carol
Unregistered User
(2/8/03 7:30 pm)

Daily meal costs

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Since receiving your book and advice, and reading everyone's postings, I think our original 10 day trip, then updated to 12-is now going to be 2 full weeks! My question for now is: Do you have a ball park estimate of daily meal costs? Since we'll be staying in B&B's the entire time, it will be lunches and dinners. We want to enjoy the occaisional good restaurant (as per your book), but also enjoy the pub food and atmosphere. The food budget would include the cost of a few drinks (mostly ale and beer). But the 4 or 5 good restaurants would include wine. We'll be traveling both in the Republic and Northern Ireland. I certainly don't expect an exact amount, but a "probable" figure would help immensley. Thanks

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1113
(2/9/03 1:31 am)

Re: Daily meal costs

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Hi Carol,

It's great that you can extend your Ireland trip by four days. Think of how much more you can do.

Since Ireland changed over to the euro prices on eating out has gone through the roof. Everyone is complaining about it and there was even an article in Tourism Ireland's latest newsletter about the problem.

You can probably get soup and a sandwich for lunch and pay around 6-8 euro per person or stop by the deli in a grocery store and pick up your own supplies. Try a "toasted special" in any pub. Also some stores have ready-made sandwiches for a lot less. Add some Taytos and a Club orange and you have lunch in the car. In many pubs you can get a "carvery lunch" for around 7-10 euro, which will keep you going into the night. Then have a snack for dinner. But keep in mind that lunch is over in most places by 2-2:30 (with the exception of Sunday). If you have lunch outside those hours it will generally be a snack in the pub.

I always travel with snacks that I can have in my room just in case I get someplace and don't feel like going out or it's raining cats and dogs. Since most B&Bs have tea and coffee facilities in each room, I buy instant soup, crackers, fruit, cookies, etc.

A bottle of wine at a good restaurant can run from 15 euro and up. Ask about the house wine. You can also get wine by the glass for around 3-5 euro. A pint of beer runs around 3.20-5 euro, depending on the place.

Dinner is much more "dear" as they say in Ireland. You can save by going early and getting an "early bird" dinner. If you skip the starter and just get an entree you can save also. Appetizers can run between 4 to 10 euro and up (depending on what it is). Entrees from 12 to 25 and up.

Here are some prices from my last trip:

Novecento Italian Restaurant in Dingle (dinner): entrees 12 & 15.50 euro.

Marble City Bar in Kilkenny (lunch): salad 1.90; chicken wings 4.00; trout salad 5.70; scone & coffee 3.30

Bricin in Killarney (early bird entree): boxty 15.00

Shannon Key West Hotel in Rooskey: carvery lunch 7.55

An Leath Phingan in Kenmare (dinner): two entrees and two glasses of wine: 35.90

Austies in Sligo: fish & chips dinner: 6.95

Monasterboice Inn Drogheda (dinner): scampi 15.90; rainbow trout 10.50; fillet steak 19.50

As you can see there is a wide difference in prices from place to place. But that should give you a reference point for planning your budget. And always ask at your B&B for dining suggestions. Many B&Bs even have menus from local restaurants that you can peruse before making a decision.

Sorry I can't give you a ballpark figure, but as you see the prices vary widely.

Michele

wojazz3
Registered User
Posts: 160
(2/10/03 9:59 am)

Re: Daily meal costs

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Carole:

You will be so happy that you extended the time on your trip. I don't think a question could have been answered more thouroughly than Michele did. Something that I noticed is that frequently, an "early bird" dinner is from about 6-8 PM. We had the early bird at the Wander Inn in Kenmare and it was 15 Euro. One meal would have been enough to feed two people. We should have gotten a meal and a starter. It was very good by the way.

When ordering wine "by the glass" in pubs and some restaurants, you are delivered a small single serving bottle. Sometimes they are quite good. Some places will also have wine "on tap". I found that to be more true in the UK though.

Bill