9 Best Restaurants in The Northwest, Ireland

In the heart of Sligo's busy Italian Quarter, Bistro Bianconi has built on its long-established reputation for top-class pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven. Inventive gourmet pizzas include the Michelangelo (goat cheese, caramelized onions, pepperoni, and a sprinkling of Parmesan), the Vegetariano, and the perennial favorite, Quatro Formaggi. The menu is heavy on classic fresh pasta and lasagna, while the signature dish, chicken bocconcini (with glazed ham and cheese), is as popular as ever. Steaks, burgers, and Mediterranean king prawns are also on the menu. If you fancy a cocktail, try the Wild Atlantic Way martini.

This bustling eatery—deservedly one of Sligo's most popular and established since 1994—divides itself into two culinary halves: a relaxed downstairs bar (from 2 pm daily) with red-checkered tablecloths, serving fish pie and steaming bowls of beef-and-Guinness stew; and a more formal (and expensive) upstairs dining room (5:30–9 pm), where lamb, salmon, and steak, including fillet, strip loin, and tomahawk (all the restaurant's beef is air-dried for 45 days), share space on the menu with pasta, trout, scallops, seafood platters, or fine herb gnocchi with wild earth mushrooms. Reservations are required for both bar food and the dining room.

A refreshing blend of European and Asian-influenced food with a friendly Leitrim flourish makes this whitewashed restaurant in the tiny village of Jamestown, just 4 km (2½ miles) from Carrick-on-Shannon, an extremely popular evening venue. Situated across from the river, some diners arrive straight from the quayside to sample dishes such as Thai-style beef carpaccio, spiced monkfish with lemongrass, or Tandoori-style quail with plum and onion chutney. The Cottage—with a traditional half-door entrance—is also renowned for the range of the Malaysian born chef-owner Shamzuri Hanifa's exotic spices, sauces and dips; many feature his special balsamic jelly, chilli and coconut prawn bisque, acar pickle, or sundried tomato paste and basil pesto.

Preening swans (the name means "White Swan") are visible from the dining room window of this modern, comfortable restaurant, serving Irish food starring local produce. Steak and seafood are prominent on the evening dinner menu, as well as vegetarian dishes. Highlights include Tobercurry lamb or beef and trio of fish made up of scallops, hake, and sea trout. The early-bird menu (5–6:20) is a good value with three courses, including, for mains, "posh" fish-and-chips (cooked in tempura and with pea puree), beef burgers, or a vegetarian option. Afternoon tea (€24.95) is served Thursday through Sunday from noon to 3 (and to 4:30 on Sunday) and includes gourmet sandwiches, pastries, and macaroons.

Opened in 2018, Flipside burger joint has quickly become a triumph across Sligo with its "Serious Burgers," served with flamin' fries or garlic butter and Parmesan fries. The modern corner building, heavy with glass, steel, and dark wood tables, hums with happy diners. Irish Angus beef from William Clarke butchers in town are used along with other local produce. Cider, lager, and pale ales—try the local brew from White Hag—alongside a large wine selection or milkshakes are on the drinks menu.

A Carrick institution, this gastropub is very popular, so advance reservations for dinner are usually needed. Main-course dishes may include glazed pork belly, Hereford beef burger, 12-hour slow-cooked beef daube, or sustainable fish such as ling. Try some of the craft beers or ciders, including its own Oarsman lager, Galway Hooker, or Anderson's red ale. Save room for the lemon posset, or cotton-candy dessert. There's a resident guitarist Tuesday through Saturday evenings.

Take a seat upstairs overlooking the serene waters of Donegal Bay and feast on some of the area's best produce. The early-bird (5--6:30 pm) is the best value with two courses for €19.95. Although there's a crossover between the menus, a much wider selection is on offer for dinner where you'll find steak, chicken, Guinness-braised shank of Donegal mountain lamb, or fisherman's pie made up of a robust combination of cod, hake, shellfish, and smokies (smoked haddock) straight from the boats. Round off your meal with a Boozy Bailey's: an espresso coffee and a shot of Bailey's Irish cream liqueur with a vanilla ice cream float, all topped by a dollop of softly whipped cream.

Huge steaks and fresh, locally sourced fish dominate the dinner menu in the renovated upstairs restaurant in the Nesbitt Arms Hotel. Decor still harks back to the days when Ardara was Donegal's foremost weaving and wool center; tweed throws and blankets will keep you warm on a night of wild Atlantic weather. Ask for a "lunch on the go" package if you wish to keep moving, or settle in with a creamy and smoky Donegal Coffee, made with Silkie whiskey and blended at the Slieve League Distillery. The whiskey's name was inspired by the Gaeltacht legend of the silkies, or selkie seals, which came ashore as beautiful sea maidens with long dark hair and soulful brown eyes. There's music in the bar every Saturday night.