Il Padrino Restaurant

Amazing family meal here today. Great atmosphere and attentive staff. Great range of dishes on the menu. Food was amazing especially the pasta dishes we ordered. Would 100% recommend to anyone looking for a great Italian meal out in Cork.

I ordered a vegetarian pizza and a hot chocolate. The vegetarian pizza didn’t feel like a true, authentic pizza. It was heavily loaded with mozzarella cheese, which completely overpowered the other flavors. While there was a reasonable amount of vegetables, the combination didn’t come together well. The overall taste was dominated by the excessive cheese, making the dish feel unbalanced and quite heavy. The hot chocolate was also disappointing. It is advertised as an “Italian chocolate,” but the flavor resembled something closer to a basic dairy milk hot chocolate. It lacked the richness, texture, and depth typically associated with Italian-style hot chocolate. Overall, while the presentation was decent, the taste and authenticity of both dishes left much to be desired.

I visited Il Padrino for dinner as a group of four people. I would recommend reserving a table. The restaurant fills up with diners very quickly after 6pm. There is a great variety of dishes to choose from. We ordered Arancini, or deep fried rice balls, and garlic bread for starters. Both were delicious, though we would have welcomed more than two rice balls on the plate. For the main course, everybody ordered something different: risotto, tagliatelle, chips. We all enjoyed our meals. I had tagliatelle with chicken and mushroom sauce, "Tagliatelle al Pollo", which was exceptional and the garlic bread accompanying the dish was nice. The staff were all friendly and very quick to fulfill our requests for extra water and sharing plates. One nice improvement to the menu would be the addition of photos of most or all dishes on the menu. It makes it easier for people unfamiliar with Italian dishes to understand what is on offer. I would recommend Il Padrino to anyone looking to eat out at an Italian restaurant in the heart of Cork City.

Second time here to this authentic Italian restaurant and it was just as delicious as the first! Everything on the menu that we have tried has been top notch and plentiful. The only negative I have is the price of minerals at €3.90 each. Don’t let this put you off though. The homely atmosphere makes you feel as though you are in the heart of Italy. Service was swift and attentive. We will be back no doubt! 🇮🇹 Don’t let this put you off however. The service was swift and attentive.

The carbonara is to die for. I'm not kidding. It's the best Carbonara I've ever had, and I've had a few. Pizza was really good, too, and Tiramisu was just amazing. Service is exceptional. We were seated right at the pass where the food came out of the kitchen, and it was so nice to see the whole process (I watched my Carbonara being made and plated just for me). Wine was delicious. The only beer they have is Peroni, but sure, that's not the end of the world. Loved everything about it, the atmosphere, food, service, all 10 out of 10.