Kilkenny Food Tours: Taste Kilkenny with a Local Guide
Eat your way around the beautiful medieval city of Kilkenny with a friendly local guide! Over 2.5 hours, you will sample delicious produce from artisanal producers whi...
Lady Helen at Mount Juliet is an irish fine-dining restaurant in Thomastown, Kilkenny.
Editorially verified May 29, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Seasonal tasting menu built entirely on Irish produce from the estate and local suppliers.
Tip: Staying on the estate makes the dinner experience complete; room rates include access to the grounds and morning walks by the river.
Eat your way around the beautiful medieval city of Kilkenny with a friendly local guide! Over 2.5 hours, you will sample delicious produce from artisanal producers whi...
Experience one of Kilkenny's most visited attractions at the Smithwick's brewery in Kilkenny. Learn about the brewing innovations and discover the family behind one of...
Unleash your inner chocolatier and immerse yourself in the world of delicious chocolate! With chocolate at your fingertips, explore the art of creating your own chocol...
Address: Mount Juliet Estate, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, R95 E096
Ristorante Rinuccini has anchored The Parade since 1989, the Cavaliere family importing Italian ingredients and building a cellar of over 12,000 bottles.
Order: Homemade pasta with seasonal sauce; the wine cellar holds over 12,000 bottles from Italian vineyards.
Tip: The Sunday set lunch runs until 17:00 and is among the best-value fine-dining options in the city.
Zuni on Patrick Street is Kilkenny's most consistent hotel dining room since 2000, chef Michael Thomas building modern Irish menus on local produce.
Order: Seasonal fish or lamb; the earlybird menu until 19:30 delivers the full kitchen at a lower price.
Tip: Hotel rooms upstairs are a practical overnight; the restaurant closes at 20:45 Monday to Thursday, 21:15 at weekends.
Rive Gauche on The Parade delivers French-inflected seasonal Irish cooking in a room of exposed brick, with natural wines and hearty sharing plates.
Order: Seasonal sharing plates; the wine list leans natural and European with careful by-the-glass selection.
Tip: Open Monday through Friday from 17:00, Saturday and Sunday from noon; the covered terrace faces the castle gates.
Petronella sits in a 1602 building on Kilkenny's medieval Butterslip Lane, serving seasonal Irish cuisine sourced from Mountain View's own farm.
Order: Seasonal menu from Mountain View farm supply; the kitchen prioritises local artisan suppliers.
Tip: Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner; Sunday lunch only. Book dinner at weekends, walk-in at lunch most weekdays.
Lyla's on William Street is the third venue from siblings Michael O'Neill and Bee O'Grady, sister restaurant to Petronella, with a 46-seat room and Table Six.
Order: Crispy duck salad to start, miso black cod or risotto with crabmeat and grilled king crab for mains.
Tip: Book the six-seat Table Six counter for the chef-led tasting menu with paired drinks; standard service runs Wednesday to Saturday evenings only.
Foodworks on Parliament Street runs a farm-to-fork bistro in a restored bank building, the pork from pigs the owners raise on their own family farm.
Order: Pulled pork benedict at brunch or the spit-roast free-range pork at lunch from the farm.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday; open Wednesday through Sunday with evening service from Wednesday to Saturday.