Worth the detour
When you travel as much as I do, a list of reliable pit-stops is essential. Irish motorways may have cut journey times, but aside from a clutch of service stops on the M4/M6 and M1, they’re culinary deserts.
So I have my go-to gastros — places I can stop knowing the diversion will be repaid with tasty fare, creative menus, friendly service and value for money. Partridge’s in Gorey is roughly half the journey time between Wexford and Dublin, it’s the perfect excuse to break a journey on the N11, with lost time generously made up for in the shape of a buzzy atmosphere, food sourced with care from local suppliers and producers, and a bill that won’t take another month off your recession-addled life.
There’s an agreeable, Tardis-like feel to the place. Stepping inside the front door, you immediately stumble upon a display crammed with cakes. Take the doorway to your left, and you wander into a little wonderland stuffed with the likes of fresh bread, coffee beans ground to order, Italian salamis and treats from the Chocolate Garden in Co Carlow.
It’s only once you follow your nose towards the rear, that you reach the cafe. The chirpy, hob-nobbing space is laid out over two rooms — one a tidy opening by the kitchen pass; the other a larger, airier setting doubling as an amateur art gallery.
The result feels like a culinary crossroads — a surprising emporium similar to Manning’s in Ballylickey, to Peter and Mary Ward’s Country Choice in Nenagh, or Gleeson’s deli at the heart of Roscommon.
It’s the foodie equivalent of a pub or post office of old.
On this latest visit, we sit beneath a painting by Adrienne Whelan — the aptly-titled Cool Kid, with young child in hat and boots wrapped up against the snow. Ceiling beams, stained glass, redbrick columns and bookshelves help the space seem cosy for its size.
Partridge’s serves lunch from noon to 4.30pm (dinners are a summer addition), and typically you can choose between options like freshly-made sandwiches, Cajun chicken in ciabatta, a goat’s cheese salad, or hake in tempura batter with home-cut chips.
The best dish I’ve had here is the burger, a succulent meat mix, infused with chilli and served on a snap-fresh bap garnished with leaves, Emmental, chips and garlic mayo for €11.
A warm butternut squash salad with roast peppers, sun-blush tomatoes and mixed leaves was also worth recommending — it came with crusty sourdough and lovely, gooey balls of mozzarella (€12.50).
Murphy’s Law strikes this time, however. A bacon and mushroom tagliatelle (€11), for instance, is overwhelmed by a deluge of cream.
A couple of golden-fried fillets of John Dory are well-cooked and served on a clump of chilli noodles with a nice, zingy bite (€9.75), but the breadcrumb coating is disappointingly dry.
For dessert, a chocolate brownie lacks moisture, and although the pavlova looks the part, it is not fluffy, crisp-crusty or marshmallowy enough to get off a motorway for.
Bah! But at least the service lives up to the memories.
Partridge’s young wait staff are a lovely bunch, good with kids, explain the dishes well, and deliver a great little fun pack — with lots of puzzles and games — to our young diners at just the right moment.
The wine list is thin, but there’s a big effort made with the teas — everything from the house blend to ‘Ayurvedic Stress-Free Tea’ is listed with notes on flavours and desired effects on a dedicated, laminated menu. There’s a good espresso too, for €2.
On balance, I’ve been coming here long enough not to write it off (always the danger of a single-visit review).
It opened in 2007, but Partridge’s has the feel of a place that’s here far longer. Back then, it had 11 tables.
Now it has over 30, which says something too.
Stick it in the Sat Nav and give it a go.
Life is about the detours, after all.
THE TAB: Lunch for three came to 34.80, without wine. Tip extra.
HOW TO: Monday-Thursday 8.30am-5pm; breakfast 8.30am-11.30am; lunch 12pm-4.30pm
Friday-Saturday 8.30am-6pm; breakfast 8.30am-11.30am; lunch 12pm-4:30pm
The verdict:
Food: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Ambience: 6/10
Wine: 5/10
Value: 6/10
