The Irish Stew

Hidden Cork

John and Sally McKenna — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 05:02:38 GMT

The worst thing that can happen to any visitor to any city is to find yourself in places that are packed with tourists. The food writer Marina O’Loughlin visited Le Bistrot Paul Bert in Paris recently, and asked: “Where were the Parisians?” Exactly.

Instead, you want to go to the places where the locals go. So: here are a dozen spots where you will hear the lovely lilt of the Leeside accent whilst you eat well and drink heartily in Cork city, the Southern capital and the city which, the locals will also tell you, is actually the real capital of the country.

MacCurtain Street Wine Bar

We tried to get into MacCurtain Street one evening but, because the room was so jam-packed with all the wine-quaffing punters inside, we couldn’t actually get the door open. True story. That’s because of the magic Sean and Trudy offer: superb wines, lovely bites, pure Cork, so start the evening as you mean to go on.

Sonny’s Deli

Nobody makes better sandwiches than Sonny’s Deli, a tiny tardis of a room in the old Jewish Quarter. The proof is the fact that the shop basically sells out by noon every day, so don’t rock up at lunchtime with high hopes of enjoying the marinated mozzarella with walnut and olive sauce, or the pastrami and horseradish with vine tomatoes: the shelves will be bare! Great Friday Specials if you need some Vietnamese bun cha or banh mi.

Maureen’s

The door is always closed at Maureen’s, but don’t let that stop you: simply ring the bell and Denis, or Maureen herself, will be there in a second to let you enter this little tabernacle of liquid delights, a sitting room for sipping which is like no other. That Denis, of course, is none other than legendary Cork chef Denis Cotter, of Paradiso fame, and he’s a dude who pours a fine glass of fine wine.

Okra Breakfast, Bayou

Bayou

Being down south in Cork is kind of an invitation to go way down south, which is where Bayou comes in. Josh and Kate offer the soul food of New Orleans and Louisiana, so if your soul is craving a po’ boy or a muffuletta or some fried chicken with biscuits, well the crew are stirring the pot just for you. Quite lovely.

L’Atitude 51

Beverley and her crew run the most badass wine bar in the city, a temple of good times. Their wines are superlative, the cooking from Natalie Leane and her team is just right on the money: red mullet with green pea and sea sandworth gazpacho; vitello tonnato of pork loin and smoked anchovies; Glenbrook Farm pork ribs with brown rice. A seat outside on the river’s edge as the sun sets is some enchanted evening.

Proby’s Bistro

Pat Browne and his team cook some delicious stuff in Proby’s, from old style classics such as rabbit stew to smoked duck breast with hazelnuts. It’s a great spot for a meet up, and the quality of the cooking from breakfast through to dinner is rock-steady.

The Bookshelf

The city has two Bookshelves – on South Mall and at the Elysian Building – and their breakfast and brunch offer is just pure class: stewed apple porridge with crumble topping and vanilla crème anglaise will get your motor into overdrive in no time flat, whilst the traditional fry-up is always beautifully delivered. Great coffee, lovely crew.

O’Sho

A lovely Cork pub, made extra special by the fact that they allow foodie artistes to ply their wares here. So, for instance, on Mondays you can enjoy Gautham Iyer’s unique southern Indian vegetarian cooking, and on any night of the week you can bring your takeaway from Cork’s stellar Miyazaki – just across the street – into the bar and have a pint of Beamish with your tripe karaage: Japanese takeaway and Beamish is the pure Cork drop. Other foodstar talents feature steadily so check their socials.

Cafe Moly

Moly is the city cafe that all the locals regard as their own sitting room. Really. It’s a peach of a destination and – get this – Dan and Sunmi have just bestowed a rockin’ refurb on this beloved room. Cafe Moly, but better, everywhichway.

Filter

There are two tiny Filters in the city, the original on George’s Quay and the newest sibling at Paradise Place, at the rere of the Court House. Eoin and his team are superlative coffee nerds, the very best baristas in the city, so the taste of paradise is waiting for you in Paradise Place. Their third location, the whacky Wunderkaffee out on the N22 heading west, is some sort of wonderful.

The Abbey Tavern

You’ll likely have a fierce thirst on you after a visit to St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, so walk a small ways up the street to the quaint Abbey Tavern and slake that thirst with a pint of tasty Murphy’s stout. Do note the presence of students from nearby UCC and The Crawford: they are the ones with the pink hair.

Lancaster Lodge

A brilliant location just a stone’s throw from Patrick Street means Lancaster Lodge is just the place to lay your head during your Cork trip. Add in free parking, meticulous housekeeping, excellent staff and excellent value and LL just ticked all your boxes.

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