5 Best Restaurants in The Northwest, Ireland

In the heart of Sligo's busy Italian Quarter, Bistro Bianconi has built on its long-established reputation for top-class pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven. Inventive gourmet pizzas include the Michelangelo (goat cheese, caramelized onions, pepperoni, and a sprinkling of Parmesan), the Vegetariano, and the perennial favorite, Quatro Formaggi. The menu is heavy on classic fresh pasta and lasagna, while the signature dish, chicken bocconcini (with glazed ham and cheese), is as popular as ever. Steaks, burgers, and Mediterranean king prawns are also on the menu. If you fancy a cocktail, try the Wild Atlantic Way martini.

This bustling eatery—deservedly one of Sligo's most popular and established since 1994—divides itself into two culinary halves: a relaxed downstairs bar (from 2 pm daily) with red-checkered tablecloths, serving fish pie and steaming bowls of beef-and-Guinness stew; and a more formal (and expensive) upstairs dining room (5:30–9 pm), where lamb, salmon, and steak, including fillet, strip loin, and tomahawk (all the restaurant's beef is air-dried for 45 days), share space on the menu with pasta, trout, scallops, seafood platters, or fine herb gnocchi with wild earth mushrooms. Reservations are required for both bar food and the dining room.

Preening swans (the name means "White Swan") are visible from the dining room window of this modern, comfortable restaurant, serving Irish food starring local produce. Steak and seafood are prominent on the evening dinner menu, as well as vegetarian dishes. Highlights include Tobercurry lamb or beef and trio of fish made up of scallops, hake, and sea trout. The early-bird menu (5–6:20) is a good value with three courses, including, for mains, "posh" fish-and-chips (cooked in tempura and with pea puree), beef burgers, or a vegetarian option. Afternoon tea (€24.95) is served Thursday through Sunday from noon to 3 (and to 4:30 on Sunday) and includes gourmet sandwiches, pastries, and macaroons.

Opened in 2018, Flipside burger joint has quickly become a triumph across Sligo with its "Serious Burgers," served with flamin' fries or garlic butter and Parmesan fries. The modern corner building, heavy with glass, steel, and dark wood tables, hums with happy diners. Irish Angus beef from William Clarke butchers in town are used along with other local produce. Cider, lager, and pale ales—try the local brew from White Hag—alongside a large wine selection or milkshakes are on the drinks menu.

Osta Café's philosophy is straightforward: serve locally sourced food, preferably organic, simply prepared. Come for light bites, lunch, or Sunday brunch; the "30-km breakfast" is named for the proud fact that all ingredients are from within that distance—with the exception of the fair-trade, organic Mexican and Peruvian arabica coffee (ethically sourced). The eggs Benedict and ham or bacon at brunch (9 am to 3 pm) is the most popular dish of all. Lunch is the main reason to come here, but there's also occasional music and poetry evenings, which are advertised on social media.