Looking for a nice restaurant for 3 sisters.

ncmc

Hi all, my 2 sisters are coming to visit me next weekend and I want to take them to a nice restaurant with great food and a good atmosphere, somewhere classy but not stuffy.

I was considering Soho, but the last time I was there, it wasn't great (it was a Christmas party though and I don't think they are ever good!) I was also looking at Boardwalk, but the prices seem off the wall. Market Lane looks to have a nice menu, but I have never been and know nothing about it.

So where would you recommend, don't mind paying a bit extra for a real treat. Would prefer city centre, but would also consider somewhere like Douglas (we would want to go for drinks after)

Thanks in advance!

garhjw

market lane on oliver plunket st is very nice. liberty grill on washington st too

iliketeaandcake

Agree with Market lane and liberty grill. An cruibin is amaaazing, but they have a v small menu so if your sisters happen to be a bit fussy it may not suit! I think Cafe Paradiso is the best restaurant in Cork city, it's a vegetarian restaurant (I'm not even veggie but love it) but also a bit pricy. The Cornstore is really really good too, great wine list and staff, and you're beside the bodega if you fancy going for a few late drinks. All those places contact details are on the whazon website and it gives you a list of other places too.
Enjoy your night out with the sisters!

I love market lane but its always very busy, me thinks a table upstairs would be ideal for ye though. Zaks would be worth considering too I'd say.

eyescreamcone

RoverJames wrote: »

I love market lane but its always very busy, me thinks a table upstairs would be ideal for ye though. Zaks would be worth considering too I'd say.

Upstairs in Electric or Liberty Grill would be my tips!

ncmc

Ok, I am leaning towards Market Lane, but the no reservation thing is putting me off a little, if we were there at about 7.30 next Saturday, how long do you think we would be waiting for a table?

I know it's a bit cheeky, but I was thinking of booking another restaurant as a back up in case Market Lane is too busy and then cancel if we can get into Market Grill. Liberty Grill is a bit burger orientated (I don't mind that, but one of my sisters is a bit of a foodie) Electric looks really good, is the food as good as it sounds on the menu?

eyescreamcone

ncmc wrote: »

Ok, I am leaning towards Market Lane, but the no reservation thing is putting me off a little, if we were there at about 7.30 next Saturday, how long do you think we would be waiting for a table?

I know it's a bit cheeky, but I was thinking of booking another restaurant as a back up in case Market Lane is too busy and then cancel if we can get into Market Grill. Liberty Grill is a bit burger orientated (I don't mind that, but one of my sisters is a bit of a foodie) Electric looks really good, is the food as good as it sounds on the menu?

I was in electric last Sunday and it was very good.
Liberty grill do super burgers but the steak is super - must admit I never went for fish there tho!

H8GHOTI

If you like the look of the menu in Market Lane, go for it. It is very nice in there.
I wouldn't be to worried about getting a table. I've been there a few times & nearly always got a table straight away.
There's a bar in there, so you can have a drink if you have to wait. I'd be surprised if you were waiting more than 15-20 mins tbh.

Olidolly

Agree with all the Market Lane votes on atmosphere and food but the wait could be long even at 19h30. On Saturday's they tend to be busy with people who were shopping in town and stay on for a bite to eat....
(They do run the restaurant also in Blackrock Castle which by way of location is something nicely different but may be off your path....)

On places I go regularly, I would say that you cannot go wrong with either Issacs (consistently good food, fair prices, buzzy atmosphere) or the Club Brasserie next door to the Boardwalk - there's a nice sense of occasion there for sure and it doesn't break the bank. I'd put this one in the 'Classy' Category.

I haven't been to Greens (next door to Issacs) in a while but I am hearing great reviews from so many different people lately that I will give them a try next time I am dining out.

Last thought - I ate last week at El Vino in Douglas and it was excellent. They have a restaurant in The Elysian and reports on it are very good.

Whatever you decide, don't leave it too long to book somewhere. There may be a recession going on but not when it comes to trying to get a table somewhere on a Saturday night.

JUSt finishing up in market lane, if ye go get the chocolate and Baileys tart on hazelnut biscuit base, savage stuff.

fullstop

Cornstore

snoopy12

highly recommend Electric - great food & atmosphere!
enjoy!!

razorblunt

Eco's in Douglas, right next door to Barry's and a stroll to East Village or Johno's.

Food is great there.

_mocha_

Il Padrinos is a great restaurant in town as well. They do gorgeous Italian ffod and cook it in front of you, and the place oozes atmosphere.

The only problem is that its constantly packed so you'd need to book it, plus they only give you the table for like an hour and a half (people are always calling in looking for tables).

I knew it back before it became so popular..it was so much more relaxed then.

Dermighty

I would recommend:

Best deal: The Strasbourg Goose for the best steak in the city (rib eye). Very consistent restaurant.

Best Chinese: The Ambassador Very consistent restaurant.

Best Indian: Bombay Palace Very consistent restaurant.

Best experimental: The Ivory Tower. An Cruibín.

Best French: Les Gourmandises. Expensive, fancy, a treat really. The wine menu is great, the food tastes great and I doubt anyone would fault the place but I definitely found that I struggled for reasons to return (I've eaten there twice).

Aside from that I ate in Market Lane twice and I found it to look great but the food was pretty much the same as Luigi Malones (burger and fries, steak and fries, chicken curry). It was nice but not somewhere I'd go with my girlfriend. Their chips were the best I've ever tried though (literally the best).

Best Italian: Definitely up for debate, I would say Rossini for the usual fare, Casanova for homemade pasta and Milano for pizza. I have yet to eat in Il Padrino so I'm not discounting it or anything

Personally: Cafebardeli. Very consistent restaurant., Liberty Grill for the best burgers in the city.

Malari

Dermighty wrote: »

Aside from that I ate in Market Lane twice and I found it to look great but the food was pretty much the same as Luigi Malones (burger and fries, steak and fries, chicken curry). It was nice but not somewhere I'd go with my girlfriend. Their chips were the best I've ever tried though (literally the best).

Personally: Cafebardeli. Very consistent restaurant., Liberty Grill for the best burgers in the city.

Holy crap, Market Lane and Luigi's shouldn't be in the same sentance, let alone category! Market Lane is a restaurant with very high quality food and I think the menu changes a fair bit. The service is excellent. I don't even think they have burgers on the menu! Or chicken curry...they do things like a pasta dish or two, a range of salads, a range of steaks, beef pie, a fair amount of fish dishes. I've never had a bad meal there and the atmosphere is great. One drawback is they don't take booking for less than 5 or 6 people. You can put your name on a list and have a drink at the bar while you wait, which is never that long.

Luigi's is good for a bit of "fun" food. Fajitas, sticky ribs, burgers, pitchers of cocktails. You get a lot of large parties in there - birthdays, work nights out, that kind of thing. Good atmosphere too, but I don't think the food is in the same class as Market Lane.

CafeBarDeli seem to have lowered their prices recently, so it's good value for a pizza or a pasta, but it really needs a refurb. It's getting very tatty. The stairs are all greasy and the toilets aren't that clean. Even the bar at the Academy St entrance is very messy looking, with a load of dirty glasses lying around and dishcloths thrown in the sink. Not that nice a dining experience, even if the food is still very nice and cheap.

iliketeaandcake

Malari wrote: »

CafeBarDeli seem to have lowered their prices recently, so it's good value for a pizza or a pasta, but it really needs a refurb. It's getting very tatty. The stairs are all greasy and the toilets aren't that clean. Even the bar at the Academy St entrance is very messy looking, with a load of dirty glasses lying around and dishcloths thrown in the sink. Not that nice a dining experience, even if the food is still very nice and cheap.

Luigi's

Although CafeBarDeli have lowered their prices, I still don't think it is good value for money. Was in there the other day for lunch and the staff were extremely scatty, borderline rude. It wasn't overly busy either so I was a bit disappointed with that!

hatetherain!

My vote goes to Les Gourmandises, lovely atmosphere, food and service... a real treat, and they doing a reduced price set menu!

Malari

iliketeaandcake wrote: »

Although CafeBarDeli have lowered their prices, I still don't think it is good value for money. Was in there the other day for lunch and the staff were extremely scatty, borderline rude. It wasn't overly busy either so I was a bit disappointed with that!

Actually, yeah that's true. It's cheap food and tasty, but not really good value if you like to have good service and a nice restaurant, surroundings and atmosphere! Which I do :-)

Dermighty

Dermighty wrote: »

I would recommend:

Best deal: The Strasbourg Goose for the best steak in the city (rib eye). Very consistent restaurant.........................

Aside from that I ate in Market Lane twice and I found it to look great but the food was pretty much the same as Luigi Malones (burger and fries, steak and fries, chicken curry). It was nice but not somewhere I'd go with my girlfriend. Their chips were the best I've ever tried though (literally the best).

...................

Strasbourg goose for the best steak in Cork City, it's lovely for the price but far from the best.

And what you describe about Market Lane isn't remotely representative of the place whenever I've been there, copy and paste of their menu below.......

Today’s quiche/tart with sautéed potatoes and baby salad leaves
€10.95

Braised Ox cheek stew, with smoked bacon, field mushrooms, roast root veg , red cabbage and thyme mash
€13.50

Pan fried hake fillet with broccoli, bok choi, peppers, sautéed potatoes and a walnut and lime pesto
€16.95

Spaghetti with pan-fried tiger prawns, marinated salmon, roast vine tomatoes, chargrilled vegetables, lemongrass, ginger, garlic and olive oil
€16.95

Spinach and ricotta ravioli with wild mushrooms, semi-sundried tomatoes, cream and parmesan
€14.50

Char-grilled marinated chicken breast with herb mash, buttered vegetables and gravy
€13.50

Traditional cod fish & chips in a light batter with tartare sauce and pea puree
€13.95

Steak sandwich on crusty baguette with chunky chips, sauteed paris browns and onions and mustard mayo
€12.95

Warm chicken breast and tomato relish on homemade focaccia bread and chunky chips
€11.95

Butternut and feta gratin with polenta, caramelised red onions, sundried tomatoes, breadcrumbs and toasted almonds
€13.95 (v)

Roast salmon with fennel citrus salad, crushed baby potatoes and tomato herb dressing
€15.25

Slow-cooked lamb tagine with oregano and lemon, roast saffron vegetables, coriander pesto and cous cous
15.95

Dermighty

RoverJames wrote: »

Strasbourg goose for the best steak in Cork City, it's lovely for the price but far from the best.

The best I've tried.


Market Lane was exactly as I described it when I went there (last year) so as far as I'm concerned it is an accurate representation of my experience there.

michelle65

Amicus all the way. Food is to die for, esp the nachos.
Paul st or Douglas beside East Village

kingtut

For me the best places are:

Best Chinese: Panda Mama beside the bus station.
Best Indian: Bombay Palace on Cook St.
Best Traditional: Soho / Scotts
Best Italian: Milanos (for pizza and lasagne mainly)
Best Thai: Tung Sing

Places to avoid:
Market Lane and Amicus

ncmc

Why would you avoid Market Lane Kingtut? All the reviews I have heard have been brilliant. Would be interested in hearing about your experience and why you wouldn't recommend it. I have only been to Amicus for lunch and found that fine, but then it's not too difficult to get lunch right.

ncmc

ncmc wrote: »

Why would you avoid Market Lane Kingtut? All the reviews I have heard have been brilliant........

The old saying comes to mind, you can't please all of the people all of the time....

ncmc

RoverJames wrote: »

The old saying comes to mind, you can't please all of the people all of the time....

LOL this is true, if you ask 10 people to recommend a restaurant you are likely to get 10 different answers!

I was torn between Electric and Market Lane, I called Electric last Saturday and the only time they could seat us was 6.45! What recession! It's obviously good if it is so busy, but that was a bit early for us, so will check it out another time.

We are going to head into Market Lane at about 7.15, wait for a table and get a drink. If we're sitting by 8.15-30 then i'll be happy.

I will report back on Monday!

kingtut

ncmc wrote: »

Why would you avoid Market Lane Kingtut? All the reviews I have heard have been brilliant. Would be interested in hearing about your experience and why you wouldn't recommend it. I have only been to Amicus for lunch and found that fine, but then it's not too difficult to get lunch right.

Hi well I have been there twice. The first time was for a work Christmas party and the menu was very limited, the service was slow and the food we got was nothing special. Very pricey for the amount of food we got also. Only 2 of the group said that they enjoyed it.

Unless it is a very bad experience I'll always give a place a second go so I brought an out of town friend along. Once again the service was slow and the food was very poor apart from the dessert!! The starter (Prawns in Chilli Sauce and the prawns had not been cleaned properly) and main course were shocking but thankfully the dessert was nice! (The only thing I enjoyed the two times I was there).

I would avoid it like the plague, there are far nicer restuarants than the Market Lane

kingtut

ncmc wrote: »

I have only been to Amicus for lunch and found that fine,

You found it fine but was it an experience that you would 'rave' about or say "wow I had an amazing lunch in xxx last night you should really try it".

I find a lot of places are 'fine' but not many are worth recommending

Tilly Tally

I think Market Lane is lovely but it is very annoying that you can't reserve a table. At that time on a Saturday evening you could be waiting over half an hour for a table to become free and if its very busy, i think they sometimes put pressure on you to finish your dinner faster so they can seat someone else. I've had really lovely meals recently in Liberty Grill and The Cornstore. Both had a fab relaxed atmosphere, great service and divine food. If you can get a booth at the back of the Cornstore, you are away from the very busy sections and can just drink away for the night!

D1stant

Star Anise is my favourite - Food is as good as Les Gourmandaise at half the price. The staff are lovely

Well worth checking out

ncmc

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. We ended up eating in Market Lane, we really enjoyed it. There was a great livelt atmosphere, the food was excellent, the staff superb and all reasonabley priced. I would definitely eat there again, and in fact, am going to price it for our company Christmas party.

The only negative I would say is the fact that you can't book a table. We went in early and didn't have to wait long, but when we were coming back for our table at 8pm, I could hear people being told the wait was an hour. I can totally see why they have this policy, but I would prefer to be able to make a reservation rather than just take my chances.