The Pavilion Garden Centre & Restaurant — Restaurant in Municipal District of Carrigaline

took my 10 month old baby to see Santa in The Pavillon, Saturday Dec 10th. Upon arriving at The Pavillion there was no signage that we could see to lead the way to where we would see Santa. We had to find a member of staff and ask where to go. The staff member just waved in towards the Christmas markets and told us 'Down there on the right' Although all the people working inside the grotto were lovely, the entire experience lasted less than 5 minutes and Santa did not interact very much at all with my baby. When we got into the room Santa looked at my baby and immediately said 'Oh I don't think he will like me' after a minute or 2, Santa reluctantly held him and our baby did get upset, but I think if there had been more interaction and Santa was more upbeat, he might not have got upset! We have plenty of Santa decorations and he has seen him on TV and has been a big fan. When booking our visit we were also asked to fill out a profile for my baby - age, interests, allergies (I presumed this would be for interaction with Santa and to help with the present that he would receive) I stated that my baby was allergic to dairy, nuts and eggs...his gift from The Pavillion Santa Experience was a Cadbury selection box and a Pavillion calendar. Not only do I think its inappropriate to give a 10 month old 6 bars of chocolate, but I had clearly stated that he was allergic to dairy. Also, what is a 10 month old going to do with a calendar? We paid 50 euro for this visit and to say it was disappointing is an understatement. I would advise anybody thinking of taking their children to see Santa here, to look elsewhere. I have had many people tell me of other amazing experiences around Cork, that cost half the price. It was very upsetting for me as a mom that this was my babies first experience of seeing Santa. I also reached out to The Pavillion by email, upon arriving home after the visit and they have decided...

We arrived and 3 servers were behind the bar and alternated between talking to each other and staring at us blankly as we waited by the “wait here to be seated” sign, while 2 or 3 other servers walked past us. Eventually we went to find a table and found a server near an empty table. I asked if we could sit there and she asked if I’d been and waited by the sign. I explained we’d stood there and been ignored by her colleagues. After checking the bookings diary we were allowed to sit. We then ordered food and drinks. When the drinks came they brought our children’s drinks in paper cups as they offered to and for some reason also my wife’s? The waitress paused when handing my wife her drink as if she knew it was wrong and then handed it to her anyway and walked off.

The food came and we asked for a high chair for our baby. After waiting 5 minutes, we were told that there were no more high chairs available, as they were all in use. Disappointing for somewhere that caters to families.

The Breakfast Bowl I had was nice. And the pancakes my children had were nice. This was the only redeeming part of the experience. My wife’s full Irish had bacon that was SO overcooked it was like chewing cardboard! Not acceptable, especially when paying €16 for a breakfast.

Food 4/10 Service -20/10

Would...

The Pavilion

We needed advice on some garden plants and headed for the Pavilion Garden Centre. They have a great selection of plants on offer which are really well displayed. We got very pleasant and helpful advice and filled the trolley with our prized purchases.

You can't leave the Pavilion without visiting their restaurant which has a unique selection of local and artisan foods. The lamb was mouth watering and the coffee refreshing and we went on our way with a delicious home baked brown loaf under our arm.

On our way out we passed through the home store section and just had to return again for a browse. There is a great display here of designer items of home furniture and home decor. Items are expensive but you will get some good gift ideas when browsing here. Their Christmas shop had just been set up and you will be tempted to buy here but we resisted it when we thought of all the items we have to pack away every year.

The Pavilion is a great place to shop for garden plants and special items of home furnishing and decor - or just to browse! If you are in the area they have great options for lunch or you can just enjoy coffee and a snack. In its own right the restaurant is well...