Must-see restaurants in Ireland

  • Pullman Restaurant

    Galway City

    One of the two original 1927 Orient Express train carriages at Glenlo Abbey Hotel was used in the filming of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient…

  • Loam

    Galway City

    Enda McEvoy is one of the most groundbreaking chefs in Ireland today (with a Michelin star to prove it), producing inspired flavour combinations from home…

  • MacNean House & Restaurant

    Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan & Monaghan

    Award-winning TV chef Neven Maguire grew up in this gorgeous village house and has turned it into one of Ireland's finest restaurants and cookery schools…

  • Exterior of Etto, Merrion Row

    Etto

    Dublin

    Award-winning restaurant and wine bar that does contemporary versions of classic Italian cuisine. All the ingredients are fresh, the presentation is…

  • Exterior of Banyi restaurant, Temple Bar

    Banyi Japanese Dining

    Temple Bar

    This compact restaurant in the heart of Temple Bar has arguably the best Japanese cuisine in Dublin. The rolls are divine, and the sushi as good as any…

  • Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud

    Dublin

    This Michelin two-star is understandably considered the best in the country by its devotees, who proclaim Guillaume Lebrun's French haute cuisine the most…

  • Riverbank County Pub

    Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan & Monaghan

    On the banks of the River Glyde (the source of salmon served here), this gem is 7.5km southeast of Carrickmacross off the L4700 on the County Louth border…

  • Keenans Hotel

    The Midlands

    On the River Shannon's western bank, this mid-19th-century country pub draws on produce from the surrounding area: Roscommon lamb shanks with sweet potato…

  • Firehouse Bakery

    County Wicklow

    Pastries are piled high on the counters at this bakery/cafe 3km southwest of Greystones. Breakfast (eg sautéed wild Wicklow Mountains mushrooms and…

  • Browne's Bar

    County Meath

    Even if you're not touring Slane Castle, don't miss a meal at its bar. Decorated with framed photos of rock stars who've performed at the castle's…

  • Smuggler's Inn

    Ring of Kerry

    At this diamond find near Waterville Golf Links, owner and chef Henry Hunt's gourmet creations incorporate fresh seafood and locally farmed poultry and…

  • Aniar

    Galway City

    Terroir specialist Aniar is passionate about the flavours and food producers of Galway and west Ireland. Owner and chef JP McMahon's multicourse tasting…

  • Gallagher's of Bunratty

    County Clare

    Stone walls, exposed beams, timber panelling and a wood stove make this thatched cottage as enchanting inside as it is out. But the real reason to book is…

  • Foodworks

    Kilkenny City

    The owners of this cool and casual bistro keep their own pigs and grow their own salad leaves, so it would be churlish not to try their pork loin stuffed…

  • Blackberry Cafe

    Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny

    Warming soups come with pumpkin-seed-speckled soda bread at this bright cafe, whose menu highlights also include breakfast baps with dry-cured bacon and…

  • Strawberry Tree

    County Wicklow

    There's organic, and then there's certified organic – and this elegant country-style restaurant at Brook Lodge was Ireland's first to be classified as…

  • Wooden Spoon

    County Clare

    Strewn with old cookbooks, the Wooden Spoon is so popular queues regularly stretch out the door. Savoury dishes include towering jacket potatoes stuffed…

  • Barrtrá Seafood Restaurant

    County Clare

    The kitchen gardens surrounding this whitewashed country cottage provide ingredients for exquisite dishes such as fennel-stuffed plaice with shellfish…

  • Kealy's Seafood Bar

    Inishowen Peninsula

    Family-run for over 25 years, this bistro offers locally caught seafood so fresh you almost have to fight the harbourside seals for it. Its unpretentious…

  • Olde Post Inn

    Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan & Monaghan

    The lovely little village of Cloverhill, 4km north of Butlersbridge, is best known for its award-winning gastronomic restaurant housed in an 1884 former…

  • Step House Hotel

    Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny

    The Step House Hotel's handsome 1808 Brasserie & Bar, all polished mahogany, red-leather benches and green-glass lampshades, is an elegant yet relaxed…

  • Wilde's at the Lodge

    County Mayo

    Chef Jonathan Keane and his team forage the mussels, wild herbs and flowers that adorn the dishes at this exquisite restaurant within the vast grounds of…

  • Farmgate Restaurant

    County Cork

    The original, sister establishment to Cork city's Farmgate Cafe, the Midleton restaurant offers the same superb blend of traditional and modern Irish…

  • Pantry & Corkscrew

    County Mayo

    The heart of Mayo's slow-food movement is found at this narrow storefront with a turquoise exterior and interior walls crammed with pictures. The kitchen…

  • Cafe Linnalla

    The Burren

    Own-grown and foraged ingredients infuse the innovative artisan ice cream crafted at this remote dairy farm overlooking Galway Bay. Sweet treats include…

  • Quinlan & Cooke

    Ring of Kerry

    This is a modern take on a trad pub, so you can drop in for pints and craic in the afternoon, and stay for dinner. Some of the finest food on the Ring…

  • Nash 19

    Cork City

    A superb bistro and deli where locally sourced food is honoured at breakfast and lunch, either sit-in or take away. Fresh scones draw crowds early; daily…

  • Sha-Roe Bistro

    Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny

    Tucked inside an 18th-century building, award-winning chef Henry Stone's restaurant has a huge open fireplace and a pretty courtyard at the back,…

  • Lennons

    Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny

    Carlow's best dining is amid the arty surrounds of the Visual Centre for Contemporary Art. It's a sleek and stylish space with a patio bordering the…

  • Cava Bodega

    Galway City

    More than 50 regional Spanish tapas dishes are given a gourmet twist by star chef JP McMahon, whose other ventures include Michelin-starred Aniar…

  • O'Dowd's

    Connemara

    Roundstone lobster, Aran Islands hake, plaice and sea bass, local crab and mackerel smoked in-house are sourced off the old stone dock directly opposite…

  • Monks at the Pier

    The Burren

    Although vegetarians and carnivores eat well here, seafood is the star at this whitewashed restaurant warmed by log-burning stoves. Think black Head Bay…

  • Oarsman

    The Midlands

    Dating from 1781 and run by the seventh generation, this upmarket pub serves seasonal and locally sourced dishes, from gourmet lunchtime sandwiches (eg…

  • Black Pig Wine Bar

    Kinsale

    This candlelit hideaway is set in an 18th-century coach house with a charming cobbled courtyard out the back, and offers a mouth-watering menu of gourmet…

  • Manning's Emporium

    County Cork

    This gourmet deli and cafe is an Aladdin's cave of West Cork's finest food. Grab a menu, choose a table, and order at the counter – tasting plates are the…

  • Long Dock

    County Clare

    With stone walls and floors, and a roaring fire, this treasure of a pub has a seriously good kitchen. Seafood is the order of the day – you'll see the…

  • Rusty Oven

    County Donegal

    Arrive early to avoid a long wait at this popular place serving artisan sourdough pizzas, cooked in a wood-fired oven, with toppings like goat's cheese…

  • Glasson Village Restaurant

    The Midlands

    Inside an ivy-covered, 200-year-old cottage, this romantic restaurant with white-clothed tables and flickering candles specialises in seafood, such as…

  • Gregory's Garden

    Dingle Peninsula

    This cute cottage restaurant in the middle of Castlegregory village takes the claims of 'locally sourced produce' very seriously indeed, pairing the likes…

  • Ghan House

    Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan & Monaghan

    The restaurant at boutique hotel Ghan House is renowned for its classic multicourse menus (no à la carte) incorporating its own breads, stocks, ice creams…

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