3 Best Restaurants in Castlebar, Connemara and County Mayo

This friendly, boho-chic café with its traditional red shop front (rua is Irish for red) is a showcase for fresh, locally produced foods, simply served. There's an imaginative children's menu, and at lunch there are three daily specials—roast meat, fish, and vegetarian—while many opt for the homemade soup and sandwich (served in a traditional soft roll known as a blaa), or a salad. Choose a platter of local farmhouse cheeses, perhaps, or a salad of Achill Island smokehouse salmon with local greens, the house cucumber relish, and a selection of fresh breads.

A modern intimate dining room with rustic brickwork makes a fitting setting for chef Kevin Stirzaker’s seasonal menu that offers the best of local produce, simply prepared to let the quality produce speak for itself. Menu highlights include Killary Fjord mussels and duck breast with beetroot and red onion jam.

Think tapas, without the micro portions, where guests can order a number of plates each to share. And you'll want to order multiple plates with options like pig cheek, black pudding, scallops, goat's cheese, haddock fish fingers, and sliders. The interior is industrial-country style with recycled pallets serving as furniture and wine storage units.