Restaurants in Cork City
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A
English Market
Cork picnickers are a fortunate bunch. The wonderful market is a self-caterer's paradise with so many tasty delicacies to choose from it's hard to show restraint. The emphasis is on local produce, with cheeses, ham, buttered eggs, sausages, bread and smoked salmon on offer, but there are some imports such as olives and wine too.
If you have cooking facilities, the fresh-fish sellers will tell you exactly what to buy and how to cook it. Otherwise, perch at stall-side counters or take your lunch to Bishop Lucey Park, a popular alfresco eating spot.
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Cornstore
Bustling and buzzy day and night, this modern restaurant has a swish bar, where you can enjoy creative cocktails while waiting for a table. Some tables are minute but, if you’re having the amazing house special of lobster, hold out for a large one so your elbows and shells can fly. There’s also excellent fresh fish, steaks and pasta.
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Farmgate Café
On a mezzanine overlooking part of the market is one of Cork’s best eateries. Farmgate Café is an unmissable experience. Like its sister restaurant in Midleton, this cafe has mastered the magic art of producing delicious meals without fuss or faddism. The food, from rock oysters to the lamb for an Irish stew, is sourced from the market below. There are tables but the best seats are at the balcony counter, where you can ponder the passing parade of shoppers. We still have memories of the seafood chowder and the raspberry crumble.
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C
Currans
A retirement home for Cork's unwanted fixtures and fittings, Currans' interior is entirely made up of artefacts salvaged from the city's demolished buildings. The wood panelling comes from the GPO, the radiators from Linville Hospital, even the lift is reclaimed from the tax office. The menu is a similar hotch-potch of reliable favourites - pizzas, burgers, seafood and steaks - and there's a delightful rooftop terrace if you ever tire of the interior.
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Market Lane
It’s always hopping at this bright corner bistro with an open kitchen. Service is quick and attentive, but you may want to pause at the long wooden bar anyway. The menu is broad, and changes often to reflect what’s fresh. Smoked haddock perched on creamy potatoes is better here than it ever was back in the day. Steaks come with awesome aioli. At lunch, however, you might just get enraptured by the bacon sandwich. Lots of wines by the glass.
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E
Ivory Tower
Hiding behind an unpromisingly shabby entrance is this delightfully eclectic place done up like a granny's parlour - albeit a granny whose tastes run to upright pianos, safari hats and moon-and-star motifs. The menu is equally intriguing - chef Seamus O'Connell's 'missions' to Japan having influenced the accomplished cuisine, and few concessions are made to the timid (the speciality is blackened shark with banana ketchup).
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Jacques Restaurant
With almost three decades in the business, Jacqueline and Eithne Barry have built up a terrific network of local suppliers to help them realise their culinary ambitions – the freshest Cork food cooked simply. The menu, served in an elegant dining room, changes daily: we loved the fennel risotto with beef short ribs. Clattering dishes in the upstairs kitchen echo down this spot’s tiny lane.
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Boqueria
The flavours of Spain shine (even if the sun doesn’t) at this ever-popular tapas bar. In addition to the usual onion-garlic-tomato combinations, the chefs use local creations, such as sourdough, Gubbeen cheese and salmon, to create tasty Irishified tapas. It’s a dusky, intimate spot, favoured by couples in the evenings, and at lunch by friends seeking a civilised glass of wine.
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Les Gourmandises
Remember those beautiful fresh fish you saw in the English Market? Many of them end up at this cute little restaurant that reminds you of that perfect place you stumbled upon in Paris once… The talented kitchen turns out an array of local fish, and meats also get their due: the rack of lamb is a perennial fave. Service is gracious and calm.
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Idaho Café
It looks like a trad old caff from the outside, but take a gander at the menu and you’ll find all sorts of creative takes on Irish standards. The tea selection includes scads of herbal numbers and there’s a good per-glass wine menu. Tight seating means nothing is private. Idaho Café makes a good place to regroup while touring or shopping.
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Quay Co-Op
A gathering spot for the People’s Republic of Cork proletariat, this nonflash cafe offers a range of self-service veggie options (all organic), including big breakfasts, hearty soups and casseroles. There’s daily specials; dishes cater for gluten-, dairy- and wheat-free needs. The bulletin board has news for and of the masses.
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K
Star Anise
Fresh and creative cooking is the hallmark at this narrow little shopfront bistro. There are steaks for the masses but also treats like tiger prawns on chickpea salad and a killer vegetarian lasagne. The wine list is both superb and affordable. Three-course specials are a fine deal at €28.
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Café Gusto
Wraps, salads and pittas and a commitment to the finest fillings are the order of the day at this simple café. Gusto's assertion that it makes the best coffee in Cork is no idle claim either. You can sit in at high counter tops or take away, and there's a second branch at Lapps Quay.
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Liberty Grill
A gleaming white outpost on an otherwise faded street of brick facades, the Liberty Grill is popular for its locally sourced menu of crowd-pleasers, like trad breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, salads and slightly more ambitious dinner fare. Think of it as a diner for foodies.
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Scoozi's
There's lots of exposed brickwork and burnished wood inside this hugely popular café-restaurant. Snug alcoves add intimacy as the fast and friendly young staff dish up breakfasts, pizzas, pastas, grills and a fair selection of wine. It's a great place for families too.
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Nash 19
A sensational bistro with a small market; local foods are honoured from breakfast to lunch and on to tea. Fresh scones draw in the crowds early; daily fresh specials (soups, salads, desserts, etc) and an incredible burger keep them coming throughout the rest of the day.
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Café de la Paix
An unassuming red exterior hides this chilled-out wine bar backing on to the River Lee. Picture windows make the most of the view and there’s a fabulous riverside deck. Global favourites grace the menu, from Thai curries to daily pasta specials.
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Q
Crawford Gallery Café
An elegant blue dining room and exquisite seasonal and locally produced food make for high-class gallery grazing at the Crawford. It's also a quality place for a spot of eavesdropping.
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