The Ice House Restaurant — Restaurant in County Mayo

Went for a celebration dinner for mine and my wife's birthday. The Ice House has been our go-to place for a nice meal since we decided to move to the area and is conveniently close to our house. The last time we were there some things were not quite right but possibly made worse by the fact we were jet lagged after a long journey from the southern US. This time around everything was excellent. The food was tasty, well-presented, hot when appropriate, and the portions were just about spot on. The lovely servers did a great job without being intrusive and they presented us with a complementary dessert for our birthdays - nice touch. One small but noteworthy gripe (nothing to do with the food). We decided to arrive early in order to enjoy a quiet pre-dinner drink in the bar. My wife's cocktail at 14.50, while nice, was very overpriced. More importantly, the frequent clatter of bottles being thrown into a bin from behind the bar was intrusive, distracting, and not conducive to a conversation; in fact it was downright unacceptable. It almost seemed as if the two bartenders were having a competition to see who could make the most noise. It is possible to put a bottle in a bin without creating the sound one might here at a recycling centre. There, I've said my piece about this issue - hope it doesn't...

I really enjoy staying at this hotel. Staff are friendly and welcoming. Rooms are very spacious and have a luxurious feel, not to mention the great view. We arrived on a miserable day, still the view was great. On a summers day it would be magical. We stayed in the salmon room and the layout is great, the bathroom is even better. Walk in shower and a bathtub for 2 ... a great room.

Food was fantastic. I made a bad choice for starters and dessert, however it's not to say the food was bad in anyway. Just between my wife and I, I would have chosen hers over mine. But nonetheless the meal was tasty, beautifully presented and very filling. Great selection of cocktails and craft beers on offer. I wanted Jack the Lad, but it was sold out. The barman made a suitable replacement suggestion which worked, but there are many more to try... if you have the time and stomach. Same goes with the wide selection of cocktails.

A shame didn't have time for complementary spa treatment, and it is a shame as it looked very tempting. There is even an out door Jacuzzi, but on the day it was raining... which is the reason why we didn't try the spa.

Worth the stay and highly...

All servers were very kind and polite … but … there is a but. They seem to have a system that resulted in about 5 servers working with us that got confusing for them. Our main meal was walked by us and delivered to another table before going back to the kitchen and finally being delivered to us. Our desert that we were looking forward to was also delivered to even a different (third) table after much waiting (coffee was nearly done). We told the server on her way back to the kitchen it was ours. She still took it to the kitchen never to return … so we left and had to ask for the cost to be taken off our bill. This is written for the benefit...