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The Shire Café & Bar

The Shire Café & Bar

The Shire Café & Bar
4
08:30 - 23:30
Monday
08:30 - 23:30
Tuesday
08:30 - 23:30
Wednesday
08:30 - 23:30
Thursday
08:30 - 23:30
Friday
08:30 - 23:30
Saturday
08:30 - 23:30
Sunday
08:30 - 23:00
About
A Lord of the Rings themed pub/bar in Killarney town centre, and the perfect venue for an early breakfast in Killarney! We offer everything from Breakfast, Lunch & Evening meals in our stylish, modern, family friendly Café and Bar or Outdoor Heated Covered Area. Be sure to sample our speciality brewed beers, range of wines, beers & spirits and cocktails, as well as speciality coffees, teas and a selection of sweet treats; there is something here to suit all tastes! Outdoor Heated Covered Area - Family friendly Bar/Café - Kids Welcome - Food served daily 08:00 - 9:30pm. The Shire Bar is also Dog / Pet Friendly (designated areas) and is an entertainment venue for Live music & Open Trad sessions and watch Live Sports on our TVs.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles348 reviews
Excellent
158
Very good
87
Average
46
Poor
24
Terrible
33

Shane D
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Friends
Booked a table which required a €10 deposit which was fine sat down and ordered our meal which when it arrived the steak which I ordered rare and it came out well done and my friend ordered a lasagne which came out burnt. We didn’t mind the way the food was it was the fact we sat there waiting 45 minutes with empty plates before a member of staff who looked at us at least 5 times before clearing our table. Not once were we checked up on during our meal which showed that the waiters had no training especially the young large waiter with curly hair who was serving us which was also the member of staff who just looked at us. When he did decide to come down to us he didn’t offer us any desert or drinks or even ask if we enjoyed the meal so we just asked for the bill which he was sly and didn’t remove the €10 until my friend noticed. Overall terrible experience would not recommend for anyone.
Written 16 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tim O
3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021 • Couples
I suppose this could be a place that is suffering from the national shortage of staff that is claimed to be affecting the hospitality industry... or maybe they just don't want people dropping in for a coffee. Shopping in town today and my wife suggested we go into the Shire for a cup of coffee and a quick snack. We entered and were assigned a seat by a very polite waitress who gave us our menus. There were approx 5 other groups ( mix of 2 and 3 people). The same waitress came back after 3 mins to take our order which was 2 cups of coffee and 1 croissant, ( I wasn't hungry). So we sat discussing life in general, hearing the other discussions around us, etc, etc. Briefly ran out of other chat discussed other stuff, and then heard the bells from the nearby Friary which rang 12 pm... I realised we had been sitting waiting for our coffees and 1 croissant for at least 20 mins. My wife saw the waitress and reminded her that we were still waiting and she apologised that they were being prepared as we speak. From where I was, sitting i could see that the Barista was on a smoke break and chatting to people he knew as they passed in the Street outside. 25 mins, after we entered we got our 2 coffee's and 1 croissant. ( tip to the owner , check the CCTV if you don't believe me). Drank them down, nice coffee BTW, but I won't be back. I got the definite feeling that this place doesn't want the passing coffee trade and wants people to come on and order a substantial meal worth a lot. .
Disappointed, very.
Written 13 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tony W
Cork, Ireland12 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Family
Burger and bun both burnt. Chips were nice but if I had 20 in the tin they were served in it was a lot. Partners chorizo in the pasta dish wasnt cooked but the sauce and chicken in it was nice but again very small portion for the price. Baby bowl was good but they should really know that a baby bowl is for a baby and it's best to get a baby fed as soon as possible not wait until its parents already have their food in front of them before they bring it out. Staff seemed new to the business. Sloppy service and the guy who seemed to be running things came across as a little pissed off at his job.
Written 13 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AC_2901Ireland
Ireland33 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Friends
Stopped by here for breakfast recently and would not return. No social distancing and some of the staff wore masks and others didn’t. None of the staff had matching uniforms (not a big deal) but there was clearly an effort of having some sort of continuity with the uniforms with the general appearance. Felt the place a little bit ‘untidy‘ when we went in and were handed menus that were tattered and to my knowledge not wiped down after use. Our party ordered some smoothies-nothing special and eggs and bacon and another dish along with coffees. Eggs were ok but came swimming in that eggy water from scrambling them (just a pet hate) and the bacon was cold and burned-clearly not freshly cooked and something that had been sitting under a light somewhere being kept warm. Had to ask a second time for our coffees and a third time as we could see the last one sitting on counter waiting to be brought over we just walked up and got it ourselves. Coffee was just about luke warm. Pathetic table service and when paying the girl behind the counter came across very cheeky. Definitely would not return. We all agreed due to the footfall in the popular town must be the reason it’s still open. It’s certainly not for the food or customer service.
Written 25 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maps268643
Dublin, Ireland2 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Family
Not a pleasant experience was really looking forward to coming here as a LOTRs fan but just a dreadful experience from the start walked in and young fair haired girl just sighed no hello or customer service skills at all. I told her I had a booking and paid a deposit online she took quick glance at the book and said no ur name or booking isn't here and just walked away. A young pleasant guy seen me standing there and asked my name and looked at the book and there was my name and details clearly the young girl wasn't bothered looking properly just pure laziness. The food was only okay but I would not return after this experience.
Written 1 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

De
5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021 • Friends
Horrible experience! Would NOT recommend.

We booked tables for 25 people. On arrival they did not have our table ready. So sat us at a table of 6, 20 minutes later we were then moved to a table of 8! It took them nearly an hour to give us our actual pre booked tables!

To makes matters worse they refused to give us finger food as it was too late in the evening. Even tho this was pre ordered. Towards the end of the evening we were then met with extreme rudeness by the so call manager. I then asked to see the owner, who was even worse!

Such a horrible experience!! Do not book!!
Written 12 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to review our premises. We are disappointed that our normal high standards fell short on this occasaion. These are indeed challenging times for our industry and we are trying to accommodate as many customers as we can safely. This was a particulary busy night and unfortunately we couldn't provide tables for your group on the specified time and for this we apologise.
Written 18 January 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Trinash
Dublin, Ireland67 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
If you are a bunch of teenagers/students looking for a cheap meal, and not too fussy about the quality of the food, this place might suit you - you might even enjoy the horrible squeezy cheese which was all through my nachos, though the cremated mince meat might be a step too far. If you're a more discerning customer, looking for a delicious meal out, please avoid this place at all cost. Went there the first night of our trip to Killarney, and it's honestly one of the worst meals I've had. I wasn't going to write a review, as everyone has to make a living, but having had two superb meals on the subsequent nights, I feel I have to let fellow holiday makers know that there is so much better to be had in Killarney. The staff were the best thing about this restaurant.
Written 31 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tim O
Dublin, Ireland27 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021 • Couples
Apologies for writing a second review about this place but I realise that my previous review may not be identified as a genuine review.
Myself and my wife visited the 'Shire' today and had an unfortunate visit. Arrived and was seated by a very nice waitress and within a few minutes she took our order of two coffees and a croissant. 20 mins later, I heard the Angelus bells from the Friary and still no coffee. (Or croissant). Had to remind the waitress that we were still waiting and she apologised and said it was being prepared...
However, I could see that the Barista was outside on a smoke break.
25 mins after us ordering, we get a nice cup of coffee.
My feeling is that the 'Shire', doesn't want the passing coffee trade and wants the breakfast / brunch trade where you are ordering a substantial meal. If that's the case, they should say so. Maybe I'm wrong but 25 mins for 2 cups of coffee and 1 croissant is..... in my opinion, is possibly 15 mins too long.
Suggestion to the manager/ owner... Check the CCTV if you think I'm exaggerating.
Written 13 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dylan M
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021 • Friends
Made a booking in the morning for dinner and drinks for that evening, when we arrived for dinner they told us our booking wasn’t wrote down anywhere even tho we saw it been wrote in the book. The staff were very rude and wouldn’t check there book for our booking. Ruined our trip to Killarney. Very disappointed restaurant gives Killarney a bad image absolute disgrace
Written 22 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lorraine
Limerick, Ireland46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Couples
Absolutely fantastic experience, not only was my fur baby welcomed with open arms and given treats and water straight away, me and my partner had a really delicious breakfast and the prices are cheaper than anywhere I’ve seen in Ireland. When we walked in, the owner came straight over to us and was so friendly and hospitable and the two waitresses were the very same.
The vegan breakfast was huge and had everything you could want in it which was great !
Great atmosphere and fantastic food right in the heart of Killarney .. will definitely be back and would recommend everyone to go there.
Written 28 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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