Stockyard Cafe — Restaurant in Malahide

For our first visit to this café we picked a terrible time/day to arrive. It was Sunday lunch on Father's Day and we were just looking for a breakfast place to try out. It was just filling up and we got one of the last tables. They were reasonably quick to get to us for our drink and food orders. But that was the last quick thing to happen. It took over 50 minutes to get our simple breakfast order. During this time we noticed that at any one time 60% of the people seated had not received their orders. Orders were coming out table by table but not very quickly. I think the kitchen gets overwhelmed at this time. The dining area is very basic with some Mexican décor. The café is within part of the building of a real operating stockyard. It is quite popular with the locals. There were many more families looking to get in. Many of the customers knew each other. The servers are friendly and smiling all the time. They interact with customers and the children and create a welcoming atmosphere. They are constantly going back and forth making sure everyone is happy. Customer service is definitely 4+ stars. From seeing all the food passing by while we waited, we could see there was a good variety and quantity of food on the plates. Many people were taking their leftovers home with them. There is a good selection of Canadian and Mexican foods. When we finally got our food it was hot and plentiful. For the most part it was good, except for the peameal bacon which was the toughest I had ever had. Don't order that. I guess there is a reason they don't charge extra for it. First impression is 3 stars, but I do see some potential if we come at a quieter time and order something different. Just note that I asked the staff if it is normally this busy and they said yes on Sundays. So try a later time or...

Stopped in for breakfast. Nothing to write home about here. It's a rural diner with all the usual (mostly cooked from frozen) fare. Cheap simple furnishings and decor. Kinda feels like an office cafeteria from the 80's, with vintage paneling on the walls. Also worth mentioning is that it IS an operational Stockyard. There are stalls full of livestock and all the smells that go with that, literally right outside the door to the restaurant. I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing (I'll take those country smells over some foul city smells anyday) but it's worth mentioning in a review. So this place wouldn't last long in a city full of discerning patrons; but if you are a local who doesn't feel like cooking, this place seems to offer a close by alternative. So the convenience out weighs the quality of the food and ambience. In my opinion the prices are higher than the experience deserves but again, the convenience of not driving to one of the local towns probably makes it worth it to the local...

Was so happy to return to the Stockyard Cafe! Unfortunately this visit was so very different from our previous ones. The food took over an hour to come to our table, and my sister-in-law's Belgian waffle was soggy. My breakfast was served with sweet baked beans, when I was expecting refried beans. I asked for salsa, waited another five mins and asked again.

We left full, but not satisfied. Miss the pre-pandemic...