The Donkey Shed - Ashbourne

I visited this restaurant today for the first time with my partner and my 5 year old son, and unfortunately, it will be our last time after the experience we had. When we arrived, it was packed (not a bad complaint) but of course being busy, it was also very noisy. As you enter the restaurant, there is a small area to the right and then a larger area to the left. I seen that there were tables free to the right where it wasn 't so noisy and suggested to my partner that we sit there as our son has SPD and very sensitive to loud noises. The manager then met us at the door and went to take us to a table to the left, so I asked nicely would it be OK if we sat in the smaller area where its not so loud. This seemed to annoy him for some reason and he abruptly said 'well it is a family restaurant ' and turned and walked towards the smaller area. I said nothing and followed him to our table. It was 11.50am and he handed us the breakfast menu which finishes at 12pm, this was not a problem as we were happy to order breakfast. Before we had a chance to look at the menu, the waitress came to take our order, I said we hadn 't looked yet, which she answered 'no problem, I 'll come back in a minute '. Next thing the manager came over with the lunch menu and said if we want breakfast we need to order it now or we will have to order from the lunch menu. I ordered breakfast for me and my son but my partner still hadn 't decided but at this stage he felt completely under pressure that he just ordered a croissant. The food came out pretty quickly after that and was really nice, no complaints at all about the food, but we just felt so uncomfortable the whole time we were sat there. When we were leaving, I felt I had to explain to the manager why I had requested to sit in the smaller area, so I spoke to him while my partner and son waited outside. When I explained that my son is sensitive to loud noises, his reply was 'its noisy in both areas ' and walked away from me. Honestly, I am just so shocked at how rude he was after me trying to be nice and explaining myself to him. I can 't fault the restaurant or the food, or the other staff to be honest but unfortunately, it just wasn 't a very nice experience overall and we won 't be returning again after it as we felt so uncomfortable and like we were being a nuisance for requesting a table in the smaller area. Maybe he was having an off day or a bit stressed due to it being busy, but that 's no reason to treat customers the way he did. Will not be recommending this restaurant to friends.

Have been going to the Donkey shed for years now and never been disappointed. The food is amazing (burgers, ribs, fries and apple tart), the staff is extremely pleasant. Perfect place for family lunch, highly recommended.

I ordered the Club Special which is on described on their menu as: soft bap, old style bacon, ham, smoky mayo, tomato, lettuce, cheese with Newbarn fried egg served with chip. What I was served was not as described and nothing like a club sandwich as described on wikipedia and as commonly understood by the genral public. It is the worst sandwich I remember having in many many years. 1 there was no bacon (zero on the sandwich as the menus said there was . There was just highly processed cheap ham the type to has a jelly like mouth feel (so pumped with water? . (2 There was a slice of cheap processed cheese (3 I am unsure of the other ingredients were they were covered in a sauce (4 there was a friend egg on top (5 the soft bap seemed to be an over processed bread full of air and water and it fell apart in my hands. There were chips which were okay and a coffee that was okay. The waitress asked would I like to deduct a tip from my credit card which I feel was not appropriate as the food was not as described and of low sensory and nutritional quality. I was charged 17.5 Euro for this. It was a Special Club sandwich all right, but Special in a bad way.

Had breakfast here for 4 adults and 3 kids and found it expensive. E.g. €7 for 3 items egg, sausage and pudding black or white not both that’s a (mini breakfast) €12.50 for a breakfast but don’t expect bacon

Came here for lunch with family as we're told good portions which were needed as we were not going to get to eat again until late. It didn't disappoint. The food was really good. Two chicken burgers and each came with fries and one bowl of fries was ample between two and there was plenty chicken. My husband had the beef burger which he said was excellent. I had a chargrilled vine tomato bruscetta on a sourdough base with balsamic dressing. It was very good, beautiful fresh tomatoes. Staff were very friendly. It was a little pricey but the fact that you get to see the donkeys, the chickens, goats, sheep and pigs made it well worth it. Would highly recommend it also if you have children as you can pet and feed the animals with no additional charge.