Le Petit Delice Limited — Restaurant in Galway

Le Petit Délice in Oranmore might not have indoor seating, but what it does have is enough charm, sugar, and pistachio to make you forget all about indoor seating — or at least forgive them for not existing.

We were a gang of five sugar-seeking friends blessed by a rare bout of Galway sunshine. With sunglasses on and pastries in hand, we took our place on the benches out the back, looking (and feeling) like budget supermodels on a pastry-fuelled coffee break.

Each of us heroically ordered a different dessert in the name of culinary exploration. I went with the pistachio cake — mysterious at first, but it grew on me with every bite like a slow-burn romance. By the end, I was fully committed. Another friend had an éclair that vanished in seconds. The custard tart was polished off with the quiet intensity of someone protecting state secrets. We also had a classic croissant and a strawberry tart — both absolute winners.

To drink, I had a tea that somehow managed to taste like a hug despite being served in a paper cup. I strongly suspect a Lyons teabag was doing the heavy lifting, but whatever the magic was, it worked. One friend had a white chocolate latte that was described as “beautiful” with genuine reverence.

After the pastry party, we all turned to the €10 in-house made Dubai chocolate bar — a luxury square of trendiness that we shared like an ancient artefact. Was it delicious? Yes. Was it worth €10? Possibly not, but at least now we can say we’ve had imported vibes from the UAE while sitting on a wooden bench in Oranmore.

Service came with a warm smile from a lovely woman who served our group with the perfect mix of ease, professionalism and kindness.

Overall, Le Petit Délice is a little gem — perfect for a sunny-day treat, a chat with friends, and pretending you're in a French Vogue picnic shoot behind a shop...

Diabolical service, I was ignored when I arrived, no greeting, I had to interrupt the staff jabbering amongst themselves to get served, and was then asked with an attitude what I wanted,ordered a sandwich, sat down, 15 minutes later no sign of my order, had to interrupt the staff meeting again! to be asked did you order at the till, with a rightous attitude, after I already paid! You'd swear this place was big, then be served a chicken sandwich on a horrible ciabiatta (bought from supermarket cause it was not fresh baked in house) with no butter or dressing, I had to ask for mayo, dropped it on my table with no knife, had to go to the counter again and ask for one, lol it was like something you'd see in a comedy. ...

I ordered cake. And. Guess. What? When I called to the shop, they had a cake ready for me. And chocolate almond croissants. And regular croissants. And round shortbread biscuits with faces that freaked out the children. And scones. And baguettes. The children were impressed with everything, especially the birthday cake. But they said that the baguettes were not good. They like the ones from C'est la Vie. End. Of. Story. But that's Ukrainian children for you. They call it as they see it. They don't pull any punches. Have I gone and spoiled them? Maybe. But the heart melts when they bake you inedible biscuits. You eat them anyway and make noises...