Croi

Discover the authentic taste of Kerry

When Noel Keane, Paul Cotter and Kevin O’Connor opened the doors of Croí in 2017, their plan was to make people feel like they were at home. And so far that’s worked pretty well for them - so much so that they opened another restaurant, Grá Bistro, nearby.

Both restaurants serve up delicious Irish food, cooked with fresh, seasonal ingredients and the skill of a good chef. With the finest of Kerry’s local produce, it’s a real taste of the Wild Atlantic Way, with a comforting sense of home in dishes created with love and care.

When opening Croí, Chef Owner Noel Keane said the three friends had the idea of “a hyper local restaurant using the best of Kerry and Irish produce”. Croí offers a full a’la carte menu, a fish menu, a vegan and vegetarian menu and gluten free options.

“What makes Croí unique is that it’s all local produce and we grow quite a bit of our own as well from salads to herbs, berries and edible flowers and we use a large amount of foraged produce from the coastline - things like samphire seaweed, sea beet and, from the forests, herbs and leaves, chervil, vetch, wild garlic, wild leek and so on,” said Noel.

“I don’t think we could source produce any better than what’s on our doorstep, to be honest. When preparing food, I hope to get the customers to think… simple as that. Just to realise how good our local producers are. The quality of what they grow and rear is second to none - pure and simple.”

Soon, Croí needed to grow and move on and, when the restaurant moved elsewhere in Tralee, Paul Cotter took over in the old premises as Head Chef of Grá - his first head chef position - and the business continued to grow from there.

“Irish produce stands, in my opinion, beside the best in the world, and above it in other aspects,”

Paul mused. “We have growers and farmers that care and live what they do and I believe it shows. We as a nation are too modest to shout about how good our produce is.”

Paul hopes to create a feeling of happiness and homeliness when he cooks - “a time when food was something you ate with family and friends, cooked by a member of the family”.

“I try to cook like my mom, as it made me feel good - a wholesome meal cooked with love and care.”