Kilkenny Restaurant

I’ve only been here once, and only for tea and scones, so I guess I’ve not experienced the full restaurant experience at Kilkenny. However, what I did experience was good.
My friend and I had a large pot of tea between us, and a big fruit scone each as well. Everything tasted good. Another great thing about it was the live easy-​listening jazz music being played close to our table as well. I believe this is a weekly happening on Sunday, so worth popping in to catch that.
The only problem I do have is the network of pipes running below the ceiling in the café area. They are really quite low down, so I banged my head more than once. Ouch!

This place was fine — service was a little slow, but it was Saturday that we visited — I had a club sandwich, the salad that came with it was a little strange with giant pieces of broccoli in it. The club sandwich itself however was quite good — fresh ingredients & a great portion. However I didn’t have time to eat it all as it took so long — but I will say I was full leaving, just no time to relax & enjoy!

Best hot breakfast for the money in all of Dublin! Delicious, too.

I’ve been meaning to try this restaurant out for a long time now and finally got the chance to come for a Saturday lunch with my mom. It’s tray service so you can see everything which was good, and was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of fish on the menu! They have a cold food/​salad section and from there they had a choice of fish (plain salmon, sweet chilli salmon, trout, mackerel and smoked salmon) or cold cut meat plus 2 salads for around 12 euro. The salads are similar to the vegetarian ones in Cornucopia, like kidney beans, beetroot salad, couscous, potato etc., which were really nice. They also have quiche and pies.
My mom got the hot food, which has the usual carvery (meat, veg, potatoes) and chicken curry with rice. The rice was really bad though as it was all hard and dry. There’s also a nice selection of pastries and desserts.
The atmosphere is great; very lively, bright with a view from above and there’s plenty of seats. Prices were moderate ranging from 10 – 15 euro and the service was average, nothing special.
Overall, great café with plenty of options to choose from. There is also an ATM!

Just loved this place. The service is fast and the prices are OK. Grab your tray and try to decide which one of those delicious cakes/​tarts you will have!
The restaurant is on the first floor of the shop and if you are luck to find a table close to the window you will have a lovely view of trinity college.
The food was just amazing and the coffee too. It seems like a traditional place, plenty of old ladies just taking their times and enjoying themselves.
I found this place lovely and I will definitely go back again when Im in the area.

Lovely café! I’ve never been in until today but the food was lovely and the staff were so friendly. They do gluten free scones which are pretty difficult to find! They do a great scone and tea/​coffee deal. Definitely recommend. The rest of the food looked great too.

The Kilkenny Shop isn’t somewhere I’d usually find myself, but as my usual haunts were closed I had little choice. The café sits above the dated interior of the shop below, up some cheerless tiled steps. The layout is a little confusing, with multiple counters and tills. As expected the vegetarian options were scant — the cold dishes were overpriced for what they were and very dairy based.
I got an unexciting mozzarella sandwich and ordered some chips from the hot counter. Oddly enough they hadn’t any on the counter so I had to wait for them to be brought out, which took 10 – 15 minutes, which wasn’t ideal as I was on my lunch hour. When they did come out they were only half cooked, and I left about half uneaten. I did like the water counter which offered complimentary ice and lemons/​limes with your water.
It seemed very popular with older people, and tourists, and probably caters perfectly adequately for those markets. I however wasn’t particularly impressed and won’t be making a return. If I’m in the mood for traditional fare (with a contemporary twist), I’d prefer the Avoca café, a 5 minute walk away on Wicklow street.

Nice restaurant with different selection of food. It is a self service type of restaurant. I went for lunch with my friend and we got a sandwich and a selection of salads (not bad at all) and then we had macchiato and 3 types of cake. The coffee was not bad and the cakes were good-​Ish.

Great breakfast on a dime, though they were short on eggs when I showed up at 10:30 and they were slow about getting a new batch out.
Otherwise, it’s all a fairly efficient and friendly operation. There’s absolutely nothing special about this place besides how much you get for how little you pay. 6 Euro for 5 items goes a long way for my stomach. 8 Euro for 7 items if you like (barely any savings, but it adds to the meal if you need).

What a gem! I can’t believe I never discovered this place sooner!
On the top floor of the shop is a hungry persons heaven (as well as someone with tight-​ish purse strings!)
Their baked goods are really good and a HUGE selection. I had (shared) the lemon drizzle cake which was yummy and moist and got a rice crispy treat to take home. The rice crispy treat though was no where near the level of Avoca’s!!! (Sorry Kilkenny)
I also tried the scrambled egg and potatoe cake off the hot breakfast side/​menu where you can pick any 5 items PLUS get a tea /​coffee just for the amazing price of € 6!!! Yes you heard right… a breakfast in Dublin for under a tenner!!!
Then to top it off there are some cool old boys playing tunes in the background saxophone and all!
Will be a regular to this spot that’s for sure!
high5s :)

Top floor of Kilkenny is a breakfast lovers dream. Hot and cold meals at a darn good price. This was our first stop in Dublin, a quick bite before The Book of Kells. We weren’t starving so my friend and I each just got a small scone/​danish of some sort and a coffee.
Whatever raisin butter flakey bread confection I purchased was delicious. My friend agreed.
I really enjoyed seeing the locals dine with big pots of tea and plates piled high with Irish breakfast. Too bad we didn’t go here for our big breakfast the next day instead of the dreadful Elephant and Castle.
Large selection of food in a cafeteria line style setting and a very very good price. And I say good price even having to convert from Euros to dollars.

My new favourite breakfast in Dublin. Amazing value at only € 6 or € 8 depending on how much you want and with a tea or coffee. The food is really great quality with the usual items on offer. They also have gluten free toast which i find so hard to get at breakfast.
The restaurant is upstairs in the Kilkenny shop and is a really nice space and great to people watch. It’s really well set up with jugs of water and ice/​lemon/​orange. Finally the staff are so helpful and friendly — nothing is too much bother for them. Can’t say enough good about the place

I used to meet people here for lunch. The food is good wholesome irish fare and the view is nice. It gets busy. However recently I’ve been put off by one staff member and his behaviour on a number of occasions. The guy at the last till is intrusive and aggressive in his manner. When I mentioned it to another friend, she said «I know exactly who you mean!» and described him to a tee. My hunch is that he is only like this to women.
It’s very off putting.
It seems sometimes that people in customer service or the service industry don’t get much training?
I’m off to the Alliance Francais for lunch next time.

Great place to stop in for a quick, yummy lunch.

Where can one get a traditional Irish breakfast on a budget? It’s quite easy! Kilkenny has a café on the second floor that offers an inexpensive breakfast that consists of blood pudding, sausage, eggs, potato cakes, mushrooms, tomatoes, your choice of toast, and coffee/​tea. Is it just me or is that name funny sounding? South Park comes to mind. You can get all of that for about € 6. If you want additional items, it will only be a few euros more.
Big plus is they have an ATM inside, free wifi and you can do some shopping after you are done eating. They are my go to breakfast spot in the morning for at least the next few days.

Not the best experience here today. We were only in for coffee and a piece of cake but we found the service quite disorganised. My coffee was lukewarm and my mam’s bun was tasteless. I think they are trying to offer too many options, and as a result the quality suffers. I find the seating cramped and today it seemed that tables were not being cleared promptly once customers had left. It’s a shame as the place does have great potential.

Great breakfast deal for 5 euros that can’t be beat. Clean environ and helpful staff! Located right in the midst of everything too!

‘Bustling’ was invented to describe what goes on in Kilkenny Restaurant and the Design shop downstairs. This is a great spot for a tasty lunchtime break whether you happen to be visiting nearby attractions (Trinity College Library, Molly Malone) or you happen to be doing business in the area.
The Food: Delicious and tasty, combines hearty and traditional with flavoursome and Mediterranean dishes. Choose from sandwiches in rustic breads, roasts and potatoes, salmons and quiches, couscous salads and creamy gateaux.
The Damage: Reasonable if you go for a sandwich or a soup. My quiche with two salads was tasty, abundant and came in under a tenner, perfect. The chicken or salmon dishes with veg, my companions said, was a tad expensive and they wished they had more to eat.
The Surroundings: Busy, busy. At lunchtime, the noise level is noticeable but won’t stop a lively conversation with friends. Great large window panes with a view and you can also glimpse the beautiful Irish craft on sale below.

Tasty café upstairs with friendly staff. Good seating area with views of Trinity College across the street. Complementary WiFi for writing a Unilocal review on the fly. Some evenings, there is a live band/​singer playing unobtrusively in the corner. It adds a nice atmosphere to the place.
The food is of the simple and wholesome variety, rather than the exotic and adventurous. That’s not a criticism, though — I like it that way. All in all, a good place to eat.

Where else can you find breakfast for 5 € in Dublin on the weekend? Kilkenny offers your choice of any four items (sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, mushroom, pudding assortment (black and white) or cherry tomatoes plus toast and coffee or tea. You can even substitute an Americano instead of coffee. It is a great deal for the money in a really great location across from Trinity college.
I frequent this place every few weeks or so and really enjoy the great window seats which overlook Nassau street.
I would say that they cater to families in that they have a number of high chairs for small children and babies. One big downside is that the restaurant is on the 1^st floor through and there is no lift, so if you have a buggy, you need to carry it up. The security guards and waiters have always offered to help though.
The shop downstairs is worth a browse also. I have found a few nice little gifts to send to friends and family.