Avoca

It’s Avoca. It’s deadly. If you are in the area, treat yourself to a healthy lunch here. Followed by cake. Because you’re worth it!

When traveling throughout Ireland, I typically plan my day trips based on proximity to an Avoca Café for lunch. No joke. How perfect, then, that we should visit the Powerscourt Estate and gardens, then refuel at the Café.
My kids love this place because we always let them get dessert! The grown ups love it because we can also eat healthy meals at the same time.
On this visit, I had a spinach, pine nut, and goat cheese quiche with choice of three salads on the side. All were delicious, especially the minted fruit, which was a nice touch. The hubby had a cold salmon with sweet chili sauce (also with three salads). I honestly can’t remember what the kids ate for dessert, but that’s likely because it disappeared from their plates so quickly.
Even if the food wasn’t the consistent, delicious fare we’ve come to expect from Avoca, I would recommend this place for the views alone. You can sit on the patio and enjoy the lovely garden vistas without even paying an entrance fee! Win!

The Avoca café in Dublin city centre is lovely but this one is even better, specially if it is a sunny day =)
After a loooong walk at Powerscort Gardens, to come here is almost mandatory. But be prepared to encounter a queue, probably a long one, since there are load and loads of tourists which come in all together and are unable to decide what they want to eat.
They have a large selection of savoury cakes — which I loved. The prices are a little bit high, and no other coffee place around… so. The outside sitting area is the best part. Def send someone ahead to get a table for you because the place is super busy.

This Avoca is in a beautiful setting at Powerscourt, Enniskerry.
Of course they do their usual café range here. Good selection of sandwiches etc but I had to get the jam and cream scone. I really should apologise to the couple next to us that kept looking, its not exactly the easiest thing to eat daintily!
It’s a bit far out from Dublin obviously but definitely worth refueling here if you visit to do the tour of the gardens or after a visit to Powerscourt Waterfall.

If you are looking for products made by Avoca Handweavers, visit the Powerscourt Avoca shop (as opposed to their Avoca Main Office property location off of the N11). The Powers Court Avoca store offers gorgeous coats, blankets, scarves made by Avoca Handweavers, unlike the Kilmacanogue store which seems to focus on merchandise (found in any upscale department store) brought in from the outside with a few Avoca items tucked away in a back corner.
Also Powerscourt has a design studio (not part of Avoca) on the 2^nd floor offering high end Irish made goods, knitted items, jewelry, framed prints etc. (and a high end furniiture show room if you happen to own a country home in the Wicklow Hills, doesn’t everyone?).
I guess the Avoca Handweaver products are for the tourists who are likely to visit Powerscourt and the Kilmacanogue Avoca shop seems to cater to the South Dublin crowd. In any case the Avoca Handweaver products (blankets, throws, scarves etc) are beautifully made; a useful, classy gift that the recipient will use for many years.
In addition, the surroundings are beautiful and if you are into gardening there is an enourmous greenhouse/​nursery/​garden shop at the Powerscourt location. Also if you are not touring the gardens there is no entrance fee to access the shops.

Lovely place for lunch on a Winter’s Day… The food was hearty and filling and delicious, but that’s not what I love most about this place. I could honestly just curl up in the blankets and housewares section and go to sleep in here. This is one of those stores where everything is so well selected and made, that it is hard to walk out of here without buying at least a small something. In my case, it was a gorgeous handwoven woolen blanket of the most gorgeous pattern… Of course, I had to cram it into my suitcase and bring it home to Australia, where it was hot, hot, hot upon arrival, so I haven’t been able to enjoy it yet (but I will, come July).
This is one of those lovely, homey places that does get a lot of tourist traffic, but I can understand why. The grounds and the view are gorgeous and all the products on offer are wonderful.
Definitely on my «must visit» list for a day trip outside of Dublin.

Während eines organisierten Tagesausflugs in die Weiten Wicklows wurde bei «Avoca» ein Kaffeestopp eingelegt. Der Weg zu den herzhaften wie süßen Speisen und erquickenden Getränken führte dabei bewusst an diversen apart dekorierten Verkaufstischen vorbei (Bücher, Kleidung, Keramik, Schmuck usw.). Hat man es einmal an den zahlreichen Verkaufstischen vorbei bis zur Fressmeile geschafft, erwartet einen ein bezahlbares Schlaraffenland. Es wird allerdings danach unterschieden, ob man etwas zum Mitnehmen haben oder im Restaurant sitzen möchte (zwei verschiedene Kassen und Theken).
Der Cappuccino zum dortigen Genuss war solide, wenn auch keine Offenbarung und der Preis von 2,95 Euro eher als gehoben zu bezeichnen. Der Birnen-​Mandel-​Scone zum Mitnehmen wiederum fiel groß aus, war frisch und delikat, so dass die 1,95 Euro kaum schmerzten.
Das Ambiente ist einladend, der rückwärtige Garten ist viel mehr ein Park und bei genauerer Betrachtung fallen auch bei der Bestuhlung liebevolle Details auf wie Teetassen, die in einer Aussparung im Raum versetzt zueinander hängen oder Tische, deren Tischplatte einem verglasten Setzkasten gleichen.
Schade, die knappen 30 Minuten waren zu wenig Zeit, um zu regenerieren und auch noch «alles» zu erkunden.

Definitely worth checking out especially for the veg options! Fresh!

Expensive but very high quality, with a breath-​taking view from the outdoor balcony.
Excellent range of food … great for entertaining business or tourist groups.
Its not easy to get to, but is always busy.
My wife’s advice to one of her friends … «lets forget about the starter + main course, just order three desserts»

The lunch and service here is absolutely exceptional, there’s simply no other word for it! I ordered the lentil nut loaf which came with a generous portion of fresh salad and the most amazing relish I think I’ve ever tasted. The view from the outdoor seating is utterly spectacular, a wonderful place to go for a romantic date!

Again in the Fern House Restaurant which deserves an entry all of its own. It is a very different product to the café in the same premises. Arrived for a pre-​booked late lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Place was very busy but we were seated immediately. Food, as before was excellent, the ambience is beautiful — perhaps one of the nicest dining rooms in Dublin — and the service was top class, despite the madding crowds. We will be back.

Price — Expensive, Food-​Divine, Worth it? — YES!
Initially I was skeptical, main courses on display looked rather small for the price I was paying, but then I realised that you also get 3 giant portions of salad alongside you main which lifted my spirits a little — Pity I had already ordered the chowder as well for starters :(
Seafood chowder was just spot on and they were VERY generous with the seafood. Funnily enough even though the chowder was fab it was actually the 2 pieces of wholemeal/​multiseed bread which you get with the chowder that made my jaw drop… who knew bread could taste so good?! (I wrapped some up in tissue to bring home)
I had the salmon wrapped in spinach and cheese for my main and woahhhh, what a great combination. Salmon was so fresh too.
I didn’t award 5 stars to this café as service does take forever, queues are massive due to the large influx of tourists visiting Powerscourt (including me!) and if you want tea after your meal you may be expected to head back to the end of the queue… or skip on the queue, not that I would do that :/​haha

The front of this place is sooo deceiving! Once inside there are tons of interconnecting stores with everything from clothes to souvenirs and even fresh made food and yummy breads and scones! We didn’t get a chance to go into the garden, but from what I saw, it was beautiful. If you are staying at the Ritz, it is a must to go and see!

Sweet Lord I know why I’m broke. This place is expensive. So embarrassing to see tourists dismayed at the change they get for an oul salad roll & tea. However, if you pop in for a coffee, a cake & a wander around the shop it’s a nice treat. Beautiful setting & staff are lovely.

Great food, decent size portions and prompt service. The desserts are also divine :-) great place to stop for lunch when visiting this area.
I love the food at Avoca as its just good home cooking and nicely done meals. The only thing missing here is table service. It can be extremely busy at lunch time during the weekends.

Beautifully gardens, great food,

I took my big sister out for lunch here as it’s lovely and it’s also near where she lives. We opted for the Terrace café section and the food was amazing.
My sister went for the Beef and Guinness pie, with three salads. She always orders that and I have to agree, the beef is mighty tasty when I snuck a forkful.
Me and my beau went for the Ham and Leek quiche, also with three salads. The quiche was so good, the egg mixture was lovely and light. The ham was generous in great big chunks.
The salads I went for was the melon salad which made for a nice dessert. I also opted for the carrot and cous cous. Both were grand, but I have had better.
There was lots on offer on the boards: hot dishes like what we had above and soups. There was also a cold selection, that served terrines etc with your choice of salad. There was also a kids menu. And lets not forget the cakes and scones. We didn’t have any, but they all looked very good indeed.
Re the location. Well Powerscourt House is a fabulous location. But the Terrace café is a bit of a mart and the queue was terribly slow. And it can be difficult to get to some tables, ones that are in behind other tables. Lots of tourists too, but thats a given with this location.
Cut to that evening, we had planned to make homemade pizza, but we were both still full from our lunch. Not a bad complaint methinks.

This is a great place to take visitors to Ireland as there is plenty of parking in superb surroundings. The food for Avoca is of the usual high quality.
There are some great little nicky nacky shops to browse around.

OH M G! Loike the only bad thing about Avoca is loike that there’s loike no Dort there so you have to loike take a bus or loike drive a cor. But it’s ok though because mummy loike buys me an AMAZING lunch there.
OK right I actually can’t write like that because I have to think that way and it just reminds me of where I used to live. ANYWAY that is the majority of the clientele there, I’m not stereotyping everyone there… just most of the people there.
For me there the clothes are just… well…mutton trying to dress as yummy mummy lamb a bit. The prices of the garments in relation to the quality of clothes, fabric and the actually garment don’t add of for me personally, I feel it’s a little over priced. 119euros for a little cardigan that I can get in other stores for less than 25… no thanks.
Clothing aside, all the little trinkets for homes and the general home-​wear section is where I absolutely loose myself in. I went in today to get a cocktail shaker and came out with 3 cook books, a teapot, a tea cup and saucer and some measuring cups in European sizes and American sizes! I’m an impulse buy fiend!
Now if you’ve never been to Avoca, don’t be put off buy the slightly pretentious people that stalk the floor there and I’m not just talking about the staff, do nip into the café and order some food there and be sure to get some salad there. I know that some people think the salads are ‘basic and for food snobs’ but in all fairness… damn right their for food snobs! Broccoli salad with feta cheese, cherry tomatoes with a lemon dressing! Eh hello! Do I have taste buds? I think so and I think they enjoy being a little bit food snobby.

I wish I could do a proper review of this restaurant but I can’t. We drove down here for Sunday lunch last week and expected that we would get seated straight away, it is a recession after all, surely people are not eating out like they used to! Anyway, we got there and there was a queue out the door, we wouldn’t get a table for at least two hours! The restaurant here is in a conservatory type room with gorgeous furniture and glorious natural daylight coming at you from all angles. I looked longingly at everything before turning away down hearted, woe is me!
My sadness was appeased however when I wandered around the lovely Avoca shop that you have to walk through to get to the restaurant. If you love handcrafty stuff or unusual things or pretty things or colourful things you will love this shop, you have to like one of those things! The only thing you won’t like is the prices, there was one appealing spotty mug that i totally fell in love with (spotty stuff is so cool, well not spotty teenage faces, but you know what I mean!) anyway, the thing cost twenty two bleedin’ euro! For a mug! With spots on it! I admit I still nearly bought it but no, while i might justify a Sunday lunch (which i didn’t get anyway) I can’t justify an expensive mug! I love you Avoca but not that much!