{"id":457148,"date":"2026-05-19T19:39:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/457148\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T19:39:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:39:11","slug":"locals-defend-well-known-cork-food-spot-after-dublin-reviewers-brutal-verdict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/457148\/","title":{"rendered":"Locals defend well-known Cork food spot after Dublin reviewer’s brutal verdict"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many were quick to disagree<\/p>\n

Paul_IsItWorthIt travelled to the takeaway spot on Tower Street after years of followers urging him<\/p>\n

A Dublin food reviewer<\/a> has divided opinions online after giving a blunt verdict on a well-known Cork takeaway spot – Donatellos.<\/p>\n

Paul_IsItWorthIt<\/a> travelled to the popular restaurant on Tower Street after years of followers urging him to try the takeaway\u2019s famous pizza baguettes – a Cork favourite loaded with meats, cheese and sauces and served alongside chips and curry sauce. However, despite the hype surrounding the takeaway, Paul admitted the experience ‘wasn\u2019t for him.’<\/p>\n

Opening the video outside the busy takeaway, the content creator explained that followers had been recommending the place \u201cfor years at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI\u2019ve never seen something like this ever in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reviewer and his cameraman, John, made the trip to Cork specifically to try the takeaway\u2019s famous \u201cbag\u201d meals, with the YouTuber visibly surprised to discover the shop was located in the middle of a residential housing estate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis must be absolutely loved if it\u2019s in the housing estate,\u201d he said while filming outside.<\/p>\n

The pair ordered a ‘Bag Meat Feast’ for \u20ac15.50, with a side of curry sauce, and a massive baguette stuffed full of pepperoni, chicken, ham, melted cheese and barbecue sauce.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Paul went for the takeaway\u2019s famous pizza baguettes <\/p>\n

When the food arrived, the reviewer described it as a \u201cbeautiful monstrosity\u201d before struggling to decide whether he actually liked it.<\/p>\n

At one point in the video, locals and delivery drivers stopped to chat with the pair, with one passer-by recommending the takeaway\u2019s famous \u201cjumble box\u201d instead.<\/p>\n

Despite praising the atmosphere around the busy takeaway and admitting it was \u201cobviously loved\u201d, the Dubliner ultimately said the food itself didn\u2019t live up to expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI usually back Cork people\u2019s palates and agree with all the foods they love,\u201d he said. “This one, I think, maybe if you had it in your childhood, you\u2019d love it as nostalgia.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reviewer compared the flavours to frozen pizza toppings and criticised the cheese’s texture, calling it \u201ccongealed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like it. I won\u2019t lie to you,\u201d he admitted later in the clip. \u201cAs a Dub coming down to Cork, it\u2019s the first Cork famous meal I don\u2019t actually like.\u201d<\/p>\n

He eventually scored the meal five out of ten, while still admitting the portion size was \u201cabsolutely huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with it,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s just not for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The review quickly sparked reaction online, with many viewers defending the takeaway and insisting he had ordered the wrong thing from the menu.<\/p>\n

One commenter wrote: \u201cAh man, you got the worst one on the menu, the torpedo or chicken baguette, or the ham and cheese baguette off-menu secret item, and the garlic dip.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others defended the Cork favourite by pointing out its long-standing popularity among locals, while some admitted the takeaway was the kind of food people grow up loving.<\/p>\n

Donatello\u2019s is one of Cork\u2019s longest-running takeaway chains, with a loyal following built over decades and multiple city-wide locations, including Mayfield and Gurranebraher. It is a proper late-night institution for pizza baguettes, loaded fries and comfort food that generations of locals swear by.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many were quick to disagree Paul_IsItWorthIt travelled to the takeaway spot on Tower Street after years of followers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,5471,61,60],"class_list":["post-457148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-food-and-drink","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/457149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}