REVIEWS

Sally & John McKenna's Bridgestone 100 Best in Ireland (2006, 2007)

With smartly redecorated rooms, Ursula Roncken's pretty bed-and-bistro is always a great choice in the tourist mecca that is Kinsale.

Ursula Roncken has been working hard on the quartet of rooms for guests that sit above Cucina, her busy little town-center bistro which has proven such a success since she opened last year.

There has been tasteful redecoration to make the rooms even smarter than before, cosier than before. We like this mix of simple rooms - you pay a flat rate for them per night and they are excellent value for money in what can be a rather pricey town - and we especially like the tasty food that Ursula and her excellent kitchen team conjure up from breakfast through to late afternoon in the bistro downstairs.

But what we like best is the striving to get better that is so evident here. Lots of tourists means that many places in Kinsale tend to just sit back and let them roll up, but Cucina is an ambitious, driven destination, with a clear and precise focus on customer satisfaction.

Ursula and her crew want you to enjoy the best they can do, and this mix of simplicity, value and tasty, tasty food would find an audience in every town in Ireland.

www.bestofbridgestone.com

Rough Guide To Ireland

Kinsale > Eating

Excellent cafe in a buzzy, contemporary setting, serving delicious sandwiches, soups and salads, plus a daily hot special, as well as varied breakfasts and very good coffees.

Kinsale > Accommodation

Good budget choice in the heart of town, at the lower end of the price code : bright, decent sized rooms of a plain, modern design, with TV's and white tiled bathrooms. Above a good cafe where you can get breakfast, through it is not included.

Sunday Independent Magazine March 2007

Tabletalk Section

Old building with crisp Italianate blue-and-white exterior and ultra modern interior. Always buzzy, always busy. Brilliant breakfasts, sandwiches, salads and tasty bits.