8 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.