The Belleek Castle looks a bit like fairy tales. After crossing a huge fortified gate, you travel…read moreseveral hundred meters in a large wooded park to finally appearing at the corner of a bend, placed on a hill, a castle with gray hues contrasting incredibly with a grass of a green not found. Crossing the front door, you are immersed in a world that oscillates between the medieval armor, the remains of eighteenth century ships used to make the bar, chandeliers and buffets that would not demerit in the most beautiful museums. The restaurant is in the same style though a bit more rustic. It is true that the castle is regularly busy for weddings or seminars. So you need solid! Paul Doran is a well-informed amateur, almost enlightened by his obsession of beautiful bottles. He has a superb cellar that would make many sommeliers green with envy. The list is longer than the Nile, with multiple international variations. In addition, our owner does not force the sale since he guided me to a bottle, a Pinot noir Rochioli 2013, much cheaper than the one I had originally chosen, a 2012 Sonoma Pinot Noir Kosta Brown Coast. And as we sympathized, he offered me in the middle of the meal to open my first choice to taste it! We ended up sampling a Château d'Yquem 1997. Do I really have to comment? !! But back to the plate, that was our first reason to come here. When I informed our landlady that we were going to dinner at Belleek Castle, her billiard-eyed eyes made me understand its reputation for excellent food was well established. The breads are really excellent. Particularly this "soda bread" which is made not with yeast but with baking soda and milk "ribot". It is accompanied by brioche bread for those who want lighter to start. As an appetizer, a few slices of smoked beef with mushroom mayonnaise and cucumber. It's pretty thin. It is unfortunate that the slice of cucumber is too thick and without any seasoning. The other elements are worked and it is a little rough in the middle of others. As a starter, chef David O'Donnell uses local "fuel", turf, to smoke a piece of lamb. It's good but we would like a little more strength. Either the turf does not give a particular taste, and in this case, as much smoked with conventional wood, or while the meat should be smoked a little longer. This starter is very good but less original than expected. The scallops are presented with a crumbled crab and mussels. The first are perfectly cooked, neither the crab nor the mussels come to encroach on their fine taste. The few branches of dill bring a welcome herbaceous power. And some caviar grains more. We start the tough part with drunk beef at Jameson. Impressive (and funny) preparation of a beef tenderloin stuck on an authentic fifteenth-century sword made in Taiwan. The waiter dramatically blazes at Jameson whiskey. This "service en salle" is like you don't often see! The deer fillet is perfectly cooked, "rosé" and very tender. Country accompaniment of vegetables. Fortunately we are spared the evergreen potatoes that invade Irish dishes too often. Beautiful Pavlova with wild red fruits for dessert. It is therefore a beautiful discovery that this Belleek Castle, with a very pleasant atmosphere, a little outdated but I love it. I will return one day to discover the rooms. Do not hesitate to take a tour before or after your meal at the bar. It is made of ship recovery wood and is shaped like a quarter-deck. Apart from the radiator that detonates a bit, the owner has created an atmosphere out of time. Thanks again to Paul Doran for welcoming us and having some of his beautiful bottles tasted. A little inconvenience, the chef is a little rigid on the menu service schedules. Very reasonable addition of 219,50 euros for 2. I do not integrate the two glasses of Yquem extra.

Definitely stop here if you are in the area. The castle has ten bedrooms for those that want to…read morestay overnight and a wonderful bar and restaurant. We stopped in to have a drink and really enjoyed the experience. Excellent way to end our day.

THE BROKEN JUG…read more "Situated in the heart of Ballina this extensive pub is really warm, welcoming and cosy. Providing the very best in food and drink, their carvery lunches are superb. A haven for the tourist or the weary shopper the Broken Jug is also very popular with the younger age group. The friendly and efficient staff will make your visit here truly memorable." The opening paragraph comes courtesy of the Broken Jug itself, a pub cum eatery in the Co. Mayo town. It is warm and friendly but the bare timber furniture and backless seating is more for the "younger age group"! The restaurant section is a shade more comfortable and the food is very good, the service friendly and efficient and the prices reasonable. The other night, I started with a magnificent chowder, very very tasty (indeed one of the best I've come across) and not suffocated with cream as happened in a Cork venue recently. Main course was a lasagne. It was almost top class, and would have been but for it being a little overdone in the heating which made some of the edges too hard. Overall though - the cheese and mincemeat were excellent - it was a fine dish, served with chips and an undressed well mixed salad. Dessert, there were about five choices, was homemade apple tart with cream and, yes, the apple was real chunky stuff, just the way I like it. I have given it four stars but three and half would be more like it - if you're over forty! For more on Mayo trip see: http://swissroll07.blogspot.com/

One of my usual spots for a quick carvery lunch during a working day in Ballina. Enter off…read moreO'Rahilly St and up some sets of steps. Carvery directly in front of you with a typed menu on display is you can't make out what's on offer. Have always had tasty food there and good mash. Portions for those not on a diet usually which is great to see. Busy lunch venue but plenty of seating.

After discovering that the Ice House restaurant was all booked up, we walked down the river road to…read moreget to Crockett's. It's what I tend do think of when I think of an Irish pub -- dark wood, etc. We ended up being seated in a room away from the bar, which was fine, but it was also in a room that was playing some...out of context music. For example, hearing 50 Cent's "In da Club" was not expected. Perhaps it was really "In da Pub." Food was good - not exceptional, but good. My seafood chowder was a nice medium broth with mostly fish, but good sea food flavor, and seemed thickened with potato for accuracy. Served with some super dense brown bread which was great dipped in the soup. Fish and chips were a very generous cod fillet in nice crispy batter. The fish was tasty, well cooked, and the batter wasn't too greasy or soggy. Chips were good, but didn't have much of any flavor. Maybe not the best potatoes? Others commented that their salmon was...OK. Fried brie (what could possibly be wrong with that) was reported as excellent, as was a special Cajun chicken terrine starter. Service was a little slow, but we weren't in a hurry. I don't know how to adjust my service expectations for here vs. the US, but it sounds like it's just a slower pace, and that's fine. They were just starting trivia (the pen and paper kind, too, none of this automated electronic scoring stuff) when we left about 10pm, but we left as we figured it might be over the heads of two Americans, a German, a Dane, and an Englishman. Would I come back? Yes. There are other good looking things on the menu to try, but there are also some other spots in town I'll probably try first. But certainly nothing bad here.

I eat there with family on Sunday (St Patrick's Day), food and service is top class, Staff and…read moreManagement were so friendly and helpful, treated us like VIP's, always topped our table with mi wadi and water, never had to ask it was done, decor was very inviting, definitely a well deserved 5 star rating, would recommend people from across Ireland and the globe to eat in this fabulous Gastro Pub &Restaurant, would recommend Gordon Ramsay to eat there too, I think he would be blowing away, food was absolutely wonderful. I will definitely be eating there again, well done to all staff and management, very efficient and fast service and very reasonable. Just blown away.

Sage was by far the best meal we had in Ireland over our two week trip. We Had a 5:30 reservation…read moreso we used the Early Bird 3 Course Meal offering. I started with Killary mussels (which were the best I've ever eaten) and my wife had the micro green salad (which was excellent). For entrees, I had the Beef Cheeks which were incredible (think short ribs) and my wife had the Sea Trout. Both were perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. Both were served with side vegetables that were the perfect accompaniments. We finished with the chocolate mousse and baklava desserts. I thought the chocolate mousse was the best I've ever had. We also enjoyed a bottle of The Chocolate Block red blend wine from South Africa that a pub owner down the street had told us to try. All in all it was a magical meal. Service was outstanding. Don't skip this place if you get the chance.

Reservations are required, for a reason. If you are visiting Westport, put Sage on your list. The…read moremenu and meal is a fun adventure of flavor and passion. I started with the soup of the day, a split pea, it was very good. For the main course I have the stuffed cod. It was a great blend of seafood and vegetables with a side of potatoes and greens. For desert, it was the most unique and beautiful tiramisu.

The dinner was FANTASTIC! They were the only restaurant still serving at 9pm on a Wednesday but we…read moreabsolutely lucked out. We both had steak - incredible! And the baked Alaska + chocolate soufflé for dessert were top notch. Not to mention, the service was wonderful. I wish we were staying longer - we'd definitely be back again!

Worth a detour! The…read moreCottage Restaurant just happened to be near the country house my family rented. Located in quaint little Jamestown, it's set alongside the river, with cows grazing alongside the bank. To call it idyllic doesn't quite capture -- it's ridiculously charming. I emailed to secure a booking a few weeks before as we had 6 adults and a child for a Friday evening -- they replied quickly and we were all set. We showed at our appointed time and were shown to a lovely nearly private table in the back room. All very smooth. My husband proclaimed "Best Meal in Ireland." (and he's eaten many after traveling/living there on and off for several years). And I must concur. A standout -- the Kids Menu! None of this garbage food to be found (chicken nuggets, etc). My son ate beef noodles fit for a king for about 6 euro. Unreal, it was so good my brother and husband were both sneaking bites of it. If you have kids, they shall not be disappointed here and you will not feel guilty giving them yet another plate of chips and grease! The Adult food was also exceptional! The duck was glorious! The steak a vision! There was not a miss in the bunch, and the complimentary starter and fresh made in-house bread basket was divine. A Malaysian Chef doing things up right over here in small town Ireland. A treat to be sure. If you are anywhere near -- make this a destination for your next dinner. One funny thing (which is totally fine) -- it may be the only eating/drinking establishment that does NOT serve Guinness. Totally ok for me, and it forced my dad to try some local brew, but worth nothing if you have any grumpy Guinness folks in the group! This ENTIRE amazing meal was 250 euros. This included wine, drinks, beers, multiple courses and a very happy kid eating beef noodles. A true value to be sure, everyone remarked that they thought it should cost far more -- so this really is a testament to great food at a great price.

Very good place clean old fashioned and the baby back ribs are the nicest ribs I have ever ateread more

Wonderful meal here today. Exceptionally helpful and friendly staff who were extremely committed to…read moreaccommodating us - they moved chairs and customers to enable our mother, who is wheelchair bound, to enjoy a tasty meal. Appreciation to a local taxi driver who recommended this place and to the customers who were so willing to move for us. We'll be back for sure.

This is a cute little restaurant that has outdoor seating in good weather. Today was nice so we…read morechose to eat outside. I had the beef and Guinness stew. We shared a piece of lemon pie for desert for dessert. The food quality was good. We have had better and we have had worse. There are not many place to eat in this town and this one seemed to be one of the more popular ones.

Solid beef and stew casserole. The staff and ownership a super nice. Little cozy cottage literally…read more Vegetable soup was nice and easygoing.

Lots of parking and great service. Food was great and well labeled for people with food allergies.read more

Omg. The seafood chowder here was phenomenal. Good lunch spot for nourishment after our hike near…read moreBenbulbin. Friendly and attentive staff. Highly recommended!

This is such a delightful little restaurant. The servers are the nicest people in the world! The…read morefood was really scrumptious, but... Be aware the servings are HUGE! Might want to consider sharing.

Iced Coffee Takeaway review. A highly rated restaurant on Yelp, however, the seating was full and…read morewe decided to go elsewhere. Later, I chose to return for an iced coffee takeaway. "Iced Coffee" means either an iced Americano or an Iced Latte. I chose the former. Before anyone took my order, I waited approximately five or six minutes. Since I was in no rush, I didn't mind. What impressed me was the number of servers who asked me if I was alright. The entry area bustled with the back and forth of servers providing water to the patrons. The dessert case looked tantalizing! I also noticed that all coffee drinks contain two shots! I was guaranteed a nice Americano. My time to order arrived, and not long after, I walked out with my very satisfying iced drink. Another note: The quaint restaurant was beautifully decorated with lights in arches which affords a charming atmosphere.