2 Best Restaurants in Athlone, The Midlands

One of the Midlands food heroes, chef-owner Feargal O'Donnell uses fresh, locally sourced ingredients at his popular Irish restaurant in the town center, where you can sink into comfortable orange chairs made of cowhide leather for signature dry-aged steak. Starter nibbles to excite the taste buds might be crispy pig's ear or silver darlings (herring), while main courses may include panfried cod fillet, 30-day dry-aged beef tenderloin with a scene-stealing pepper sauce, or honey roast farmhouse chicken. If you have space, try the strong-flavored Young Buck blue cheese from County Down; for a divine dessert, an affogato with moondust espresso and a dash of Bailey's liqueur will leave a long afterglow on your taste buds. A notice on the wall advises "Keep Calm and Drink Wine," a small exhortation to sample the recommended French house red: Lue Lapeyre Amour Grenache Syrah, a rich and concentrated blend where the ripe tannins are said to dance across your palate and at €36 won't leave a large dent in your wallet.

Clusters of smoked glass pendant lights, aromatic candlelit tables, green banquette furnishings, and smooth music add luster to this always-busy riverside restaurant hidden down a side street beside the bridge. Tuck into some truly creative Athlonian food which might include glazed ham hock, Castlemine free-range pork loin with sausage dumpling, lamb with sheep's cheese polenta, Wagyu beef, or featherblade of beef (sourced from the shoulder blade of the cow). Craft beer, such as American Amber Ale or Seeking Sunshine IPA, comes from the Dead Centre Brewing company next door. The value menu is €38 and €58 for five courses.