Where to eat Irish Stew with Smithwick's in Kilkenny

4 editor picks for Irish Stew with Smithwick's in Kilkenny, ranked by editorial score. All Kilkenny signature dishes · Irish Stew with Smithwick's across every city.

  • Langton's Bar and Restaurant

    Order The hearty seafood chowder or the Baileys and brown bread gateau dessert. The Guinness pour is precise.

    Langton's on John Street is a Kilkenny institution, winner of Best Gastro Pub Kilkenny 2025, serving hearty Irish food and an extensive Irish whiskey list.

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  • Matt The Millers

    Order Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie; traditional Irish stew with brown bread.

    Matt The Millers on John Street combines live music every night with good pub food, the Kilkenny Red Ale beef pie a fitting local signature for the city.

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  • Billy Byrnes Gastro Bar

    Order Fresh fish and chips; the seasonal daily specials built from local suppliers are consistently strong.

    Billy Byrnes on John Street Upper is a Kilkenny social institution serving locals since the 1980s, a gastro bar with food, pints, live music, plus sport.

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  • Kyteler's Inn

    Order Traditional Irish stew or beef and Guinness pie; the Kyteler's own-brand Irish whiskey is worth a glass.

    Kyteler's Inn on St Kieran's Street connects to Kilkenny's 1324 distillation records.

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Make it at home

Serves 63 hrEasy

Ingredients

  • 1.2kg Irish lamb shoulder, cubed (or mutton for a deeper flavour)
  • 3 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil
  • 2 onions, roughly chopped
  • 3 large carrots, in 3cm chunks
  • 2 leeks, sliced thickly
  • 4 floury potatoes (Roosters or Kerr's Pinks), in 3cm chunks
  • 500ml Smithwick's Original Red Ale
  • 500ml lamb or beef stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Sea salt, black pepper

Method

  1. Toss lamb in seasoned flour. Heat oil in a heavy pot. Brown lamb hard in batches, 4 minutes per side. Set aside.
  2. Soften onions in the same pot for 8 minutes. Add tomato puree, cook 2 minutes.
  3. Return lamb. Pour in Smithwick's and bubble 4 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
  4. Add stock, bay, thyme, Worcestershire. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, cook 90 minutes.
  5. Add carrots and leeks. Cook 30 minutes covered.
  6. Add potato chunks. Cook 30 more minutes uncovered to let the stew reduce and the potatoes thicken the sauce.
  7. Check the lamb pulls apart with a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
  8. Scatter parsley. Serve with brown soda bread and a pint of Smithwick's alongside.

Editor tip. Mutton shoulder gives a deeper flavour than lamb if you can find it; ask the butcher and lengthen the simmer to 2 hours before adding root vegetables.