19 Best Restaurants in Ireland

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).

The cloisters-and-refectory-style decor is definitely tongue-in-cheek at this upbeat, fun restaurant in sleepy Greystones, an old-fashioned seaside resort a couple of miles south of Bray. Dinner is served by candlelight and the menu specializes in uncluttered seafood dishes in summer and wild game on cold winter nights. Owner Pat Keown is a great host, and his laughter and love of good food and fine wine are contagious. Sunday lunches, in the bar area, are famous for their length (they often last into the early evening) and for the lively atmosphere.

This small thatched cottage is just upstream from where the Dunkellin River flows into Dunbulcaun Bay, the epicenter of Ireland's fresh oyster trade. The local oysters make a regular appearance, straight from bay to plate, though smoked salmon, crab claws fried in garlic butter, seafood cocktail, lobster with boiled potatoes and garlic butter, and fresh crab salad are also on offer. The front bar has been preserved in the "old style," which means it's small and cramped, but very interesting if you want to get an idea of what most pubs around here were like 50 years ago.

Every fishing port should have a simple waterfront bistro like this one, serving the best seafood (the owner won't open up if there's no fresh-caught seafood available—which is almost never). Lobster, scallops, and crayfish are specialties, but also expect turbot, black sole, plaice, brill, monkfish, and even the humble pollack on the daily blackboard menu of this unpretentious shack. There's a short but well-chosen wine list, and basic dessert selection.

Stunning views over Howth Harbor are your first reward for choosing this impressive seafood restaurant located in the old yacht club building only a few yards from where local fishermen still land their catch. The open, modern interior is awash with light that pours in the huge windows—definitely get a seat beside one of these. There's a daring touch given to local seafood with specialties like fresh crab spring roll with tuna tataki. Castletownbere seared scallops is a house favorite, and the chowder here is a classic; they even do a mean loin of Wicklow spring lamb rack if you're all fished out.

This pub has been sitting here since it opened in 1849 as a drapery with a liquor license, and its history over the years has included its location as the unofficial base for the cast of Ryan's Daughter, which filmed in the town in 1968. In fact, it was for this crew that Ashe's first started serving food, and while the bar has expanded to accommodate more visitors with two additional cozy, no-frills rooms, the fare served on the plain wooden tables remains the freshest seafood, cooked to order, and a small selection of meat and vegetarian dishes---all hearty and good. Reservations are advised.

Sweeping Atlantic views from this whitewashed cottage set the stage for a delightful meal of fresh catch from the waters lapping the Wild Atlantic Way. For €50 guests can sample the best of the menu with a five-course Seafood Surprise taster menu: not to spoil the surprise, but expect mussels, halibut, and mackerel---and locally sourced black Angus fillet makes a guest appearance. A simple but well-thought-out à la carte menu is also available. 

Situated on the ground floor of a Victorian house with a wonderful vegetable garden out back, the Beach House has rapidly become one of the hottest seafood restaurants in the country. Their shellfish bisque is a gorgeous starter, and while mains change with the daily catch, the brill with mussels and Muscadet and the black sole are two of the more popular. There are excellent meat and vegetarian options and the almond tart is a standout dessert. 

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.

Joan and Aidan MacManus's well-known seafood bar down by the harbor attracts many contemporary visitors to the old town. It's in a Georgian house, with the yacht marina and port on one side and sea views from which you can watch the boats land the very fish that might be tomorrow's special. A house specialty is the smoked haddock smokies, but lobster, caught just yards away in Balscadden Bay, is the big treat—it's best at its simplest, in butter sauce. Sitric was an 11th-century Norse king of Dublin who seemed to be very fond of Howth.

Carrigaholt Village, with its crumbling medieval tower house perched on the coast, is home to this 200-year-old pub and restaurant, one of County Clare's great culinary finds. Seafood is sourced from the local pier as ingredients for the famous chowder, as are oysters, mussels, and lobsters---all served in the warm glow of an open-hearth fireplace and Liscannor stone flooring. Non-seafood options are available.

The humble fish-and-chip is king at this stalwart restaurant, serving deep-fried cod, whiting, haddock, and hake for decades. The reasonably priced fish is served with a heap of fabulous, freshly cooked chips (which have won a nationwide competition for the best in Ireland) and eaten at communal tables—a great way to meet the locals.

A town-center shop has been cleverly converted into a stylish, two-story eatery. Beyond the plate-glass windows, there's a welcoming open fire, and you can eat at the bar or at one of the polished wood tables. Exposed stone walls and wooden floors are alluring accents on the quieter second level. The all-day menu also features lighter options like homemade spicy fish cakes and fresh crab salad. There are several meat options, including traditional Irish stew of Connemara lamb and fresh vegetables.

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. 

Nestled into a lamp-lit corner of Kirwan's Lane near the Quays, this slim, two-story oasis has served quality local seafood for more than 20 years. Its selection reads like a travel guide from the highlights of the Wild Atlantic Way: Burren smoked salmon, Dingle prawns, and Connemara mussels. Owner Mike O'Grady combs the local waters for the finest produce for Kirwan's, and beef and chicken are also on the menu. Specials are a highlight.

Given its quayside location, seafood is the specialty at this busy family-run seafood restaurant. Fisherman's pie is a real favorite—scrumptious freshly caught prawns, monkfish, salmon, and cod in a dill and Pernod cream sauce topped with a mashed-potato crust. Non-seafood options include chicken Angelica stuffed with potatoes and leeks and wrapped in bacon with mushroom sauce. Simplicity and freshness define the food here.

A fishmongers, deli, and seafood café all rolled into one, Spa Seafoods is a short trip out of town, on the road to Fenit. One of the area's best restaurants, it's a casual, buzzy spot with a thriving deli and fish shop and a restaurant upstairs. Daily specials are determined by the local catch, but you'll always find excellent seafood chowder, fish cakes, fish pie, and fish and chips, alongside a great little wine list.

The emphasis is firmly on seafood and fresh local produce at this traditional family-run tavern in the village of Murrisk beneath Croagh Patrick. Hearty portions of Clew Bay seafood, Connemara lamb, and local farmhouse cheeses are served all day, and children can get half portions or order from their own menu. Fishermen arrive regularly with freshly landed langoustines (Norwegian lobster), which are then poached and served in garlic butter. Upstairs a more elaborate à la carte menu ($$$) is served in the evenings in the separate restaurant, with a quieter, candlelit atmosphere.