Great food, comfortable atmosphere, friendly staff, dynamite steak.
It has taken me a few trips to Lombardis to decide to place a review of it online but I’ll say one thing – the place is great.
From the decor to the staff, the quality of the food to the price you pay, Lombardis has quickly become one of my preferred places to eat in Kilkenny.
Their pizzas are top class, the addition of fresh rosemary on the Mediterraneo (€11.95) a sheer delight – plenty of fresh toppings but all presented rather neatly (thin enough to devour with ease but sturdy enough so it doesn’t fall away in your hand).
The starters are wide and varied, catering for meat lovers and vegetarians alike – the melon and ham quite a nice choice. If pizza isn’t your thing, their pasta dishes are delicious but my praise is reserved for the steak.
You ask for a medium-rare steak, you get a medium-rare steak – tricky enough to find a place that will cook a steak exactly as you ask it.
The staff are attentive, more than willing to cater for your every need, friendly and outgoing to match. If you can’t finish the meal there’s no problem in getting your food packaged in the kitchen to take home with you.
Prices are very reasonable (a recent dinner for five with drinks cost under 90 euro), with their takeaway menu and restaurant menu displaying similar costs. A plain pizza starts at €8.95 with enough in it to feed two – 10oz fillet steaks top out in the early 20s but you won’t be lost for the extra helpings of potatos / wedges / chips / salads / vegetables and sauces.
If you’ve got young kids they’ll take care of it too – out come the colouring books, crayons and a dedicated childrens menu, all with a touch of class. That said, they’ll fit a good crowd in for you as well, my latest excursion there I brought 16 people for dinner with no problems.
If wine or spirits aren’t your thing there is a selection of bottled beers, cider, and the hallowed Heineken is on top (and a nice pint at that).
If you’re looking for a nice Italian restaurant in Kilkenny and haven’t yet heard of Lombardis then check it out.
Rated /5 on Aug 29 2007 by Ken McGuire
Rate this review or write your own at LouderVoice
Interesting. Went in there with high expectations and ordered Bruscetta for starters. (Bread base with olive oil and garlic. Usually served with tomatoes and basil. Yummy).
When it arrived it had a different taste to the usual I had in other places so I asked what the ingredients were and was told that they combined butter and olive oil in it.
For me (who knows little about cooking) you do not mix fats in a dish like that – it neither works nor is butter required in an olive oil saturated starter.
And having returned it to the kitchen the manager was surly thereafter.
Never going back but glad you enjoy it 🙂
keith
Thats a pity. Had the Heart Shaped Vinyl dinner in there, now using it as a weekend stop pre-KilkennyMusic.com gigs and had the BOTB crew there for a meal before Cannibal. Could be on a lucky streak.
Care to offer a rating out of five? 1? 2?
Out of interest you gave it four stars, what are you rating it against?
You mean why not five stars?
I’ve a review coming for Lemonsoul in Kilkenny, that’ll grab five stars and you should see why in there.
It still has a bit to go for that extra star – has enough in it for me to award four stars based on friendliness, general atmosphere, range of food and quality, price, efficiency. While accommodating I would like a little more privacy when having dinner, I’d likely change the layout of the restaurant a little bit but other than that I thoroughly enjoy eating there.