I have passed by Capone’s restaurant many times since it opened and often thought that I should call in for a coffee or a bite to eat, however because I assumed the only parking area was across the road I kept on going. Nothing could be further from the truth; there is a car park at the rear and an underground car park. This is accessed from the Knocknacarra Cross end of the set of shops. In fact you can even park right at the back door and walk directly in as I did.
My first impression was that it is bigger than I thought, with lots of space between the tables; my next impression was that it has more deals than you can shake a stick at, much like you would see in an American city. Sometimes I find that ‘deals’ are not always what they appear so I decided to scrutinise all that was on offer.
Each Monday there is an offer of any size pizza with up to four toppings, and that includes a 16” one for €9.95 (dine in only ), this can be shared between two or three people, I would guess. On Thursdays, which was the day I visited, you can have any two pasta dishes and two glasses of wine for €14.95. There were two diners across from me having this and I was amazed at the portion sizes. This is probably the best value meal for two deal in Galway today. There is an offer on Sunday afternoons from 12 noon to 6pm where a family can have two starters, two main courses, and two cans of soft drinks for €25 and add a kids meal for €2.50; the starters and main courses can be chosen from the main menu.
Every day except Sunday, there is a lunch special for €5 which must be pretty tempting for anyone working in the area. You can even call in on a Monday to Thursday between 12 noon and 1pm and have a free Illy coffee. The last item I will mention before I get on to what I had is to eat is the Sunday breakfast delivery from 10am to 1pm. You can order a full Irish breakfast for €7.95, delivered free in an area roughly from Barna to Taylor’s Hill, definitely worth a try if you fancy a fry up without the hassle, or maybe as a cure to a rough Saturday night. These are all excellent deals with no hidden ‘gotchas’.
I started off with a crunchy bruschetta €4.59, lots of chopped tomato, herbs, and garlic, and not too much olive oil. It tasted great and partnered with a glass of the house red perfectly. The glasses of wine all have a measured mark to ensure you get exactly a quarter of a bottle per glass, I think this is a great idea and I cannot understand why other restaurants do not do it. The house red and white are Tocornal Cabernet Sauvignon and matching Sauvignon Blanc, €4.95 per glass and €14.95 per bottle. It also has a great Prosecco for only €18. These are brilliant prices and the quality is excellent.
For the main course I decided to see what a 16oz Capone’s special burger at €14.50 was like — wow. Just look at the picture, and the homemade chips were of similar gigantic proportions. Needless to say you need to be seriously hungry, but if you are, then this is the meal for you. It is served with thick bacon rashers, freshly sliced onion, lettuce, and a really tasty mustard/mayo on top. The chips were as good as they looked. My dining companion decided to have a pizza that was on the takeaway menu. The pizza was called a vitamin boost. This is made with mushrooms, vine tomatoes, peppers, red onion, baby spinach, rocket, fresh basil, grated Parmesan, plus the usual mozzarella and tomato sauce. It was really good and would be my choice next time I visit. The last comment I have to make is about the facilities, ie, the toilets; it has to be one of the fanciest and cleanest loos in the county. To book a table for a nice evening out or have a takeaway call (091 ) 520060. www.capones.ie
Wine course by Cases Wines
There is a series of one-off wine course in Cases Wine Warehouse on the Tuam Road every Thursday from 8pm to 10pm. Each one can be booked individually at a cost of €20, and you can sample about six to eight different wines on the night. To book call (091 ) 764701. www.cases.ie
