Relish Café Drogheda

Really disappointed. Booked a table for a girls brunch, no time limit stated on the phone at time of booking. As soon as we sat down we noticed it wasn’t overly busy, but our waitress told us the table was needed back within 1.5hrs. Keep in mind this was a brunch to say goodbye to a dear colleague with 4 people. The service we received was terrible, staff incredibly rude, clearly no proper training in etiquette, plates being cleared before others had finished eating, coffees served in plastic cups(while dining indoors!) The whole thing was uncomfortable then a waitress leaned over us and stated “my next booking will be coming, I need the table”, no manners, apology or offer to be seated outside while we were on our second round of drinks/ coffees- actively spending money. We left as requested and finished our coffees standing outside-awkward I know! Terrible customer service, will never return.

A cheerful café at Southgate (3.5/5 green stars)
The Relish café at the Highlanes Gallery used to be a regular lunch spot in Drogheda (it has changed hands but the new Highlanes café, Five Good Things, is also good). I recently tried the Relish café at the Southgate Shopping Center to have coffee and do some work. I made the faux pas of ordering at the counter instead of first sitting at a table but the lady at the counter suppressed the lecture I think she wanted to give me and instead took my order. I chose a high top table near the door so I wouldn’t feel like a weirdo with my laptop among the retirees with their afternoon coffees. My oat flat white was okay and the pear almond tart was nicely presented with dots of coulis around the side. The tart had a slightly rubbery texture – I think a microwave was used for reheating – it was still okay but could have been better. I ordered a second coffee – a decaf Americano, and I’m not sure what happened but it was one of the worst coffees I’ve ever had. I guess something went wrong there but it wouldn’t put me off trying Relish Southgate again. In the past I’ve found their savory food to be quite good.

I’m also giving Relish 3.5/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact.
• They have a reasonable number of vegetarian/vegan items on the menu but could do with a few more.
• For meat-eaters, all of the meat is Irish.
• They use free-range eggs.
• They say that they use “fresh and seasonal ingredients from local suppliers” but could be a bit more forthcoming with details. I wrote to them for more info but didn’t hear back.
• For a few items they do name their sources. For example, Hegarty’s cheddar, made in Cork using milk from their own small farm and vegetarian rennet.
• In 2017 I had reviewed Relish at the Highlanes Gallery and scored it 4/5 green Stars. It would have been nice to see some improvements since then – more veggie dishes, more info on sourcing of ingredients, coffee, etc.

Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, contact me!

Visited on a Wednesday after the lunch time rush, still quite busy, staff were very friendly and took our order soon after we sat down. Food arrived promptly and everyone at our table enjoyed their food. Small menu, but still enough choice to choose from. Will definitely be making a return visit.