a steak and then having to pay extra for a slice of carrot and a spud.



anyone been to darver castle for evening food, apparently they've a new early bird type thing for 25 quid. does anyone know if it's good ?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

bettedavis wrote: »

i think the brake is over rated. very small selection to choose from and very pricey for what you get. i hate ordering a steak and then having to pay extra for a slice of carrot and a spud.



anyone been to darver castle for evening food, apparently they've a new early bird type thing for 25 quid. does anyone know if it's good ?

I agree completely about the Brake. Over-rated, poor selection on the menu and not a comfortable venue.

Darver is lovely. Great food , lovely staff and good value!

bettedavis

was in the clermount in blackrock sat night. seafood platter was absolutely devine. shouldn't have bothered with a starter as it was criminal the amount of the platter i had to leave behind, it was that big. miles better than the same dish in the brake. fabulous !

whacky

try the century bar across from the cathederal, great pub lunches and reasonably priced, they also do food at nite aswell in the restauraunt.......its 1 of my fav's

StiffLitlemicky

'wacky' you don't own the Century bar by any chance?:rolleyes:;)

mickdlk

Try thr Roma, best chippy in ireland by far.
All the Northern people who stop in Dundalk on way home from Croke Park, always do so just for a Roma

heres a quick tip. last friday i got a takeaway from the golden dragon- 'crispy chilli chicken with salt' . i'd never seen this dish before so i gave it a shot. now i've eaten a lot of chinese takeaways in me time but this dish was without doubt THE most delicious chinese i've ever tasted. seriously dudes trust me on this one and let me know what ye thought.:D

bettedavis

whacky wrote: »

try the century bar across from the cathederal, great pub lunches and reasonably priced, they also do food at nite aswell in the restauraunt.......its 1 of my fav's

think it's still quaglinos above the century isn't it. not impressed by here yet i've never even eaten in it. went one evening, into the bar and they sent us upstairs, we were only at the top of the stairs when a woman came to meet us forcing us back down the stairwell. we asked would she have a free table for three. (at this stage it had just gone 6 and the place was empty) she looked at us like we were scum, 'have you booked'.........'no we were just checking to see if you'd a table free'...........'no we don't'.......................not 'oh i'm sorry we're all booked up this evening'. she was so unbelieveably rude i would never set foot in the place again. manners cost nothing but when you're in the service industry surely it's a pre-requisite

Mr Magnolia

You didn't miss much in my opinion bettedavis. Myself and her-good-self went with a couple of friends one evening last year. The staff were fine but slow to attend to our request for wine, water etc. The food was mediocre at best. I had the lobster, it should have been thrown back by the fisherman, instead it was served to me over-cooked. The rest of my meal escapes my memory.

As always, I'd recommend people make their own decisions on a restaurant, I'd love to hear a few great reports that may entice me back to give it a second chance.

bettedavis

considering going to o neills of annagassan for lunch saturday. anybody any opinions on here ? bringing the folks so i hope it's fairly , 'daddy grub' as opposed to salad on a plate ? anybody know?

flocker

I see a sign for a new restaurant above Courtney's pub called "Left Bank" ??

LOTTOWINNER

mickdlk wrote: »

Try thr Roma, best chippy in ireland by far.

I haven't tried all the chippy's in Ireland yet, but I haven't eaten in one better than the Roma so far. Top class!

flocker

flocker wrote: »

I see a sign for a new restaurant above Courtney's pub called "Left Bank" ??

interesting. best of luck to anyone with the billiards to open a new restaraunt in current smelly economic climate.

Mr Magnolia

Deleted User wrote: »

interesting. best of luck to anyone with the billiards to open a new restaraunt in current smelly economic climate.

LOL. Very very true.

I'll keep an eye out for that restaurant at the weekend and see what they're up to.

tIS hImSelF

I see people in the comments above raving about the windsor.....here is my opinion of the windsor from my last visit:

- waited for an hour and a half before getting a table (would of been longer if I had'nt of complained to the Barman)
- when we did get taken into the restaurant we were given a table for 4 that was still not cleared
- new forks and knives were placed down as if we were eating our tea at home.
- wrong bottle of wine -TWICE - COME ON!!!
- Food eventually came out - can't fault it....twas lovely, chicken was gorgeous.
- Ask for a dessert menu, because it was 11.00 we got a dirty look. (Bearing in mind we had been there from 8pm)
- were not offered tea and coffee after our dessert
- bill came to €150 or so for 4 people.
Walked out and said never again. That was over a year ago and still have'nt been back

Looking forward to this Left bank opening, heard its the previous owners of the Cube Restaurant - which I loved!

StiffLitlemicky

I was in the restaurant at the race track a few weeks ago, it was
very nice with great service and not to expensive, there was also plenty of fine fillies to look at :pac:

cargo

as tIS hImSelF said the new Left Bank over Courtney's is been run by the former Cube owners. heard it's opening this week, Wednesday i think?

opr

The Monasterboice Inn also known as Donegans just outside Dundalk on your way to Drogheda is delicious.

The steak is unlike anything i have ever eaten anywhere in or around Dundalk.

By far my favorite place to eat in Louth.

Opr

LOTTOWINNER

opr wrote: »

The Monasterboice Inn also known as Donegans just outside Dundalk on your way to Drogheda is delicious.

The steak is unlike anything i have ever eaten anywhere in or around Dundalk.

By far my favorite place to eat in Louth.

Opr

It's about 17 miles south of Dundalk!

bettedavis

opr wrote: »

The Monasterboice Inn also known as Donegans just outside Dundalk on your way to Drogheda is delicious.

The steak is unlike anything i have ever eaten anywhere in or around Dundalk.

By far my favorite place to eat in Louth.

Opr

do you work there, cause i think it's severely over rated and if you were getting a taxi from dundalk you'd be 'just outside' 50 odd quid!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

opr wrote: »

The Monasterboice Inn also known as Donegans just outside Dundalk on your way to Drogheda is delicious.

The steak is unlike anything i have ever eaten anywhere in or around Dundalk.

By far my favorite place to eat in Louth.

Opr

It's actually one place I avoid. The food is terrible and it's like an old fashioned Eating House. Completely over-rated.
I agree that the steak is unlike anywhere else - it's rotten.

TheBigFella

OK back to Dundalk.

Woke on Sunday a little worse for drink so we decided to go out and have a proper fry so our Journey began.
New Cafe in the Retail park closed.
Roma closed
Ma Brady's closed
Friar Tuck's opened with full breakfast menu so happy days ( Not )

Tomatoes were cold, don't know what meat was in the sausages, the white pudding was like cheese and the bread came un-toasted.

The mug of tea was very nice but won't be back there for breakfast.
€24 for 3 of us!! It will be 3 breakfast rolls from the Avenue road next time.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Well, in fariness you should have know better than to go in to Friar Tucks!

Would you not hit the Crown Plaza or any other hotel for breakfast?

TheBigFella

Myles Unimportant Quadruped wrote: »

Would you not hit the Crown Plaza or any other hotel for breakfast?

Never actually crossed my mind to try a hotel, Good thinking!!

We have tried take-away food (Curry chips/chicken boxes etc..) from Friar Tucks and it was ok so I guess breakfast just isn't their strong point.

TommyT

opr wrote: »

The Monasterboice Inn also known as Donegans just outside Dundalk on your way to Drogheda is delicious.

The steak is unlike anything i have ever eaten anywhere in or around Dundalk.

By far my favorite place to eat in Louth.

Opr

Myles Unimportant Quadruped wrote: »

It's actually one place I avoid. The food is terrible and it's like an old fashioned Eating House. Completely over-rated.
I agree that the steak is unlike anywhere else - it's rotten.

Couldnt agree more. Poor food, crap service and their idea of a steak is to give you the biggest piece of meat they can find and incinerate it.


Back on topic.
Beautiful new chinese in Blackrock, just up from the Stone House, which has to be the nicest place to eat in the area. Never got a bad meal in the Stone House.
Never liked the Windsor.
The Lisdoo is probably on a par with Donegans. Terrible food.
Little Italian across from Brubakers is quite nice, but the menu is very limited.
Capitano Corellis in Carlingford is the best Italian around. Great food, good service, great owner and not too hard on the pocket.
Fitzpatricks, I see it got pub of the year a couple of years ago. must have been the year of foot and mouth and the judges got stuck in Lordship. Mediocre at best and full of horrible people who have to be heard over everyone else.
Sextons is ok.
Jackies seems to have finally got the message and closed. It started off ok, but went downhill very quickly. Maybe the chef taking off had something to do with that.
The Punjab is very nice, takeaway up the street is even better.
But why isnt there one decent chippy in Dundalk? they are all terrible, undercooked chips and miserable portions.

TheBigFella

TommyT wrote: »

But why isnt there one decent chippy in Dundalk? they are all terrible, undercooked chips and miserable portions.

Actually I think we're spoilt with all the good chippies we have here.
Roma, Park st.
Kierans, Chapel st.
Mullens, everywhere
Tony's, Avenue rd. (Large portion yes)
Molocca's, Ramparts
O'Hanlons, Barrack st.
etc.........

avoid Burger King & McDonalds. KFC is hit and miss.

Endless amount of good Chinese take-aways. Youngs, Church st. top of the list for taste and quality but very expensive and no delivery service.

Ann22

I think there's loads of lovely chippies-mmmmm! Nice thick chips not the wee skinny hard ones you get everywhere else. I know someone who travels a lot in Ireland and says Dundalk has the best selection of places to eat of all the places he's been.

TommyT

Every single bag of chips in Dundalk are undercooked. The best chips in the world are home made, golden brown, with plenty of salt. The only place to get anything like home cooked chips is Ned Kellys in Newry.

Tom Maloccas has to be the worlds first diet chippy. Smallest portions in the country. It reminds me of a scene from little britain, where Marjorie from Fat Fighters is recommending to eat half a bag of chips so you only get half the fat.

bettedavis

The best chips in the world are;

eaten walking home half three in the morning doused in salt and vinegar and owned by someone else!

head down to joe o hanlons chippy on barrack st at lunchtime for a superb bag of chips. dont bother in the evening - they seem to make the chips fresh for lunchtime and re-heat them in the evening,you can taste the difference. i have always found that for some reason joes chips go particularly well with a fried egg.:P

pilgrimace

so places to eat in the town eh? gotta say there are quite a few to choose from to cater for many moods, tastes and budgets.....

then as you venture slightly outside towards blackrock, carlingford etc there are even more.

off the top of my head in no particular order....

Number 32: fab value early bird (and all day monday). nice menu, which changes pretty often. good friendly staff, nice intimate atmosphere. fine dining. one of my favourites.

Rosso: another fine dining experience. my fav place in town. tis on the expensive side but I have yet to be disappointed. a place i go when i am lookin to treat myself.

Quaglinos: used to be the place in town. now over the century bar. nice dining room, nice food. not as popular as it used to be so can be a bit quiet side.

Riva: I like this place during the day. This location has suffered under various owners, struggling with the menu and quality of service. Current incarnation seems to be a pretty decent, good value middle of the road proposition.

Jade: Chinese restaurant. the food is decent (though i prefer their takeaway across the road). i dislike the décor and am not a fan or the place, but it remains very popular.

Jade Adelphi: cousin of the original Jade. Slightly nicer dining room, slightly better service.

Punjab: Fav late night restaurant. Great service, the guys are very friendly. I find it great value with a nice range of dishes.

McGeoughs: pretty good pub grub right in the centre of the town. Very busy for lunch and the serve up till 9 during the week. I like to pop in here for tea of a Tuesday...

Lisdoo: several options under the one roof. Sometimes carvery, pub grub in the bar and then the steak house on the other side. Not a fan of carvery so I pass on that. Love the pub grub, decent grub at good prices. The steakhouse is also pretty good. A step above most of the pub grub in the town.

Windsor: great pub grub, probably best steak in town. i personally hate the queuing system they have so i only tend to hang around if it is quite, but i always walk out full and satisfied.

Villa Toscana: decent Italian food at pretty reasonable prices. this place is more hit than miss.

La Cantina: another Italian spot. have been less lucky with my experiences here but many people rave about the place.

Crowne Plaza: two options here, the bar downstairs which is nice and relaxed with a pretty good value menu. Upstairs is more formal with a slightly more up market menu. Food and service is pretty good and the views are amazing.

Eno: one of the newer places in town, wine bar that does a small italian menu. pizzas and pasta and some pretty fine antipasta dishes. place is small (or intimate, depending on the mood), but the staff are very attentive and enthusiastic. they also open pretty late at the weekends.

happy dining

pil

DundalkDuffman

No such thing as an oven or hob in Pilgrimaces house then!

cargo

just an update on that "Left Bank" restaurant due to open over Courtney's I've heard it's opening on Bank Holiday Friday (this month)