Modern Irish restaurants in Ireland
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Tea Rooms
Mathieu Melin is performing small miracles in this elegant restaurant, its soaring ceiling and double-height windows designed to resemble a church. There are few places in all of Dublin where you'll get such superb fare – an ambitious marriage of classic French cuisine and typically Irish produce – at such reasonable prices.
reviewed
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Jola's
With double-height ceilings, exposed brick walls and a stunning chandelier, Jola Wojtowicz's restaurant brings a dash of metropolitan style to Kinsale. The food is equally adept, confidently marrying Eastern European and Irish cuisine. The pierogi (dumplings) made with Clonakilty black pudding are divine, but are merely preparation for the mouth-watering mains, which include a particularly lovely dish of lamb cutlets with basil and walnut pesto.
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Glebe Gardens & Café
The beautiful gardens here are an attraction in themselves; lavender and herbs add fragrant aromas that waft over the tables inside and out. Food is simple and fresh, sourced from the gardens and a list of local purveyors.
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Bassetts at Woodstock
Adjacent to Woodstock Gardens, John Bassett has turned his family home into an inspired dining experience. Saturday nights feature tasting menus (€9.50 per course) paired with wines (from €5 per glass) served at set intervals from 7.30pm. It's a great way to spend an evening with a table of friends. The food is fresh, local and inventive. Future meals graze right outside the door.
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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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Hackett's
The town's social hub, Hackett's rises above the norm with a creative pub menu of organic dishes prepared from scratch. Black-and-white photos and tin signs adorn the pub's crooked walls and there's a mishmash of old kitchen tables and benches on the worn stone floor. It's a democratic place, where swells mingle with crusty locals inside or out front on the sunny benches.
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Winding Stair
Housed within a beautiful Georgian building that was once home to the city’s most beloved bookshop (the ground floor still is one), the Winding Stair’s conversion to elegant restaurant has been faultless. The wonderful Irish menu – creamy fish pie, bacon and organic cabbage, steamed mussels, and Irish farmyard cheeses – coupled with an excellent wine list makes for a memorable meal.
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Chapter One
One of the best restaurants in Dublin, this venerable old trooper sets its ambitions no further than modern Irish cuisine, which it has realised so brilliantly that those Michelin lads saw fit to throw one of their sought-after stars its way. Menus change regularly but the dishes are always top-notch, the service first class and the atmosphere reassuringly reserved – although its success means that you have to book well in advance. Get there between 6pm and 7.40pm for the three-course pre-theatre special (€37.50), a favourite with those heading to the Gate around the corner.
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Chapter 40
Popular with Killarney's stylish bounders (and chefs on their nights off), this beautiful dining room is all polished wood and cream leather. Starters like grilled polenta with wild mushrooms are followed by classy mains such as pork Wellington with pea and crab salsa. The wines by the glass show a deft hand in the cellar.
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An Súgán
A traditional bar with a national reputation for excellent seafood. You dine in a room crammed with knick-knacks – jugs dangle from the ceiling, patrons' business cards are stuffed beneath the rafters, and lanterns and even ancient fire-extinguishers dot the walls. But there's nothing idiosyncratic about the food – the seafood chowder is great for a light meal, the crab cakes are memorable and there's a choice of around 10 different kinds of fish, depending on the daily catch.
reviewed
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Malt House Granary
You'll be able to check out the Clonakilty black pudding, Boilie goat's cheese, Gubbeen chorizo and Bantry Bay mussels among other ingredients on the menu at the Malt House, as everything on your plate originates from West Cork. The interior design is a hotchpotch of stylish and kitsch. The seafood platter is a classic.
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Fish Kitchen
This outstanding little restaurant above a fish shop does seafood to perfection, from the local oysters (served with lemon and tabasco sauce) to a particularly fine dish of pan-seared scallops. But if for some reason you don't fancy sea fare, it does a juicy steak too. Friendly, unfussy and absolutely delicious.
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Campagne
Chef Garrett Byrne who gained fame and Michelin stars in Dublin is the genius behind this bold, stylish restaurant in his native Kilkenny. He's passionate about supporting local and artisan producers and he takes the goods and produces ever-changing, ever-memorable meals. There's a French accent to everything he does.
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Cafe Sol
Leisurely lunches stretch until 5pm at this much-loved restaurant. Local organic produce is featured in dishes that emphasise what's fresh each season. The flavours are frequently bold and have global influences. Service albeit casual is excellent.
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Nude Food
When you've gained fame for a market cart called Naked Lunch, naming your next venture is easy. The only thing bare here is the plates after diners finish. From carefully crafted coffees to a beautiful selection of deli items, this cafe stands out. But save yourself for the lunch and dinner menus which feature top Waterford ingredients in sandwiches, salads, starters and hot mains that are hearty, honest and flavourful.
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Max's Wine Bar
Behind the brilliant red traditional wooden facade is a restaurant popular with locals that combines French influences with the best Irish produce and seafood. The menu changes regularly but the wine list doesn't (at least in concept): it's always vast and alluring.
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Josie's Lakeview House
Captivating lake views accompany your food. Josie's sits on a hill overlooking Glanmore Lake. Choose from salads and sandwiches for lunch, cakes at tea or heartier rack of lamb and local seafood specials at night. Josie's is 4km from the R571; follow the signs.
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Gleesons
Gleesons is a temple of fine dining that melds Irish produce with continental technique. The surrounds are nicely understated, with a wood and slate decor. The seafood, not surprisingly, is tasty. Early diners can enjoy a good value three-course set menu (€35).
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Vee Bistro
In a port-wine-coloured building with tribal art and abstract canvases on the walls, the Vee's French-accent is most apparent at night when the menu really is bistro-derived. By day, expect competent cafe food: fry-ups in the am, lunch specials in the pm.
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Man Friday
Around the harbour walk in relaxing Scilly, this veteran seafood restaurant has outdoor seating with views back across the harbour to Kinsale. Book if you want a terrace table on balmy evenings. Just the walk down to the entrance is magical.
reviewed
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Over the Moon
The classic deep-blue and white exterior plus the beguiling logo make you want to walk inside; you should. Locally sourced foods (purveyors are listed) star on a creative and changing menu of fresh fare.
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Olde Bakery
One of the best restaurants in town, the Olde Bakery serves hearty portions of top regional seafood to locals who won't settle for seconds – unless it's a second helping. A few tables out front are just the place to be on a long evening.
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O'Malley's@Bayview
The terrace here has commanding harbour views. The simple menu belies the talents of the kitchen; choices include fine fish chowder, good burgers and pizza, plus fresh fish at night. Even the garlic bread is good.
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Crackpots
The title 'ceramic restaurant' over the front door refers to the fact that all the crockery in use here was made…here. Normally, when you combine art workshop and food something will give, but in this instance it's certainly not the grub, which relies on locally sourced meats, fresh catch from the sea and organically grown veg. Owner Carole Norman has recently given over her walls to local artists – you can peruse the art for sale while you dine.
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An Cupán Caifé
This cottagelike restaurant has a Continental atmosphere and a daily menu of steaks and fish. Presentation is slightly formal and the specials are a draw. A three-course Sunday lunch is €20. The wine list is the best in the area.
reviewed