There’s one thing I won’t take being said about Kilkenny – “there’s nowhere to go for a bite”.
I’ve heard it on more than one occasion and when it’s said to me, I’ll usually start rattling off a list of 80+ options that are available at most times of the day and that’s just when you’re within walking distance of The Parade. Never mind when it’s Thursday and there are even more options on The Parade with the Kilkenny Farmer’s Market.
Whether you’re after an almighty doorstep sandwich with a bowl of soup, fresh-made sushi, a duck curry, a hearty bowl of chowder, steak on a stone, or anything else, there really is something for all palates, walks and budgets.
Case in point, I needed to get the car in for a service this morning and with the weather absolutely cat, maybe even more than the washout of New Year’s Day, I decided to take an early walk into town, dodging puddles and raindrops as I go, passing Arán on Barrack Street as prep work gets done for reopening tomorrow, the Michelin-starred Campagne around the corner at Gas House Lane with Mocha’s Vintage Tearoom virtually next door, Billy Byrnes and a bustling Tower and Castle (pictured above) on John Street, newcomers Wild Tails on Canal Square with Charlie’s Boutique Café opposite (nee The Flaky Tart) Indique and Low Lane on Kieran Street with The Marble City Tea Rooms and Yard Café opposite doing a booming trade in the rain.
Some 20,000-odd steps later and a wealth of eateries and watering holes in between, along with a takeout coffee from Fragola on William Street and the heartiest of red duck curries from Aroi’s lunch menu, I’m more certain than ever that there’s no shortage of dining options in Kilkenny.
Recent openings like Nóinín on John’s Bridge continue to garner attention having wound up among the newcomers of the year in a 2023 roundup by Katy McGuinness for the Indo last week (subscriber-only article). There are new openings on the way too with Carlow’s Caffé 500 set to open right on The Parade in was once upon a time Willoughby’s and more recently the short-lived Tiempo tapas bar.
Even now, sitting in Meubles Café up at the Kilkenny Retail Park (yes, I’ve walked the legs off myself and come full circle in the hope of collecting said car that’s in for a service), the place is packed and it’s just tipping three in the afternoon the lunch rush added to, I imagine, by the extended school holidays this week. You’d be hungry from all the walking.
Of course, the non-shortage of places to eat isn’t just a liberty of the city centre. 15-minutes-ish in the car and you’re grabbing a bite in the Blackberry Café or Unwind in Thomastown or pushing the boat out at the county’s other Michelin-starred restaurant in the Lady Helen at Mount Juliet, picking up a slice of baked goodness in Knockdrinna Café in Stoneyford, lunching at The Lime Tree in Castlecomer, sipping coffee in Barista Sistas or Fennelly’s in Callan (when they reopen later this month), indulging at the rising stars (Yes Chef) of Kings Mill in Kells or the Goodly Barrow in Goresbridge (though maybe technically Carlow). Again, always options.
Prepare for picks
So why this post? Well, given that there’s an absolute wealth of places to eat the length and breadth of Kilkenny, I’ll be bringing you a new monthly feature on places to eat, for lunch specifically, in and around the city and county and it starts later this week.
You never know, you might spot somewhere that you’ve constantly walked by and never ventured in, or rediscover a food haunt you’ve not frequented in a while. Plus, if you’re not from Kilkenny at all, then you’re in for the right treat as come December this year you’ll have a wealth of lunch spots to look back on!
Keep an eye out for the first of the list with some January recommendations dropping this Thursday.
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