Caffé500 — Restaurant in The Municipal District of Kilkenny City

Went here for a meal yesterday with friends. All I can say is it was a disaster from the moment we walked in; we should have walked out.

First, we were told there were no available tables, then suddenly we were seated but informed we had to finish our meal within 90 minutes. Upon reaching our table upstairs, we found it uncomfortably hot with no air conditioning, despite plenty of empty tables nearby. As we had a delay outlined below with our food the panic we had to finish our food. It took over 50 mins for our food to come with others who came after us getting there food before us and we had to ask 3 times where our food was and no ownership from any staff member and we got our food at 5.25pm and we entered at 4.30pm and we had to rush eat as we overheard that that table is needed for 6 !!!

The service was chaotic with numerous staff members, yet none seemed to take responsibility for our experience. We weren't even provided with a drinks menu, leaving us guessing about our beverage options. Our order was taken, but then forgotten, despite the small number of patrons in the restaurant.

The food quality was disappointing; the cannelloni was dry and lacked sauce, and the lasagne seemed reheated in a microwave and not 1/2 cooked and then finished off for service like must Italian restaurants . Our meals arrived at different times, with chips even preceding our main courses. In total very dry so called Italian food.

When we raised our concerns with the head waiter, we were met with excuses about being new, rather than any accountability or apology. Additionally, despite informing the staff of our birthdays, there was no acknowledgment or effort to make our celebration special.

As someone with experience in the service industry, it was evident that the staff lacked leadership and basic customer...

Authentic, spectacular Italian restaurant. We were regular customers of their location in Carlow, and now we are also regulars at the beautiful location in Kilkenny. The quality of the Italian food here is top-notch (honestly, it's the only truly Italian restaurant in Ireland, to our knowledge). The fresh pasta dishes are delicious, one better than the other. For example, if you want to try the real Carbonara in Ireland, Caffè 500 is the ultimate place where to go. Not to mention the pasta with eggplant, the gnocchi alla Sorrentina, etc. What sets Caffè 500 apart from all other Italian restaurants is their ability to get people appreciate the true Italian cuisine without compromise.

And then the pizzas, simply divine: a fluffy, light, flavourful dough, cooked to perfection, with a sauce where tomato is the star. If you want your palate to taste Paradise, then order the Deliziosa pizza.

The desserts are wonderful too.

Caffè 500 is located in a historic building in Kilkenny, where the owners have succeeded in bringing a piece of authentic Italy through tasteful furnishings and beautiful decor.

Last but absolutely not least, the staff. Gianluca and Irene (the owners) are exceptional hosts, always so warm and affectionate, and they know what it means to care for their customers. The team is cohesive, the staff works hard, and they are incredibly quick.

Every experience at Caffè 500 is a gift for the palate,...

Visited with my partner after getting a recommendation to come to caffé 500. Atmosphere was very cozy and welcoming, staff appeared friendly and we sat ourself upstairs. After reviewing the menu, there was limited vegetarian/vegan options unfortunately. Since we sat down we had no interaction with staff, the waitress took our order without speaking, not even a hello, which was very awkward, just nodding her head. Our drinks and food came in good time and we were very impressed with the pizzas, tasty and authentic. Sadly nobody took the time to ask us how our meal was or offer us anymore drinks, it was a shame to see staff speaking and interacting with other customers and not doing so with ourselves, it was approximately 8:00 and the upstairs wasn't particularly busy. We were told to pay downstairs at the till which is fine. We went downstairs and unfortunately had to wait an additional 15 minutes to pay, as another customer (seemingly well known to staff) ordered food and chatted to the staff, it was extremely frustrating when all you want to do is pay and leave. In summary the food was incredible but sadly the service was underwhelming and disappointing, considering the rest of the reviews say the service was exceptional it seems it was just not our night sadly as we had...