St Luke's Wine Tavern, Cork

Short Version

Lively atmosphere, genuinely excellent food, and decent value for proper Spanish tapas. I'd score it 7.8 out of 10 and it's well worth a visit, even if it's a little outside the city centre.

First Impressions

We arrived at St Luke's Wine Tavern for some tapas and the atmosphere was lively straight away. The bar was full and the staff were full of life. The chefs cooking behind the counter were Spanish, and the front of house had real charisma. A genuinely welcoming spot to walk into. We were led down to comfortable tables and got stuck into the menu.

How Tapas Works

Quick tip on tapas if you're not familiar. It's a Spanish style of dining where you order lots of small dishes so you can try a few different things. We had about two dishes each between three of us and honestly it was too much food. Learn from us. Four or five dishes between three people is plenty.

The Food

On the food itself, the patatas bravas were outstanding. Ten euro, and given the size of the portion that's fair. I could barely finish it.

I also had the spicy meatballs at fifteen euro, and they were delicious and a bigger portion than I expected.

The Drinks

Washed it down with a beer. The others were on the wine and really enjoyed it. A great evening all round.

One Honest Flag

One thing worth mentioning for honesty's sake. The electricity went off for about forty minutes while we were there. The staff tried everything to get it back on and handled it well, and everything came together nicely in the end. Didn't ruin the evening at all, but worth flagging.

The Verdict

A very nice restaurant overall. Great atmosphere, great food, and decent value. Well worth a visit. It's a little outside the city centre, but the quality makes the trip worth it.

Cork Xtra Scorecard

• Location: 7/10
• Atmosphere: 7.5/10
• Staff: 7.5/10
• Food: 8.25/10
• Overall: 7.8/10