26 irish places in Cork we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Cork | Irish across every city.
Cork's Irish cooking runs from market-hall classics to bigger restaurant rooms, with the English Market quarter and Oliver Plunkett Street at its centre. Farmgate Cafe and Nash 19 work the produce-led, all-day side around Princes Street, while Market Lane on Oliver Plunkett Street and Greenes Restaurant on MacCurtain Street take a fuller dinner format. The thread tying them together is West Cork and English Market produce on the plate.
Greenes Restaurant ★ 4.3
MacCurtain Street (Victorian Quarter) · 48 MacCurtain Street, Cork, T23 AE52
Greenes on MacCurtain Street turns a waterfall-backed 18th-century warehouse into a farm-to-table dining room, with menus built on English Market sourcing.
Market Lane ★ 4.2
City Centre · 5-6 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, T12 T959
Two-floor Cork institution on Oliver Plunkett Street, open seven days with menus pulling directly from the English Market and an in-house coffee blend.
Nash 19 ★ 4.1
English Market Quarter · 19 Princes Street, Cork
A Cork daytime institution on Princes Street, steps from the English Market, that has run breakfast and lunch on the city's own rhythms since the 1990s.
Farmgate Cafe ★ 4.5
English Market Quarter · English Market, Princes Street, Cork
Perched above the English Market on its own gallery, the Farmgate Cafe serves Cork's most traditional dishes with produce bought from the stalls directly.
The Oyster Tavern ★ 3.9
English Market Quarter · 4 Market Lane, Cork
Two-floor tavern at the Market Lane entrance to the English Market, tracing its lineage to 1792 and revived in 2017 with menus built from market produce.
The Old Town Whiskey Bar at Bodega ★ 3.7
City Centre · 44-45 Cornmarket Street, Cork, T12 W27H
A Cork institution on Cornmarket Street that doubles as a whiskey bar and casual restaurant, with bottomless brunch on Saturdays and Sundays and an evening.
The River Club ★ 3.8
City Centre · Parliament Bridge, Cork
A split-level bar and grill room overlooking the Lee at Parliament Bridge, with a Robata charcoal grill driving the evening menu of local beef and seafood.
The Oliver Plunkett ★ 3.5
City Centre · 116 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, T12 P957
A landmark pub on Oliver Plunkett Street with live music seven nights a week and a kitchen running Irish pub food from morning through evening.
Hotel Isaacs Restaurant ★ 3.6
MacCurtain Street (Victorian Quarter) · 48 MacCurtain Street, Cork, T23 F6EK
The dining room of Hotel Isaacs shares its MacCurtain Street address with Greenes and draws a reliable local and hotel crowd for breakfast through dinner.
Cork and Fork Restaurant ★ 3.6
City Centre · Cork City Centre
A neighbourhood room in the city centre gaining a loyal following for its producer-direct sourcing and menus that rotate with the Irish agricultural calendar.
Market Lane ★ 4.2
City Centre · 5-6 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, T12 T959
Two-floor Cork institution on Oliver Plunkett Street seven days a week, with English Market menus and a house coffee blend made exclusively for the bar.
Nash 19 ★ 4.1
English Market Quarter · 19 Princes Street, Cork
Cork's most important daytime room on Princes Street, with breakfast and lunch menus running on a Cork rhythm since the 1990s. Freshly baked goods, seasonal.
Farmgate Cafe ★ 4.5
English Market Quarter · English Market, Princes Street, 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.
The Bodega ★ 3.7
City Centre · 44-45 Cornmarket Street, Cork, T12 W27H
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.
Liberty Grill ★ 3.7
City Centre · 32 Washington Street, Cork
A long-running Cork grill on Washington Street covering breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner in a relaxed all-day format. Irish beef and market fish are core.
Old Town Whiskey Bar ★ 3.7
City Centre · 44-45 Cornmarket Street, Cork, T12 W27H
The whiskey bar side of the Bodega building on Cornmarket Street, with a chosen Irish whiskey flight programme and a kitchen running pub classics until late.
Greenes Restaurant ★ 4.3
MacCurtain Street (Victorian Quarter) · 48 MacCurtain Street, Cork, T23 AE52
A converted waterfall-backed Cork warehouse on MacCurtain Street with menus built on English Market sourcing, local beef and seasonal Irish produce.
The Oliver Plunkett ★ 3.5
City Centre · 116 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, T12 P957
A live-music pub on Oliver Plunkett Street with a kitchen running traditional Irish pub food from breakfast through evening. Irish music sessions seven.
The Glass Curtain ★ 4.4
Thompson House, MacCurtain Street, Cork
Chef Brian Murray's Michelin Guide listed room inside the former Thompson's Bakery on MacCurtain Street, with a short menu of prime Irish produce cooked.
Greenes Restaurant ★ 4.3
48 MacCurtain Street, Cork, T23 AE52
A converted 18th-century warehouse on MacCurtain Street with a waterfall backdrop and a kitchen that brings English Market sourcing to a more formal setting.
The MET at The Metropole Hotel ★ 3.8
MacCurtain Street, Cork, T23 R24P
The Metropole Hotel's restaurant on MacCurtain Street with polished contemporary Irish cooking and a Munster-produce brief. The cocktail bar is Cork's best.
Isaac's Restaurant ★ 3.8
48 MacCurtain Street, Cork
A MacCurtain Street fixture in a Victorian warehouse setting, with a seasonal Irish menu that has sustained a loyal Cork clientele for over two decades.
Orchids at Hayfield Manor ★ 4.4
Hayfield Manor Hotel, Perrott Avenue, College Road, Cork, T12 HT97
Hayfield Manor's signature dining room is Cork city's most formal fine-dining option, with corniced ceilings overlooking the manor's private gardens.
English Market ★ 4.8
English Market Quarter · Grand Parade and Princes Street, Cork
The 1788 covered market at Cork's culinary heart, with stalls passed down through generations. Tom Durcan Meats and O'Flynn's Sausages are the anchor trades.
Nash 19 ★ 4.3
English Market Quarter · 19 Princes Street, Cork
A Cork institution for breakfast and lunch since 1993. Full Irish breakfasts and market-sourced lunches at prices that have remained accessible despite.
Farmgate Cafe ★ 4.5
English Market Quarter · English Market, Princes Street, Cork
Upstairs in the English Market, lunch dishes run €12-18 - moderate for the quality. The daily specials use what arrived from the market that morning.