Great-value Irish restaurants: Eight places to go for seafood

{…} And Chips

Unit 3, Castle House, Davitt’s Quay, Dungarvan, Co Waterford; 058-24498, andchips.ie

Perfectly cooked beef, dripping chips and spanking fresh fish form the backbone of the offerings at Eunice Power’s stylish chipper. Everything about the place is smart, from the beautiful chip box packaging to the vases of flowers filling the room. It almost makes fish and chips seem virtuous. For the vegetarians, there are Syrian flatbread with falafel, and burgers for the non-fish lovers. Joanne Cronin

Cush

By the Pier, Ballycotton, Co Cork; 021-4646768, cush.ie

Too often, the good value is reserved for lunchtime; but that’s not how local man Dan Guerin does things. At Cush, the three-course, €40 menu is also available in the evening, which is quite incredible, considering you’re likely to be eating some of the best fish in the country. Guerin’s classical training in high-end restaurants shines through in the precision of his cooking, but it never moves too far from allowing the integrity of the ingredients to do the talking. Corinna Hardgrave

Fish Shop

76 Benburb Street, Dublin 7; 01-5571473, fish-shop.ie

International chefs and food writers get off the plane in Dublin Airport and head straight for the high stools and marble counter tops in this compact 14-seater, which is more like a Barcelona tapas bar than the fish and chip shop it is billed as. Tucking into turbot in shatteringly crisp batter, with a glass of wine or grower Champagne from an impeccable list of 150 bottles, is something I could do, very happily, on a weekly basis. CH

Goldie

128 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork; 021-2398720, goldie.ie

Some chefs have originality in their bones, and it helps when your “whole catch” approach to menu planning is on the fly. Aishling Moore has the skill and agility to adapt to whatever fish has been landed by day boats, applying Josh Niland’s fin-to-tail philosophy to how she cooks. She brings singing flavours to the dishes she prepares and has plans to spread the word to the next generation, with a kids-eat-free deal on the first Wednesday of every month. CH

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Hooked

Unit 20, Barna Village Centre, Barna, Co Galway; 091-596623, hookedgalway.ie

Iranian-born owner Ali Jalilvand has a long history with fish. Starting out working on Galway trawlers, he has built up a series of businesses that celebrate the best of Irish seafood. Located in Barna, Hooked’s second outlet (the first is in Galway city centre) is bedecked in nautical motifs, and the fresh seafood sings. Try a bowl of Ali’s creamy seafood chowder or a zingy fish taco, followed by classic fish and chips, or a New Orleans inspired shrimp po’boy. JC

King Sitric

East Pier, Howth, Co Dublin; 01-832 5235, kingsitric.ie

Immediate questions are raised after dining here. Like, why aren’t more places serving locally caught fish, cooked simply, at an affordable price, and in a room where everyone feels comfortable? Dec and Sue MacManus are running the sort of restaurant that should be in every seaside town. Lobsters, shrimp, prawns and crab come direct from a handful of local boats, and there are few things more satisfying than tucking into messy food at an outside table. CH

Russell’s Bar & Eatery

Fiddle + Bow Hotel, Teergonean, Doolin, Co. Clare; 065-6700200, fiddleandbow.ie

Keeping it local at Russell’s means getting the catch of lobster and crab from the small boats that fish the Atlantic waters beneath the Cliffs of Moher. In this hip, laid-back restaurant, Viv Kelly keeps things simple with delicious chowder, fish and hand-cut chips, and a sizeable selection of meat and vegetarian options. CH

The Fish Box Dingle

Green Street, Dingle, Co Kerry; 087-602786, thefishboxdingle.com

Fish comes straight off the family boat, Cu na Mara, and lands in Micheál Flannery’s casual restaurant where much of the seating is under a heated stretch tent. You’ll find plenty of classic options such as seafood chowder, fish and chips, and pan-seared sole, as well as more Asian-influenced favourites including crispy chilli monkfish, the seafood spice box and seafood tacos. Veggie and vegan burrito bowls and a red Thai curry mean there’s something on the menu for everyone. There are plans to expand further in 2023. CH

Follow a link below to read the other sections of this guide

Corinna Hardgrave’s introduction

Twenty-three new places to eat

Fifteen places to go for a quick bite

Fourteen places to go for lunch

Eleven places to go for small plates

Thirteen places to go for dinner

Seven places to go for takeaway

Nine places to eat sustainably