The Best Restaurants in Ireland

The Republic of Ireland, known by some as the Emerald Isle, is one of the most beautiful countries you could have the pleasure to visit. From the famously fun, vibrant capital of Dublin, to its charming seaside towns and the stark, windswept beauty of its countryside, Ireland has much to offer its guests. It has also become an increasingly great place to dine in recent years, with a whole host of Michelin-Starred restaurants. Here, we have collated them into one handy list.

Two Michelin Star Restaurants in Ireland

Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen, Dublin

The original Chapter One, run so brilliantly by Ross Lewis for many years, is something of an institution in the Dublin dining scene. In 2021, it entered its new era with the arrival of Finnish chef Mickael Viljanen. With a combination of delicacy, precision and exceptional ingredients, Mickael has put his own stamp on the place and made it into an even greater success. The dishes, as well as being delicious, are some of the most beautifully presented creations you will find.

dede, Baltimore

Ireland meets Turkey at this unique and thoroughly enjoyable restaurant from eponymous Chef-Owner Ahmet Dede. He skilfully takes local ingredients and enhances them with careful Turkish spicing, while bringing a real playfulness to his cooking – like street food dishes re-engineered with stunning results. The whole experience is a delight from beginning to end, with a genuine warmth to the service.

Liath, Blackrock

One of the many draws of a visit to Liath is the central concept at the core of its menu: each dish is a showcase for one of the five tastes – salty, savoury, sweet, bitter and sour. Far from a gimmick, this provides a playful, intriguing structure for dishes of superlative quality. There’s an originality and modernity to each one, with well-honed technique and a welcome precision used to extract maximum flavour from the ingredients.

Patrick Guilbaud, Dublin

Few names are as synonymous with the elite level of Irish hospitality as Patrick Guilbaud. Named after its founding chef (who is still the owner today), the restaurant has existed since 1981 and for nearly three decades has held Two Michelin Stars. It is an enormous achievement, and a testament to the sheer consistency of quality that has been shown over the years. Expect skilful culinary techniques, great attention to detail and some classical French flourishes.

Terre, Castlemartyr

The latest addition to Ireland’s Two Star family, Terre sits inside the stunning Castlemartyr Resort – a modernised 18th-century manor worthy of the most special of occasions. Run by Frenchman Vincent Crepel, Terre is another shining example of how international chefs keeping on falling in love with Ireland and its produce. At Terre, that means exceptional local ingredients cooked with the utmost skill.

One Michelin Star Restaurants in Ireland

Aniar, Galway

Few restaurants are as in tune with their surroundings as Aniar. The west of Ireland is deeply embedded in what they do here, with locally sourced ingredients providing the bedrock for cooking that puts an emphasis on purity of flavour. The menu changes every day, reflecting the micro-seasonality of the restaurant’s culinary philosophy.

Bastible, Dublin

A ‘bastible’ is a cast-iron pot which at one time sat on the hearth of every Irish home. That should give you a clue as to the vibe at this personably run restaurant where the chefs work in an open kitchen and engage with diners as they deliver their dishes. The place itself is stylish and on-trend, with a simple, industrial-chic quality.

Bastion, Kinsale

Colourful Kinsale, situated at one end of the famous Wild Atlantic Way road trip, is a lovely place to visit during your travels in Ireland – and it comes with the added bonus of being home to this Michelin-Starred restaurant that’s passionately run by its owners Paul and Helen McDonald. The former is in the kitchen, preparing dishes that display ample depth of flavour and exacting technique.

Campagne, Kilkenny

One of the many brilliant things about Campagne is its distinct lack of flashiness. Instead of showing off, Chef-Owner Garrett Byrne and his team focus on confidently executed classical techniques and harmonious combinations of a range of bold flavours. The kitchen wisely steers clear of adding unnecessary adornment to the dishes, allowing the produce to do the work.

Chestnut, Ballydehob

A West Cork cousin of dede, Chestnut is situated in the coastal village of Ballydehob and is run by local chef Rob Krawczyk. There’s nothing ostentatious about his cooking or the place as a whole, with Rob and the team instead preferring to give you a friendly welcome, create a lovely ambience and serve expertly cooked local ingredients that provide wonderful natural flavours.

D’Olier Street, Dublin

One of the more recently crowned One Star restaurants in Ireland, D’Olier Street occupies a fine Victorian building opposite Trinity College. The cooking is best described as uncluttered, with the prime ingredients given the room to shine without unnecessary interference. Cleverly thought-out contrasts and a keen sense of balance also help to elevate the dishes.

Glovers Alley, Dublin

Another of Ireland’s Michelin Stars located in the capital of Dublin, Glovers Alley is situated inside The Fitzwilliam Hotel and comes with a degree of subtle elegance to its décor. The cooking is more robust, with the kitchen not shy of delivering some punchy flavours. The produce is the bedrock of the cooking, with the chefs aware that superb ingredients will provide a natural deliciousness.

Homestead Cottage, Doolin

There are perhaps no Michelin Stars in Ireland more remote than Homestead Cottage. Situated in rural County Clare, it provides a brilliant opportunity to experience the lush, unspoilt beauty that Ireland is known for. Homestead Cottage itself is a charming place, where the whole experience will put a smile on your face – including the clean, pure and skilful cooking.

House, Ardmore

You’ll be hard-pushed to find a better dining room view than the one from this restaurant set inside the Cliff House Hotel. A splendid modern extension with floor-to-ceiling windows allows you to take in gorgeous vistas across Ardmore Bay, while Chef Tony Parkin takes you on a global culinary journey, where a range of international influences are applied in a measured, mature way to Irish ingredients.

Lady Helen, Thomastown

When a restaurant is located in somewhere as striking as this Georgian masterwork, it can be hard for the cooking to live up to its surroundings. No such problem has occurred for Lady Helen, an assured operation that provides beautifully presented dishes with plenty of flavour. They’re a fine match for the grandeur of the dining room, which comes with hand-carved marble fireplaces.

The Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel

Another of Ireland’s Michelin Star restaurants housed within a hotel, The Bishop’s Buttery forms part of Cashel Palace, a sumptuous Palladian manor with lashings of luxury. The cellar dining room is no different, with a vaulted ceiling one of the many features helping to provide a suitable grandeur. Service comes from a well-drilled, confident team who really enhance the experience.

The Oak Room, Adare

Like Cashel Palace, Adare Manor is a grand country house with a restaurant to match – in this case, The Oak Room. There is a formality to the service here that feels entirely fitting for such a classically luxurious setting, where the tables are clad with linen and chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The cooking also has a traditional base, with an understated quality that allows the ingredients to shine.

Variety Jones, Dublin

Brothers Keelan and Aaron Higgs are in the kitchen and front of house respectively at this wonderfully relaxed restaurant where dishes from the set menu are served ‘family style’ to share. There’s a real generosity in the offering and an originality to the cooking, while a sense of proper Irish hospitality runs throughout thanks to the charming, tight-knit team.

Love all things Michelin?

Hero Image: Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen (© Barry McCall)