Where to eat Colcannon with Crispy Cabbage in Kilkenny

5 editor picks for Colcannon with Crispy Cabbage in Kilkenny, ranked by editorial score. All Kilkenny signature dishes · Colcannon with Crispy Cabbage across every city.

  • Langton's Bar and Restaurant

    Order The hearty seafood chowder or the Baileys and brown bread gateau dessert. The Guinness pour is precise.

    Langton's on John Street is a Kilkenny institution, winner of Best Gastro Pub Kilkenny 2025, serving hearty Irish food and an extensive Irish whiskey list.

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  • Foodworks

    Order Pulled pork benedict at brunch; spit-roast free-range pork at lunch is the weekly farm highlight.

    Foodworks on Parliament Street is the most direct farm-to-fork address in Kilkenny, the pork sourced from pigs the owners raise on a family farm nearby.

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  • Matt The Millers

    Order Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie; traditional Irish stew with brown bread.

    Matt The Millers on John Street combines live music every night with good pub food, the Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie a fitting local signature for the city.

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  • Kyteler's Inn

    Order Traditional Irish stew or beef and Guinness pie; the Kyteler's own-brand Irish whiskey is worth a glass.

    Kyteler's Inn on St Kieran's Street connects to Kilkenny's 1324 distillation records.

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Make it at home

Serves 440 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 1kg floury potatoes (Roosters or Kerr's Pinks), peeled and halved
  • 1 small savoy cabbage, cored and finely shredded
  • 4 spring onions, finely sliced (white and green parts separate)
  • 100g salted Irish butter
  • 150ml whole milk, warmed
  • 100ml double cream
  • Freshly grated nutmeg, pinch
  • Sea salt, white pepper
  • 30g butter and 1 tbsp neutral oil, for the crispy cabbage finish
  • 60g streaky bacon, finely diced (optional)
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

  1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until completely tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Drain well and let steam-dry in the colander for 3 minutes.
  2. In another pan, bring 1cm of salted water to a boil. Blanch shredded cabbage 2 minutes until just tender, drain, refresh under cold water, squeeze dry.
  3. Mash potatoes thoroughly with 80g butter, warm milk, and cream until smooth. Stir in the white parts of the spring onion.
  4. Fold the blanched cabbage through the mash. Season with salt, white pepper, and a tiny grating of nutmeg.
  5. For the crispy top: heat remaining butter and oil in a wide pan. Add bacon (if using) and cook 4 minutes until crisp.
  6. Add a generous handful of the remaining shredded cabbage and the green spring onion tops. Fry 3 minutes until edges crisp.
  7. Mound colcannon into warmed bowls. Make a well in the centre with the back of a spoon, drop in a knob of cold butter to melt.
  8. Crown with the crispy cabbage and bacon mix. Scatter parsley and serve immediately.

Editor tip. Steam-dry the boiled potatoes for a full 3 minutes before mashing; wet potatoes give a heavy, gluey colcannon, dry ones give a fluffy mash that holds the cabbage.