By Melanie Scarpato
Before hopping into my reviews, I just wanted to say that none of the reviews are in rating order, but they are for the most part in order of when I tried them. I am in no means a professional, so my ratings are just for fun, I hope you enjoy!
Paprika Pringles: 6/10
At first I enjoyed them, but the aftertaste was kind of off to me. The flavor is definitely something I never tried before, which was fun, but it did not really taste like paprika, though it had the vibes of it trying to taste like paprika. I feel like I could only eat the small can I bought if I was hungry enough and be fine never eating them again, but they were an interesting chip flavor to try!
Lemon Fanta: 9/10
I personally love lemon flavored things, so when I saw this I knew I had to try it. It had the perfect amount of lemon flavor, which was very enjoyable. It wasn’t a bitter lemon taste, nor too citrusy. I feel like the soda here so far tastes better than the US. The bottles are also skinnier which is different from what we are used to in the States.
Kit Kat Chunky: 8/10
The chocolate outside the US tastes so much better. It tastes less artificial, and more sweet. There are a lot more waffle crisps in them, which helps balance with the chocolate so it isn’t too overpowering. It is interesting to see basically the same candy brands we have back home, just made differently or bigger/smaller.
Tayto Cheese and Onion Chips: 3/10
When I first opened the bag, the smell of the chips was very unpleasant. I still decided to give it a taste, and it was not that bad. It had a good cheese taste, but the onion after taste was kind of throwing it off. After eating them more, I started to dislike it more. I would never get these again. Definitely a one and done deal.
Cadbury Dairy Milk: 8/10
I personally enjoy the cadbury eggs we have in the US, so I was excited to try the different cadbury chocolates here. Just like the Kit Kat Chunky I tried earlier, it had a more chocolate, less artificial, taste to it. It had a milky cream taste to it, which made me really enjoy it. I am pretty sure we only have the cadbury eggs back home, or at least that is the only cadbury chocolate I have ever had, so I liked the variety of their brand.
Irish McDonalds: 10/10
Me and Kira stopped for lunch, and we were really surprised with how better the quality of food is there versus the US. The chicken tasted so fresh, and had a nice crunch to it. Their McChicken tasted like I was eating a giant chicken nugget in a sandwich, which is different from the US. The fries tasted more fresh, and even still tasted good when they were cold. In the US, as soon as the fries get cold, they lose their special McDonalds tastes to them.
As a side, I wanted to try and see how their vegetables are. I know everywhere in Europe you can get some sort of vegetable as a side instead of fries, so I tried the cucumbers. They weren’t that bad, and were pretty refreshing.
(Post Ireland 5/29/25) Today I had McDonalds for the first time since getting back, and the chicken nuggets disappointed me. McDonalds chicken nuggets are my favorite fast food chicken nuggets, which I know is a hot take, but I was not ready to be so displeased when eating them. The nuggets were too chewy, and tasted too much like chicken. They were also thinner than usual, so I don’t know what the issue was. In the moment, I was wishing I was eating nuggets from Ireland.
Milbona Milk and Chocolate Sandwich: 7/10
This reminds me of a smaller, refrigerated, ice cream sandwich. It has the consistency of a soft chocolate, with a white cream filling. They’re a nice quick snack if you want something chocolatey.
Kinder Maxi King: 9/10
This has two of my favorite flavor combinations, chocolate and hazelnut. Back home, one of my favorite candies is a Kinder Bueno Bar, so I was very excited to try this somewhat similar kinder bar. The inside has a nice fluffy middle, with some lines of caramel, which the caramel is the reason I rated this a 9/10 and not a 10/10. I am not the biggest fan of caramel, but it is good in some things. This is something I wish did not have caramel, but I will still willingly eat more of it.
Irish Subway: 8/10
This was the most fresh sub from subway I have ever had. The bread was a little too soft for my liking, and I usually get a few more things on my sub, and get it toasted, but I split one with Kira so we compromised on what we both like. All the vegetables were super fresh. The tomatoes and lettuce had a good crunch. The bread also had a slightly weird taste to it, but I would still get it again.
Fanta Exotic: 9/10
Me and kira stopped in this shop called Little Moo in Howth, where I got a sandwich, and the Exotic flavored fanta. It tastes like a tropical mix of fruits, which I really enjoy. It has hints of peach, orange, and passionfruit. I was worried it was going to taste acidic, but it did not thankfully.
Cream filled croissant from Culto in Venice Airport: 9/10
This honestly surprised me. I was not sure what type of cream was in the croissant, nor if i was going to like it since i usually don’t like cream in my pastries. It was pretty fresh and had a good flake to it. The cream tasted like lemon, with a hint of mint. It was not too overpowering, because sometimes creams or jellies can over power whatever it is inside.
Nutella Donut from Culto in Venice Airport: 7/10
The donut itself was not the best. It was a little spongy, but it still tastes good. The nutella was pretty good. It had its usual nutella taste, and helps take down the sponginess of the donut. The nutella is spread out in patches, which was interesting, since usually when donuts have a cream, it is filled into the donut, not placed within it.
Lays Campagnola Chips: 10/10
At first I was intrigued seeing the green bag sitting in the store while in Venice. I then saw it was a flavor we do not have back home, so I knew I had to try it. On the bag it has onions, tomatoes, and basil in it, and when I bit into it I expected to have a prominent onion taste, but I was wrong. It was very subtle with the flavor, tasting like a good seasoning you’d garnish on a pasta dish. I really like how it had a sweeter taste to it rather a bitter taste.
Margherita Pizza from Pizzeria L’Angelo (Venice): 9/10
Our first stop in Italy was to get lunch, and Kira did some research and found Pizzeria L’Angelo to get some pizza. We had to walk over 20 minutes to get to the pizzeria, but it was so worth it. It was a small hole in the wall place, where there is only enough space for a few people to stand inside to order and then leave once you get your food.
At first we thought we were just getting a slice each, and I paid 6.50 euros, so I was just hoping that one slice was going to be worth the price. I was proved wrong, and we actually both got our own personal pizzas each. The price was definitely worth it before I even tried it. Kira paid 5 euros for hers, so they were both definitely a good deal.
The first bite was amazing, the sauce was sweet, there was the perfect amount of garlic in each bite. The pizza was thin, which I really enjoyed, but I wish it was the tiniest bit thicker, and had more of a crisp to it, because the pizza was a little floppy, which is why my rating did not make the 10/10.
Kira’s pizza was also really good. She got a marinara pizza, and the cheese tasted really good and different from the usual parmesan or mozzarella you’d use for a pizza. We could not tell what kind of cheese was used, but it made the pizza taste really good.
We were starving and were able to both eat almost all of our pizzas. This is definitely a spot we’d go back to if we were to visit venice again!
Spinach Ravioli from Riva Rialto (Venice): 10/10
For dinner, Kira and I wanted to get pasta to start to close out our night. We decided on a place Kira found online, called Riva Rialto, which is right along the canal, and we were lucky enough to get a table right at the window. It was a pretty fancy place, which we were not entirely prepared for.
Our waiter came over and greeted us, and gave us our menus. We already did some menu browsing online, so we already knew what drink we wanted. We got this Pina Colada mixed drink that had malibu in it. It was pretty good, but had a weird aftertaste to it. We’re both pretty sure it was the pineapple that gave it that weird aftertaste.
We also got water, which we thought was complimentary, but it was actually 6 euros. At that point we were in for an expensive dinner, we just did not know it yet. Our waiter then came back to take our orders, and gave us bread while we waited for our food.
The bread was good, just a little tough to bite into at first. I ordered a spinach ravioli that had a nice creamy spinach sauce on top. Kira got spaghetti with tomato sauce. Once we got our food, we dug right in.
My ravioli were on the smaller size, which I liked because I could eat them in one bite if I wanted to, but I chose to cut them in half because that made me feel more fancy. The sauce was the best spinach sauce I ever had. It was not bitter, and had a sweeter taste to it. I ate every bite of my ravioli, and soaked every bit of sauce I had left into bread. This was honestly the best ravioli I ever had.
Kira’s spaghetti was also very good. The sauce tasted very fresh and the pasta was amazing.
I also got some tiramisu, because I could not go to Italy and not get a tiramisu. It was the best tiramisu I ever had. It was really creamy, and the coffee taste was the perfect amount.
Gelato from Gelateria Eta Beta: 10/10
To end Kira and I’s night in Venice, we decided to get gelato as our last stop. We went to a place that was near where we were staying. It was a smaller place, with some outdoor seating, which is where we sat to eat our gelato.
I got a kinder flavored gelato, and Kira got mint chocolate chip. Since I love kinder chocolate, I knew I had to get that gelato flavor, and I was not disappointed. It tasted just like a kinder bueno, and even had pieces of the chocolate in it. It was creamy and very tasty. Kiras was also very good, it was minty but not too minty.
The price was also very worth it. Kira paid a little over 4 euros for both of our gelatos. We would definitely go back there again if we are ever in the area.
Irish Oreos: 8/10
Kira and I decided to try and see if the oreos here tasted different than from back home. They have the slightest taste difference. The cream is less sweet, which I like. The cookie part is more chocolatey. I overall like them better here. My favorite part of an oreo is the cookie part, so I was happy to find out the cream is less sweet, because it can get too overpowering for me sometimes.
Mint Aero Milkshake from Dough Box: 7/10
The milkshake is good, it just isn’t as minty as I wanted it to be. There is a lot of pieces of the chocolate which is very nice with the added crunch to sip. It is also a little too liquidy, I wish it was thicker.
Banana Milkshake from McDonalds in Belfast: 4/10
The milkshake was okay to me, it definitely was very artificial banana flavored. I also have not been the biggest fan of any of the dairy I’ve had while in Ireland, so that also did not help. It was a little too liquidy, and I wish it was thicker.
There is a main reason my rating is so low though. Kira and I found a glove in our milkshake. We have no idea how it got in there, but we went back and got a refund for it.
Biscoff McFlurry: 10/10 & Smarties McFlurry: 7/10
This is the best McFlurry I ever had. I have been loving everything about the biscoff flavor in Europe since I’ve been here, and nothing has disappointed me so far. You can taste the biscoff in every bite, even if it doesn’t look like you have any in your scoop. It also had caramel in it, which I usually don’t get in my ice cream, but it was definitely needed.
I love smarties, so I was excited to try this. It just really tastes like a vanilla ice cream with crunchy bits in it. It reminds me of our M&Ms McFlurry back home, which I am not a huge fan of. When it starts melting, it tastes more and more just like vanilla ice cream.
Tiramisu Cream Iced Latte at Starbucks: 10/10
I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but it did not disappoint. It would be hard to mess up a tiramisu latte, since tiramisu is made with coffee. It tastes like you are biting into every bit of tiramisu. It is a little sweet though, so this would not be my go to order, probably just when I want to change my order up.
Chocolate Nesquik Snack: 9/10
I am not a huge chocolate fan, but these were so good. They taste like you’re drinking a rich hot chocolate. They also come in the fridge, so the coldness helps it taste even better. I wish we had these back home, because I know I will be craving them this summer.
The Rolling Donut Red Velvet: 9/10 & The Rolling Donut Strawberry Cheesecake: 8/10
The first donut I tried was their red velvet donut. At first glance, the donuts are really thick. The cream in the donut was so light and tasty. It was sweet, but not an overpowering sweetness. The dough part tasted like raspberry, which was not what I was expecting, but I was still pleased. The dough was really fluffy and easy to eat.
We had the donuts sitting in the fridge, but it still tastes amazing. The strawberry filling is not too sweet, but has that bit of tang to it. The crumble on the outside tastes like a cheesecake shell. The icing is a little too sweet for me, but it is still good.
I honestly really enjoyed writing a food review from my time abroad, it was definitely something I would do again if I were to go abroad again. I will miss Ireland dearly, and just Europe as a whole. It was a cool experience to be able to live like someone who actually lives there. I was able to experience their food, grocery shopping, which I will really miss the cheaper prices. Ireland was a 10/10, and would definitely go back again!