"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath."
Perhaps Michael Cain should take a trip to the Mucky Duck and fill them in. 'The Duck' is all there on the surface - nice food, good decor, but a bit more paddling under the surface would do it a world of good!
Prime location in Celbridge town - as previous reviewers have said, the parking is a big plus here (although you won't need it after a couple of drinks!) In this case though, Celbridge Cabs are right across the road and will do any local runs for €5.
This pub was renovated a few years ago to a great standard. Lovely comfy armchairs and couches upstairs, plenty of tables & chairs in the mid-section for table service, and a couple of nice bars downstairs. The problem with this place, is exactly this choice in seating your bee-hind down. There is too much! Too much space, too much seating, too much dead air. All resulting in not enough atmosphere. The place just seems a bit cold and cavernous and doesn't often have music, so even when it's packed, it still feels a bit... um.. dead as a duck...
As for the food. The carvery has always been a good one to nurse away the previous night's hangover and get going on the newest Sunday session. The steak on the stone is definitely the winner here. The meat is great quality and you get some nice sides with it. The bar food though, was really terrible last time I sat downstairs. Reheated and shop-bought. How is it possible for a professional chef to make a bad ham and cheese panini, I will never understand. It's ham, cheese, butter, bread. Toasted. Difficult?!
The staff here are the other major downfall. Generally surly, slow and just plain disinterested.
Overall, I just wish this place would realise what potential it's got, and pick it's game up accordingly. read more