3 Best Restaurants in County Cork, Ireland

One of the best—and busiest—informal lunch spots in town is on a terraced gallery above the fountain at the Princes Street entrance to the atmospheric English Market. All ingredients used at the café are purchased in the market below. One side of the gallery is self-service; the other side is glassed in and has table service (reservations advised). Weekend dinner available.

Tucked away near the GPO is one of Cork's favorite restaurants. Enter through a softly lit, curved Art Deco–style bar that combines exposed brick walls with caramel-shaded leather banquettes to create a soothing respite from the city center. Food is always sourced from local artisan producers, and the seafood as fresh as it gets, while the imaginative, well-judged menu encourages flavor to shine through. Small to large appetites are catered for---and priced accordingly---with big plates that include seared Castletownbere Scallops, venison, or rib-eye steak.  

A small 18th-century coach house on a backstreet was an unlikely candidate to become the hottest place in a town famed for sophisticated eateries, but that's what happened here, and the uncluttered, minimalist premises and cobbled courtyard are buzzing with life. Reserve and your name is chalked on the wall beside your table, but the tall squeaky bar stools are just as popular. Simple hot dishes of the day might include scallop risotto or a hearty lamb tagine, but most people order the house specials—local charcuterie, farmhouse cheeses, Gubeen chorizo, smoked salmon, mixed antipasto—served on slates or wooden platters. End your locavore feast with locally roasted coffee and Koko chocolates.