The Gastro Gays share three Irish towns set to become the country's next food destinations.
While cities like Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Galway grab much of the culinary spotlight, some of the most exciting things in food and drink are actually happening in towns around the country.
Beyond the more established food destinations like Kenmare, Westport, Dingle, Portrush and Kinsale, a new tranche of towns are building on a strong food foundation and becoming dining destinations.
Here are three worth exploring.
Dundalk, Co. Louth
Sometimes the greatest gifts come in the smallest packages, and Louth is no exception. Ireland's smallest county in stature punches well above its weight, and Dundalk has been pushing the culinary dial in recent years.
Arguably, Conor Halpenny put the town on the map when he opened his modern Irish bistro and wine bar Square in 2019. Set right in the heart of the town on Market Square, his menu truly celebrates the local larder of the Boyne Valley and keeps Michelin regularly returning for visits with his technical, flavour-packed, unfussy dishes.
Right across the road is artisan bakery Coyle’s Bakehouse, which opened in late 2023 and, basically, sells out six days a week with its incredible sourdough loaves, pastries and sandwiches. The cinnamon scrolls, focaccia and sausage rolls are particular must-tries.
Down the road sits the unmissable Mo Chara, possibly the most energetic and enthusiastic craft beer bar in the entire country. Run by a trio of childhood pals — Cillian, Paul and Vinny — and named after the Irish for "my friend", Mo Chara is all about community with regular events, gigs and pop-ups. It’s a pub with an eye for design and a grá for the craic, while the menu runs from sambos during the day to pizza at night, and their own 'stubby’ lager is an unmissable sip.
Another designer, community-focused hospitality spot is One Word, a fast-growing speciality coffee brand from Eoin Maguire. Having cut his teeth under Niall Weldon at Evalynn in Drogheda and inspired by the success of Mo Chara, a year ago (aged 20) he opened his first cafe on Long Walk.
Less than a year in business, he followed with a second site in Blackrock, all the while documenting the process online. Aside from flat whites and matcha, they also serve tray bakes and soft serve ice cream. Also great spots to eat and drink while in Blackrock include Rocksalt Café, The Neptune Bar & Grill, and The Clermont.
Another new kid on the block is Chicken Shack, a fast-casual, charcoal-fired rotisserie chicken concept in the unlikely location of a corner of the business park on Coes Road. Chef Shane McGrath, a Carlingford man who spent over 20 years based in Waterford at the likes of Cliff House Hotel and The Tannery, is leading the kitchen and overseeing a menu of chicken-based sandwiches, boxes and sides, like mac and cheese, gravy and roast spuds.
Dundalk is a 'best of both worlds' type of town, equidistant between Belfast and Dublin and pulling inspiration from both; it’s a town with personality and a strong youthful energy, with many of the spots listed being opened by enterprising chefs, baristas and bartenders while in their early twenties.
Holywood, Co. Down
While Belfast bursts at the seams with top food and drink spots, there’s a natural spill-over to its hinterland, and Holywood is a star in waiting.
A 10-minute drive (or a couple of stops on public transport) from the city centre, it may be less famous than the Los Angeles district of the same name — spelt with a single ‘l’ — but this bustling town is a blockbuster for food and drink.
Anchoring its destination credentials is Noble, Pearson Morris and Saul McConnell’s neighbourhood bistro on Church Road. Soon to celebrate a decade in-situ, this tiny, Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant sits one floor above street level with a classic and comforting menu of elevated pub-style dishes, like salted cod croquettes, slow-cooked pork belly, dry-aged steaks and daily-changing specials scribbled on the blackboard.
Also unmissable is their take on Sunday lunch, while the pair have also just opened Next Door right beside, a pasta and wine bar with a strictly Italian wine list and regularly changing pinsa and pasta plates.
Steps away on Church Road is Joxer, an all-day spot running from breakfast ’til late with a menu that’s Mediterranean-accented and honestly priced. Brunch is their signature and most popular service.
As you keep exploring High Street, you’ll find a brilliant bakery, Bakarí Little Sister, a sibling site to the city centre original, which has been a constant hit since arriving a year ago.
When a food tour company packages up a 3.5-hour walking tour of sips, bites and local lore, you know a neighbourhood has graduated into destination territory. That’s exactly what Taste & Tour, the outfit behind the award-winning Belfast Food Tour, did.
They call Holywood a "foodie Mecca" and say that "for a small town, it’s got an incredibly vibrant food scene, jam-packed with passionate producers and world-class restaurants". Their group tour runs generally on a Saturday at 11:45am.
On either end of the main street sit two cool modern restaurants, Shaun Timmins’ Frae and the cocktail- den-styled Nouveau. Another must-try is Monroe, a neighbourhood bar with cool cocktails, cold brews and a menu of comfort food like smash burgers, buttermilk chicken and dressed fries.
For brunch, lunch, coffee and cake, Homebird is an enduring staple for over a decade, and Lynchpin is another go-to with a fully plant-based menu — you won’t miss the meat! — and regular pop-up dinners on Friday nights.
Holywood is the proof that some of the best eating and drinking is not necessarily always rooted in a city centre; often, these gems sit a little further out and reward those who eagerly explore.
Tramore, Co. Waterford
Tramore has always embraced its enviable seaside perch, along the golden strand in the sunny south-east. While Dungarvan might be more famously food-driven, it’s Tramore that has emerged in recent years as the quiet culinary powerhouse of this corner of the Déise.
Like Dundalk and Square, Tramore’s restaurant fortunes were super-charged when Peter Hogan — co-owner of Fish Shop/Bar Pez in Dublin City centre — decided to decamp to his hometown, alongside his wife and co-owner Jumoke, to bring Beach House to life.
Opened in March 2020, set within a handsome Victorian townhouse on Turkey Road, the Hogans navigated the difficult few years that followed with the ease of esteemed restaurateurs who know their product, stick to the vision and trust their customers.
There’s a real seaside ease and effortless elegance to Beach House, where the menu is led by the tide and garden with one of Waterford’s best wine lists, full of biodynamic bottles and lesser-found winemakers. Open for lunch only, Thursday to Sunday, Beach House is undoubtedly Tramore’s destination table.
Another game-changer for Tramore has been Sarah Richards’ Seagull Bakery, an artisan sourdough bakery specialising in Irish-grown, stone-ground flour, which began 20 years ago with car boot sales and market stalls.
Richards’ first bricks-and-mortar bakery on Tramore’s Broad Street revolutionised the baking game in the south east, and has later spawned two further locations: Patrick Street in Waterford city and Dunmore East. No visit to the town is complete without joining the queue for daily bread and pastries at Seagull.
Across the road, Nicola and Dvir’s Middle Eastern-influenced cafe-deli Mezze has been one of the town’s biggest food success stories.
From market stalls a decade ago to a product range of spice blends and lavosh crackers, a cafe on Main Street eventually followed, as did a cookbook full of their most popular recipes. During the day the cafe bustles, and by night it hosts events like pop-up dinners and cookery classes.
Tramore has more treasures to behold: Coffee and sweet treats at the likes of Molly’s and Slow and Steady; pizza at Bardoe, Tomatti or The Shack; and dinner at chef Malcolm Starmer’s recently relaunched The Pier.
The seaside location gives Tramore an upper hand, but the food and drink game is what’s selling the town more and more.
What turns an Irish town into a dining destination? On paper, it can be artificially constructed via Michelin-starred restaurants and fancy hotels. In reality, though, the heart and soul of a destination is what sells it first then makes it last.
It’s small, independent, owner-operator cafes and bakeries, microbreweries and neighbourhood bistros, restaurants and bars that keep people coming back, whether for brunch one day, a roast another or just dropping by for an evening spritz.
These foodie towns are serving up something special, built for their local communities but welcoming those from near and far to see what all the fuss is about.
