Irish restaurants in Ireland
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Shebeen Chic
Cracked chandeliers, paintings hung at odd angles and ne'er a matching table-and-chair set create the suitably ramshackle tone for a restaurant whose name comes from the Irish word for 'illegal drinking establishment'. The menu reads like it was written by Tom Waits: 'spudballs with broccoli, mushrooms and auld cheddar', or 'leek, spud and maybe mud' are representatives of a cuisine best described as 'Irish with attitude'. In the basement is a bar with a speakeasy vibe.
reviewed
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Finnegan’s
Organic, schmorganic. A haven for the masses, Finnegan’s warms the soul with timeless comfort food like homemade shepherd’s pie. Look for trad standards like Irish stew, roast chicken and all-day Irish breakfasts. Rub elbows with your bus driver and find out the tricks of the trade.
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Rectory Bistro
Adjoining the Cedars Guesthouse, this bistro has a welcoming open fireplace, lots of golden pine lit by chunky candles and a sprinkling of Gothic motifs, with a hearty menu that ranges from a fresh crab and smoked salmon pâté to beef and Guinness pie with creamy mashed potato.
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Brûlée's
From outside, you get a glimpse of white tablecloths and candles inside this elegant old house. The food lives up to the setting and is best described as modern Irish with plenty of European accents. Mediterranean flavours abound and there's a good and varying selection of local seafood.
reviewed
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D
Vanilla Pod
By day, Gavin Gleeson's gem of a cafe serves dishes like beer-battered salmon and salads such as almond-crusted goats' cheese with raspberry dressing. Dinner, offering mains like maple-glazed pork, is a more upmarket affair.
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Wild Geese
In a town where upmarket competition is downright fierce, this inviting cottage restaurant keeps the standard consistently high. The ever-changing menu celebrates the best of southwest Ireland's produce, from scallops to sumptuous racks of lamb. The service is genial, preparations are imaginative and the bread basket divine.
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E
Kirwan's Lane Restaurant
Happily hidden on a tiny square within steps of several busy streets, Kirwan's is not only a refuge but also a heaven for those seeking out the best of local cuisine. The menu proudly lists the provenance of the ingredients used in a variety of creative dishes. On sunny days, get a patio table at lunch.
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River Run
Small, smart and stylish, this blue-fronted bistro has food as creative as the local art for sale on the walls. The selections are kept minimal, but always include good seafood, meat and veggie options. The more casual lunch menu is served until closing.
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Mill Restaurant & Guesthouse
An exquisite country setting and perfectly composed meals make dining here a treat. Set in an old flax mill that was for many years the home of renowned watercolour artist Frank Eggington, it also has six high-class guestrooms. The mill is just south of the town on the Falcarragh road. Book in advance.
reviewed
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Eastern Seaboard Bar & Grill
Build it and they will come… Despite its unpromising location in a business park near the train station, this stylised, contemporary space has been packed since opening, with switched-on staff and quirky details like a backlit decanter collection and metallic fish sculptures. Stunning food like pig's cheek terrine with apple slaw, smoked mackerel pâté, and coffee jelly and vanilla ice cream is served continuously from lunchtime on. Or you could just drop by for frothy German beers on tap.
reviewed
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Molly's Bar & Restaurant
Guarding the east flank of the bridge, this riverside pub has an alluring rooftop deck that puts you high above the coagulated traffic as well as waterside picnic tables. It offers Irish standards such as bacon and cabbage, plus pub classics like pizza and burgers. Weekend nights there's a festival of live music and DJs.
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G
Town Hall Cafe
Adjacent to, and affiliated with, the Old Ground Hotel, this excellent bistro is in the stylishly resurrected old town hall. High ceilings allow large artwork, while the spare settings don't compete with the food on the ever-changing modern Irish menu. Look for local ingredients, especially seafood, taking front and centre stage.
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Beetroot
Beetroot's bright wallpaper, bare wood tables and sleek banquettes are a chic backdrop for its slightly dated menu. The food is good but not creative, with dishes such as breaded brie, chicken escalope and Thai curry.
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Cove
Owners Siobhan Sweeney and Peter Byrne are perfectionists who tend to every detail in Cove's art-filled dining room and on your plate. The seafood-skewed cuisine is inventive and deceptively simple with subtle Asian influences. After dinner, retire to the elegant lounge upstairs. It's on the main road in Port-na-Blagh. Book ahead.
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Green Nineteen
The newest addition to Camden St's growing corridor of cool is this sleek restaurant that specialises in locally sourced, organic grub – without the fancy price tag. Braised lamb chump, corned beef, pot roast chicken and the ubiquitous burger are but the meaty part of the menu, which also includes salads and vegie options. We love it.
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Restaurant 23
Set in the Balmoral Hotel on Warrenpoint's waterfront, this innovative restaurant has garnered a Michelin Bib Gourmand and helped turn this corner of County Down into a foodie destination with dishes such as roast scallops with crisp smoked pork and artichoke salad, and sautéed lambs liver with new season asparagus. From Wednesday to Friday there's a three-course set menu for £15.
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Chez Hans
Since 1968 this former church has been a place of worship for foodies from all over Ireland and beyond. Still as fresh and inventive as ever, the restaurant gives its blessing to all manner of Irish foods, including lobster, aged beef and quail.
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Brícín
Decorated with fittings from a convent, an orphanage and a school, this Celtic deco restaurant doubles as the town museum, with Jonathan Fisher's 18th-century views of the national park taking pride of place. Try the house speciality, boxty (potato pancake).
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K
Cayenne
Behind an anonymous frosted-glass facade lurks this funky, award-winning restaurant operated by celebrity chef Paul Rankin. Grey and black walls lit with the glowing orange-red of the eponymous pepper provide an aura of sophistication. The menu concentrates on Irish produce prepared with an Asian or Mediterranean twist; the set three-course dinner menu (£23 or £28) is good value.
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Hungry Monk
An excellent 1st-floor restaurant on Greystones' main street. The blackboard specials are the real treat, with dishes like suckling pig with prune and apricot stuffing to complement the fixed menu's classic choices – fresh seafood, Wicklow rack of lamb, bangers and mash and so forth. This is one of the better places to get a bite along the whole of the Wicklow coast.
reviewed
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Green Onion
Located in what was Limerick's 19th-century town hall. The menu is as eclectic as the interior design and often just as striking. Food is served all day and includes a creative range of sandwiches and salads. Think modern Irish with global influences. At night, there's a changing line-up of finely crafted choices and you can enjoy three courses for under around €30.
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Edward Langton’s
The restaurant within this enormous, snazzy pub seems able to seat much of the town (certainly most everybody’s here for Sunday lunch). The food is quality trad Irish: never-ending bowls of boiled potatoes and desserts like toffee and brown bread pudding with hot butterscotch sauce. Regular dinner-and-show specials for around €40 are popular with locals and tourists alike.
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Bleu
With black leather seats and massive windows overlooking swanky Dawson St, you can see and be seen at Eamon O’Reilly’s upmarket outpost of modern Irish cuisine. Confit of pork belly, wild mushroom and tarragon risotto and – that trademark of trendy menus – a ground rib eye burger keep upmarket-preclubber’s hunger pangs at bay for a few hours.
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Jim Edwards
Like many places in Kinsale, this much-frequented eatery has bar food of a restaurant standard. A steady Irish touch is nicely frothed with European influences. In the bar you may need to fight for attention amid the clamour, but once served you'll want to stay all night. The restaurant specialises in steaks and fish, and does an excellent seafood platter for around €30.90.
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Itsa4
While Itsa4’s funky flamboyant interior has been used for many fashion shoots, organic chef and writer Domini Kemp is far from frivolous. Her latest venture continues her ambitions to deliver well-sourced, quality food in delicious, down-to-earth ways. Lamb shank with lyonnaise potatoes or chicory, blue cheese and glazed pear salad are incredible. Serious food for fun people.
reviewed