Visiting from the states and thought we'd try something non-Irish tonight. This place was just OK…read more The soup was good, but the tapas were just ok. The sangria was undrinkable. We'll go back to eating the wonderful Irish food for the rest of our trip.

My family and I randomly stumbled upon this restaurant last night. We were thrilled with the kind…read moreservice, ambiance and menu. The food was out of this world, especially the goat cheese bon bons. Make sure to save room for dessert, the brownie with popcorn ice cream was out of this world. Can't wait to come back to Ireland to go back to the 52.

Yum, ~€25-30 per entree. Fresh quality ingredients with fast and friendly service…read more THE FOOD: - sea bream €28, YAY: fresh, tasty and served with tasty super crispy tempura veggies and peas - bread and butter, good: multigrain and white, both with a thin crust, but dense interior. Served with tasty Irish butter - chips €3.5, yum: crispy, tasty - potatoes €3.5, ok: nothing special here - broccoli appetizer, ok: TLDR: for a more upscale dinner, good, fresh food.

I think there must be two Les Gourmandises: the restaurant we encountered, and the one it can be…read more Wait staff is professional. I found the surroundings a little less nice than one might expect for what was supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Cork, according to our hotel. It's essentially a prix fixe dinner, with multiple variations. Appetizers were excellent. A crab salad was delicious, as was the gravlax. The prawns in phillo -- which I thought were going to turn out to be some tired en croute dish -- were instead more like spring rolls, and they were outstanding. We had some time to contemplate the first course. In fact, a lot of time. In fact, an unreasonable amount of time. In fact, we had to speak the waitress -- twice -- about the passing of time. And when the second course came, it was a disappointment. A lamb dish was stringy; it reminded me of pot roast. My own roast pork belly -- typically a juicy cut -- was dry (no wonder they included sauce on the side). A dish of pasta and chicken was tasty, but it was pasta and chicken. I think there's a very good restaurant in here somewhere. But we didn't get their "A" game, regrettably. Much as I want to give it more stars -- and it certainly deserves 3.5, had the system allowed -- I think 3 stars is right, given the prices they are charging.

Absolutely LOVED our dinner here! Our Airbnb was just across the street so extremely convenient…read more They said the didn't have an opening but to check back later and they could probably fit us in, so we went down to The Tap Room, had a pint and came back. My sister has been craving lobster but it's not on any menus. We were seated at a great window table, and they said there was an added starter which was a grilled half lobster. SOLD x 3. It's a fixed price with many choices. One had the sea bass, one the pork belly and one the lamb. All were unbelievably great with beautiful sides, and because it's Ireland, a bowl of salted roasted potatoes. We split a bottle of great wine and made the trip back to our B&B in about 30 seconds! Max's is near the harbor and city parking on Main Street. Best meal of our trip so far, and we've eaten out for 2 1/2 weeks.

I did enjoy Max's very much, but a few things irked me enough to lose the 5th star. But I can be a…read morehard grader, and my expectations were set high by several enthusiastic mentions by locals and excellent reviews online. Not perfect but I still recommend it wholeheartedly and would love to return. We made a reservation for 6:00 and for a little while we were the only ones there. Did we even need a reservation? Yes. It was full by the time we left. And I'm sure summer is harder. There's a small selection of wines by the glass, all of which I've never heard of, mostly of European origin. We both liked our López De Heredia tempranillo and I chose the same when I had a second glass. The menu is prix-fix, sort of. Starter plus main for €49 - though there's a small surcharge for some items, like my scallops appetizer. Dessert is extra but inexpensive in comparison (€7-8) If you're a picky eater be sure to check the menu before coming and make sure something appeals. There's nothing crazy weird here but the selection is small. We had no trouble with the menu choices. My Sauté Scallops starter was prepared with venison broth, lovage, celeriac, Coppa ham, Irish Winter Chanterelles, wild leeks, peas, and cream and was truly excellent and very pretty. I particularly liked the slight caramelization of the tops of the scallops, the subtle flavors and textures of the vegetables, and how the broth flavor changed as the cream (which was apparently whipped) slowly melted in. The wife's Baked Goat's Cheese, with wilted leeks, roast butternut squash, pumpkin seed, confit of shallots in red wine, and hazelnut oil was also excellent, and beautiful. My main was Slow Cooked Irish Pork Belly: hint of 5 spice, rhubarb puree, carrot with lovage, braised local cabbage. I did like it, especially how all these different flavors somehow worked together (5-spice, rhubarb, and lovage - who knew!) And I finally figured out that the crusty part on top wasn't overly dried fat to be removed but a layer of sugar, caramelized, dark brown and which shattered like glass when cut into. Very intriguing. What I didn't like about it was the haphazard presentation - the various ingredients arrayed around the plate in random fashion with a single chive thrown on top seemingly as an afterthought - and that the portion was a bit small for an entree (as was the wife's, while both the starters were generously sized). The wife's main was Pan Fried Irish Lamb Cutlets, with chestnut mushrooms, Meli-Melo of vegetables, Sacred Basil Jus. What is meli-melo? French for mess or jumble, but it sounds better, right? As for the sacred basil, it's Indian and has a spicy, peppery, clove-like flavor not like the kind we're accustomed to. Perfectly cooked lamb cutlets and intriguing flavors but like my entree I thought it was too small (but she was fine with it and even gave me some!) All entrees are served with a side of steamed local potatoes, adorned with just a slight salt crust and chopped chives. I know Ireland is famous for potatoes but this seems rather gimmicky to me. Dessert selection is very limited. Just 3 that day: Sticky Toffee Pudding, Bourbon Vanilla Crème Brulèe, and a cheese/fruit/nut plate. I've been on a Sticky Toffee Pudding kick lately so I tried that. It was good but nothing special despite their attempts to make it differently. The pear and date compote was too subtle and as for the toffee & green cardamon sauce: I think I liked but there wasn't nearly enough of it. The pudding part was also small for that matter. As for ambience, it was a nice relaxing setting, even as the room filled up, our small table was by the window and had an assortment of fresh flowers in a vase and a real candle. Our waiter was ok but would only say that the green in the salad we asked about was "some kind of lettuce I think", though on pressing him he did ask the chef who said it was winter purslane. I suspect he's new and will eventually learn how to better handle challenging diners such as ourselves.

We walked by Land to Sea restaurant on Friday and saw that it was very crowded so we booked the…read moreearly bird reservation for Saturday evening. This was done through email on their website and was seamless. This restaurant is on its way to a Michelin star, in my opinion. I'm maybe not a total foodie, but I have eaten in many excellent restaurants and this is among them. All the food we were served seemed to be local and freshly prepared. Even down to the house pickles. Every part of each dish was curated and prepared with thought. The flavors all worked together seamlessly and the dishes were beautiful to look at and to eat. The staff was welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable, and gracious in answering all of our questions. And we had many of them considering we are not locals and we were fascinated with their creations and selections of food. I highly recommend land to Sea restaurant if you're in Dingle. It would not surprise me if it soon earns a star and you will not be able to get a reservation. Go now!

Walked in without a reservation and luckily got a table for 2. The hostess was not friendly, she…read morewas quite rude. That being said, she was not Irish (every Irish person we came in contact with were lovely!). She sat us and told us the soup was Tomato bisque and I was very excited because it's one of my favorites and I'm a vegetarian (not vegan). There was an early special and you could choose 2 or 3 options. I chose the soup and a fish dish. It did take quite a while for a server to show up and take our order. It then took a long time to get our drinks and it wasn't very busy at that point. The soup was delivered and it was lamb stew. I understand mistakes can happen. The server said I could choose something else on the menu and I didn't see anything that was vegetarian or that I liked. I said the fish alone would be fine. I did not like it at all. It wasn't flavorful. I'm sorry, I know it's an unpopular opinion as I saw many 5 star reviews, but I am very surprised that this is a Michelin restaurant. I would like to add that my husband really enjoyed his meal and the atmosphere was great. Maybe a bad night for them? Or maybe I was just hangry.

I had planned to go to Dan Cronin's Bar to have their award winning seafood chowder and brown…read morebread, only to find out they were not serving food for a month. Which was very disappointing as I am only here a couple more weeks. Then I walked down to the Silver Room, but it was a Saturday in which reservations are needed. So I ended up at The Mallard which I've been eyeing their menu for several weeks now, specifically the pan fried sea bass! Good plan gone wrong but then so right! The crispy crust on the flaky sea bass was perfect and the grilled veggies melted in your mouth. The crème fraîche was supposed to go on the fish but had better use on the mashed potatoes. Yum!!! I've never tasted red cabbage done like that but boy was it hot and delish! The service was good and the owner is a very pleasant, wonderfully warm woman. I will try to return before I leave this wonderful isle!

we came without a reservation around noon and were seated immediately in the upstairs section. they…read moredecorated really nicely for the holidays, and the atmosphere was festive and cozy. i ordered the berry and mascarpone french toast and my partner ordered the huevos rancheros. despite how busy they were, service was fast and they gave us multiple pitchers to refill our water with when they ran dry. i really enjoyed the berry french toast; it wasn't too sweet and the mascarpone really complimented the tartness of the berries. if you're looking for traditional huevos rancheros, you won't find them here. the food was quite good, but they do serve it with beans on (albeit high quality) toast. it was too tomato-based and slightly sweet for my partner, but he could acknowledge that the food was good, just not to his tastes. the portion sizes were hearty and the food was filling. a reservation is definitely a good idea.

Very good food and the service was remarkable. We had a party of eight and some may say we are a…read morechallenge but a delightful bunch. Food came out all at once. Be aware that the menu had flat pricing which means you had to have a main with either a starter or dessert. This was not an issue for us.

Amazing experience! This hostellerie/restaurant has a great ambiance, incredible service, and…read moreplenty of wonderful surprises. Philippe Da Silva is a magician. The chef did such an amazing job that he made a member of our party cry with joy. I don't understand why this restaurant doesn't have a Michelin Star.

Wow! By far one of the most unique, elegant, fine dining experiences I've ever had the pleasure to…read moreenjoy. Located in one of my favorite places in the south of France I constantly expect to see Anthony Bourdaine to sit at the table across the room. This place is not a restaurant, it's an experience and though you'll pay for this experience it will no doubt stay with you for ever. One tip to consider is regardless of what you order the chef wants you to experience what everyone else orders as well and will most likely serve you the same so be bold in your selection.

Really great place for a filet mignon. Most places don't have Bernaise in Cork as well but from…read morewhat I remember they were able to make it for me.

Excellent food, quality service, and classy decor with outdoor seating. Absolutely would recommend…read moreanyone try their pâté starter.

I saw that this place has two great reviews. Wow! Too bad…read moreyou can only give 5 stars. Most perfectly cooked Monkfish I've ever had. My family also had great dishes with the Chicken Kiev, and the John Dory with lemon and herb oil. John Dory is a great local choice. The chef has a light touch especially for French food which tends to be heavy handed in the butter and cream in the sauces. His food is intuitive and has a perfect balance of flavor combinations. Here is a passionate chef who will cook you up a "life experience". We didn't save room for the desserts which we will try tomorrow. They looked amazing!

Excellent food. Cozy rural oceanside location. Good background music. Very friendly helpful staff…read more I noticed the romantic candles and the hoards of customers as I was driving by and impulsively turned around to check out their menu. The hand written menu on a black board had about 5 starters and 5 entrees, mostly seafood, all sounding amazing. My family had the chorizo salad, the chicken, and the trout and they were all to die for!