Probably the best food in Cork ... and the most unusual surroundings. The restaurant is hidden on the first floor of an old building, and the dining room is full of antique china, ornaments and modern art. It won't be to everyone's taste, but I love the contrast between it and the formulaic "clean lines, bold patterns, leather and bare wood" that every new restaurant seems to go in for at the moment. The food is the reason to come here though. It's imaginative, creative, fusion at it's best. Nowhere like it in Cork, and possibly not in Dublin either, There's a lot of Japanese influence, but some Mexican too.Last time we ate there the highlights included tempura, sushi (excellent tuna nigiri), swordfish on banana ketchup, veal chimichanga with a spicy chocolate sauce and something called Dengaku (a sweet miso custard apparently) which came smeared over aubergine and tofu and was simply superb. The restaurant had some bad press recently, but thank god it's still open. What with Augustines having closed down, the choice for really imaginative food in Cork is down to, errr...one. The menu was €50 for 5 courses, tea and coffee included. Expensive enough, but well worth it for this quality food. If you get a chance, pay €60 and go for the cehf's taster menu: 8 mini courses. We did it with a group of friends for a birthday last year - was great fun. Make sure you leave plenty of time though, we were there for hours,

Great character in this restaurant, lovely atmosphere and fantastic decor. The staff are excellent and you are made to feel very welcome indeed. We took advantage of a special offer and went for an eight course taster menu for €45 for two including a glass of wine each which is great value. Crúbíns, Liver, Salmon and Mackrel, Tounge and Cheek, were some of the faire on offer. Well worth the price paid and it was great to try things I had never tried before but I wouldn,t pay anymore for this menu. The regular menu is much more down to earth and is excellent.

This is a gem of a restaurant which I love going back to. It has a nice atmosphere and a quirky decor. There are a number of menus to choice from ensuring something for everyone. The food is interesting, unique and very tasty using local produce. Service is very good. I'd recommend the Ivory Tower as a treat.

1st time to visit, an un usual place, like eating in someones old country house. Food was amazing.lots of different foods with a twist. A "surprise starter" of shark - no idea what it was until aftwards which adds to the quess work. quail for starter, really good. pumkin soup, really thick and tasty. young calf steak for main, on a bed of ox tail cheek, Gratin potatoe. was amazing. couldnt finish the plate. creme brulle with Safrron for desert. nice and sweet. would highly recommend a vist. Seamus was the chef on the night, so added to experience. And thats exactly what it is 'An Experience'

I loved this place. We spent €110 per head including two brilliant bottles of wine, tip, and loads of intricately-prepared food. The chef-owner was courteous and friendly and the atmosphere was refreshingly unpretentious. I will definitely be back. I had Wood Pigeon Carpaccio, my friend had Korean-style Bacon and Cabbage, and there was also Blackened Shark on the menu - where else would you get a stimulating feed like this? As Oscar Schindler said "Nice things cost money".

This used to be a favourite but hadn't been for a couple of years. The food and wine list was excellant as always, and I love the interesting amuse bouche and sorbet. The chef was happy to explain the dishes, very friendly and helpful. The room is very small so it can seem quiet, and could do with a little more heating (bring a jacket). This is not a place for the unadventurous eater, but if you like unusual food, perfectly cooked this is the place for you. Only one real complaint - very pricey.

I would advise anyone not to go to this so called Ivory Tower Restuarnt. The food is not worth the price tag nor was it great tasting I must add. The atmosphere was horrible and the chef himself, well you could clearly see he's not the friendliest of people, he smiled when he was getting paid...not my type of entertainment and will certainly not be returning there nor would i recommend it to friends/family.

This place has been around for a while so they most be doing somthing right. The food is good as is the service but the price could be a bit better

Food is brilliant, Lovely atmosphere & Staff friendly. But expensive!!!

Went there only once so far for lunch with a friend. She ordered the beef in Guinness and I had the tagliatelle with chanterelle mushrooms and baby scallops. Both dishes were absolutely yummy. Service was very laid back as we were allowed to take our time. The wine the sommelier recommended was spot on. All in all it was a great experience.

I don't know what to say about the Ivory Tower. I've been there 3 times (twice for dinner and once for lunch) and each time it was a different experience. The 2 times i had dinner there the food was nice, the service was very good. The only thing is that they refused to cook what we ordered the way we wanted. I personally found this very disrespectful as where I come from (France) "the customer is king". We tried this place again for lunch and it was one of the worst experience of my life. But the worst was the food. It wasn't freshly prepared (if I had proof I would have said it was frozen); there was no pots and pans going in the kitchen (if you were ever there you would understand what I mean as the kitchen is semi-open and you can see/hear a lot from the dining area) and I am being polite when I say the food was vile because it was; The worst I've had in a long time.

I have now twice been to the Ivory Tower, both time in different company. Once with a group of 10, all work colleagues and once with my partner for an anniversary dinner. Both times the service was very friendly and attentive. We are able to taste the wine before deciding for one. Even when it gets busy, service doesn’t suffer. The food is very fresh, locally sourced and the menu is very imaginative. Go for the 5 course meal, you get a lot of different dishes there, including a surprise starter. Both times I had the venison in chilli & chocolate sauce as a main course, an absolute dream. The miso soup is also very good and tasty. This is not a restaurant to go to every week but perfect for a special occasion. The atmosphere is very laid back and the décor eclectic. Try and go early, the experience is even better when you’ve got the whole restaurant to yourself. Don’t forget to book, they can only take about 35 people, so can get busy on a Friday night. The menu will change weekly as everything is sourced locally and depends on the season, so every time you visit you will discover new dishes.