Bulben Reviews

Food is nice but two major complaints:
The service and service speed are ATROCIOUS. First of all we waited in a queue for ages to be seated with no one on the door. When we finally were seated, a waitress attempted to take our drinks order, only to find that she did not have her writing pad. We were then told that a different waiter would take our order, who walked off, only for us to be served by a different waitress again. After giving our drinks orders, we waited over 20 minutes forrrrr - nothing. That waitress then returned after us calling her over only to tell us that our drinks order never went through and we had to place our drinks order a second time. Finally our drinks then arrived. Similar to the other two occasions that we had previously visited, we waited well over 30 minutes for both our mains and deserts and second round of drinks, only to discover that one person had received the complete wrong drink AND the food request of no mash had been completely ignored - imagine if the customer bad an allergy - the dish arrived with mash anyway - despite clear communication from that person as to what drink they wanted and they wanted no mash, this miscommunication that had to he rectified which of course, in true fashion, took an eternity also. Eventually we got the bill after several attempts to flag down a waiter. Additionally, another portion of chips that we did not order arrived which had to be sent away. Service rant over brings me to my second complaint- the pricing. The bill came out to over €180 which is pure lunacy for four mains and desserts, and two rounds of drinks with no starters. I understand that this is a hotel in a somewhat touristy area so naturally there will be markup but not to an extent where a main costs over €12 above the average elsewhere. Now, I hope this review doesn’t come across as me being a miserable old guit who only wants to complain because that certainly is not the case. With that, I will now begin to discuss the positives. The staff were vert friendly and understanding despite all the mix ups and as previously mentioned the food itself was very nice. There just seems to be a lot of miscommunication between the servers and them and the kitchen, or the kitchen may be understaffed, there also isn’t a very good menu choice however that isn’t exclusive to this restaurant and appears to be a running theme throughout the restaurants in this area so I don’t think it is fair to penalise them on this matter as the cost o

Absolutely appalling service...
"Please wait to be seated" for 10 minutes until you run out of patience and approach the bar... then server doesn't come back after giving you the menu for 15 mins, requiring you to again approach the bar to order!
Lastly, when requesting the bill, it's forgotten and you have to ask again 10-15 mins later!

Maximum of 4 other customers in the entire bar!

The bar & bistro is nice the food is fine the coffee is ok and the cocktail menu is exciting. Decor nice. I love the architecture and gardens outside more than inside. Mini golf was delightful.

Bulbens is conveniently located in the main hall of the Clayton Hotel, across from the front desk area. I visited this quaint bistro/bar on three separate occasions.

Service was quite slow the first night, with the wait staff scattering around with not much efficiency--it was like watching them being overrun by an army of hungry soldiers. However, the second and third time was more pleasant; the staff seemed more organized and attentive, and the food seemed quite a bit more tasty and less bland.

All in all, Bulbens is a fine place, with a friendly and inviting staff, that offers decent fare at reasonable prices.

Great location for working lunch, easy to get to and good parking. Small menu but very good food at lunchtime. Very good service from friendly staff.