Medieval and modern at once, Galway is small enough to walk everywhere yet large enough to keep surprising you. It sits right on the edge of the Atlantic, and it’s a city of musicians, artists, and fishermen, not to mention some of the most talented and committed chefs in Europe. I’m a Kiwi who came here over 20 years ago, seduced by an ad for the west of Ireland on the telly. I spent years apprenticing and cooking my way through the city’s kitchens, and in 2011, my Irish husband, Dave, and I opened Kai on Sea Road in the Westend. I never really felt rooted until I moved here. Now I have a whole tribe.
There is no big money behind the best places here. No corporate backers, no franchises or celebrity restaurant groups. The people who own these restaurants are almost always the ones cooking the chicken feet broth, pouring your wine, or shucking your oysters. A disproportionate number of them are women—which is not accidental. We are a hearty bunch in this city, and we look out for each other.
Part of what makes all of it possible is what’s growing around us. Within about 60 miles, dozens of tiny family operations are producing some of the finest food on earth, often using traditional methods, regenerative practices, and what we call grá in Irish: deep love and affection. So this list runs from a Michelin-starred fish roasted over an open flame to a bowl of chowder by a peat fire to a slice of what I think is the world’s best pizza. What they all have in common is quality, pride, and craic (a lively atmosphere). Nobody here is taking themselves too seriously; they’re just doing it brilliantly.
Sheridans Cheesemongers Wine Bar & Wine Shop
14–16 Churchyard Street
+353 91 564 830
Sheridans Cheesemongers’ wine bar is upstairs from its cheese shop, which has an incredible, diverse selection. Order the mixed Irish cheese and charcuterie board—it is divine. It features a mix of hard and soft cheeses made from cow’s, goat’s, and sheep’s milk from different parts of Ireland. For pairings, their wine list offers natural, biodynamic, and artisan bottles from across Europe. Go in the late afternoon and grab a seat by the window overlooking St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church in the heart of the city; it’s brilliant for people-watching and catching the bustle of life below. On Saturdays, there’s a farmers market, and lads from the Aran Islands shuck oysters right on the street. What most people don’t know is that you can take your wine downstairs and have a nice half-dozen before heading back up to your cheese and charcuterie board. It’s completely casual.
Fawn
Main St, Oranmore
+353 83 152 6600
Take a 10-minute train ride out to Oranmore for Fawn, which opened last spring. My former sous chef, the amazing Sarah Croffey opened Fawn with her chef husband, Jason O’Neill. They have this lovely traditional Sunday lunch—I always go for the black sole on the bone. It swims in butter and capers. It’s proper old-school, new-school cooking, the kind that’s genuinely hard to find anymore. We need that nostalgia. And since it’s Ireland, the sole comes with potatoes done every which way. (I always go for the mash.) When you get back to town, walk up Shop Street for a pint.
The Dough Bros
1 Middle St
+353 85 214 5283
Eugene and Ronan Greaney make great Neapolitan-style pizza in a super friendly, casual place in the Latin Quarter. My order is always the classic margherita. They use San Marzano tomatoes—real ones—fresh basil, parmesan, mozzarella from Galway’s Sabanero Artisan Dairy, and sea salt from Achill Island. Where it counts, Ireland keeps up with Italy just fine. Sometimes they add seasonal touches, like wild garlic aioli in the spring. I’ll have it with a Diet Coke, but there’s a great local artisanal kombuchary, All About, and occasionally they collab with The Dough Bros to make limited-edition flavors. They also have a new spot, Lil’ Bros Pizza, where they make New York-sized slices with dough made with five varieties of organic flour and a sourdough starter that’s fermented naturally over 48 hours. My favorite is the Burrata, topped with parmesan and hot honey. For $8, one slice will fill you up.
Galway Food Tours
38 Shop St
+353 86 733 2885
It’s not a restaurant, but if you want to explore Galway’s food scene, this is essential. Sheena Dignam (who also used to work for me), runs it. I’ve done several of the tours, including ones she’s personally led. They take you around the city, weaving in history as you go and stopping at special spots along the way for artisanal bites, from oysters to cheese to sushi. You cover a lot of ground, which is easy since Galway is so compact. The guides are deeply knowledgeable and serious advocates for local food, especially female producers. Tours run day and night: There’s a craft beer tour, a whiskey tour, a daytime food tour, an evening tour, and if you have a sweet tooth, Sheena will take you straight to the bakeries. They also offer private tours and can tailor something if you want to go deeper into a specific part of the city’s food culture. You really can’t go wrong.
Moran’s Oyster Cottage
The Weir House, Kilcolgan
+353 91 796 113
About 20 minutes from the center of Galway, Moran’s Oyster Cottage is one of my favorite places in the world. You never know who you’re going to meet out there. I’ve seen two former Irish presidents and, once, a guy from 90210. It’s a gorgeous 250-year-old thatched cottage with white stucco walls and classic red trim, right on the weir. Grab a table near the roaring peat fireplace and settle in. William Moran runs it alongside his mother, Sheila. His father was a champion Irish oyster shucker, and the head chef is another Sheila. This is simple, honest cooking. Order anything deep-fried in beef tallow. The oysters are pulled straight from Kelly Oysters, right there in front of you, and they’re delicious raw or baked—their oyster thermidor is kick-ass. With a half-pint of Guinness, it’s a stunning combo, especially since you can still drive home.
Kelly Oysters
Kilcolgan
+353 91 796 120
Directly across the weir from Moran’s—and well worth the trip on its own—is Kelly Oysters. The Kelly family has been farming these beds for over 60 years, and owner Micheál Kelly is a former Irish and European Oyster Opening Champion. They give tours where you put on waders and walk out to the beds while they explain the differences between the Irish Native Flat oyster, which is genuinely rare, and the Gigas, or Pacific oyster. The bivalves aren’t in cages; they grow right there in the sand, which is beautiful to see at low tide. After the tour, you’ll get to enjoy fresh-shucked oysters with a local beer while looking out over the beds. Nothing is modern or fussy; it’s old-school in the best possible way. These are the same oysters at Moran’s, grown by the family across the weir. Two families, two sides of the water, keeping their livelihoods running through generations of working together. That alone is completely amazing.
Tigh Neachtain
17 Cross Street Upper
+353 91 568 820
Tigh Neachtain has been in the Latin Quarter since 1894, and it’s still where everyone ends up. They make an amazing chowder—a whole ocean in a bowl, thick with mussels, haddock, hake, monkfish (some smoked), with carrots and leeks and Irish cream, served with brown bread and loads of butter. It’s the perfect food for a rainy day, which is four times a day in Galway—so chowder all day every day. And what tops off chowder better than a Guinness? If you’re not into the black stuff, they have great wines, too. There are no TVs, and the pub is famous for its traditional musicians. They also don’t allow groups of ten or more, so it never gets too rowdy. This is where writers and poets go—and some of the art on the walls belongs in a museum.
Rúibín Bar & Restaurant
1 Dock Road
+353 91 563 830
Rúibín Bar & Restaurant sits in a historic stone building right on the docks and is run by Alice Jary (one of my favorite chefs) with her husband, Richard Kennan, who manages front of house. They have one of the best cocktail lists in all of Galway, and a big, fantastic steak. Jary cooks it perfectly. The vegetarian and vegan options are also great, but I go for the steak: a 1½-pound dry-aged rib eye for two, drizzled with smoked whiskey and peppercorn sauce. It’s an event. And on the dessert menu, there’s the Brandy Alexander, the classic cream and cognac drink, which was the first cocktail I ever learned to make. I have a real grá for it. After, take a walk along the docklands and through the Spanish Arch. It’s a beautiful final touch, especially in the summer when it doesn’t get dark until 10:30 p.m.
Cava Bodega
1 Middle Street
+353 91 539 884
I love Cava Bodega, which is located opposite Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop in the Latin Quarter. It’s co-owned by Drigín Gaffey and JP McMahon, the chef behind Michelin-starred Aniar right down the street. From bread to ice cream, they make almost everything in-house, and they’re known for great, unfussy tapas. It’s all Spanish in spirit but made with local Irish ingredients. You’ll find a rack of lamb with confit lamb belly and piquillo romesco sauce, or my personal favorite, deep-fried squid with garlic, parsley, and lemon mayonnaise. There’s loads on the menu starring vegetable, fish, or meat, so there’s something for everyone.
Lignum
If you want a true Michelin-starred experience, take a drive out to Lignum in Bullaun, about a half-hour from Galway. Molly Keane and Danny Africano serve a 10-course dinner Thursday through Sunday and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. I’m old and I can’t sit still long enough for a 10-course dinner, so I prefer lunch. As you arrive, you walk through a stunning garden; sitting inside the glass-walled restaurant feels like you’re eating in the garden. The menu highlights Italian flavors and hyper-seasonal Irish ingredients, cooked over open flame with local woods. The food is constantly shifting with the seasons, but it’s simple and elevated. These are flavors that hit you in the face, just how I like it. My favorite course is usually the pasta, which is made by Italy-born Africano.
Kai
22 Sea Road
+353 91 526 003
At Kai, out on the Westend, we don’t believe in specials. Everything is special. All are welcome. Lunch is casual: a chalkboard menu of big plates of hearty, simply cooked Irish food. At night, things get a little finer. We’re a good representation of what’s locally farmed around us. It’s spring now, so we’ve got beautiful asparagus, rhubarb, and peas coming through. But we’re micro-seasonal because Ireland really has six seasons, so we roll with that. We also have the only Michelin Green Star in all of Ireland, if you can believe that. It means we’re true to our word about top-to-bottom sustainability. We have 320 local suppliers, each with their own specific thing, from duck eggs to blackberries. We run a strict circular economy to build the community up, and we look after our staff properly. It’s genuinely difficult to achieve, which is maybe why we’re still the only one in Ireland.
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