The Racecourse Prices Index: how much for food and drink at Cork?

In the Racecourse Prices Index (RPI) we report from Britain and Ireland's racetracks on the cost of going racing.

Racecourse report: entry, food and pint prices from Cork

Cork

Date visited: Saturday, January 7, 2023

Was it a big day?

It was the track’s traditional new year fixture which is run on the Saturday after New Year’s Day. It is usually quite popular.

How much was entry on the gate?

€20, €15 for senior citizens, free for under-14s

Other than restaurants/hospitality, what were the food and beverage options?

With two grandstands, Cork is well endowed with spacious eating and drinking areas over more than one level, and there is something to satisfy most tastes.

In the main grandstand, there are bars on both ground level and the first floor, while the ground-floor bar in the Pavilion Stand shares space with the Tote hall and the Paddy Power shop.

All are quite spacious and well stocked with the usual array of beers, wines and spirits, although if you wanted a bottle of celebratory champagne, the reserved bar and restaurant area on the second floor would have to be visited. The main tea and coffee area is situated in the ground-level bar in the main grandstand.

For eating, the place to go is the bar and restaurant on the first level of the main grandstand. The normal array of mains and snacks are available.

For those wanting something more snacky, sandwiches at €4.75, soup at the same price, or the hot beef roll at €10 would satisfy. The mains ranged from roast beef with all the trimmings at €15.50 to a vegetarian stir-fry costing €13. If you fancied a dessert, homemade apple pie was available for €4.50.

The turkey crown offering at Cork

My choice was the roast crown of turkey at €13.95. Three thick slabs of turkey and gravy with vegetables and three types of potato. It hit the spot on a cold afternoon.

Those wanting a burger would have been disappointed. The Pavilion Stand includes a fast-food restaurant, but for whatever reason it was closed on this day. The main restaurant did have fast-food options with sausage, beans and chips at €8.50 and chicken goujons and chips at €8.95.

What's the damage?

Bottle of water: €3.20
Cheapest pint: €5.70
Guinness: €5.70
Champagne: Not available but a glass of Prosecco was available for €9
Burger: Not today

Most drink prices taken from Grandstand Bar

What was the burger like?

Not available today, but the first-level restaurant did have some fast food options.

And the queues?

It would take a large crowd to fill any of these areas. The crowds were small initially but started to build, although the queues were manageable.

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