Blackrock Cottage
Blackrock House, Salthill Promenade, Galway; blackrockcottage.ie
Blackrock Cottage is a bit of a tardis, appearing small on the outside but opening out inside. Stretch your legs on Salthill promenade or take a bracing dip in the foaming waters before enjoying Martin O’Donnell’s hearty food and well-chosen wine list. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Read our review here. Joanne Cronin
Cava Bodega
Middle Street Mews, 1 Middle Street, Galway; 091-539884, cavarestaurant.ie
It’s hard to believe that Cava Bodega has been around for 15 years. This Spanish tapas and wine bar from Galway duo JP McMahon and Drigin Gaffey is constantly delivering new dishes and wines, along with the classics, using the best Irish ingredients, such as octopus pincho or rack of lamb with baby gem lettuce and St Tola cheese. JC
Éan
Druid Lane, Galway; 091-374154, eangalway.com
In a stylish room with an equally beautiful menu, tasty bites such as squid toast, beef tartare and devilled egg with smoked eel are just what you want to be tucking into while working through the natural and organic wine list. With Loam closed, owner Enda McEvoy is spending more time in the kitchen here and the focus, as ever, is on using organically grown local produce and cooking it judiciously. Read our review here. Corinna Hardgrave
Kai
22 Sea Road, Galway; 091-526003, kairestaurant.ie
Jess Murphy and her husband Dave landed a Michelin green star for their farm-to-fork menu in their light-flooded convivial restaurant in 2022. They take a circular, sustainable approach, so surplus potatoes from the restaurant find their way down to their Hapi Bakery where they’re used for wild garlic potato focaccia, which lands back up on the menu in Kai. Local produce is key and is included in dishes such as Aran Island crab, mackerel on the bone and fig leaf gelato. Read our review here. CH
Lignum
Slatefort House, Bullaun; 087-3300559 lignum.ie
Danny Africano doesn’t sit still, and is constantly innovating and adding to the line-up of Irish-Nordic dishes on the tasting menu of this spectacular restaurant where most of the food is cooked on an Argentinian grill. It’s a surprise menu, which always brings a sense of formality, but the young team, led by restaurant manager Molly Keane, ensures that the experience is fun. Read our review here. CH
Little Fish
Cleggan, Connemara; 087-9603735
Starting out in a food truck in Letterfrack last year, Tom Mullan and Eva Caulwell have moved to premises in Cleggan. The concise menu adapts to what fish is landed but always includes fish and chips, buffalo prawns, calamari spice bag and their fish burger, along with some daily specials such as Killary mussels, crab nachos, chip butties and oysters. There’s a small selection of wines and outdoor seating on picnic benches and stools for sunny days. CH
Misunderstood Heron
Leenane, Co Galway; 083-0244203, misunderstoodheron.com
The Heron, as its loyal followers call it, is a “wild outdoor eatery” on the edge of Killary Fjord, where Rose O’Toole’s “bangin” menu with Middle Eastern and South American influences changes daily. Whether beetroot and goat’s cheese croquettes or Toulouse sausages and chimichurri on sourdough, it all tastes better outside. A new South American-style weekend barbecue is going to seriously ramp up the fun here, with full-animal roasts and serious tunes. CH
POTA Café
An Tulach, Baile na hAbhann; 085-7566963, potacafe.com
Aran Island crab cakes with organic Garraí Glas leaves couldn’t taste more beautiful than when you’re tucking into them in Diarmuid Ó Mathúna’s charming cafe just minutes from Rossaveal Harbour. Ballymaloe-trained, Ó Mathúna sees to every detail here, using local produce in dishes such as goat’s cheese quiche, sourdough toasties with shoulder of bacon and Ros an Mhíl chowder. Read our review here. Read our review here. CH
[ Five of the best restaurants for pasta in IrelandOpens in new window ]
Rúibín
1-2 Dock Road, Galway; 091-399200, ruibin.ie
Rúibín is truly a gem in a city full of good dining choices. Split over two levels in a beautiful old stone building, owners Alice Jary and Richard Kennan have created a restaurant that is just lovely. Think fried pig cheek with date and habanero ketchup, halibut poached in buttermilk, or roast celeriac with rose harissa, with an extensive wine list available. Read our review here. JC
The Gourmet Offensive
52 Newcastle Road, Galway; 091-373758, tgo.ie
Having started with a falafel stall at Galway markets, The Gourmet Offensive offers plant-based street food from its small premises. Owners Flo and Eileen have a strong passion for vibrant, nourishing and healthy food made with the freshest ingredients. Enjoy the OG falafels, shawarma seitan kebab or arancini salad. JC
The Owenmore Restaurant at Ballynahinch Castle
Recess, Connemara; 095-31006, ballynahinchcastle.com
It’s wonderful to see chef Danni Barry back at a restaurant helm and doubly so when it’s at the atmospheric Ballynahinch Castle. The restaurant has beautiful views overlooking the Owenmore river, a perfect setting for Barry’s seasonal, sensitive cooking, delivered with the lightest of touches. She is working closely with the head gardener so that the walled garden is being reinvigorated to provide ingredients for the kitchen. JC
Wá Sushi
13 New Dock Street, Galway; 091-895850, wacafe.net
Chef-owner Yoshimi Hayakawa, who came to Ireland in 2001, sold sushi in Galway Market before finding her own space to showcase her skills—and sushi devotees travel from far and wide to sample her offerings. Lunch is a casual menu of sushi, gyoza and seaweed noodle salad; dinner is where it gets serious, with an omakase/tasting menu of what they’ve termed “Galway-Mae sushi”, a combination of traditional Edomae-style sushi techniques using locally caught fish and ingredients from the west of Ireland. LC
