Portumna Castle Tea Room - CaToCa Fine Food , Castle Demesne, Portumna, County Galway

"After travelling around Ireland for over two weeks this has to top our list of the worst lunch we had eaten (or tried to) to date. A simple cheese toasted sandwich came 10-15 minutes after my order of strawberry shortcake. The sandwich must have been baked in an oven because it was dry, tough and arduous to eat. I was hungry and managed to wash it down with mouthfuls of hot tea, which came in a large pot but minus milk (we had to ask for that). The strawberry tart was cold by the time I started on that and my first forkful was of raw batter. Taking it to the counter to make a small complaint and show the offending item to the staff member, the young worker told me curtly that they buy them in and that is how they come!"

"Lovely place beautiful situation, real pity about everything else. Firstly I counted 6 staff for 8 tables. Of course they were very disorganised and constantly in each others way. (Quite amusing to watch). The order was simple I insisted on a toasted ham and cheese only, but it came with tomato and onion. They hesitated to change the order. (It was swiftly re-served to another table I noticed). I had asked for a cesar salad. At 12.50€ you would expect something good. The lettuce was chewy and old, I struggled to find the sachet of parmesan and little pieces of Aldi chicken pieces. Outrageous really. So yes 30 € for 2 toasties and a salad. And a very wobbly table on top of it. They won’t be seeing me for a while."

"Nice little cafe/bakery with take-away for now d/t covid restrictions. Now open from 10am-5.30pm daily. Love their crispy and custardy Portuguese tarts. Lovely selection of choc balls (with vegan gluten free options), chocolates, flapjacks, caramel waffle, cheesecake, donuts, cakes and tea/coffee/refreshing drinks selections."

"A beautiful location, kept in pristine condition by dedicated staff who go above and beyond to be helpful and informative. The castle is fascinating with an amazing history clearly illustrated by the staff and information panels and video. The gardens are beautiful and very relaxing to walk around which is a welcome relief during these crazy pandemic times. I highly recommend this location on any tour of Ireland."

"Nice outdoor seating with the beautiful view of the side of the castle. Food tasty, especially desserts, but pricey. Nice and quick service. Perfect stop on a way to the marina."