Lacto
Beer/Wine
European
Breakfast
Irish
Veggie food restaurant opened since 1993. Offers set menus as well a la carte. Cheese is used but some dishes can be made vegan upon request. Offers bed and breakfast guestrooms upstairs. Open Tue-Sat 17:00-22:00. Closed Sun-Mon.
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Last update on 17 Jan 2024 by livinlavidavegan
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43 Reviews
First Review by Saddler
veganpride
Points +28
Great Vegetarian Food - Edit
Having been a vegetarian in Cork for the last 7 years, Cafe Paradiso has always been my favourite restaurant. The food is fresh, seasonal and always delicious. Beautiful interior and friendly staff adds to its appeal not only for the veggie community but also curious carnivores. My reluctance to go there in recent times only reflects on my decision to go Vegan.
Read moreWhile some items on the menu such as salads can be altered to be served as a vegan, the whole menu is geared towards a vegetarian lifestyle which relies heavily on dairy and egg produce. Many of the dishes are cheesy and therefore not suitable for Vegans like myself.
I would not fault the restaurant for this as the producers of local vegetables and artisan cheeses influence their primary style. However, when looking for vegan food in cork, Cafe Paradiso would not be my first choice anymore. Vegetarians, on the other hand, will marvel at the presentation and wonderful favours exhibited by the crew of talented chefs.
2018 Update: I have continued supporting Cafe Paradiso ( Now just called Paradiso) over the years as the quality of food and attention to detail is superb. The staff there are more than happy to tell you which dishes are vegan or the ones that can be altered to make it so including the desserts. I love the food here and find it truly is in a league of its own as I haven't found an Irish restaurant that prepares vegan food with the same level of flavour, quality and creativity as Paradiso does without fail. Saying that, I hope with the rise of veganism in the city and across the globe that they will one day make the restaurant fully vegan.💚
Pros: Excellent vegetarian and vegan food, Friendly Staff, Stylish interior
Cons: prices can seem expensive but quality is excellent, not as vegan friendly as it could be
Guest
EmilySuttonTaylor
Points +153
over priced, no options - Edit
There is hardly anything for actual vegans, maybe one or two dishes. The staff kind of huffs about it when you ask, so it's more ideal for vegetarians. I just wasn't impressed by the food, especially for the price. I have no problem paying a high price if the food is worth it, but it wasn't. Service was very unfriendly as well, which is strange because everywhere else I visited in Cork was great.
Read morePaulSomers
As a young Vegan, you must relish the thought that people like your opinion (I don't). Whenever I am in Cork, I grab a quick bite to eat in Cafe Paradiso, and have done so since 2001. Yes Vegetarian, they do not claim to be Vegan.... It would be the same as going to a Steak House and asking for a Vegetarian.
Read moreGuest
Tamasin
Points +93
Cafe Paradiso - Edit
Good for Vegetarians, not so great for vegans, which is a little strange for a vegetarian restaurant
Read morePros: open for years, near big hotel
Cons: very poor vegan options, "options can be vegan if necessary"
Guest
lisaz3349
Points +312
So overpriced - Edit
I feel like this place you either love or you dont. Personally I would never go back. It was 80 euros for two plates 1 starter and wine and we were both hungry after. I realise thats part of the territory with fine dinning but Jacobs on the mall is a far better deal.
Read moreTamasin
Yup, I'd agree with that :)
Read moreGuest
HappyEmma
Points +183
Nice Experience - Edit
Took my mother here for here birthday a couple of years ago and we had a really nice time. Yes the price was higher but I find that is the standard when you go out for full meals with beverages and I found the experience was worth it. As a vegan you definitely must call ahead to be safe. Then they will guide you through the menu to let you know what is or can be made vegan. I enjoyed a chocolate soup :) I knew that if it sounded weird they had to be good at it. This place is an evening cafe. Cork vegans and veggies still have to explore this place as our meetups are usually daytime and closer to a budget. We look forward to going some day this year though.
Read morePros: Friendly and helpful staff, Delicious quality food, A nice fancy vibe
Cons: Not enough vegan options
Guest
Chrispy Brown
Points +28
Best restaurant in Ireland - Edit
Currently the top rated restaurant in the country on Trip Advisor - as a vegetarian living in Cork this is one of life's luxuries! Delicious food and friendly staff it is always a pleasure - we save it for our special treats now but are always welcomed as if it were a weekly visit. They usually do a 3 course pre-theatre special as well as a regular menu. Delicious!!
Read moreGuest
VeganFamilyTravels
Points +1847
Lovely meal and nice atmosphere - Edit
We enjoyed a lovely vegan meal at Café Paradiso. On booking we had informed them that we were vegan. When we were handed the menu the waiter went through all the options that were vegan or could be adapted to be suitable. The staff were all pleasant and friendly. The restaurant was very busy, they were even turning people away at the door who hadn't booked. Our table was booked for about 6pm and we did have a time limit to be finished by of 8.30pm. We were only aware of this as we had a friend working in the kitchen! At no time did we feel rushed at all. Very enjoyable but do notify them in advance that you are vegan.
Read morePros: Excellent food, Friendly staff, Nice atmosphere
Cons: Expensive
Guest
Venusr84
Points +135
Nice food - Edit
Went there a couple of times, really enjoyed the food. They've changed some of their recipes around to make them vegan and have some nice desserts including vegan ice cream with lovely side dishes. All the food was very well cooked and presented. I'd definitely go there again.
Read morePros: Accommodating, Excellent Food , vegan options
Cons: expensive, Not 100% Vegan
Guest
sixmiles23
Points +25
vegans not welcome! - Edit
Visited last week. When I asked which wines on the extensive list were vegan I was suprised to be told none. I then asked did they have vegan beer or cider, again no. I asked what other vegans did they said no-one had EVER asked! Then told I should have rung ahead and they would have got some in. As I had not yet ordered and there is an off licence on the same street and the place was not busy would they do me the favour of popping up to it, again no. I explained I had traveled 250 miles due their reputation in Ireland, again no. I then asked to go up and get it myself, again no. My partner was also asking about the menu and they were refusing to adjust dishes. By this stage I had asked to speak to the manager and explained all this again, again no.
Read moreWe both left before ordering after being told this was " a vegetarian restaurant for vegetarians not vegans". So we went a few minutes walk to the Quay Co-op and had an excellent meal with organic vegan perry for a third of the price the Paradiso would have charged.
The next day we went to Dublin to Cornucopia and upon opening their wine list, although not a totally vegan restaurant, read all wines are VEGAN!
Cafe Paradiso you need to alter your drink list. You need to change your menu, being veggie doesn't start and end with cheese any more. But most important you need to alter your attitude, I left shocked and saddened by such anti-vegan attitude, one that I've never even experienced in non-veggie places. My trip to Cork was only saved by the Quay Co-op!!
Updated from previous review on Monday July 21, 2014
I posted some of these comments onto their facebook page as well...they have removed these! So they are also censoring legitimate comments...So Paradiso have made me feel abused and neglected twice in one week!! Can Paradiso censor this page?! Or Expedia and Trip Advisor?! What is their problem!! If you're afraid of comment don't ask for reviews that you then remove...hatred of cheese is not a crime!! But abusing those who don't want to eat it is....rather than delete my enquiry answer it! What wines are vegan, why was I told they weren't and why was I told Paradiso wasn't for vegans?
Pros: none
Cons: bad attitude, vegan menu limited, price
walabok
What makes a wine (or beer) not vegan??
Read moreGuest
kadelesalle
Points +37
Accommodates Vegans and Gluten-free. - Edit
I am vegan and dined at Cafe Paradiso with my mother, who is gluten-free. I notified the restaurant of our dietary restrictions in advance at the time of our reservation. The atmosphere was lovely, and the staff were friendly. A waiter walked us through the menu, highlighting what each of us could and couldn't have. They really seemed to "get" what being vegan and gluten-free meant, and took the time and effort to make sure we had options. We both ended up having the sweet chilli-glazed panfried tofu with choi, rice noodles, gingered tamarind coconut broth and shiitake fritters. It was absolutely divine, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Cork and this restaurant. For dessert, they made us a special vegan, gluten-free apple and fig crumble with vegan ice cream, which was also delicious. Although pricey, this place is definitely one of the best culinary spots in town for veggies/vegans. I'll definitely be back throughout my stay in Cork.
Read morePros: Accommodating, Excellent Food
Cons: Not 100% Vegan
Guest
pradipd
Points +347
Touch and Go - Edit
Some items on the menu were sublime, while others were disappointing. The sushi was plain boring and bland and devoid of any flavor. It is a small, cosy place, and definitely overpriced, even though the service is excellent and food for the most part is sublime.
Read morePros: Sublime, Service
Cons: Expensive, Inconsistent
Guest
Mr Jefferson
Points +65
Ups and downs - Edit
I've been to CafeP many times. My initial experiences were good but it seemed to lose its focus for a few years and I stopped going until recently.
Read moreThankfully I can confirm that on a recent visit food was superb. It appears that there is a new team in the kitchen and some of the dishes are the best I've eaten there.
On the down side, it appears that there is a bit of bedding in to do, as the last time I was there, the wait between ordering and getting the food was unacceptable. It seems that the problem was with the kitchen getting the orders out as the waiting staff were concious of the delay. Hopefully they'll work on this.
Other reviewers have commented on it being pricy and this is true. However this is Ireland and substandard veggie dishes in non-veggie restuarants tend to be only a few euro cheaper for something that is clearly an afterthought on the menu. I can honestly say that the wines, while excellent, are the only over priced items on the menu, not the food.
Pros: High quality dishes, Staff, Location
Cons: Cost of wine
Guest
WeyHey09
Points +58
Wow, wow, wow - Edit
Visited Cafe Paradiso in 2008 and 2009. Food is out of this world. Even my non veggie partner loved it. Very expensive compared to other vegetarian places but we have paid these prices at non veggie places and received slop so I don't mind paying these prices as a treat. First time we visited was before the decor upgrade and at first was shocked as it had a cafe feel and look to the place with five star prices but as the night went on this relaxed atmosphere added to the meal and the evening. I was on cloud nine after our meal that I could not wait to come back. We stayed in rooms above which were nice but front room was quite noisy from passing traffic so didn't get much sleep and the lack of a bath took away from the stay. Breakfast was also out of this world.
Read moreWent back for visit earlier this year and the newly upgraded glamorous dark decor was a new shock but worked well. We made a huge and embarrassing mess up with our anniversary reservation but the staff could not do enough to help us. Food was even better this time around and in particular the ugly biscuit dessert was best we have ever tasted.
Some people (including my partner) have commented that the food here is on the heavy side based but I love my comfort food. Others also mention there is a serious lack of vegan options.
All in all - out of this world food, nice venue and amazing staff make an evening here feel like a real treat and ranks up there with Cookies n Cream in Berlin. I as usual can't wait to go back.
Pros: Out of this world food., Great staff, Nice venue
Cons: Wish there was a C.P in every city!
Guest
Merciless666
Points +195
either youlove it or lyou hate it... - Edit
that seems to the average opinion ha,ha.
Read morewell i was almost giving up on this place as i got turned away 10 min to 12am, as it was considered to be still closed, even though the doors where widely open. i asked if i could just drink something as i was thristy too, but got told "this is a restaurant"..so what? did you think i came all the way frome germany to get myself drunken in a veggie restaurant???
Anyways i returned, as alternatives a rare in Ireland ;-)
and the food was pretty good. i had some potato pie, which was awesome. my collegues seemed slightly dissapointed, as the food is not really filling you up, if you're hungry as a bear. still recommandable!
Pros: good value, healthy
Cons: the staff? don`'t know, too far for another try
Guest
alansmith100
Points +36
Probably the best vegetarian in the world...... - Edit
Having just discovered this web site I thought I would post a review about Paradiso, We stayed here in their rooms at easter and the food and service was excellent. We are real foodies and the purpose of our visit to Cork was mainly to eat here. All the reviews in the press and on other sites was more than accurate, it truly is veggie heaven. I have bought the cook books and have tried to recreate some of the dishes they are complex and rewarding to make but you do need a lot of time. Paradiso is not cheap, but then the food is in a league of its own. I noticed a review by a "guest" that was not too complimentary, I would always use caution when reading anything that somebody is not prepared to put their name to, sounds like a rival or an ex member of staff writing to me
Read morePros: Creative cooking, intimate, excellent staff
Cons: its not in my home town
JohnnySensible
Very well said Alan - thank you - welcome to HappyCow! - John
Read moreMerciless666
you obviously not leaving this island 2 often?!
Read morego to Dublin for amazing veggie food for reasonable prices.
alansmith100
I live in UK and eat all over the world I only take the time to review places that are really worth visiting I found your post in response to mine very arrogant my opinion is valid and your response has no place on a site like this
Read moreGuest
Saddler
Points +149
Extraordinary - Edit
Cafe Paradiso is an extraordinary vegetarian restaurant for two reasons. The first is that it is, bar none, the best restaurant of any type in Cork. If you look at the list of places to eat at the tourist office, it is top of the list. The second reason is that they seem almost unaware of what vegan food is. Most of their meals are not suitable for vegans, even where it would be trivially easy to make them so and there is a super-abundance of cheese based recipes. In a place like Cork, one should be glad there is vegetarian food of this quality prepared with such care, but why cannot they try just a bit harder with the vegan side?
Read morePros: Excellent food and wine, Good atmosphere
Cons: Poor for vegans
Guest
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