espresso — Restaurant in Waterford

My wife, our 2 year old son and I visited Espresso on Saturday 12th Aug with our friends. The restaurant was recommended to us by friends who Live in Waterford, however we were left bitterly disappointed with our experience.

The food was good and the restaurant interior is stylish but unfortunately the staff let it down. When ordering our desserts, my friend also ordered an Irish coffee. The desserts arrived after approx 10 minutes but the coffee did not. My friend informed the staff who brought the desserts to our table that we were still waiting on the coffee. She waited, thinking it would arrive but it didn't. She then asked one of the staff if it was ready and was told it was being made (this is now 15+ minutes after in was initially ordered). Another 5-10 minutes passed before it eventually arrived but at this point all of us were finished our food and needed to leave as both of the small children with us were approaching their sleep times and we needed to leave. My friend kindly explained that it simply took too long and that she just couldn't wait any longer to sit and drink it as she simply hadn't the time and we needed to leave.The staff member who brought the beverage to our table was very understanding and apologetic and they took it away. We went to pay the bill and upon examination of the bill, we noticed the Irish coffee was still charged to us €7.50. This was brought to the male member of staff who apologised and then called a female staff member who I can only assume is a supervisor/manager to rectify the bill. This is when an otherwise enjoyablle night was soured. The bill was aggressively snapped out of my friends hand and then dramatically slammed on the counter by the female staff member. My friends and I stood there gobsmacked at such behaviour. It was totally uncalled for and unprofessional and we told her so. She never spoke or responded to our complaints and instead walked away, only to then return a minute later and walk straight through our party of 4 adults and 2 small children, 1 of whom was in a pram as we stood paying. We were left shocked and in total dismay at what had happened. The owner needs to have a very stern conversation with this staff member about her behaviour and bad attitude and be reminded that the customer is paying good money and as the saying goes "is...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Absolutely Stunning Dinner

I stopped into Espresso Waterford for dinner recently and was completely blown away by the quality of the food. This place is a real gem in Waterford!

I ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognise and my dining companion had the Prawn Pil Pil. Both dishes were, without exaggeration, exceptional.

The tagliatelle was clearly fresh and cooked to a perfect al dente. The bolognese sauce was the star of the show – deeply rich, slow-cooked, and packed with layers of flavour. You could really tell it had been simmering for hours; it was hearty, authentic, and absolutely delicious.

The Prawn Pil Pil was equally impressive. The prawns were plump, juicy, and cooked flawlessly. The sauce was a beautiful balance of garlic, chili, and olive oil—spicy enough to have a kick but not overwhelming, allowing the sweet flavour of the prawns to shine through. It was so good we were using the bread to mop up every last drop!

The service was warm and attentive, and the atmosphere was relaxed yet sophisticated. It’s the perfect spot for a dinner.

We will absolutely be back to work our way through the rest of the menu. Highly, highly recomm Don't leave without soaking up all that incredible Pil Pil sauce with their bread. You'll...

Absolutely fabulous meal this evening, missus had the Tagliatelle Abruzesse with chicken & mushroom in a cream sauce. Top notch.

I had the 1kg mussels in tomato & garlic sauce, even got a side of spaghetti made to order with garlic, olive oil, parmesan and black pepper, really tasty.

The bruschetta starter for herself and my Caeser salad with chicken & bacon was superb.

Met the chef Claudio, very nice guy, and the staff couldn't do enough. And just a tip, get their Pinot Grigio. Really nice light wine with a good meal. Thanks Claudio and staff, everything was spot on.

P. S. We were half way through dinner when herself thought of taking a pic, too late....