Orso

Not sure why it has taken me so long to do this review! Orso has become an established part of corks restaurant scene and with good reason… The food is an excellent price and great Mediterranean flavours… It’s tiny and no reservations but it is worth it… Related to market lane and elbow lane… So a similar standard! 5 stars the whole way…

Amazing little restaurant! The menu is always changing and the food is great! You can order tapas style or just enjoy a main, either way you’ll leave happy. The environment is gorgeous and the attention to detail really makes it. I’ve been several times and it’s always been a pleasure. I wouldn’t recommend going in a group of more than three for optimum enjoyment. Lovely drinks and desserts too and the lunch specials are lovely. I always make a trip here when I can :)

Good, fresh, organic Mediterranean fare. A great place to stop if you’ve had your fill of heavy Irish food and are craving something fresh and healthy.

To call this a Middle Eastern restaurant is not truly accurate. This is a restaurant that offers exceptional food, creatively prepared with a Mediterranean flair. The fresh, whole fish is tender and flaky and the sides are perfectly complementary. The meal we had was exquisite and their take on a classic Pavlova (meringue w /​cream & berries) was sublime. We ate at the bar and it was a perfect meal

I had meetings down in Munster this week with one of the days/​nights spent in Cork. Yes, I had to prepare for the meeting but equally important was trying to decide where I would eat when they ended! I narrowed it down to a few choices and finally decided on Orso (in part because Mediterranean sounded good and in part because my first choice, Iyer’s, was only open for lunch). I found Orso pretty easily based on the maps location and took a seat at the bar. The bartender greeted me promtly and brought a caraf of water while I viewed the menu. After a long look I decided on the crispy chilli bread with beetroot and goat’s cheese dip and the Sfeehas (spicy beef and chickpea pastry pie with crispy kale and cream sauce) to start. The food came out extremely fast and had lovely presentation. I dug into the sfeehas first and it was delicious. The outside was light and fluffy with flavourful meet and chickpeas inside. When dipped in the sweeter cream sauce it totally balanced everything out. I think the kale was meant to eat with the pastry but I loved it by itself! Now for the goat’s cheese dip — I expected goat’s cheese with chunks of beetroot or something but what I got was a pink purée’d dip with a cream taste but no hint of goat’s cheese. I found it extremely boring and the «crispy chili bread» was sliced (stale) baguette with olive oil and a few pieces of dried chilis. I ate half of it because I was hungry but I would not recommend. Luckily these two dishes are more starter/​tapas portions so I had one more try. I asked the bartender to help me decide between a few and after her recommendation went with the tender boneless lamb rib in a seasame crust with homemade salsa verde. Again, came out extremely quickly and had lovely presentation with a few pieces of lamb, a little side salad and a small dish of sauce. The lamb definitely redeemed Orso for me. Great flavors and I loved the sesame breading. The dip was also nice, although it wasn’t close to what I consider Salsa Verde (you know, green and made from tomatillos and serranos) but definitely complimented the lamb well. Despite the miss with the goat’s cheese dip this was a lovely experience and if I find myself in Cork I would return.

Really great new place in Cork with a unique and excellent menu. Reasonably priced for the quality of their food. Attentive service and excellent wine as well. Note that its small, but they will usually sit you within 30 minutes. Have a pint next door and they will call your cell once your table is ready.

Tiny place with big flavors.
We tried Orso from a recommendation from the guys at Cork Coffee Roasters. We went in for lunch. The entire menu looked really good so I had a hard time deciding on what to order. I ended up selecting the Harissa chicken kofta on homemade pita bread. My husband ordered the roasted chicken sandwich with crispy sausage stuffing baguette.
Both sandwiches came out on adorable places that were little slices of tree trunks. I was really impressed with the freshness, creativity and flavors. My sandwich was like spicy Indian chicken stuffed inside crispy naan. It was topped with a Delicious creamy yogurt sauce, sliced cucumbers and fresh baby greens.
I am sad that I don’t live in Cork and probably won’t ever get to come back to eat the amazing fare at Orso.

Great food, really nice atmosphere, extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff, great prices and a decent wine selection. Have only been for dinner but breakfast and lunch look great too.
It’s like Middle-​Eastern crossed with Mediterranean tapas but slightly larger. Very imaginative and a pleasant surprise in Cork.
The only downside is the lack of space — it can be a tiny bit cramped but arguably that adds to the atmosphere.

Been here twice for lunch now and have it on the list for dinner…
The chickpea curry is genuinely one of the nicest veggie curry’s I have ever had. The layout of the restaurant is small, but you can see what they are trying to achieve… i would love a different take on seating in there, but perhaps its something they will work on over time.
The staff are good and you can tell the place is just starting off so you forgive them for it.
I had ONE major disappointment, I ordered a berry blossom cocktail for my lunch yesterday (a saturday, a day off!!) and it was MAJORLY disappointing. Bland berry’s a shot of gin, some water and way too many cubes of ice… maybe I blind sided the bar man at that time, but it was the lamest excuse for a cocktail I have seen in a long time. For 7.50 — I will not be ordering it again. Sort it out!
Don’t let my cocktail rant discourage you though, this place is definitely worth a look in.

Nice atmosphere. Attentive staff. Great service. Nice selection of wines. Delicious food. Recommended!