Restaurants in Ireland
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Oar House
A feast-o-fish is what the menu is all about at this newish restaurant – particularly the locally caught variety. Par for the course in a fishing village, but this place stands out both for the way the fish is prepared and because you can get everything on the menu in smaller, tapas-style portions as well as mains.
reviewed
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Kitty Kelly's
Dining at this restaurant in a 200-year-old, plum-coloured farmhouse feels more like attending an intimate dinner party. The menu is a gourmet take on traditional Irish favourites like rich stew and creamy trifle. It's on the coast road, 5km west of Killybegs. Opening hours vary annually; bookings are essential.
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Oxford Exchange
Smart and stylish with bare pine floors, chocolate brown chairs, white linen napkins and a yellow tulip on each table, the Oxford has breezy charm and a menu of high-end comfort food – try the beer-battered cod with mushy peas, and chunky chips served in a twist of newspaper, or pea, parsley and chervil risotto.
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Roadside Tavern
Down by the river, this pub is pure craic. Third-generation owner Peter Curtin knows every story worth telling. There are trad sessions daily in summer and during the weekends in winter. Imbibing musicians can be found here anytime. The trad fun extends to the kitchen, which turns out creamy seafood chowders etc. Anything with smoked fish is good as they also run the nearby Burren Smokehouse.
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Juniors
Cramped and easily mistaken for any old cafe, Juniors is anything but ordinary: designed to imitate a New York deli, the food (Italian-influenced, all locally sourced produce) is delicious, the atmosphere always buzzing (it's often hard to get a table) and the ethos top-notch, which is down to the two brothers who run the place.
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Vintage Restaurant
The décor may be a little fusty these days but the Vintage is one of the reasons that Kinsale deserves its gourmet label, with prices that are truly justifiable. Unbeatable dishes range from oyster starters to mains of lobster in brandy or sea bass in white port crème; fish that demand a magic touch - and get it.
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Cutters Wharf
One of the few bar-restaurants in Belfast with a waterside setting, Cutters Wharf has a terrace overlooking the River Lagan where you can enjoy an al fresco drink, and a smart upstairs restaurant serving steaks, burgers and seafood.
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Morelli's
Morelli's is a local institution, founded by Italian immigrants and famous for its mouth-watering ice cream since 1911. The menu includes breakfast fry-ups, pizza, sandwiches, omelettes, and fish and chips, as well as good coffee and cakes, and there's a great view across the bay to Mussenden Temple, Benone Strand and Donegal.
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Barracuda
When you’ve had your fill of live sea creatures in the National Sealife Centre, head upstairs to this minimalist, metal-and-mirrors restaurant and see what happens to Nemo when a really good chef gets his hands on him…or not. For your newly found love of the sea and all its inhabitants, there’s always a good steak.
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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.
reviewed
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Cobalt Café & Gallery
A splendid little cafe just opposite the James Joyce Cultural Centre, the Cobalt occupies the ground floor of an elegant Georgian building and serves honest-to-goodness sandwiches stuffed with lots of lovely fillings. The big fireplace is the spot to warm those winter toes.
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Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud
Handing out the title of ‘Best in the Country’ involves some amount of personal choice, but few disagree that this exceptional restaurant is a leading candidate, not least those good people at Michelin, who have put two stars in its crown. As a result, this is the most prestigious restaurant in the country, where the service is formal but surprisingly friendly, the setting elegant but not stuffy, the wine list simply awesome and head chef Guillaume Lebrun’s haute cuisine proudly French. The food is innovative without being fiddly, beautifully cooked and superbly presented. The lunch menu is an absolute steal, at least in this stratosphere.
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Café Mao
Mao's often spicy mix of Vietnamese and Thai specialities, cooked to order and served with a musical soundtrack that declares its super-cool credentials, is one of the city's most successful restaurants. You can feast on the likes of nasi goreng and bulkoko here or at its other spots in the Dundrum Town Centre and Dun Laoghaire.
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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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Thatch
A traditional thatched Irish pub, just 2km southeast of Birr off the N62, this 200-year-old inn is a great place to sip a pint or enjoy a hearty meal. It's a hugely popular spot for Sunday lunch, when local families gather in force for the simply prepared meats and seafood. Bar food is also available; book in advance.
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Stage Bar & Bistro
This stylish little place is a chilled-out haven of coffee- and cream- coloured sofas and chairs in the theatre lobby, with a menu that offers some tasty vegetarian dishes – try the brie, red onion and spinach tart – as well as the steak sandwich with caramelised onions, and baked sea bass with curried mango dressing.
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Grangecon Café
Salads, home-baked dishes and a full menu of Irish cheeses are the staples at this tiny, terrific cafe in a converted schoolhouse. Everything here – from the pasta to the delicious apple juice – is made on the premises and many of the ingredients are organic. A short but solid menu represents the best of Irish cooking.
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Ilia Tapas
Book in advance for one of Mullingar’s most popular haunts. This modern restaurant serves generous portions of international-style tapas that are great for sharing. Go for beetroot and whipped goat’s cheese with roast pine nuts or chickpea and baby spinach bacon salad with black pudding boudin. You’ll be back for more.
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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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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.
reviewed
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Brogan’s Beacon
This popular restaurant serves country-style comfort food for adoring locals. The menu is fairly predictable with hearty chicken, salmon and pasta dishes, the odd risotto and the usual array of steaks and burgers. It won’t win any awards, but may just satisfy a niggling craving. There’s also a bar menu for lighter snacks.
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The Oarsman
It may look like a pub from the outside, but The Oarsman serves restaurant-quality food in relaxed, informal surroundings. The menu ranges from traditional Irish with a contemporary twist to Asian-inspired dishes, cooked equally well. Snacks and bar food are served between lunch and dinner, and they pull a good pint, too.
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Durty Nelly's
Thronging with tourists all summer long, Nelly's manages to provide some charm amid the hubbub, right across from the castle. Meals are better than you'd expect, although the pub is more enjoyable than the restaurant upstairs. There are trad sessions many nights.
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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 vegie 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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Mary McBride's Pub
The original bar here (on the left as you go in) is the smallest in Ireland (2.7m by 1.5m) but there's plenty of elbow-bending room in the rest of the pub. The food – standard pub grub – is good and there's Guinness on tap, as well as occasional live music at weekends.
reviewed