Holy Smoke Kitchen — Restaurant in Cork

EDIT Since I have posted this review, I have been in contact with management of the Holy Smoke and they have changed the way the burger is prepared to prevent future burns! I must complaint Sinead, who was dealing with my issue, for her professionalism and customer focus. It shows what excellent service is possible from this establishment. I felt it only fair to upgrade my review. Well done on actually responding to, and taking action on, customer feedback!

Looking forward to trying it out again! While the food was tasty, I was very disappointed with one aspect of our dining experience last night. A member of our party ordered the 'Juicy Lucy' burger (melted cheese inside). When he picked up his burger, the molten cheese spurted onto his hand and wrist, causing a painful burn. As he was in the bathroom putting cold water on the burn (as well as he could with a broken tap that was only dribbling water), my husband asked the staff for some burn cream. When he explained what happened, the waitress intimated that this was a known problem and had happened before!

After the burned member of our party returned to the table, not one member of staff checked up on him. No one asked if he was OK or if he needed assistance - nothing!

At the end of the meal when we were paying, my friend again brought up the incident. The same waitress said again that this has happened before where people have been painfully burned. She said she mentioned it to the kitchen and the manager and nothing has happened.

I don't normally like giving 1 star reviews and, as I said, the food itself was very nice. However, I find it amazing that a number of patrons have been burned by boiling cheese and nothing - not even a warning when you are handed the burger - has been done about it. Shocking lack of concern for...

Left a little disappointed but did not leave hungry. 3 1/2 stars for the first visit. Went here for dinner with my partner, lovely atmosphere, nice dining area. Fresh, real ice cream based milkshakes for drinks, the mint of which was amazing. Brought to us by very friendly staff, attentive, good all around service. Mac n cheese balls for starter were delicious, could have done with a stronger cheese for an even greater party in your mouth but accompanied with nice chipotle mayo. Burgers for mains, unfortunately they were cooked a little too pink in the centre for us and sadly put us off eating more than a few bites even though they were more than safe to eat, and what we did eat was still delicious. We weren't asked how we wanted our burgers cooked which is often overlooked in many restaurants although I did also forget to give my preference. A lot of restaurants mostly cook their burgers to the one standard temperature, that being a nice slight pink, which is how most people prefer. Can't fault the chefs, when you are cooking a thick burger it is very hard to cook it to a temperature other than a nice slight pink and still ensure a moist, juicy burger, because a lot of the time by the time the centre is completely cooked, the outer edge of the patty is burnt, and you will have a dry burger. But the brisket on my burger was incredible, super tender, flavourful, amazing beef. Fantastic smoking by the chefs. And the brisket beans were equally delicious. Served with nice crisp fries, although I didn't understand the coleslaw which seemed to just be plain shaved cabbage. Will definitely be back, probably just sticking to...

Very disappointing experience - especially after hearing good things from a few people. I've travelled the across the USA trying out different BBQ styles - I had heard that The Holy Smoke was bringing this tradition to Cork. Not so - this is an extremely poor imitation.

The pulled pork was tepid and greasy, the chicken was undercooked to pink, the ribs were comparable to a cheap packet version and the burnt ends which apparently had been cooked "for hours" were tough and chewy. Everything, bar the chicken, arrived absolutely drenched in BBQ sauce - this (and I may be incorrect) seemed to us like a futile attempt to cover up poor preparation.

This place used to be The Porterhouse at one point, the bottle display is still on the wall, but the beer options are much more limited in this new guise.

On top of all this - when we visited (early evening on the day before St. Patrick's Day) the atmosphere was somewhat edgy. This was down to the fact that not one but two members of staff had decided to chew out another person working there. I get the impression that the recipient of the tongue lashing was new to the business and was trying to correct a simple mistake for which he was apologetic but all he got was more aggression. Speaking as someone who worked in the public service industry (bars, clubs, restaurants etc) from glass collector all the way to general manager - you DO NOT treat staff like that nor do you dress them down in public. It shows a complete lack of professionalism and class.

It's a shame to see a place with this kind of potential serving up substandard to...