When the wine list is just as important to you as the menu, these 14 spots across Ireland should provide a winning experience.
Zsolt and Edel Lukács have created something special in Galway with their intimate wine bar and menu built around small plates. Typically, dishes include tuna tartlet, scallop crudo, Dexter beef tartare, and monkfish with Killary Fjord mussels. Zolt was named Michelin Sommelier of the Year in 2025 and the low-intervention wine list reflects it, with more than 40 wines by the glass, starting at €7.50. CH
Three Galway oysters and a glass of grower Champagne for €25 is reason enough to regularly return to this restaurant. The wine list is notably good and the margins are among the lowest in the country. Meat and dry-aged steaks sear over olive wood on a Santa Maria grill built by Smokin’ Soul, while fish cooks over apple wood. Produce is from an impressive list of suppliers including The Happy Lobster, Oranmore Organic and the Friendly Farmer. CH
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This is as atmospheric as wine bars get, with 12 high stools around a communal table as you walk in, surrounded by shelves of organic wines, and a dining area at the back which seats 30. Chef Dan Smith (formerly of Overends at Airfield Estate in Dundrum), joined the team in 2023, bringing a philosophy of sourcing the finest produce and keeping the cooking simple in a Spanish/Mediterranean style, with dishes such as aubergine caponata, yellowfin tuna tartare, and breaded pork chop. There are 25 wines by the glass ranging from €7 to €16, and all 900-plus wines in store are available to drink on-site at shelf price plus €15 for corkage. This includes Champagne, magnums and larger-format bottles. CH
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Can’t make it to Italy this summer? Bring your buon appetito to Stoneybatter in Dublin instead, where chef-owner Roberto Mungo’s restaurant is a love letter to his home country, rooted in regional dishes, pastas that tell a story and a top-tier Italian wine list. You could pop next door to A Fianco for a glass before or after too. AD
As if a seat in this friendly wine bar were not prize enough, in summer, owner Beverley Matthews sets up a 35-seater terrace on the opposite side of the street, overlooking the river Lee. The menu includes Cromane oysters, Glenbeigh mussels with nduja, spiced beef tongue and Glenbrook sausage with lentils. The natural wine list is phenomenal, with 20 by-the-glass options, starting at €6.30. This list changes every six to eight weeks. Check the chalkboard for special and unicorn wines opened daily. CH
A long-standing favourite, Piglet has a new chef in the kitchen and a refreshed menu that ranges along the Mediterranean coast from France to Italy. It still boasts more than 300 bottles of wine on its list, with 23 available by the glass. On a summer’s day, it’s hard to beat sitting outside, with a glass of something cold and some small plates from Paul Behan’s kitchen. JC
Small but sleek are some of the words that come to mind when thinking of this gallery restaurant. During the weekdays, the focus is on lunch with fresh, seasonal light bites. In the evening and weekends, chef Cathal Leonard, formerly of award-winning Potager in Skerries, steers the ship with an excellent value a la carte menu of modern Irish cuisine.