West Cork has long attracted an eclectic mix of visitors from home and abroad. With pockets of pretty, seaside villages and a dramatic, craggy coastline, for decades this region has tempted artists, artisans and producers alike to call this part of Ireland home. More recently, a band of esteemed chefs have put this trio of peninsulas on the map, creating one of the keenest concentrations of fine dining in the country.
Part of the Wild Atlantic Way and running from Kinsale to Bantry Bay, West Cork offers one of Ireland’s most picturesque drives and its culinary DNA is as diverse as its show-stopping scenery.
A leading light in West Cork restauration is Bastion in the heart of the harbour town of Kinsale. A perfectly-formed, two-room restaurant, split by a bar, Bastion is run by husband-and-wife team Paul McDonald and Helen Noonan and offers a shorter ‘discovery’ menu and a more substantial ‘signature’ tasting menu.
Photo credit: @endlesseatz
Also garnering acclaim is Barbara Nealon’s San Francisco-inspired wine bar with food, Saint Francis Provisions, where Rebeca Recarey Sanchez’s dishes are unfussy and effortlessly put together. The dishes are complemented perfectly by Barbara’s faultless service, which was recently awarded the coveted service award by the Michelin Guide at the Dublin ceremony for the best of Great Britain and Ireland.
Also in Kinsale, Chennai-born chef Meeran Manzoor is quietly revolutionising Indian food in Ireland. Leading Rare, part of the Blue Haven Collection, his hyper-seasonal menu harmonises local Irish produce with Indian spice and French techniques.
Further along the coast, Rob Krawczyk’s Chestnut in Ballydehob honours tradition in setting and terroir on the plate. An 18-seat, one Michelin-starred restaurant in a former pub, the ingredients are sourced locally, as is the crockery, and Krawczyk’s own father produces the charcuterie. Pure West Cork.
Photo credit: @thechestnutwestcork
Baltimore is best known for its bright white hilltop beacon guiding boats into the harbour but Turkish-born Ahmet Dede has become another landmark of the village. His eponymous restaurant, two Michelin-starred Dede, marries hyperlocal ingredients with Turkish inspiration in an unexpectedly spectacular experience that makes Dede one of Ireland’s must-visit dining destinations.
Photo credit: @ayla_hunt_
Fire has long fuelled Ireland’s culinary identity, from Bronze Age fulacht fiadh to the 19th-century tinteán [hearth] with its bubbling bastible pot. Fire plays a central role in modern Irish kitchens like Lignum in Loughrea, where a wood-burning oven anchors chef-owner Danny Africano’s kitchen and dishes are cooked over open flame while local ingredients are smoked, dry-aged, foraged and preserved.
Set in the foothills of the Slieve Aughty mountains in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, Africano’s restaurant is traditional Ireland in location – ringed by stone-walled fields – while the structure takes Scandi inspiration and the menu carries a soft Italian accent, reflecting the chef’s heritage.
Galway is a blockbuster of epic proportions. Epic coastline, iconic peaks, magnificent beaches – that is if you can tear yourself away from Galway city with its colourful and eclectic streets soundtracked by buskers.
West of the city on the road to Connemara with its rugged, high-contrast beauty, Glenlo Abbey’s five-star setting is both whimsical and unique. A pair of restored Orient Express carriages perfectly framed in the sprawling estate offer Ireland’s newest Michelin-starred dining experience. Aboard The Pullman, intrepid travellers embark on a journey of flavour where chef Angelo Vagiotis and team serve a menu weaving together the highest quality ingredients such as native turbot, fallow deer, foraged mushrooms and farmhouse cheeses.
At the centre of the country, what Westmeath lacks in coastline it makes up for with spectacular rivers and lakeland. At the heart of the Midlands, Athlone sits at the confluence of heritage, history and hospitality while its location on the Shannon and Lough Ree makes an ideal base for boat trips, lakeside sojourns and enchanting woodland trails.
Thyme, Tara and John Coffey’s riverside bistro has been proudly putting the Midlands on the plate for nearly two decades. Overlooking the mighty river Shannon, which bisects the town and flows into nearby Lough Ree, John’s menu champions iconic producers from the Hidden Heartlands, like Garryhinch Organic Mushrooms, Shannon’s Eco Farm, Pigs On The Green free-range pork, and craft beers brewed right across the road at Dead Centre Brewing.
Travelling southeast through blanket bogs, gentle waterways and wooded hills, the Marble City of Kilkenny is best explored on foot, where medieval streets, craft studios and Norman heritage shape a truly layered visitor experience. Nestled in this historic setting, chef Garret Byrne’s Campagne offers elevated Irish cooking with a regional French sensibility. The early bird menu, in particular, offers one of Ireland’s most affordable Michelin-starred meals.
Then, there is Dublin, a cosmopolitan, contemporary European capital to rival any other that punches well above its weight. From the cobbled streets and vibrant energy of Temple Bar to Grand Canal strolls with a flat white in hand, if Ireland is reflected by regionality, Dublin dining is firmly neighbourhood-driven.
From Niall Davidson’s Allta, his ultra-modern industrial chic Docklands dining room to Variety Jones, Keelan Higgs’ family-run Michelin-starred spot in the historic Liberties, where he serves seasonal greatest hits, from the spaghetti Alfredo he and brother Aaron grew up on to the parfait and waffle dish that has never left the menu. New to the ‘neighbourhood spots with Michelin stars’ club is Forest Avenue in Dublin 4, having just clinched a star at the recent ceremony, which took place in Dublin for the first time.
With the highest concentration of fine dining in the land, Dublin does haute cuisine handsomely, from the enduring Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, which has held two Michelin stars for 30 years, to recent additions like D’Olier Street, a New York-inspired restaurant in Dublin’s version of the Flat Iron Building, set steps from the historic Trinity College.
Where to find elevated vegetarian and gluten-free fare in Dublin? Hiding in plain sight just off Grafton Street, the retail artery of the city, Glas reimagines Irish plant-based cookery, with inventive, modernist dishes served in super luxe surrounds. Dublin seamlessly blends international edge with a deep-rooted sense of place on the plate.
Fine dining in Ireland is no longer confined to a single city or province but rooted in regionality. A 200-year-old cottage on the Wild Atlantic Way or a reimagined pub in Ireland’s Ancient East can tell the story of modern Irish cuisine as compellingly as any other. Here, soil and sea dictate the menu and talented hands bring it to life. This is a culinary moment happening right now, moulded directly by Ireland’s landscape. Take your seat at the table.
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