Bruno's Italian Eatery — Restaurant in The Municipal District of Bandon-Kinsale

I went there with my partner in May 2018. These are the notes I wrote after the terrible dinner we had and never posted till now.

First of all, we didn’t book; we just went in and asked for a table. It was a bank holiday and we were told there weren’t any available, although we could see several empty ones (but were probably booked), so we had dinner on the bar. When we left, there were still empty tables.

As for the food, we ordered the beef & horseradish bruschette, the ham & Parmesan salad and the pizza margherite. The bruschette were underwhelming, two slices of bread with a spread of horseradish cream and thin slices of cold beef (vitello tonnato style) with a watercress salad on the side. The pizza was extra thin and had very few and simple ingredients (literally tomato, some mozzarella and 2 leaves of basil), not worth the 12€ you are charged. The ham & parmesan salad wasn’t even properly dressed and when I asked for the oil and vinegar to do it myself, which I expect from an Italian restaurant, I was brought the seasoning in a kind of oversized thimble. The ham, nuts and cheese it was supposed to have were scarce; the ham was smoking-paper thin, the nuts were, literally, 2 hazelnuts cut in half and the aged parmesan cheese was nothing to write home about. Again, not worth the price, which was 15€ for the salad.

After that, we didn’t venture into the desserts. We ordered the bill, which can be seen in the picture, no vat or anything, handwritten on a notepad sheet, paid for it in cash (no credit cards accepted as stated on the menu), and went to a different restaurant to really have dinner.

I don’t mind paying 60€ for good food, but I do resent paying...

We’re quite regulars at Bruno’s now, and after many years it’s always a pleasure to drive to Kinsale to enjoy some of the best pizzas in Europe. Besides, the restaurant has a vibrant atmosphere, it’s cosy, intimate and yet so lovely, with the amazing staff always doing their best to make your lunch/dinner an unforgettable experience. Food is top class. The burrata with baked tomatoes is stunning. Pizza with taleggio, organic spinach and pancetta is perfectly balanced and sumptuous. The owner is a lovely person, who always takes his time to have a chat with you, for instance today we talked about our memories of their dinner events dedicated to truffle. The beautiful lady, who I suppose is the co-owner of the place, or owner’s wife, makes your meal even more pleasant with her smiles and kindness. We’re never disappointed. Great place, great food,...

Contemplated to be another place in kinsale where you relax, unwind & have great family time without feeling too pushy while having good food, but I was wrong. Being a resident of kinsale, would definitely not recommend this place if you want to spend some time especially with kids , because the moment you step in, the stop watch for the particular table alloted would start. Probably you would be reminded about the time alloted for the table to you, more than once at least to us. Food is ok, if you miss it, you are not missing something great from kinsale's culinary scenes, especially in the price point. Felt unwelcome. From the reservation protocol to the kitchen staffs not covering their hair while preparing food making it unimpressive leading to a high probability...