Is Ireland the new food capital of Europe?

If someone read the above headline out loud to me 20 years ago, I would have howled with laughter. Now, I think I can confidently argue that we at least are on the medal podium. The food scene across the country has exploded with influences from across the globe but holding a distinctly Irish core.

I wanted to list some restaurants and gastropubs where I have had incredible dinners over the past few years. I am starting with the expensive stuff. I mean EXPENSIVE. There are a few much cheaper gems further down the list.

Aldridge Lodge, Duncannon, Wexford

Experience: fine dining but a LOT cheaper than others on this page
Price: $$

This amazing out of the way restaurant near the village of Duncannon has been wowing diners for years now. The menu very much depends on what’s in season, but specialties of the talented chef, Billy Whitty, include Bluebell Falls goat-cheese mousse; beef filet with cauliflower puree; and wild venison with hazelnuts. Find where it is, book in advance and thank me after.

Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen — Dublin

Experience: Elite fine dining
Price: $$$$

One of Ireland’s most celebrated restaurants. Elegant, artistic, and meticulous — the tasting menus combine French technique with Irish ingredients. It’s a polished dining room experience where service is almost theatrical. 2 Michelin Stars. Tasting menu at dinner runs at about $250 per person. This is the jewel in the crown of fine dining Ireland. Remortgage your house and go.

Aniar — Galway

Aniar

Experience: Modern Irish tasting menu
Price: $$$

Chef JP McMahon built Aniar around the concept of West of Ireland terroir — using wild and local ingredients, foraging, and traditional preservation methods like curing and fermenting. This is the taste of the West.

Ballymaloe House Restaurant — County Cork

Experience: Classic Irish country house dining
Price: $$$

A legendary restaurant that helped shape modern Irish cooking. It’s built around produce from nearby farms and the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School tradition. I loved my day in Ballymaloe. Also take a stroll around Ballycotton before dinner.

The Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel, Tipperary

Experience: Michelin-star elegance
Price: $$$

The Cashel Palace is the most luxurious of stays in Ireland, under the Rock of Cashel. The Palladian grandeur is almost overwhelmed by the strength of the food served in the Buttery in the Basement. Refined, delicate and carefully presented. This is a 3 hour experience. If you aren’t staying in the Palace which I recommend then before you dine, you might want to think of a stroll up to the Rock to work up an appetite.

Mikey Ryan’s, Cashel, Tipperary

Mikey Ryan’s

Experience: Classic pub vibes but with elevated food.
Price: $$

Cashel Palace offers a more reasonable alternative. At the grant gate to the luxurious hotel is Mikey Ryan’s an upscale pub and restaurant. If the Buttery is a little stuffy or too expensive this might be more your style. Not cheap but more casual, Mikey’s is a fantastic pub in itself but add the tables at the back and an easy way from the staff and you have a fantastic night of food.

The Pullman Restaurant — Galway

The Pullman

Experience: Dinner in an Orient Express carriage
Price: $$$

Located at Glenlo Abbey just outside Galway city, guests dine inside restored vintage Orient Express train carriages — one of the most unique dining experiences in Ireland. Filmed there in 2025 just before they picked up their first Michelin star. Perfect for a refined romantic evening.

Lobster Pot, Carne, Wexford

Experience: Warm welcome, warm comfort food.
Price: $$

Absolutely love the place. The comfort and relaxed atmosphere draws you in and the locally sourced seafood makes you stay. Lobster, mussels, chowder is the vibe. If you are in the SouthEast it is a must stop.

Moran’s Oyster Cottage — County Galway

Experience: Traditional seafood pub
Price: $$

A 250-year-old oyster cottage overlooking Galway Bay. Simple, perfect seafood — oysters, crab, chowder, brown bread. I am a recent convert to Oysters on the shell. Can’t get enough of them.

Fishy Fishy — Kinsale

Fishy Fishy

Experience: Casual seafood restaurant
Price: $$

Run by celebrity Irish chef Martin Shanahan, this is one of the best places in Ireland for simply cooked fish. You are spoiled for choice in Kinsale but you can’t go wrong here.

The Woollen Mills — Dublin

Woolen Mills, Dublin

Experience: Modern Irish comfort food
Price: $$

Near the Ha’penny Bridge, this restaurant reimagines traditional Irish dishes — lamb stew, soda bread, seafood chowder. Hard to find reasonably priced food in Dublin but here and its sister restaurant The Winding Stair are great for solid Irish food.

Brother Hubbard’s, Dublin

Experience: Casual, people watching, tasty
Price: $$

This place is great for a fantastic Irish breakfast. Definite Moroccan influences. Excellent vegetarian and gluten free options. I love the coffee and pastries here. For sure, this is the spot if you stayed out in the pubs too late the night before. Amazing hangover food……..not that I have even needed that, of course.