When you want to eat out for a special occasion, you need to be sure the restaurant will not disappoint. We’ve picked some of the best options around the country where the food and setting will combine to elevate your experience.
This always-buzzing spot is run by people who truly love hospitality – chef David Devereaux in the kitchen and Anne Zagar out front. Dishes such as seafood lasagne, crispy confit pork belly and crab ravioli are playful takes on classic cooking. Full of local produce, they fly out in the compact diningroom. Don’t skip Zagar’s brown bread, and the sauces are plate-licking good. Read our full review here . AD
Just 20 minutes from central Belfast, the striking diningroom at Lucie and Carlos Capparelli’s restored mill is where to go with a group of friends for lunch or dinner. Brazilian-born Carlos spent nine years with Yotam Ottolenghi and brings an Italian-influence to his menu, from small plates and pasta to mains and notably good rotisserie chicken. Read our full review here . CH
[ Ottolenghi-backed restaurant outside Belfast is truly wonderful Opens in new window ]
This old coaching inn on the Beara Peninsula may look charmingly traditional from the outside, but owner Katherine Murphy has given the interior a complete glow-up, mixing the original pub interior with modern style, and it now operates as a restaurant and wine bar. Murphy and chef Callum Angelos source and forage for ingredients locally. Small plates and seafood fill the daytime menu, with heartier dishes added for evening time. JC
The clever thing about this 30-seat restaurant – which is the sibling of two-Michelin-star Dede nearby – is that there’s a good chance you’ll see some two-star dishes rubbing shoulders with the phenomenal Adana kebab on charred flatbread. Other Turkish dishes from Ahmet Dede could include haddock lakarde, langoustine spring rolls, potato dumpling and beef cag kebabi. Booking is advised. Read our full review here . CH
If you’re looking for a celebratory Monday dining option in a scenic location, then Jess D’Arcy and Killian Durkin’s Howth restaurant might just be the spot. Durkin’s modern Irish cooking uses ingredients from all around north Dublin, including Dublin Bay scallops with roe butter and black garlic ricotta cappelletti made with Howth garlic. The wine list is stellar and on fine days, the refreshed outdoor seats will be in high demand. Read our full review here . JC
The industrial vibes of the former warehouse building that houses Beau are softened by pleated curtains and sleek blond tables. Lottie Noren’s small-plates-style menu is easy to navigate, with several options each for snacks, meat, fish, vegetables and sides. Her style is modern European, beautifully presented on textured ceramic plates, epitomised by dishes such as langoustine ceviche with leek and fennel, or mussels in vin jaune sauce. Elegant cocktails pack a punch too. JC
Recently awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand, this city centre restaurant remains riotously fun. Grab a pencil, tick the boxes on the little leaflet to select your dishes, and wait for the magic to emerge from the kitchen. Owners Rob Hayes and Alex Zhang fuse flavours from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong with the best Irish produce and serve them alongside a creative cocktail menu that always impresses. Read our full review here . JC
The gambas at this buzzy, Italian-influenced restaurant stopped me in my tracks – half-submerged in lemon, garlic and chilli butter, darkened at t…