8 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.