Best places to eat in Dublin, Cork, Galway and beyond

The best places to eat in Ireland's cities are usually a street or two away from where visitors first look. In Dublin, try neighbourhoods like Camden Street, Rathmines, Ranelagh and Stoneybatter; in Cork, start at the English Market and the streets around it; in Galway, eat seafood and explore beyond the Latin Quarter into Salthill. In every city, look at what people have rated and photographed recently, and favour places that locals return to over places that only visitors find.

Here is what each city does best and where to begin.

Dublin: where to eat beyond the obvious

Dublin has the widest choice in the country, and the gap between a good meal and a tourist one can be a single street.

Coffee. Dublin's specialty coffee scene has grown into one of the best in Ireland, with independent cafés and roasters across the city, from the centre to the Liberties. Look for cafés that name their roaster and take their flat white seriously.

Neighbourhood dining. Camden Street, Rathmines and Ranelagh on the southside, and Stoneybatter, Smithfield and Capel Street on the northside, are rich in places serving modern Irish food and dishes from all over the world. Many cook with produce from Wicklow, the Garden of Ireland, just south of the city.

The centre. Around Temple Bar and Grafton Street, it pays to look past the places aimed at visitors and find the pubs and dining rooms Dubliners actually use.

Quick food. Chippers, sandwich shops and delis doing a proper breakfast roll, plus kebab shops, Asian takeaways and pizza places that locals recommend. Dublin's mix of people from all over the world shows most clearly in its cheap eats.

The Dublin city page shows what people have rated across the city, and the best dishes in Dublin shows the individual plates people rate most highly.

Cork: the food capital

Cork is often called Ireland's food capital, and the English Market, trading since 1788, is the reason why: it supplies many of the city's kitchens and is the best first stop for anybody who cares about food.

Local producers. West Cork's artisan producers make cheese, cured meats and drinks that appear on menus all over the city and county. Many places proudly name their suppliers.

Cafés. Cork's coffee scene is strong, with independent cafés in the city centre and in neighbourhoods such as Blackrock and Douglas, often with their own baking.

Restaurants. From traditional pub food to ambitious cooking, often built around local fish, beef and seasonal vegetables.

Markets and trucks. Farmers' markets in and around the city, and food trucks that move between locations through the week.

See the Cork city page.

Galway: seafood and atmosphere

Galway's position on the west coast makes seafood the obvious choice, including oysters from Galway Bay. Many places and pubs have traditional music in the evenings.

Cafés. A strong independent café culture, shaped by the city's arts scene and large student population, with plenty of vegetarian and vegan choice.

Quick food. Traditional chippers, some serving fish from Galway Bay, and food trucks with food from around the world.

Where locals eat. Look in the Latin Quarter, out along the seafront in Salthill, and in the quieter neighbourhoods beyond them rather than only the busiest streets.

See the Galway city page.

Kilkenny and Limerick

Kilkenny. A medieval city with many places to eat in historic buildings, and menus built on Kilkenny beef, local vegetables and drinks from local producers. Its compact centre is easy to explore on foot.

Limerick. A growing food scene with new places opening alongside traditional ones, a café culture shaped by the University of Limerick, and the Milk Market as the natural starting point.

Beyond the cities

Some of the best food in Ireland is in the counties:

• Kerry. Seafood along the Wild Atlantic Way, with Dingle the best-known food town and Killarney the busiest for visitors.
• Waterford. Ireland's oldest city, known for the Waterford blaa, a soft bread roll found in cafés across the county.
• Wicklow. The Garden of Ireland, with country pubs and cafés that make the most of the scenery.
• Mayo and Donegal. Atlantic seafood and traditional cooking in coastal settings, with Westport and Letterkenny the main towns.
• Tipperary and Meath. Farming counties with excellent beef, lamb and dairy, and plenty of good places within reach of Dublin in Meath's case.

How do you find where locals eat?

A few signs that hold in any Irish city:

• Ratings spread over months, from repeat visitors, rather than a burst from one weekend.
• Photographs of the same few dishes, which tells you what the kitchen is known for.
• Busy at lunch on a weekday, when visitors are thinner on the ground.
• One street back from the main route.

Our guide to finding where locals eat goes into more detail.

Planning a food trip around Ireland

• City breaks. Pick a neighbourhood, build a list of a few places for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and book dinner ahead for a weekend.
• Touring several counties. Keep one list per stop, with notes about what to order.
• Exploring your own county. The places you have never tried near home are often the most rewarding.

On Mosey, every city and town has a page showing what people have rated there and which dishes come up again and again, with photographs taken at the table. Rankings come from ratings, not from who paid, so they are a fair starting point in a place you do not know.

Try it on Mosey

Open the city you are heading to, look at what people photographed, save a short list, and rate where you eat so the next visitor finds it.