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County Cork: food capital
Cork is where it’s at when it comes to food. This is a county that has spearheaded Ireland’s food revolution, and the city is buzzing with great restaurants, craft beer pubs and one of the best food markets in Europe. In terms of produce, you’re in good hands, with refined artisan cheese, smoked fish, cured meats and fresh seafood.
According to Barbara Nealon, owner of Kinsale’s Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Saint Francis Provisions, Cork is one of the best places in Ireland for ingredients. “What drew me to Cork and Kinsale were the growers and the producers,” she says. “The county is a hub of cheese, of charcuterie, with all these amazing growers. It’s a beautiful, fertile place with a food culture that’s connected at the source.”
With Michelin-starred restaurants, relaxed gastro pubs, excellent beach-eats and world-class markets, Cork is thriving, so bring your appetite and get stuck in…
Dede, Baltimore, West Cork
Dede
1. The restaurants
You don’t have to look far in Cork for a seriously good food experience. After all, this is a city that’s home to one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Europe: Café Paradiso. Chef Dennis Cotter sources his produce from a farm just outside the city, giving the food a real sense of spontaneity – it’s beloved of veggies and carnivores alike. Another great bet is the Farmgate Café, which sources ingredients from the English Market, which it calls home.
An unmissable experience at the heart of the English Market, the Farmgate is perched on a balcony overlooking the food stalls below.
Lonely Planet
Cork city’s compact size means everywhere is within reach – visit Goldie for great seafood, try The Glass Curtain for seasonal-focused tasting menus, and Sonflour for Italian-inspired dishes.
Outside the city, Cork offers a bounty of excellent places to eat. Ones not to miss include The Trawler Boyz in Ballycotton, Cush in Middleton and Dede in Baltimore, which boasts two Michelin stars. And for a true culinary adventure, Kinsale – a town fuelled by a love of food – is a must. As well as a great food tour, a mead distillery and sea angling trips, the restaurants here are second-to-none. Eat fresh seafood at Fishy Fishy Café, enjoy great hospitality and creative cooking at Saint Francis Provisions or go upscale with fine dining at Rare and Bastion.
The English Market, Cork city
Andrew Bradley
2. The English Market
Step through the front gate of the English Market and you’ll be treated to delicious flavours at every turn.
Cork’s huge covered food market is widely regarded as one of the best food markets in Europe and epitomises the very essence of Cork’s thriving culinary scene.
Time Out
From cheeses to chocolates, fish to fruit and veg, this is a one-of-a-kind destination that proudly takes its place among the best food markets in Europe. Standing in the centre of the city since 1788, it’s a real riot of gorgeous gastronomic delights – walk the stalls, chat to the traders, and try out the flavours that define this city.
Beyond the city, Midleton Farmers’ Market, held every Saturday, is one of the most famous on the island of Ireland, while you’ll also find buzzy farmers’ markets in Bantry, Clonakilty and Schull.
Macroom Buffalo Farm Tour, County Cork
Courtesy Fáilte Ireland
3. The produce
Cork’s culinary pedigree is well established in Ireland – there's a reason it’s often known as the food capital of the island. This is a county from which a truly astounding array of excellent artisanal produce has emerged over the years, particularly from the pure waters, craggy hills and green pastures of West Cork.
Skeaghanore duck meat is tender, tasty and succulent and its skin roasts to crispy perfection.
Good Food Ireland
Feast on an array of farmhouse cheeses from the likes of Gubbeen, Durrus, Milleens and Macroom; enjoy smoked delights from the Woodcock Smokery, Frank Hederman, and the Ummera Smokehouse; and try some Clonakilty Black Pudding in the very town that created it. Keep an eye out also for Skeaghanore Duck, O’Connaill Chocolate, and Kinsale Mead – it’s no wonder Cork has the reputation of being a gastronome’s paradise.
Ballymaloe Cookery School, County Cork
4. The food experiences
Step outside the city to find a wonderful array of food experiences – after all, this is where Ireland’s food revolution started in the 70s with a wealth of artisan cheese producers changing the way we look at food. Everywhere you go in the county, there’s somewhere excellent to visit – from smoking courses and harvesting workshops at Woodcock Smokery to short cookery courses and demonstrations at the world-renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in Midleton.
For decades, the Allens’ restaurant and country inn, Ballymaloe House, has helped pave the way for a kind of revolution, a return to the Irish food of a time long before modern fast food invaded.
New York Times
One of the most popular food trails in Cork city itself is the Cork Tasting Trail with Fab Food Tours, which brings guests to little off-the-beaten-track food haunts as well as the more well-known English Market. Don’t miss Kinsale Food Tours, which showcase the culinary side of this super-charming seaside town, or get to know Cork’s daily culture a little better on a tour of Macroom Buffalo Farm.
Franciscan Well Brewery & Brewpub, Cork city
Courtesy Fáilte Ireland
5. The beers
This is a county that favours its own beers and stouts, and you’ll quickly find that a pint of the Black Stuff isn’t quite as popular in Cork as you might think. Instead, Cork’s distinct brewing heritage is anchored by Murphy’s and Beamish, two iconic Irish stouts that can trace their history back over 150 years.
I would definitely recommend [Franciscan Well] to anyone staying in Cork. Their beer is great and the atmosphere is so relaxed.
Cailin83, TripAdvisor
While traditional porter remains popular, the craft beer scene is forging ahead with tasty new brews. The Franciscan Well Brewery is founded on the site of an old Franciscan Monastery from 1219, and in their brewpub you can taste their Blarney Blonde, Rebel Red and Shandon Stout. Around the city, keep your eyes open for other new Cork brews from the Eight Degrees Brewing Company, or drop into the microbreweries of Rising Sons and Elbow Lane.
