4 Best Restaurants in The Northwest, Ireland

Catch a sunny day and it's hard to beat an outside table at this small family-run whitewashed café on the waterfront overlooking the busy harbor. The breakfast menu runs until midday while lunchtime sandwiches with soup and salad are served all afternoon. Daily seafood specials may include mussels, haddock, monkfish, calamari, and a delectable chowder, followed by cheesecake and washed down with a choice of wine, craft beer, tea, or coffee as you watch the river of life float by.

Proprietors Brian and Ruperta Gallagher serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and a light early evening meal—always using homegrown herbs in this congenial but unassuming tearoom. Daily specials—Irish lamb stew, pasta dishes, and turkey or corn-fed chicken—are served from 9 am to 7 pm. Haddock chowder and beer-battered fish are Friday specials. Soups, quiche, sandwiches, salads, and fruit are on the regular menu, along with homemade desserts, breads, scones, sticky cakes, and jams. Get there early for lunch, as the lines stretch out onto the street on busy days.

Osta Café's philosophy is straightforward: serve locally sourced food, preferably organic, simply prepared. Come for light bites, lunch, or Sunday brunch; the "30-km breakfast" is named for the proud fact that all ingredients are from within that distance—with the exception of the fair-trade, organic Mexican and Peruvian arabica coffee (ethically sourced). The eggs Benedict and ham or bacon at brunch (9 am to 3 pm) is the most popular dish of all. Lunch is the main reason to come here, but there's also occasional music and poetry evenings, which are advertised on social media.

This delightful, old-fashioned tearoom with granite tables and mahogany paneling serves light bites and more substantial fare for breakfast and lunch. Breakfasts may be the full Irish (€8.95, served until noon), waffles, or pancakes with a multiplicity of fillings. For lunch, beef lasagna, quiche, or a wide selection of salads, sandwiches, and croissants are on the menu.