25 Best Restaurants in Ireland

Owner Roberto Mungo brings his brand of simple Calabrian cooking to this classy little Italian, family-run joint in hip Stoneybatter. There are touches of other Italian regions on the menu, but standouts are Calabrian classics like deep-fried aubergine with tomato, mozzarella, and green pesto and baked mackerel with potatoes, herbs, red pepper cream, and asparagus. The wonderful nibbles menu (each for around €5) is perfect for a quick bite.

If the sight of a red double-decker bus parked outside a cottage in the desolately beautiful small island of Inisbofin comes as a surprise, then the delicious offerings at Austin and Kartika's gourmet outpost will floor you completely, in a good way. The bus has retired and functions as the couple's kitchen, dining area, and food counter, serving up pollock, crab, and mackerel sourced from local islander fishermen. Mutton and lamb come straight from the farm, along with root vegetables, while everything else is island grown.

Catch a sunny day and it's hard to beat an outside table at this small family-run whitewashed café on the waterfront overlooking the busy harbor. The breakfast menu runs until midday while lunchtime sandwiches with soup and salad are served all afternoon. Daily seafood specials may include mussels, haddock, monkfish, calamari, and a delectable chowder, followed by cheesecake and washed down with a choice of wine, craft beer, tea, or coffee as you watch the river of life float by.

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.

A casual, modern Irish eatery, Bodega Restaurant is known as the fun place to eat in town. Everything is prepared with locally sourced ingredients, with the Kilmore Quay haddock bake a hearty favorite, along with celeriac and baby carrot risotto with sherry vinegar caramel, crispy potato rosti, mascarpone, and Parmesan. Bright colors and comfortable couches give it a festive feel, while the extensive wine menu gets everyone warmed up. Bodega also hosts intimate gigs by some of Ireland's top folk singers.

This friendly, boho-chic café with its traditional red shop front (rua is Irish for red) is a showcase for fresh, locally produced foods, simply served. There's an imaginative children's menu, and at lunch there are three daily specials—roast meat, fish, and vegetarian—while many opt for the homemade soup and sandwich (served in a traditional soft roll known as a blaa), or a salad. Choose a platter of local farmhouse cheeses, perhaps, or a salad of Achill Island smokehouse salmon with local greens, the house cucumber relish, and a selection of fresh breads.

The Japanese teppanyaki area at this classy Pan-Asian restaurant on bustling Baggot Street, where the chef cooks your food right on your tabletop, is a feast for the eye as well as the palate. The simplicity of the white walls and dark lacquered furnishings are enhanced by the delicate glassware and fine green-washed porcelain. The menu picks the best from Chinese, Thai, and Japanese dishes, with the Asian tapas a good eat-and-go option.

Whether you're stocking up on local supplies for your Airbnb, stocking up on snacks for a Wild Atlantic Way drive, looking for picnic supplies or hamper gifts, or just stopping for a decent coffee and quick bite, this cute little artisanal food shop offers a wide variety of Irish farmhouse cheeses, meats, Connemara salmon, jams, pâtés, wines, and coffees, as well as a small nook to sit awhile.

For soup lovers, this modest, brightly painted café on a square in the heart of Ennis will hit all the right notes. With daily changing specials and a range of paninis and sandwiches, it's the perfect pit stop for a quality snack or budget lunch.

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.

In the center of town, Flynn's is worth visiting to appreciate its light and spacious Victorian-style design. The lunch menu includes sandwiches, salad platters, and dishes such as red Thai curry, chicken Milanese, or Irish lamb stew. It's worth saving space for the renowned apple pie.

"Lovage at the Gate Lodge," as it's known locally, overlooks the river and serves the best coffee in town. Pastries, wraps, baps, and burgers are common on the menu, but make sure to check the blackboard for daily specials.

This surprising find in a cottage on the northern ridge of the Burren is not only a refreshing place for a soup-and-sandwich break, it's also home to the boutique Hazel Mountain Chocolate Factory, which produces chocolate using the same techniques employed by the monks who once occupied nearby Corcomroe Abbey. Vegetables are grown on-site and the cakes baked star in their own cookbook.

éThis buzzing café bar is a pleasant place for a lunchtime break. Sandwiches are large and delicious, with plenty of vegetarian choices, and the people-watching is unmatched.

Located in a nondescript building in Grand Canal Harbour, this stylish café is gaining a reputation for its impressive baked goods. Nearby tech workers flock here in hordes for the inventive salads, sandwiches, handmade pasta and focaccia romana, but it's the stunning array of cakes, tarts, and buns that really entice. Try the outrageous strawberry Charlotte or the explosion of color and taste that is the mango bavaroise.

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.  

Located in a courtyard outside of Bunratty Mills and spread out over a number of food trucks and kiosks, Jilly and Joe's was created to satisfy the demand for alfresco dining and has since become a local staple in the dining scene. Outside, guests huddle close to flames of heaters on a chilly day---beneath an awning or canopy---and order pizza, sandwiches, daily special, or a burger. Inside, the sprawling loft of Blarney Woollen Mills is the best place for good value lunchtime dishes like breaded fish, stews, and pasta along with custom-made sandwiches---the humble French fries are delicious. A fine selection of confectionery and ice-cream booth keep the sweet tooth brigade satisfied. If the car park is filled with tour buses, move along, or expect a long wait.

Old man Burdock has moved on and the place hasn't been the same since, but the hordes still join the inevitable queue at Dublin's famous 100-year-old takeout fish-and-chips shop. You can't eat here, but why would you anyway, when you can sit in the gardens of St. Patrick's Cathedral a few minutes away. Fresh cod is a classic, and the battered sausage a particular Dublin favorite, but the real stars here are the long, thick, freshly cut chips, which have a slightly smoky aftertaste.

Look like a local and ask to season your chips with "crispy bits."

This unassuming little shop on Francis Street conjures up some of the best pastries in town. There's no seating in this powerhouse patisserie, but long counters allow space for perching your coffee and tucking into the finest sweet and savory treats. Try the tomato, basil, aubergine, and goat cheese quiche or the hearty duck pie; or simply take afternoon tea with a pear tartlet or scone. Expect queues at lunchtime, and buy in bulk for the tastiest of take-out picnics.

Downstairs is a traditional butcher shop, but climb one flight up to find the Andrew Stone gallery, with work by local artists for sale and a café serving homemade recipes, including home-baked cakes, quiches, soups, and pâtés.

Whether you buy from the deli or restaurant, the focus here is freshness---as in cut out the middle man and go straight to the table. All dishes have been sourced locally and whipped up on the premises from scratch, displaying the culinary legacy that's lasted over 60 years. 

A great-value, Middle Eastern delight hidden away in the Chester Beatty Library, the Silk Road Café has a buffet-style menu always full of exotic surprises. The light-filled atrium (Tuesday–Friday 10 am–4:45 pm, Saturday 11 am–4:45 pm, and Sunday 1–4:45 pm) and serene atmosphere make you want to linger longer than you should.

Ship's wheels, fishing nets, and sculpted stone sharks leave little doubt that the Atlantic's catch takes center stage in this small, whitewashed cottage inn right in the heart of Letterfrack. Stuffed with timber nooks and crannies, and with an open fire, it's the place to warm up after a Connemara coastline hike. While Cleggan crab and Clew Bay oysters are the stars of the menu, steak, chicken, and vegan options such as a wild mushroom linguine with sun-dried tomatoes and pesto make a welcome appearance.

Coffee slices, cheesecake, apple pie, lemon drizzle, and a host of other delectable sweetness have greeted visitors for more than 65 years at this charming, second-generation bakery in the heart of Clifden. For those up early, a fine Irish breakfast will set the pace for a good day's sightseeing or hiking.

The open plan and family-style tables have kept Yamamori popular with noodle addicts and the younger, hipster crowd. The meals-in-a-bowl are a splendid slurping experience, and although you'll be supplied with a small Chinese-style soup spoon, the best approach is with chopsticks. The bento box combo meal is the best value in town. The seafood yaki soba, stir-fried egg noodles with a combination of fresh seafood and seasonal vegetables with wakame (an edible seaweed), is a favorite example. You can also get sushi and sashimi, delicious chicken teriyaki, or house specials like baked lobster.