Vanilla Pod Restaurant Kells

Wow! I don’t know what to say other than ‘Wow’. Beautiful, intimate and cosy. Amazing staff, spotlessly clean and the food…Oh, the food! Head chef Stephen is a talent. Steak cooked to perfection and made cauliflower taste good (I haven’t eaten cauliflower since I was forced to fed it as a child back in the 80’s!). Red wine gravy is out of this world. Our server, Fiona was gorgeous. I have worked in hospitality and know that it doesn’t suit everyone, it suits Fiona. She cares. A €100 tip wouldn’t cover this experience. From start to finish an unforgettable experience. I’ll finish how I started…Wow!

Great spot, had the lamb shank was delicious, desert was so nice aswell, with a party of 6, not one of us had a bad meal! Will defo be back! Tiny wee bit cramped-space wise but the food makes up for that! Great variety on the menu

Loved this place. It had a very relaxing atmosphere. Its lights, decor and lovely music really added a lot. Great food. Had the duck and it was delicious. Fries were tasty too! Will definitely be coming back to this gem.

My husband and I secured a babysitter & as we had a long standing voucher for the Headfort, we booked a table for the Vanilla Pod. Whenever we get a chance we head here, although prices have noticeably shot up since lockdowns. There were 3 menus to navigate currently: a la carte, Early bird and Specials. Earlybird is to be commended on relative value: 2 courses for €26, 3 course for €29. I could have picked a starter and dessert on the Earlybird but none of the mains appealed to me. So a la carte it was. For starters I couldn't pass the spicy Nduja, chili and garlic Prawns with toasted breads for €12. It came with 1 slice of Sourdough as opposed to the 'toasted breads' but delicious & devoured. My husband went for his usual of Vanilla Pod chicken wings with blue cheese dip @€8.50. Yum but I suspect the sauce is different to what I remember encountering first years ago. For mains, the other half opted for slow cooked sticky baby back ribs with house slaw and fries @€20. He enjoyed these. I chose the special of 10z Rib Eye Steak with onions and a side of the most amazing sinful garlic potatoes @€29 and an extra over-indulgent side of onion rings@€4.50. I couldn't possibly have eaten another bite but my husband couldn't pass his go-to Sticky Toffee Pudding @€8. He reported it to be light and tasty but would have liked more sauce with it. For drinks, we had a Carafe of Chilean merlot €14 & Bottle of Heineken zero €5.10, followed by 2 Americanos @€7. Both waitresses are so professional here and a absolute credit to the restaurant. Shout out to Caroline whose name we asked for on this occasion. Service was excellent and efficient. Rating reflects unappetising mains on Earlybird and increased prices. Well done on re-introducing an Early bird menu.

Great food and great atmosphere. It has the best staff who go above and beyond to help. There is a vegetarian menu available and some dishes can be made vegan- just ask.

Lovely atmosphere. Quality of the ingredients was high and the food was tasty. Unfortunately though, 3 of us felt that our meals were quite small. Mentioned it to staff (who are very nice to be fair) and was simply told "sorry about that. Unfortunately though, it's not a nice experience to leave a restaurant hungry after paying around the €30 mark for a plate of food, hence the 3 star review. Had the pork tomahawk, salmon and duck.

Calm atmosphere, great service and absolutely delicious food! Thank you and see you again soon!

Excellent staff / service and a really well cooked family meal. Wholeheartedly recommend!

Had a meal there last month magnificent is all I can say. Staff magnificent could not fault it in the slightest. 10/10

Staff is attentive and the setting is central, this is the formal restaurant within the Headfort Arms Hotel, the food is good and the restaurant is comfortable. Booking is essential.

Stopped off for dinner en route to visit the folks in Cavan and it made for a lovely pitstop to fuel up! It was a Friday evening and we availed of the early bird offer at €21 per head - I had a fusion pulled pork Asian lettuce wrap for my starter and duck confit for my main. Both were gorgeous and displayed very well - rather surprised given the very reasonably priced menu. Service was very friendly and efficient and we finished off with a peppermint tea and coffee (included in early bird menu)! Not sure why the other reviews are so poor but hopefully my review spurs others to give it a try! They deserve the custom :)

Dropped in here for an early bird on a Saturday evening, without a reservation. The staff were great, very attentive, and seated us no problem, even though there was five of us. The Service was excellent, I can't flaw it at all. Their food, overall was just ok. Their chicken wings, were delicious, we all shared a few portions of these as a starter. Bring on the main course, the vegetables were cold, the fillet steak was a bit stringy / chewy, and the baked potatoes tasted like they had been cooked during the week and re heated a number of times, just rock hard. Their desserts were delicious, and portion size is very good, you certainly don't leave hungry for sure! It's a nice place, atmosphere is good, staff are excellent and very friendly and overall a 3 out of 5.

Ate here while staying in the adjoining hotel. Unfortunately still feeling the effects of the previous evening I was unable to enjoy the full fry-up but the scones in this place are among the best I've had anywhere, ever!! The place was spotless, the staff were lovely & instead of a normal help yourself buffet style breakfast they prepare your fry fresh as you order it... Suberb!

I have visited this restaurant in the past and I have been impressed so what went wrong. We went there and had the early bird menu. We ordered a glass of wine for my lady friend as I was driving. Big glass but she informed me what was in the glass was small by restaurant standards. The Early Bird was three courses, starter, main and tea/coffee. The starters were very small though tasty. The main courses were OK but I felt a little pricy for what we received.