Farmgate Cafe is a traditional irish restaurant in English Market Quarter, Cork.
Perched above the English Market on its own gallery, with produce bought from the stalls below each morning. Tripe, drisheen and soda bread are the anchors.
Must order: Tripe and drisheen; Cork's native offal dish prepared as the city has always eaten it.
Tip: Arrive before noon or after 13:30 to get a table; the gallery fills quickly at peak lunch.
Address: English Market, Princes Street, Cork
Cork's smokehouse and nano-brewery on Oliver Plunkett Street, with ribs, brisket and wood-grilled meats matched to in-house beers made to German Purity Law.
Order: Slow smoked baby back ribs with house-brewed pale ale; the ribs need the full smoke time, so arrive by 19:30.
Tip: Book a table; the room is small and the regulars know when to show up.
Cork's most decorated burger counter, with Aberdeen Angus beef freshly minced daily and a monthly-rotating special alongside the classic smash format.
Order: Classic smash burger with Aberdeen Angus beef minced daily and hand-cut fries.
Tip: Queue forms early at lunchtime on Fridays; the monthly special sells out mid-week.
Takashi Miyazaki's cash-only takeaway on Evergreen Street, running a tight Tuesday to Sunday lunchtime and evening service. The kitchen is tiny, the queue.
Order: Tonkatsu or ramen; both are prepared to a standard that would hold in Japan.
Tip: Cash only; no cards accepted. Open 13:00 to 15:30 and 17:00 to 21:00; closed Monday.
A converted riverside warehouse with over thirty-five food and drink vendors, running Korean street food, Venezuelan arepas, Brazilian churrasco, Italian.
Order: Korean fried chicken from the Korean stall; the heat level is honest and the portions are generous.
Tip: Go on a weekday lunchtime for a shorter queue at the most popular stalls.
A daytime room behind Brown Thomas on Caroline Street, winner of Best Brunch Destination at the Georgina Campbell Irish Food and Hospitality Awards 2025.
Order: Weekend brunch plate with house granola and seasonal fruit; Best Brunch Destination at the Georgina Campbell 2025 awards.
Tip: Book a table for weekend brunch; walk-in seats are rare from 10:30 on Saturdays.
A Cornmarket Street anchor with a serious whiskey list and a kitchen that runs from evening through late at night on weekdays and bottomless brunch weekends.
Order: Weekend bottomless brunch with Irish whiskey on the side; a Cork institution on its busiest days.
Tip: Bottomless brunch runs Saturday and Sunday noon to 16:00; book ahead.
