30 restaurants worth the trip across Ireland, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Ireland guides.
Aniar ★ 4.9 · Galway
westend · 53 Lower Dominick Street, Galway, H91 V4DP
Aniar in Galway has held one Michelin star since 2012; JP McMahon serves tasting menus built on foraged herbs, cured west-coast fish and smoked meats.
Tip: Book Tuesday to Saturday evenings; closed Sunday and Monday.
Campagne ★ 4.9 · Kilkenny
medieval-mile · Gashouse Lane, Kilkenny
Campagne holds one Michelin star in the 2026 guide. Garrett Byrne has cooked with classical French technique at this level since opening in 2008.
Tip: Book three to four weeks ahead for Friday and Saturday dinner sittings. Walk-in at the bar occasionally possible.
Paradiso ★ 4.8 · Cork
South Mall and Lancaster Quay · 16 Lancaster Quay, Cork, T12 AR24
Denis Cotter opened Paradiso on Lancaster Quay in 1993 and it remains Ireland's most important vegetarian restaurant. Priced at €€€. At 16 Lancaster Quay.
The Pullman at Glenlo Abbey ★ 4.8 · Galway
salthill · Glenlo Abbey Hotel and Estate, Bushypark, Galway, H91 XD8K
The Pullman at Glenlo Abbey Galway earned its first Michelin star in 2026; Angelo Vagiotis serves seven Irish courses in two Orient Express carriages.
Tip: The Wednesday-Sunday dinner service allows a long three-hour meal; Glenlo Abbey grounds are worth arriving early to walk.
Lady Helen at Mount Juliet ★ 4.8 · Kilkenny
thomastown · Mount Juliet Estate, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, R95 E096
Lady Helen has held one Michelin star since 2013, chef John Kelly cooking modern Irish tasting menus at Mount Juliet Estate, 18km south of Kilkenny.
Tip: Overnight stays on the estate complete the experience; the house grounds and river walks are reward enough the next morning.
Miyazaki Japanese Takeaway ★ 4.7 · Cork
Barrack Street and The Lough · 1A Evergreen Street, Cork
Takashi Miyazaki's cash-only takeaway on Evergreen Street, run separately from his bistro, serves Fukuoka-style Japanese street food from a tiny kitchen.
Kai Restaurant ★ 4.7 · Galway
westend · 22 Sea Road, Galway, H91 DX47
Kai Restaurant in Galway earned a Michelin Green Star in 2024; Jess Murphy posts a daily-changing menu from the Murphys Moycullen farm each morning.
Tip: Lunch is walk-in only from Tuesday to Saturday; dinner reservations are essential.
Goldie ★ 4.6 · Cork
City Centre · 128 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, T12 X5P8
Michelin Bib Gourmand seafood bistro on Oliver Plunkett Street, where the daily menu changes with the West Cork day-boat catch. The fin-to-gill approach.
Etto ★ 4.6 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 18 Merrion Row, Dublin 2, D02 A316
Etto on Merrion Row in Dublin, Liz Matthews and Simon Barrett's Italian-leaning Bib Gourmand wine bar, the city's best by-the-glass list at the counter.
Tip: Three counter seats by the open kitchen are first-come; the rest is reservation. Book through the website not OpenTable.
Delahunt ★ 4.6 · Dublin
portobello · 39 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2, D02 K277
Delahunt on Camden Street in Dublin, Darren Free's modern Irish dining room with head chef Dermot Staunton inside a restored Joycean grocer.
Tip: Friday and Saturday book three weeks ahead. The upstairs bar serves the full menu and is the walk-up option.
Fish Shop ★ 4.6 · Dublin
stoneybatter · 76 Benburb Street, Dublin 7, D07 N5WX
Fish Shop on Benburb Street in Stoneybatter, Peter and Jumoke Hogan's sit-down chipper, the most refined fish and chips and oysters in Dublin.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive 17:30 Thursday to Saturday to get a counter seat before the line forms.
Darog Wine Bar ★ 4.6 · Galway
westend · 56 Lower Dominick Street, Galway, H91 K225
Darog in Galway holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand; owner Zsolt Lukacs won the 2025 UK and Ireland Sommelier Award for this natural wine bar on Dominick Street.
Tip: Get there early on weekends; the small room fills quickly after 19:00.
Farmgate Cafe ★ 4.5 · Cork
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.
Pichet ★ 4.5 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 14-15 Trinity Street, Dublin 2, D02 T998
Pichet on Trinity Street in Dublin, Stephen Gibson's red-canopied French bistro, Bib Gourmand since 2010 and the city's most reliable pre-theatre.
Tip: Lunch at noon is the easy book; pre-theatre at 17:30-18:30 sets you up for the Gaiety. Avoid the back room for two.
Spitalfields ★ 4.5 · Dublin
the-liberties · 25 The Coombe, Dublin 8, D08 YV07
Spitalfields on The Coombe in Dublin's Liberties, a Michelin Bib Gourmand pub-set kitchen serving the city's most considered classical Irish menu.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday dinner only, 17:00-21:00. Walk through the public bar and ask for the back dining room.
Uno Mas ★ 4.5 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 6 Aungier Street, Dublin 2, D02 WN47
Uno Mas on Aungier Street in Dublin, an all-Spanish Bib Gourmand wine and small-plates room from the Etto team, the south side's most precise tapas.
Tip: The counter seats turn fastest; if the website shows no tables, ask if the bar is open. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Borgo ★ 4.5 · Dublin
stoneybatter · 162-165 Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7, D07 RX3P
Borgo on Phibsborough Road in Dublin 7, Sean Crescenzi and Jamie McCarthy's neighbourhood osteria, a 2026 Bib Gourmand inside a former bank room.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday dinner; the early window at 17:30 is the easier book. The bar counter sits four for walk-ins.
BIGFAN ★ 4.5 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 16 Aungier Street, Dublin 2, D02 X044
BIGFAN on Aungier Street in Dublin, a Michelin Bib Gourmand 2026 Chinese and Taiwanese small-plates room, paper-and-pencil ordering, bao to xiao chi.
Tip: No bookings before 17:00 Monday to Thursday. The Friday and Saturday afternoon window from 14:00 is when walking in still works.
Pickle ★ 4.5 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 43 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2, D02 N998
Pickle on Camden Street in Dublin, Sunil Ghai's modern Indian dining room running North Indian classics on Irish produce since 2015, tandoor-forward.
Tip: Tuesday to Sunday dinner; lunch Friday to Sunday only. Sit at the kitchen counter to watch the tandoor.
Oscar's Seafood Bistro ★ 4.5 · Galway
westend · 22-23 Upper Dominick Street, Galway, H91 P6T8
Oscar's Seafood Bistro in Galway champions under-used Atlantic species; chef Michael O'Meara sources sustainably from local West of Ireland trawlers.
Tip: Reservations are confirmed by phone or email only; plan ahead for weekend evenings.
Arán Artisan Bakery and Bistro ★ 4.5 · Kilkenny
barrack-street · 8 Barrack Street, Kilkenny, R95 YF30
Arán on Barrack Street is the most-awarded brunch address in Kilkenny, winner of Ireland's Best Brunch at the Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards.
Tip: Closed Tuesday. Last brunch orders at 15:15. Private evening dining available with advance notice.
The Glass Curtain ★ 4.4 · Cork
MacCurtain Street (Victorian Quarter) · Thompson House, MacCurtain Street, Cork
Chef Brian Murray opened The Glass Curtain in the former Thompson's Bakery on MacCurtain Street in 2019. Heartily portioned mains built around prime Irish.
Ichigo Ichie Bistro ★ 4.4 · Cork
City Centre · 5 Sheares Street, Cork, T12 RY7Y
Takashi Miyazaki remade his former Michelin-starred kaiseki room as an approachable Japanese bistro and natural wine bar on Sheares Street in 2024.
Lottie's ★ 4.4 · Dublin
ranelagh-ballsbridge · 7-9 Rathgar Road, Dublin 6, D06 R971
Lottie's on Rathgar Road in Rathmines, Dublin, a Michelin Bib Gourmand neighbourhood brasserie holding the south-side family Sunday since 2023.
Tip: Book the back garden room for two. Sunday from 12:30 fills with prams; Tuesday is the room at its quietest.
Amy Austin ★ 4.4 · Dublin
south-city-centre · Unit 1, Dublin 2
Amy Austin on Drury Street in Dublin, a thirty-seat Bib Gourmand wine bar inside the car-park entrance, sixteen wines on tap and small plates.
Tip: Walk-ins only Monday to Thursday from 17:00. Dog friendly; the back banquette holds four for late.
Forêt ★ 4.4 · Dublin
ranelagh-ballsbridge · 8/9 Sussex Terrace, Dublin 4, D04 KN82
Forêt on Sussex Terrace in Dublin 4, John and Sandy Wyer's classical French bistro upstairs from M. O'Brien's, a 2026 Bib Gourmand sister to Forest Avenue.
Tip: Walk up from the Sussex Terrace door; the bistro is on the first floor. Wednesday to Saturday only.
The Winding Stair ★ 4.4 · Dublin
north-inner-city · 40 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1
The Winding Stair on Ormond Quay in Dublin 1, Elaine Murphy's upstairs dining room above the bookshop overlooking the Ha'penny Bridge and the Liffey.
Tip: Window seats face the Ha'penny Bridge; book three weeks ahead for the four river-view tables. Walk through the bookshop and up.
Brother Hubbard South ★ 4.4 · Dublin
south-city-centre · 46 Harrington Street, Dublin 8, D08 YFN7
Brother Hubbard South on Harrington Street in Dublin 8, Garrett FitzGerald and James Boland's sit-down Middle Eastern room and the all-day brunch reference.
Tip: Walk-in only Saturday morning; the queue starts at 09:30. Bookings open Sunday to Friday on the website.
Host ★ 4.4 · Dublin
ranelagh-ballsbridge · 29 Ranelagh, Dublin 6, D06 V2W1
Host on Ranelagh Village in Dublin 6 is a small open-kitchen room of Mediterranean small plates, hand-rolled pasta and charcoal-grilled cuts.
Tip: Communal seating; dinner Wednesday to Sunday with weekend lunch added. Bookings open sixty days out.
Ard Bia at Nimmos ★ 4.4 · Galway
spanish-arch · Spanish Arch, Long Walk, Galway, H91 X3CP
Ard Bia at Nimmos is Galway's most moody venue at the Spanish Arch, serving North African-influenced Irish menus in a medieval stone building.
Tip: Weekend brunch without a reservation is fine; dinner sittings fill quickly so book ahead.