Circle Of Friends

A charming little place in Kilkenny to grab a bite to eat — a tasty sandwich or soup. It was just the thing for hungry tourists looking to get out of the rain not wanting to eat at a chain or big fancy sit-​down place. In addition to the paninis, there are lovely home-​baked goods to tempt you.

Definite place to go for lunch really nice food excellent service nice staff

Over the course of my road trip in Dublin, we often had to adjust plans at the last minute, especially as we often didn’t make it from place to place as quickly as expected, and restaurants would be closed or full when we finally arrived. Unfortunately and fortunately, we arrived in Inistioge in late afternoon, which isn’t really lunch time but certainly isn’t dinner time. We had originally intended to go to Motte Restaurant, but when we knocked on the door of the dark building, the woman who answered told us the restaurant was permanently closed (I’ve changed the business to reflect that now). So, a bit hungry, we headed back into town to try and find another option. There were a few pubs, but we decided instead to head into Circle of Friends to warm up and fill up.
The first impression is that it’s a tiny little place, though in a place like Inistioge, I guess you don’t need a very big place! There are about seven tables, and a cake counter, and it’ s got the feeling of someone’s sitting room. We were served hot cream of potato soup with delicious thick sliced homemade bread and paninis that were piping hot and gooey with cheese. We also took away two pieces of cake, that were rich and moist and creamy. Our service was quick and tasty, and the prices were extremely reasonable.
We were the only customers in the shop until an older family of locals came in. I get the impression Inisitioge, like many small towns I’ve seen, might be an aging town, but everyone was very friendly, both servers and people who gave us directions and the recommendation of Circle of Friends in the first place.
It was a nice midafternoon snack, which prepared us to go wander along the river and through craft shops and finally back in the car to carry on driving for a few more hours. I highly recommend it, right in the center of town, when you stop in, whether it’s off season or off peak times, or not. Circle of Friends will be good any time.