The six best seafood restaurants in Ireland can be found in Munster — with four in Cork
Guide's Ballycotton Seafood The Top In Family Is In Restaurants Michelin Among Cush Ireland Owned
Fresh off the recently awarded Michelin Stars, which saw two Cork restaurants awarded one of the industry's highest honours, the Michelin Guide has cast its expert eye over Ireland and highlighted six seafood restaurants it deems the best of the bunch.
Interestingly, all are located within Munster and two-thirds can be found in Co Cork.
It describes Cush in Ballycotton as “your next ‘happy place’,” thanks to the abundance of fresh seafood on the menu.
“The team at Cush do not disappoint, with plenty of fish and shellfish popping up across their menus,” it says.
“Dishes like grilled fish of the day with wild garlic and smoked bacon chowder show off the kitchen’s skills in allowing their top-notch ingredients to shine. Add a small bar and some cosy sea-view bedrooms into the picture, and you have the makings of your next ‘happy place’.”
Kinsale, a competitive location for any food business, is home to Max’s, another favourite of the Michelin Guide. “The unfussy, classical seafood menu offers plenty of choice, with a subtle international flavour added in on occasion. Go for one of the tasty ‘Fresh Catches’,” it suggests.
Family-run restaurant Adrift in Dunmore House is worth a visit for its views across Clonakilty Baya s well as for the fish on the menu. “There’s a bright and airy feel to the dining room, which fits nicely with the coastal vistas and tasty, unfussy cooking. Dishes often make use of the hotel’s organic kitchen garden; keep an eye out for the famous local black pudding too.”
Goldie is the only offering from within Cork City and the only restaurant listed without a sea view, though the Michelin Guide assures reader “this popular seafood bistro has more than earned its place in Cork’s constantly evolving dining scene”.
“An open kitchen and pared-back décor give the restaurant a modern edge, while the cooking itself shows great skill,” it adds. “Quality produce originates from the West Cork coastline, and subtle international influences, pickling and curing all feature on the daily changing menu. The problem is what to choose, as everything is so appealing.”
Over in Co Clare, Vaughan's Anchor Inn is a “pleasant surprise” for diners.
“Locally sourced seafood underpins the cooking – when they have crab on the menu, go for it,” it advises. “The chips, which are steamed first and then fried in beef dripping, are also worth a special mention. Bright, contemporary bedrooms mean you can linger for longer should you wish.”
It concludes with Out of the Blue in Dingle, a “simple harbourside restaurant [that] keeps its focus firmly on ingredients that come from the sea”. The menu here is dictacted by the catch of the day, which impressed the Guide. “Menus, chalked up on the blackboards, are decided each morning, based on the latest local catch. Look out for the Dingle Bay lobster.”