The Grapevine Wine & Tapas Bar

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458 reviews

#24 of 205 Restaurants in Kilkenny€€ - €€€, International, Mediterranean, European

+353 56 771 2956+ Add website

Hours

Sun

12:30 - 22:00

Mon

17:00 - 22:00

Tue

17:00 - 22:00

Wed

17:00 - 22:00

Thu

17:00 - 22:00

Fri

17:00 - 23:00

Sat

12:30 - 23:00

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Ratings and reviews

4.0

458 reviews

#24 of 205 Restaurants in Kilkenny

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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PRICE RANGE

€4.00 – €15.00

CUISINES

International, Mediterranean, European, Spanish, Wine Bar

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

meals, features

Location and contact

6 Rose Inn Street, Kilkenny Ireland

+353 56 771 2956

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Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?

Yes

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About

The Grapevine Tapas Bar is Kilkenny's favourite casual dining venue.Great food, music and service.

PRICE RANGE

€4.00 – €15.00

CUISINES

International, Mediterranean, European, Spanish, Wine Bar

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, After-hours

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Wine and Beer, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Table Service

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4.0

458 reviews

Excellent

255

Very good

110

Average

Poor

Terrible

vocalirish

Dublin29 contributions

Fantastic selection of tapas and wines

Jan 2020 • couples

Fantastic selection of tapas and wines. Every dish we ordered was brilliant. The prices are very reasonable and they have a great early bird offer of 3 tapas and a house wine for €20. The decor is very nice also it is warm and bright. The waitstaff were very attentive but a bit high strung even though when we came there was only one other small group sat in the restaurant. It’s as if they know the night ahead will be busy so they panic about giving away tables. It makes people feel very unwelcome when you make them stand there for a 5 minutes while looking at a clip board and then point to a certain table and say you can have this but you must give it back no later than x time. Just put on the door reservation only or keep a section of the restaurants for walk ins and when it’s full don’t take anymore! Strange altogether the energy comes off very nervous and assertive at the same time. If they get that issue sorted they’ll be golden.

Written 5 January 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.

Veronica

Kilkenny4 contributions

Amazing experience!

Oct 2020 • couples

Absolutely recommend the Garapevine to anyone who wants quantity and quality for amazingly reasonable price! The food was absolutely amazing and delivered really quick. It was also my partners birthday and they brought out our deserts with a candle on his cake!! DEADLY.... The highlight of the night was exceptional customer service, my partner is 6'7" and we ordered a table for 2 which had a stool and a wall seat. He knew by looking at the stool he would not be able to sit on that stool to enjoy his food as he wouldn't have room to place his legs. The staff new straight away without us even saying anything (i was too busy laughing anyway) the staff accommodated us immediately with suitable table and made sure he was comfortable and other customers too. Absolutely amazing!

Written 3 October 2020

WeekendsLover

Abu Dhabi32 contributions

Kitchen closed early, poor business management

Jul 2020 • family

Booked a table for 2 on a Friday night for 8.30pm. Told on arrival due to government restrictions could only stay 1.5 hours, very understandable. When we ordered however all our 5 tapas came out together, not how tapas is supposed to be served and some dishes were then cold by the time we got to them. I do not know is this a new practice since Covid 19 or just poor service/understanding of tapas. We then looked for desserts at 9.30pm and were told the kitchen was closed. We had not been told this prior to or post booking and opening hours are stated until 11pm on a Friday. The staff were lovely and very attentive but I feel in this current climate telling customers they can not have dessert at 9.30pm when opening hours are advertised until 11pm is not doing the business any favours, and unfortunately this is the reason I won’t be returning and will giving my money to places who are really trying hard to stay open instead.

Written 18 July 2020

Ruth

3 contributions

Food great service horrendous

Aug 2020 • family

We dined in this establishment tonight after hearing the food was good, but we weren’t impressed by the service. Upon receiving our menus, we were told twice that our table was needed back by 10pm despite the govt rule being 105 mind per sitting. We felt from the get go that the staff were rushing us to order, for example while choosing our wine the waitress stood over our table and gave us little or no time to decide, we felt we were under pressure to choose a wine as a result of this. We ordered a very substantial meal of 7 different tapas plates, we received the plates approx 10-12 mins after ordering which was great, however the staff preceded to come over to our table and asked if we were okay and if we needed anything, but it wasn’t just one person it was 3 different staff members every 4-5 mins, we could not enjoy our meal, we felt pressurised to finish very quickly, we also felt that they were monitoring the pace that were were eating our dishes. I appreciate attentive staff however when you tell a staff member the food is good, I don’t need anything else to later be interrupted again by another staff member gets a bit tiresome, it was if the staff did not communicate with one another or else there was another staff member telling the staff to try and take our plates. I could see another couple beside us also getting irritated by the staff. We were never going to outstay the 105 minute period, but for the 105 minutes we were there we could not relax and did not enjoy our food. I will not be returning. The food was great but it’s not worth the experience. It felt like a conveyor belt, the minute you sat down they wanted to get you out. I appreciate a staff member asking you if you are okay and whether you need anything once or twice but to persistently keep coming over and trying to clear our table is not okay. We dined in a nearby Italian the previous night and the service was outstanding and all within 105 minutes!

Written 22 August 2020

Lorraine H

County Wexford96 contributions

Disappointing

May 2022 • none

We were looking forward to eating here as we both love tapas. There is an early bird menu which represents very good value for money and we ordered this. However the food came very quickly, almost too quickly! The tapas were lukewarm and we were particularly disappointed with the chorizo which was overcooked. The waiter who was also front of house was quite rude, not a bit friendly. We were almost putting him out when we asked him something. We will not be returning.

Written 20 May 2022

Adele

Sligo3 contributions

Very disappointing!! Won’t be back.

Aug 2022 • couples

We were looking forward to our meal in The Grapevine so much as we are fans of tapas but unfortunately we were bitterly disappointed with the food and service. The actual interior of the restaurant was very nice, but the music was a bit manic and did not create the chilled atmosphere befitting of a wine bar/tapas restaurant. But it was the food the was the most disappointing. All our dishes arrived so quickly the alarm bells were ringing immediately- we wondered how food that arrived so quickly could be made fresh…??? and we were right, the food was lukewarm, the ciabatta with the bruschetta was soggy, the croquettes were full of something but it definitely wasn’t spinach and ham as the server told us.. all the food was very average.. but very overpriced! The water we had must have been on the table for the day- so warm and definitely not fresh. The waiting staff had absolutely no personality, no polish and no manner. All in all it’s safe to say we won’t ever be returning to this restaurant.

Written 3 August 2022

Michelle C

Carlow3 contributions

Arrogant behaviour

Mar 2020 • family

Myself and my 3 sisters had booked into the grapevine for dinner. We looked online and the early bird was advertised to finish at 7pm, so we booked for 6.45pm. The man behind the counter very rudely told us that the early bird finished at 6.30pm. We explained the website stated 7. He had been on his phone and start shaking it at us and pointing at it. We left the restaurant and explained why to the waitress. Later we checked the website and it still said 7pm. The man was just so rude, would never return or recommend.

Written 3 March 2020

Manuel Murphy

34 contributions

Mediocre at best

Jul 2022 • couples

We visited The Grapevine with great anticipation and high hope of finding a new tapas restaurant to frequent. The place looks great , nice decor , good location and the interior looked immaculately clean. Big menu with loads of choices and some nice wines to try. Unfortunately the service was very mechanical and non engaging. We ordered 6 tapas that were all landed on our table simultaneously within 5 minutes of placing our order. This is so wrong on 2 fronts . 1 : The quick turnaround makes it very obvious that the food is not made to order, its not possible to turn an order into food on a plate in 5 minutes flat. 2 : How in gods name are 2 people expected to eat 6 tapas in a reasonable time without the last 2 or 3 dishes going cold. The owners go so far as to put a big spiel about the history of tapas in the front of the menus. I can guarantee that tapas are not meant to be served 6 at a time. It makes for a whole rushed dining experience and I have never experienced tapas being served in this manner. Last but not least is the noise coming from behind the bar in the restaurant where the staff are drying plates etc on an ongoing basis throughout the evening. This is not acceptable. It’s supposed to be a restaurant and not a kitchen. The food that we were served was ok and for the prices there is far better quality tapas available in Ireland.

Written 31 July 2022

maguirebarnes101

Birmingham45 contributions

Tasty Tapas with a great ambiance.

Jul 2021 • family

Really great place with a nice feel about it. Went here while visiting Kilkenny & so glad we dod. Ordered 9 different tapas dishes & usually 1 or 2 are hit & miss but every single 1 of the dishes was sooo tasty. The young lady hosting was in total command considering she was on her own and made it look effortless. If you like tasty food with a great ambiance give this place a whirl.

Written 10 August 2021

Anthony M

1 contribution

One of the few restaurants in Kilkenny open after 9:30pm!

Jun 2022 • none

This excellent restaurant serves tasty Spanish tapas including one of my favourites Patas Bravas and has a great atmosphere. Prices are reasonable, and crucially it is one of the few restaurants that stays open after 9:30pm, which seems to be the cut off point for most kitchens in Kilkenny. For me, the is rather irritating as I prefer to eat later in the evening. Fortunately The Grapevine came to my rescue on a couple of occasions, (thank you guys!) Highly recommended!

Written 23 June 2022

yddib

Kilkenny225 contributions

Nice service but average food

Jan 2020 • friends

We ate here recently and found the food to be average. Having dined here previously, the food was not as good as before. The food was disappointing. The potatoes with chorizo and chilli came without chilli and the meatballs were plentiful but bland. I will say, the service was great and the waitress was very friendly.

Written 27 January 2020

Montaya007

Fort McMurray108 contributions

Just get the Tapas and drinks.

Apr 2022 • family

So my wife, my MIL, And MIL Friend all went to the Grapevine for dinner. And all I have to say is You've Gotta Eat Here. So to drink everyone had the Sangria except for me, they all loved the Sangria said it was very good, but very sweet. I had the Kopperberg Cider they added raspberries and lime to it it was delicious. We just ordered multiple Tapas to have for dinner and split them between the 4 of us we had the Chicken Skewers, Steak Skewers, Meatballs, Shrimp, button Mushrooms, Calamari, Rocket and Pear Salad, Chorizo and Green Chili Potatoes, and the four cheese quesidella. Then for Desert we had Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Cheesecake. All the Tapas were fantastic, so full of flavor, the sauce was delicious on everything, the food was prepared quickly and everything was so tasty. Then the Desert the Sticky Toffee Pudding was really tasty not sweet or anything, soft and moist. The cheesecake had lots of flavor and was delicious. There were 3 Staff on the floor, but they split the load and kept up, we were getting checked on regularly to ensure that we still had stuff to drink and we still had enough food. Would highly recommend, also would recommend that you book ahead as we watched as people were turned away. 5 our of 5

Written 22 April 2022

Gerhard S

County Kerry6 contributions

Good food but no wine culture and bad service

Feb 2022 • solo

There are wine bottles on display everywhere and you might hope to get some decent wine there. But it was a disappointment and made worse by thick small glasses any wine lover would only drink water from. Even for the red there was no appropriate glass. And when I asked the waiter if he has any different glasses, he replied that there were only the ones on the table in an unfriendly way. This though there were many different glasses hanging above the bar. Apparently just for decoration same as the wine bottles. I would have risked a bottle of Rioja Reserve for 35 Euros even after the disappointmenting two glasses I had so far, but certainly not without some sort of decent glass! The food was good, but with this lack of any wine culture yet again it was a big disappointment. This is certainly no wine bar in spite of the impression that they try to give.

Written 7 February 2022

Lee

Paris21 contributions

Portion sizes are a let down - left hungry

Oct 2022 • friends

Small Portions, Overpriced and unfortunately left hungry after spending €45pp So we had 2 tapas each (€25pp) a dessert (€7) each) and a sangria between 2 (€10pp) and then a tip to server to round up. Positives that staff were friendly, service was fast and hairspray in bathroom. Food was relatively tasty with the deserts tasting/consistency of shop bought, but portions were way to small for tapas. But after spending €45 and still having to buy a pizza on the way home it just wasn’t what I expect when I spend that much on a meal. Won’t be rushing back but only Tapas option in Kilkenny.

Written 4 October 2022

Helena Monaghan

24 contributions

Dinner

Aug 2022 • family

We had a family dinner here on Saturday,.Always loved the grapevine when visiting Kilkenny but tbh we were a bit disappointed this time.we had looked it up on the Web and early bird was advertised till 6.30pm everyday apart from bank holidays,so we booked a 6pm table as we were with kids. Arrived a few mins early,menus were given out,no early bird !!!so I asked for it and was told early bird finishes at 6pm???I said on their Web page it's says 6.30pm and the answer was "oh yeah sorry we need to change that.I have to say I thought that was very poor customer service .Just to make other customers aware of this

Written 7 August 2022

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