There’s nowhere quite like Ireland on a sunny summer day. Add in the finest Irish seafood enjoyed while overlooking the breathtaking coastline from which it came and you have the makings of enduring summer memories.
Thankfully, we are spoiled for choice with scenic seafood spots dotted across the country this summer, from old favourites making takeaway and outdoor dining work for them to fabulous food trucks parked with a view.
While the sun may not always shine, freshly shucked oysters, streaming pots of mussels and garlicky seafood platters will always sing of summer for us. Here’s where you can enjoy them outside with salty sea air and views of the water on your next staycation or road trip.
The Cheeky Cod, Wexford
Seafood chef extraordinaire Paul Hynes has again elevated the Wexford dining scene with the launch of the Cheeky Cod, the shipping container bound baby brother of the acclaimed restaurant La Cote, which he runs with his wife Edwina. The Cheeky Cod, overlooking the sea on Wexford Quay, is serving up delights fresh off the boat from Kilmore. Expect far more than a standard fillet o fish from their delectable looking plaice burger with lemon mayo.
Julia’s Lobster Truck – The Burren, Co. Clare
There are few things capable of topping a succulent lobster and it needn’t be reserved for venues with white tablecloths and silver service. In fact, it is all the more enjoyable when it isn’t, a point well proven by Julia’s Lobster Truck. Parked up at Daly’s Bar in Bell Harbour on Saturdays, you can indulge in BBQ lobster and incredible petite and sweet Flaggy Shore oysters from just down the road.
Linnane’s Lobster Bar – New Quay, Co. Clare
Again eschewing the silverware to enjoy the most prized of shellfish without the stuffiness, we highly recommend grabbing a bench at Linnane’s Lobster Bar, a 300 year old thatched cottage looking out over the sea from New Quay to Aughanish Island. This rustic gem on the Burren food trail is the perfect spot for oysters and local lobster cooked to perfection, with a new pandemic-proof food truck out front.
Fisk Seafood Bar – Downings, Co. Donegal
Kinnegar beer batter fish tacos, crab stuffed grilled cheese sandwiches, prawn banh mi…all of this would be enough to have us heading north to Fisk at the Harbour Bar, and that’s before you even consider the views across Downings beach from their outdoor seating space. It is an understandably popular spot, so if you can’t nab a table, ordering one of everything on the menu to takeaway for a beach picnic sounds like the recipe for a perfect day.
Killybegs Seafood Shack – Killybegs, Co. Donegal
If you happen to be exploring the entire county of Donegal, try to fit in both Fisk and Killybegs Seafood Shack, which is serving up some of the best, plump and crisp scampi you will likely ever have overlooking Killybegs harbour. It is worth the queue and then some.
Jack’s, Cromane, Co. Kerry
Jack’s Coastguard Restaurant has long been a staple for Ring of Kerry goers and locals alike, and once you see the views from their outdoor seating area you’ll understand why. Cold drink in hand looking out to the mountains meeting the sea, you’ll see why they call Kerry the Kingdom as you enjoy perfectly crisp tempura prawns or a bowl of Cromane’s own delicious mussels.
East Pier, Dunmore East, Co. Waterfod
How does fish and chips, lobster rolls, platters of local Woodstown Bay oysters on ice topped off with a Prosecco toast sound? Pretty damn irresistible if you ask me. East Pier in Waterford’s seaside haven Dunmore East is offering just that, and we want to hightail it to Waterford just thinking about it.
Jacob’s Bar at the Waterfront Hotel – Baltimore, West Cork
You will be spoiled for choice for seafood spots all over beautiful West Cork, but a seafood platter laden with prawns, mussels and crab from Jacob’s Bar, sitting in the square overlooking Baltimore Bay is rather tough to top. Their sister restaurant La Jolie Bride is also serving pizzas in case you have seafood avoiders in tow with you.
Eithna’s by the Sea, Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo
Home to one of my all time favourite food memories (and that is saying something!), Eithna’s by the Sea is a simply unmissable spot for seafood lovers, perched overlooking the harbour of Mullaghmore and emblazoned with a striking blue mural of towering Atlantic waves. Due to Covid, Eithne’s is takeaway only at the moment, but they have some outdoor seating with fantastic views and the nearby green overlooking the sea is the most picturesque of seafood platter picnic spots.
The Glyde Inn – Annagassan, Co. Louth
Louth may be our smallest county, but the local seafood offering is impressive to say the very least. Sea Louth’s new Seafood Trail sounds like the perfect plan for anyone looking to take a deep dive into some of Ireland’s finest shellfish this summer.
One of the many scenic stops, The Glyde Inn in Annagassan, has caught our eye with views of the Mourne mountains across Dundalk Bay and a menu laden with luscious local delights. Their seafood platter is packed to the brim with Annagassan crab claws, razor clams and cockles, Clogherhead langoustines and Carlingford oysters…what could be better?
WRITTEN BY DARINA COFFEY