Guide to Eating And Drinking In Maynooth
All opinions on this page are my own. I created this page for the benefit
of visitors to Maynooth. Apologies if any of the information is out of
date! Pictures and a few comments on some of these restaurants can be found
here.
The above sketch is not drawn to scale: the part below Celbridge Road/Centra
has been severely vertically compressed. Housing estates, residential roads,
and short lanes are omitted, to avoid clutter. However, it should be
sufficient for finding the Maynooth places listed below. The main part of
NUIM shown is the entrance to the South Campus. North is roughly up.
In the location key below, left and right on the Main Street are given for
someone coming from the NUIM South Campus.
Location Key (light green letters on above map)
-----------------------------------------------
L = Left off Main Street (i.e. towards Manor Mills)
ML = Main Street, left side
MR = Main Street, right side, before Straffan Road
MR+/++ = Main Street, right side, past Straffan Road
N = Near South Campus entrance
R = Rathcoffey Road (Meadowbrook area)
S = Straffan Rd (i.e. right at traffic lights near Ulster Bank on Main St)
S+ = Straffan Rd, past Celbridge Rd
* = Recommended (my personal preferences)
For the first two weeks after I arrived here in 1993, there were no
restaurants in Maynooth. Things have changed...
Evening Restaurants (Maynooth)
------------------------------
NAME LOCATION CUISINE PHONE
Avenue Café MR+ European 628-5003
Donatello's MR Italian 628-9660
Glenroyal: Saints Bistro S Carvery 629-0909
Glenroyal: Lan Tania S Thai 629-0909
Greene's N European 654-8000
Mantra MR Pub: informal 087-689-0406
Lotus ML Chinese 629-2265
*Mohana MR+ Indian 505-4868
*Newtown Inn R European 629-1908
The Orient ML Chinese/Thai 628-5888
Picaderos ML Spanish 629-2806
The Roost MR Pub: informal 628-9843
Royal City L Chinese 629-0686
Stone Haven L European 629-1229
*Twist Café ML European 629-3957
(on Fagan's Lane, next to Ulster Bank)
Many of the above restaurants are also open at lunch-time. Mohana serves
until about midnight (at least on weekends), other places until about 10pm
or so, except pubs may stop serving meals around 9pm. All restaurants
except the Newtown Inn are within two minutes walk of Main Street. The
Newtown Inn, a rather trendy bar with a restaurant section upstairs, is
about a kilometre away on Meadowbrook Road. Go to the Stone Haven if you
have a craving to eat a strange animal (ostrich, crocodile, camel, etc.,
often feature on the menu).
Evening Restaurants (near Maynooth)
-----------------------------------
Most of the places below are a little fancier and more expensive than what
is available in Maynooth. Distances are personal guesses, measured
from the centre of Maynooth.
NAME LOCATION CUISINE PHONE DISTANCE
Carton House Carton Demesne European 505-2000 4 km
Michelangelo Celbridge Italian 627-1809 6 km
*Barberstown Castle Straffan Rd European 628-8157 8 km
*Leixlip House Hotel Leixlip European 624-2268 8 km
Beckett's Leixlip Irish 624-7040 9 km
*Café La Serre Near Celbridge European 630-3500 10 km
Finnstown House Hotel Lucan Irish 601-0700 11 km
Lunch/Coffee (sit-down, not "fast food")
------------
Brady's MR+ Pub food
Café Bon Bon L Sweet treats
Caulfield's MR+ Steak + fish, noon-8pm
Esquire Coffee Hse L Sandwiches, etc.; in Manor Mills
Elite MR+ Sandwiches, cakes, and light meals
Mill Wine Cellar L Panini, baguettes, etc.
O'Neill's MR Pub food
Royal Café S Light meals; near Super Valu
Tesco-The Café MR++ Light meals; inside Tesco
See also places listed under "Evening Restaurants" above.
Fast food and takeaways
-----------------------
Centra ML Supermarket: baguettes, etc.
Maximus ML Take-away: chips, burgers, fish, etc.
McDonald's MR++ Sit-down
Mizzoni Pizza ML Take-away: pizza
*Supermacs ML Sit-down; 11am-1am
*Rebel Pizza L Take-away: pizza
Supermarkets
------------
The choice of supermarkets in Maynooth is extraordinary for a town of its
size. Distances are personal guesses, measured from the junction of
Straffan Road and Main Street.
Tesco MR++ Largest, open 24 hours; 700m
*Dunnes L Large; 300m (in Manor Mills)
*Lidl S+ Fairly large; on left after Esso, before M4; 1400m
*SuperValu S Mid-sized; 200m (in Glenroyal Centre)
*Aldi L Mid-sized; 500m (past Manor Mills)
*Centra S+ Mid-sized; on left after Celbridge Rd/Maxol; 800m
Centra ML Smallest, a convenience store; 50m
All these supermarkets are open seven days a week. Tesco is open 24 hours a
day every day, Dunnes until 8pm or later (depends on day), Supervalu until
10pm, and most of the others until about 9pm Monday-Saturday
and earlier on Sunday. Aldi closes at 7pm or 8pm some days.
Tesco, Dunnes: large range of products, good prices.
SuperValu: good range of products, marginally more expensive.
Lidl: somewhat limited range, best prices; go for cooked meat, chocolate!
Aldi: somewhat limited range, best prices; go for cooked meat!
Centra (Straffan Rd): reasonable range, more expensive; go for deli items!
Pubs and Bars
-------------
Brady's MR+
*Caulfield's MR+
Mantra Bar MR
Newtown Inn R Located on Meadowbrook Road
O'Neill's ML
*Saints S The Glenroyal Hotel bar
*The Roost MR
Wine/alcohol shops ("off-licences")
------------------
*Mill Wine Cellar L
The Roost MR
Also, all supermarkets have off-licences that offer a big selection and
better prices for cheaper wines, but go to the Mill if you want something
special. For everyday wines, I recommend Dunnes, Aldi, and Lidl. Tesco
has mainly own-label wines.
E-mail: head at maths.nuim.ie
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