Monto Takeaway

I love Montos for a coffee of a Saturday morning, and it’s great to see this restaurant still open. I’ve see many cafes and restaurants open along sundrive road over the years, it is now a form crumlin institution.
I was delighted a few years ago when they got rid of the ceiling plants and returned the entire restaurant — making it more alluring to the evening diner.
So the other night when I organised a family dinner her, I was enchanted by the new menu covers, thinking they have really come full circle however the service has really gone downhill. The staff are clearly overstretched and took an eternity to order. We had to fight for menus and some items from the order did not arrive.
I ordered the chicken wings for starters which weren’t great at all; no flavour and a little greasy. The lasagne main was ok but the garlic potatoes which had been previously forgotten came out slightly undercooked, disappointing as I’ve had them before and they were perfect.
All in all it was a lovely evening, but the food has taken a downward slope.

The waiting staff can be run off their feet at times which can leave them a bit stretched, nonetheless they endeavour to serve with a smile. It can however leave you sounding like the scatman ski-​ba-​bop-​ba-​dop-​bop — sorr. excus…hel…em… While they’re zipping from one end of the room to another. Who doesn’t want to leave a professional eurodance scat rapper?!
I got the soup for starters, (which would actually prove a tasty lunch!) cottage pie for mains and toffee bomb for desert. The cottage pie is a special that is only on a few of the menu’s, so keep your whits about you to find it but you can always ask for it! The adventurer in me always wants to find the golden ticket!
I would recommend this as a good place to go and hang out with friends as the food is good, it’s affordable and its BYOB with no extra charge! There is on street parking or parking in the Supervalu just a stones throw. The atmosphere can be very busy at times so there’s always something happening!
I’ve knocked down 1 star for having to compete for the waiters attention. I knocked 1 more as some of the dishes could be hit and miss. While got the soup which was tasty, my partner got the spicy chicken wings which seemed to have no flavour and the garlic potatoes/​chips were undercooked slightly!

LITTLE GEM!
Went here for the first time last night for the missus birthday celebration after lots of workmates recommendations, live near Montos but have never been inside before as it looked shabby before the renovations and even coming in last night i thought i might have made a mistake as it was empty in the beginning and looked so basic, i mean its clean and tidy but the ambiance and look of the whole place is nothing to rave about but boy oh boy was in for a surprise… its one of those places thats underwhelming but overachieves, just your basic neighborhood café by the looks of the décor and menu, but when it comes to taste, value and service they deliver in bunches… the girl who attended us last night was really good and helpful and very patient even boxed our leftover pizza as we werent able to finish it … my wifes family is in Rome and we go there quite regularly but the Risotto al Funghi that ive got is nearly as good taste wise as the ones you get in there the rice important part of a risotto still had a bit of crunch and not mushy… we also had fruiti de mare pasta and, pasta ala pavarotti and calamari and some bruschetta for starters which were good and even my brother in law who is a bit of a snobby foodie was so happy that he said this could be our new local place to go into when we have our lazy days (no cooking) …to sum it up its the FOOD and service that you are gonna come back here for TIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE HIGH END ITALIAN PLACES IN TOWN SO IF YOU ARE EXPECTING MICHELIN STAR QUALITY AND SUCH THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU… BUT IF YOU JUST WANT TO BE FED WITH GOOD, HONEST SIMPLE FOOD COOKED WELL THIS IS IT… Will be coming back in again to try some of the items on the menu to see if they are consistent but for the first time 4 stars is what im gonna give and maybe if they are that consistent with everything 5 stars is an easy rating to give.
Total cost for a dinner with four adults and two kids 118 euro that includes 5 mains 4 starters and two kids meal with 5 desserts and 3 coffees and couple of softdrinks.

*RANDOM LOCAL CAFE IN AWESOME FOOD SHOCKER*
Met a friend in here yesterday evening for an after work catch up, the first time Ive darkened their door in years, and wow, I was seriously impressed.
Prices are the higher end of café prices, but when you see the portion sizes it’s clear you are getting quite the bargain, neither of us came close to finishing our meals. My friend got carbonara, a heaped plate that would have easily fed 2, and I went for a € 6 salad, expecting a not-​much-​larger-​that-​side serving, and got a full meals worth, so the garlic mushroom and chips I ordered were really far far too much, but all of it was seriously tasty.
Staff are pleasant, and for an added bonus, it’s BYOB with no corkage! I’d recommend it for meeting small groups of friends or family dinners, I don’t see it as a place to enjoy a wild evening with the girls, but certainly worth a night out for good food at great prices.

Nice food & café. lovely staff. really enjoyed it today with my friends and we’ll definitely come back as many times as we can.. my friend said he felt for a sec like he’s home :)