8 Best Restaurants in County Cork, Ireland

Prosecco on tap sets the tone for fun at this wine bar and restaurant in the heart of Kinsale. There's a bar in the funky front parlor, along with some tables beside its street windows, supplemented by a more private back room. The eight-course tasting menu has a bouquet of carefully chosen indigenous produce: pigeon, rabbit, seaweed-infused potato, cured mackerel with ginger pickle, and sweet fruit with homemade sorbet---all offered with an imaginative take on traditional recipes.   

Ahmet Dede, formerly of the exquisite Mews just down the street, bestows his culinary magic on his in season tasting menu that can include Wagyu beef, black sole, red mulberry, and brown butter—or even brown butter ice cream for that matter. This chef is living proof that with talent, a restaurant does not need the pomp and trappings of fine dining to offer a feast of flavor---because he's wowing critics both nationally and globally with his local ingredients served with Turkish flair in his stripped-back, casual eatery in the delightful seaside village of Baltimore.

Originally a café in a fish shop, this place has moved up in the world, now located in a sumptuous two-story former art gallery in the town park. TV chef Martin Shanahan, who trained in San Francisco, brings California pizzazz to his dishes. There is an unrivaled selection of seafood available here. Stylish young staffers seem thrilled to be part of the show. Lunch is the big event, although service does continue until 9 pm (except for most of January).

"Ichigo Ichie" translates as "a once-in-a-lifetime encounter" and a special, once-in-a lifetime dining experience is exactly what this dramatic, Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant delivers. Japanese chef-owner Takashi Miyazaki brings the traditional Japanese multicourse tasting ritual to Cork in the kappou style (meaning the sushi and sashimi is prepared by the chef in front of the diner) and infuses the 12-course menu with Irish fish and produce. Alternatively, request harmony (dining room) or garden room dining---priced at €120 per person. Once-in-a-lifetime might also nod to the chances of getting a table at this 24-seater buzzy spot.

There is a takeaway menu available and the chef also owns Miyazaki, a restaurant-takeaway shop where he sells bento, udon noodles, rice bowls, curry, and other favorites from the Japanese canon.

The last thing you would expect to find behind the typical, small pub facade located along a long street filled with a row of modest vernacular buildings, is a heightened level of dining experience with a sophisticated, inventive menu. Schull man Rob Krawczyk runs the kitchen a few miles from his hometown in Ballydehob, and he's impressing professional food critics and novices alike with his inventive taster menus. Expect the unexpected: butter comes with a turf-infused flavor, quail eggs are accompanied with caviar and oysters, while herbal tea to clear the palate has a snap of whiskey. Restaurant Chestnut opens from 6 pm, and you should plan to park yourself for just shy of three hours to sample all nine offerings on his daily changing menu.

A must stop for Kinsale's more carnivorous visitors, but while locally sourced meat (directly from the owner's farm) is center stage on the Finn family's menu, there's a good offering of fresh catch, too. Talented owner--chef John Finn runs the restaurant with his wife, Julie---but "Bertha" (an imported charcoal-burning oven) is second in command. The front room is quiet and luxurious, with white table linens, Villeroy & Boch platters, and extra-large wineglasses for the outstanding wine list. Another room is used for small groups and private parties.

Although only minutes by foot from the main road and Goleen's village center, this harborside retreat is a peaceable kingdom—expect to see herons outside the window. "Fresh fish and wine on the harbour" is the motto here. The restaurant, in Sue Hill's modern house (she also offers B&B) is well run with great service. Off-season (September–April) dinner must be booked in advance.

Irish owner--chef Denis Cotter has won awards for his cookbooks, which have added greatly to the fame of this simple, café-style restaurant. The Mediterranean–Eastern fusion-style food is locally grown, and is known for its imaginative combinations, so tasty that even dedicated meat eaters forget that it's vegetarian.