20 BEST DINING DESTINATIONS
FOR FABULOUS FOODIE ROAD TRIPS
Ireland has some of the best destination dining in the world, from rising Michelin-starred spots, to dinners in railway cars and young-blood chefs eager to make their mark, not forgetting the trusted old guard who continue to raise the bar. So why not take a foodie road trip around Ireland, and see what’s out there, says Lucinda O’Sullivan, who has compiled her selection of the 20 Best Dining Destinations around Ireland
DUBLIN CHAPTER ONE
Ross Lewis has never rested on the laurels of his Michelin-starred restaurant, which is set in the bowels of the former home of whiskey maker George Jameson, on Dublin’s Northside. He is always working with Irish food producers, craftspeople and artists, showcasing the very finest of what Ireland has to offer. Tasting menu, €110. chapteronerestaurant.com
ETTO
This place impresses even top chefs, who can’t get enough of its casual Italian grub served with panache, at great prices. It’s become the go-to place of media and PR types — they pack into this tiny spot for chit-chat and gossip over, perhaps, deer carpaccio with artichoke, pickled pear and juniper; and they can’t live without the red wine prunes and vanilla mascarpone. etto.ie
GLOVERS ALLEY
There was serious PR hype for the revival of Kevin Thornton’s old space in the Fitzwilliam Hotel by chef Andy McFadden, who’d returned home after a decade in London. I previously described the decor and service as a bit like dining in the first-class section of the ferry to France. However, McFadden’s Frenchstyle food deserves Michelin recognition, and maybe the floor staff have relaxed. Check out the tasting menu, €105. gloversalley.ie
HERON & GREY
Damien Grey and Andrew Heron’s tiny oasis in Blackrock Market is almost as famous for the difficulty in getting a table as it is for the Michelin star that launched them into an exclusive stratosphere. They only do 60 covers a week, and you must book online, so persevere and have your finger poised when they release their next block of bookings. It’s a 10-course, seasonal, no-choice tasting menu, €74, plus 12.5pc discretionary gratuity. heronandgrey.com
PICKLE
Based on the faded elegance of Bombay’s old Irani cafes, Sunil Ghai and Benny Jacob’s Camden Street restaurant serves great North Indian food that you won’t see elsewhere. Samosas are filled with venison; slow-braised shoulder of lamb for two/three (48 hours notice is required) is served with saffron sauce; and special tasting menus are also available at €50pp (whole table). picklerestaurant.com
RESTAURANT PATRICK GUILBAUD
Ireland’s only two-star Michelin restaurant has to be on any foodie’s checklist. It’s French, sophisticated but not snooty, the food is faultless, and it’s great for people-watching. You can book online, but you can also just pick up the phone, and these modest Michelins will be happy to take your reservation. restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie
THE GREENHOUSE
The GreenHouse, which seats just 40, is Eamonn O’Reilly’s little city jewel. It is where Finnish chef Mickael Viljanen, having waited for too long, was awarded his first Michelin star three years ago. It should be two-star. Dinner and tasting menus, €80–€115. thegreenhouserestaurant.ie COUNTRYWIDE
LADY HELEN RESTAURANT
You’ll find exquisite formal fine-dining in the magnificent Mount Juliet Manor House under the baton of executive chef Ken Harker; he has retained the Michelin star that he and his team achieved a few years ago. There’s a great selection of menus, with two/three courses for €70/€80, up to seven/nine courses for €90/€110, including vegetarian menus. mountjuliet.ie
RISTORANTE RINUCCINI
The Cavaliere family’s Italian restaurant has been opposite Kilkenny Castle for almost 30 years, and it remains one of the best restaurants in Ireland. The menu features Kilmore Quay seafood, and there’s an amazing cellar of Italian wines. Try the ethereal silky ravioli Gorgonzola e noci, hand-made by Antonio Cavaliere. rinuccini.com
EVERETT’S
Peter Everett, ex-Residence, has returned to his native Waterford to open his own restaurant, with partner Keith Noonan, in the former Wine Vaults. You’ll find exquisite, refined, modern-Irish cooking at great prices, which will shortly see Everett’s established as a hot dining destination. Dinner, three-courses, €40. Lunch or pre-theatre, three-courses, €25. everetts.ie
ICHIGO ICHIE
The second most hyped opening of the year was this 25-seater Japanese restaurant by Takashi Miyazaki in Cork. Serving a 12-course “once in a lifetime experience” tasting menu at €95, you can sit at the counter and watch the maestro work, or chill at a table. Worth the experience, but it is online booking only, which is a pain. ichigoichie.ie
CHESTNUT
Rob Krawczyk returned to west Cork to open a chic 18-seater restaurant in an atmospheric former pub in Ballydehob. There’s an innovative, fixed-price three-course dinner menu at €50, which includes snacks, etc. Think salted celery root with duck. restaurantchestnutwestcork.ie
MEWS
In an old stone mews house on the edge of Baltimore village, this is a chilled, sophisticated spot, where the best of foraged and local produce is presented with impeccable restraint. Think Sherkin Island oyster, wakame and wood sorrel. Tasting menu, €69. Mr Michelin was there on our visit. mewsrestaurant.ie
GARINISH RESTAURANT
Set in the totally romantic Eccles Hotel (where Pippa Midleton stayed last summer) with its wrought-iron balconies overlooking Bantry Bay, the arrival of Eddie Attwell as head chef made a statement. Attwell’s food is divine; he’s twice represented Northern Ireland in the Beeb’s Great British Menu. eccleshotel.com
WILD HONEY INN
“An Irish Country Inn, a place to eat, drink and sleep,” in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. Aidan McGrath’s cooking has always been superb — he just ‘gets’ flavour — while his partner, Kate Sweeney, looks after the rest. Fixed-price menus, €50/€60, might include duck and foie gras terrine, or Lough Neagh eel. wildhoneyinn.com
PULLMAN RESTAURANT
Set in two romantic Pullman carriages in the grounds of Galway’s Glenlo Abbey Hotel — one carriage was part of the original Orient Express, carrying famous people all over Europe, and was used in the 1974 film of Murder on the Orient Express. Excellent food, with a two/ three-course menu at €57/€65. glenloabbeyhotel.ie
WILDE’S AT THE LODGE
Jonathan Keane is the young blood at the Ashford Castle estate, delivering cuttingedge, imaginative food at The Lodge. Think scallop ceviche, lardo and seaweed crisp. Seven-course dinner menu, €65. Ten-course tasting menu, €95. thelodgeac.com
MACNEAN HOUSE
We’ve followed Neven Maguire’s Food Trails on TV through Italy and Spain — we can’t live without his cookery books — but you must head for the village of Blacklion, Co Cavan, to experience the real deal. Tasting menu, €85. Spin up for Sunday lunch, €45; or maybe stay the night. nevenmaguire.com
VM RESTAURANT
Dutch chef Robert Groot Koerkamp has taken over the reins from Gary O’Hanlon at VM Restaurant in Longford’s gorgeous 17th-Century Viewmount House. His food is sleek, sophisticated and definitely worth the trip. Stay overnight. Dinner, €60. Sunday lunch, €35. viewmounthouse.com
CLENAGHAN’S
Having achieved a Michelin star while at Michael Deane’s Eipic in Belfast, Danni Barry upped sticks for the countryside of Craigavon to the revamped Clenaghan’s, an old country inn with rooms, where she has been wowing people with her stunning food. Great for Sunday lunch; two/three courses, £20/25. clenaghansrestaurant.com