Had a really lovely time at Jola's during our first night. Treated politely and the staff were all very friendly. The food was good but we really had a nice time with all our friends.

Visited the menupages website for best rated Kinsale restaurant, Jola's stood out. Made a reservation the evening. Not disappointed at all, pleasant atmosphere with dining below ground, high ceiling, subdued lighting and baroque style deco. The staff gave a comfortable presence. My starter was panfried tiger prawns salad, and main was steamed seabass fillet in seasoned oil, parfait to finish. A refreshing experience, for the seafood and the price, none of Dublin's restaurants can match. A coffee on the house for good humour. I couldn't recommend more. Will definitely visit again

I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. The atmosphere was beautiful and tasteful. The value menu had every dish that I wanted to try on it. I had the black pudding pierogies for a starter and the rolled beef for a main course with the apple fritters for dessert. I have to say that the starter was my favorite part! No one at the table had anything bad to say about their meals and we all finished everything. It was very interesting looking over the list of Jola's homemade vodkas and trying to decide which to sample. You can't go wrong eating here when you are in Kinsale.

I was here as part of a hen party. There was about 20 of us and we were seated in the main restaurant. The atmosphere is fab with low lighting and fantastic decor with the stoned walls and large centre piece lighting. Its a very romantic restaurant so perfect for a date night but also perfect for any dinner occasion. To start we had a cocktail which was lovely, for starters I had goats cheese with roasted vegetables with honey glazed onions and this was devine. Main course was beef roulade with bacon and mash and this was very tasty and the beef was melt in the mouth tender. For dessert I had apple fritters with ice-cream and this was very nice. Overall we had a great night, with fantastic food, gorgeous atmosphere, efficient and friendly staff - I would highly recommend a trip to Jola's if you're in kinsale!!

I brought friends to this restaurant last Saturday mainly because the setting is so impressive. They were duly impressed. This is my 3rd time eating here and I think the food last Saturday was the best yet. It was quiet on the night but you would not notice, the general ambience was so good. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Had a voucher for Jola's for "buy one main course and get another free". We went with friends, who also had a voucher for the same offer. It was a great night, with great food, ambience, service and of course superb value for money. Thank you very much for a lovely night.

Love the character of this restaurant. Service was good and staff very pleasant. Starters were only ok but main course was excellent. Had steak with baby new potatoes. Steak was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. Potatoes were absolutely delicious. Would hve liked more veg with my main course. Relaxed atmospere, perfect chill out evening with my boyfriend.

Myself and 3 friends were spending the day in Kinsale and booked Jolas for our evening meal. We booked for 6.30 and thought we might avail of early bird. All reviews excited me about this restaurant but i was disappointed. Overall the food was nice but certainly not deserving of the rave reviews. We did go with the early bird menu which was good value but the food was nothing to write home about. Also there was some confusion re menus as one of us was given the wrong menu and this led to confusion. The staff were very nice and the surroundings were nice too but probably more suited to couples. All in all it was a nice evening but maybe I expected more. I have deifinately had a whold lot better elesewhere.

Myself and my boyfried had dinner here last Saturday night while on a break to Kinsale. I simply cannot fault anything about the food, atmosphere or the service. I had the chicken which was divine and my boyfriend had the seabass for mains which was also really good. Very tasty food at a very reasonable price. Overall a lovely experience. Will definitely be back !

Response:
Thank you very much for your kind words. Your suppport means world to us. Regards Jola

Posted by: Jola's on 14/05/2010

The staff were very friendly, a good atmosphere. Great food! Wonderful drinks! Pretty much faultless. would recommend. and it was reasonably good value! What more could you ask for!

Response:
Thank you very much for your support. It is much appreciated. Kind Regards, Jola

Posted by: Jola's on 14/05/2010

We chose to stay for a weekend break near the beautiful coastal harbour resort of Kinsale, Co Cork (7th-9th Aug 2009). Confessing itself as the Gourmet resort of Ireland, we though it would be a real challenge to find somewhere which matched both our budget and expectations. We initially read reviews about Jola's on www.menupages. ie and were impressed by the past customer comments. We found its location more by chance than looking as Kinsale is hellishly busy but we happened to find a parking space almost outside!! We didn't have a reservation so called in on the off chance. Although they were busy, we were dealt with very politely and asked if it would be possible to return an hour later, giving us chance to take a stroll around Kinsale. This was perfect for Jola's too. The service and friendliness was exemplary and the food was superb. We both had grilled mussels in garlic and white wine to start. Although we both commented that a couple were a little gritty, overall they were very tasty and garlicky, we had no problems with vampires that night!! For main I chose the sirloin and Steve had sea bass. I prefer steak 'rare' and initially thought it was not when it arrived at the table. However, I was pleasantly surprised to cut into the very tender piece to find that it was rare (perfect for my taste) and had a flame grilled flavour. Absolutely divine. As a self-confessed carnivore (who eats far too much red meat), this was amongst the BEST steak I have eaten. Steve's sea bass came with a tomato and garlic warm relish, which complimented the beautifully grilled sea bass. Although we hadn't really any room for desert, we were easily persuaded. I had Jola's famous vodka with strawberry infusion with ice cream. Weird sounding and weird to eat but lovely, all the same. Steve's chose the Irish cheese board. I have to say that in terms of presentation, variety and quality, the cheese board alone deserved a gold medal. It was a real picture and full of lots of lovely, freshly prepared ingredients. Timing be

I can't complain about this place, the food was pleasant, though not blow your socks off stuff but the atmosphere and the relaxed manner in which the meal was served was more than enough to make up for the lack of excitement where the food was concerned. We went for their taster menu which is the good bits off the main menu. I thought it was good value ( aprox €39 each) it was 5 courses. I think if you want a nice relaxing dinner that’s not too expensive it’s a place to try.

After reading the recent reviews, I had a total different experience at Jola's. For starters the vodka list was extensive and I had the Rose Belinni which was excellent. The staff was very attentive, even though I was dining alone. In fact, Jola herself served the entree and stayed to chat for a few minutes. I found the atmosphere to be very cozy and warm, especially with the roaring fire. The most memorable part of the meal was all of the flavors in each dish. Taking a step away from tradiitonal Irish food and infusing flavors was very bold. I did notice that the traditional Irish side of veg and potatoes did accompany my meal, but hey when in Ireland, you must expect to eat as the Irish do. This is a definite stop on my next trip. Thanks Jola!

Great first impression! Entrance is at street level to a bar/waiting area with a balcony looking over etaing area below. Walls are all rough natural stone, and lighting is effective in creating a nice atmosphere. However, even though there was a big open fire adjacent to our table, the restaurant was slightly chilly - a feeling emphasised by the very high ceilings as seen from the dining area. Nicely prepared tables and the general ambience signal that you are out "for dinner" - not just a snack! Unfortunately the food was un-remarkable. Steaks were thin and lacked flavour. Starters were bland and deserts were unimaginative. Still, prices are expensive! So many restaurants seem to think that dressing waiting staff in black, together with good lighting and ambience, is sufficient for gourmet prices!! If I cant't walk away impressed with the food, all else is by the way!

I love this restuarant! I think the food is great, albeit the menu is small. The atmosphere is great here as well, both for an intimate dinner and for a group of friends!

I went to Jola's for a birthday dinner with my two sisters. When we arrived at the restaurant we were greeted by Jola herself and brought to our table. The atmosphere in the restaurant was amazing. There are chandeliers, candles and mirrors. A beautiful old style mirror overlooks the dining area from above the fireplace. The staff were very attentive, including Jola herself and the service was great. Then there was the food. Between us, we had prawns, dumplings, and goats cheese for starters. Then there was steak and monkfish. And, to finish we had chocolate mousse, lemon sorbet with champagne and chocolate cake. Everything was prepared exactly as we requested and the presentation was exquisite. The food tasted of more and we spent most of the night talking about what upcoming occasions would bring us back to this gem of a restaurant. Not just a great place to eat, but a truly great dining experience. Thank you Jola

Went to Jola's with 5 friends, the atmosphere was warm, the food was great and the wine fantastic. The service with a smile was second to none and to top in all freat value for money. Have booked again for the start of December - can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greasy food and incompetent staff. We were staying close by in Kinsale and happened to walk past the window of this restaurant. You peer down into a basement and it's like something from a medieval castle, a big fire place with a roaring fire and candles and candelabras dotted throughout the room. This unfortunately is the only good thing I can say about this restaurant. The only real interaction we had with the staff was when they were taking our order. After that, they just took our empty plates from starters and handed us the main course. Absolutely no interaction whatsoever from them, it was if they were mute. On several occasions I had to ask and ask again for water, wine, salt etc. I could have put up with the staff had the food been good, however it was appalling. My starter arrived swimming in a plate of grease and no prizes for guessing where it was coming from. The food was also extremely greasy. The fish I ordered for main course wasn't all that bad and I would go as far as saying it was good, as was my girlfriends. However the side orders of potatoes and veg were once again extremely greasy and lacking any taste, bar the oil that it was swimming in. Apart from the setting, this restaurant has very little else going for it.

A hidden gem. Tucked away on a back street in Kinsale we booked a table at the last minute. The setting is superb, very modern but warm. Staff were very attentive without being over powering. You could not fault the food. We went for the early bird menu, 2 courses for €23, 3 courses for €29. Good selection of wine and the cheese board was the best we have had in quite some time. Hard to compete in Kinsale as the standard is quite high but Jolas rates highly. Jolas is on a par with the top restaurants in the town and a great alternative to the usual haunts, as you can see from my star ratings this place is well worth a visit and as we are in Kinsale regularly we will be going back. Looking foward to seeing other reviews.