We always crave our comfort food whenever we want to feel that sense of home. And where to eat Irish comfort food—oh it’s all over Ireland!
In this article, we’ll be exploring the best places to get your Irish comfort food. We’ll also compare locations, services, menus, and even the value for money.
Let’s get on with it!
Average Cost of Eating in Places that Serve Irish Comfort Food
The following rates are based on various sources like actual websites of the restaurants, online forums, and personal reviews. While they’re testimonials from relevant sites and real people, the price range could change at any time.
Top Places to Eat Irish Comfort Food
We’re listing down the best places where you can eat Irish comfort food based on the following criteria:
1. O’Sheas Restaurant
| Authentic Irish vibe | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Locally recommended | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Food and beer menu | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
O’Sheas Restaurant is one of those restaurants that give you that homey feeling. And that only means one thing—it offers amazing homemade Irish food!
And we’re not wrong on this. In fact, a lot of locals around the area told us that when they’re too tired to cook food on their own, they just march straight to O’Sheas and order their favourite traditional meals—with a pint of Guinness of course!
O’Sheas never disappoint with their food. Their varied menu offers all of the local favourites that taste of home and traditions—definitely worth the walk and the money.
Not that it’s expensive to dine in at O’Sheas! In fact, most of their menu items are of reasonable price.
Customer recommendations and our recommendations—Irish steak and Guinness Irish stew. You’re welcome!
Another thing we like about the restaurant is that it’s easy to find, so you can just visit without a hassle. Also, it’s open on weekends!
Just a couple of things—improvement in speed of service. There are items on the menu that take so long to be served, and it’s not leaving a good impression on impatient customers.
There are also times when servers forget the orders of other tables. This results in inconvenience and unfavourable reviews.
Pros
- Open on weekends
- Cosy vibe
- Lively atmosphere
- Authentic Irish food
- Reasonable rates
- Good location
- Arguably the best Irish steak in town
- Varied menu with a lot of Irish favourites
- Guinness beef stew
Cons
- Long wait for some menu items
- Forgets orders at times
Customer Reviews
Cosy, traditional Irish vibe
Typical and traditional Irish atmosphere, simple and cozy. Very tasty food, dishes are well served and an excellent price.— Vivian Mantobani, Google Reviews
Extensive Irish menu
Came for the steak and was not disappointed. It was cooked exactly as I wanted. Great service, free wifi, good location for people-watching. The menu has something for everyone, including the classic Irish stuff. Cheers!!—Emily Smith, Google Reviews
2. Old Mill Restaurant
| Authentic Irish vibe | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Locally recommended | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Food and beer menu | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
If you’re looking for the traditional Irish food and vibe, we recommend visiting Old Mill Restaurant. Stepping inside the restaurant reminds you instantly of an Irish pub where the atmosphere is warm and friendly–perfect for a cosy meal!
According to loyal patrons, they also love the nostalgic feeling of the place. It has a lovely interior but is not intimidating, and it has a lot of photographs plastered on the walls, making it look like a memory lane.
In terms of food, locals can attest that Old Mill serves authentic Irish food. You can find all typical Irish favourites in there including drinks, and our recommendation—Irish stew, fish and chips, and cottage pie.
The restaurant has a kids’ menu as well! So if you’re bringing your kids, there’s always something in the menu for them.
We also want to commend the staff, by the way. Food is served fast and hot, which is a good thing because we love to eat our food while it’s fresh from the kitchen!
There are only a couple of complaints from loyal customers, one of them is the place being overly busy at what seems to be any time of the day. This results in long lines and long waiting times, which can be inconvenient.
Another thing is that it can only be accessed via a small staircase. It’s not wheelchair accessible or even an ideal restaurant for senior citizens.
Pros
- Has a kids’ menu
- Authentic Irish food
- Friendly vibe
- Lovely and cosy interior
- Friendly and attentive staff
- Reasonable prices
- Short wait for food
- Drinks are immediately served
- Good portions
Cons
- Very busy on weekends
- Small and cramped
- Can only be accessed using stairs
Customer Reviews
Homestyle cooking at reasonable prices
Lovely place you can access thru a small staircase that brings you to a well-decorated room. Large choice of really tasty food. Very kind and careful staff, reasonable prices. A good place for eating with friends and family.—Borris Maillard, Google Reviews
Fast service, good food, but no wheelchair accessibility
This is a great place to eat. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The drinks came quickly to our table and when we ordered our food the wait wasn’t long. The one starter was enough for both of us. The main meal was high quality, portions were good size and the desert was to die for. Highly recommend this place. The only downside is that it’s very busy. Also, watch out for the stairs at the entrance.—Celene Clelland, Google Reviews
3. Gallagher’s Boxty House
| Authentic Irish vibe | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Locally recommended | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Food and beer menu | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Don’t get deceived by the name of the restaurant—Gallagher’s Boxty House doesn’t only specialise in boxties, but also other traditional Irish food! In fact, we have quite a few recommendations, and the regulars agree with us!
Irish stew, Irish boxty, shepherd’s pie—these are some of the best food we recommend trying for their menu. The authenticity in the flavours will drive you mad in a good way—tell us we’re wrong, but we know we’re right!
If you’re a tourist and aren’t very familiar with Irish food, don’t worry—the staff are very friendly and accommodating. Just let them know if you have restrictions, and they’ll recommend food based on your dietary requirements.
The portions are generous too, which makes us happy! Some customers think the menu’s pricey, but while it’s more expensive than other restaurants’ menus, we think it’s worth a little splurge.
The location is accessible to everyone, which means you can easily find the restaurant. The ambience is great as well since the staff are so warm and it’s nicely decorated!
Adding to the ambience is the nice background music. Most of the songs are traditional Irish songs, but they play other types of music as well.
Just a heads-up—sometimes, even if you book in advance, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get the good seats. We recommend just coming at non-peak hours so you can get a nice table without advanced reservations.
Pros
- Attentive staff who make great recommendations
- Good Irish food
- Good background music
- Very nice staff
- Prime location
- Nice ambience
- Generous portions
Cons
- Pricey
- Booking in advance doesn’t mean you’ll get seated at a good table
Customer Reviews
Good food
Amazing food & service. Best service we had on our trip to Dublin. We started with the mussels, which were the best we’ve ever had. Huge amount of them too. The Boxty was delicious (lamb). The sticky toffee pudding was the best we’ve had thus far because the cake was super moist. Excellent place to eat.—Jason F, Trip Advisor
Generous portions
The food never stops amazing me. I’m not super into food, bit this is my absolute favourite place to eat out in Dublin. The sizes are generous and I never have room for dessert. So even though it’s a bit pricey you definitely get your money’s worth! The boxty with chicken is to die for!—Anna Laura, Trip Advisor
4. The Laurels Pub & Restaurant
| Authentic Irish vibe | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Locally recommended | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Food and beer menu | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
One thing we love about The Laurels Pub & Restaurant is that it has an extensive menu of traditional Irish comfort food as well as drinks. So if you want to have options, this is the place to visit!
Comfort food means food that reminds you of home, and the restaurant has them all. We and the regular customers agree about food recommendations: fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, seafood chowder, and banoffee pie.
We love that the food is served in large portions as well—so you’d better arrive hungry or you might not be able to finish it! The restaurant has several beer taps as well, so your drinks will come fast.
Another thing we love about the place is that it has a kids’ menu. So just in case you’re bringing kids who are picky with their food, don’t worry–they have a lot of options!
We also love the ambience of the place—warm and friendly. It has a spacious back area as well wherein there’s a TV to watch sports—typical lively Irish atmosphere in there!
We also appreciate the efficient staff. The place is always crowded, but the staff always makes sure to be attentive about vacant tables so they can immediately sit you.
We think it’s also worth noting that while the place is in a prime location, so it’s easy to miss it. It has a narrow entrance that you’ll hardly notice when you pass by, so make sure you know exactly where to look.
Pros
- Extensive food and beer menu
- Large portions
- Fast service
- Friendly ambience
- Efficient staff
- Has a kids’ menu
- Spacious back area
Cons
- Always busy
- Difficult to find because of its narrow entrance
Customer Reviews
Always busy but the staff always makes sure to find you a spot
Great pub in Killarney. It was quite crowded when we came for dinner but they quickly found us a seat. Food was all delicious, particularly the Brie appetizer, chowder and fish and chips. The chowder had lots of seafood and was flavorful. Prices were reasonable. They had 2 vegetarian options on the menu. Staff was friendly and prompt—Stephanie Lavelle, Google Reviews
Food arrives fast
Cozy Irish pub/restaurant in the heart of Killarney town. Stopped in for lunch and it hit the spot. Great pours of Irish stout, and really tasty food. I got the soup of the day with some chips and was impressed. The service was very nice. Rugby on the tv. There was a huge back area too where it seemed the locals were hanging out and watching the game. Your typical Irish pub environment, but I’d say this is a great pick for an Irish dining experience in Killarney. *Kid friendly and they do have a kid menu!—Kevin McCabe, Google Reviews
5. Murty Rabbitts
| Authentic Irish vibe | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Accessibility | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Locally recommended | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Food and beer menu | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Murty Rabbitts is a family-friendly place that serves good Irish comfort food. In fact, some regular customers told us that it’s where they bring their families during weekends to eat and relax.
It has a beer garden where you can watch rugby while eating. The place is lively but not overly noisy, which is perfect for conversations with your companions.
We also appreciate that the place is clean. It has a lovely and cute interior as well that adds to the homey ambience.
There’s a time of the day when you can also witness a live band performing. This also makes the place more cosy and relaxing.
In terms of food, they serve a lot of Irish comfort food as well as some foreign food. Our recommendations: cottage pie, steak sandwich, Irish stew—one bite and you’ll be reminded of all the good things from your childhood!
The food is just well-seasoned—not too flavourful but never bland either. It makes you want to try other food since the taste is just right so there’s room for other flavours as well.
Sometimes there’s a long wait for food though, which isn’t ideal if you’re hungry. In addition to this, there are times when the servers forget about your order, so it’s better to follow up when you think it has been so long since you ordered.
Pros
- Cute interior
- Clean
- Well-flavoured traditional Irish food
- Polite staff
- Staff gives good food recommendations
- Live music
- Has a beer garden where you can watch rugby
- Warm atmosphere
- Kid-friendly
Cons
- Long wait time for food
- Staff forget customers’ orders at times
Customer Reviews
Well-seasoned local food
Hands down the BEST food we had in Galway. We were here for 5 days and on the last day decided to come here for dinner. The service was great and very quick. The inside was very cute and clean. If you come here trust me and get the Lamb Shank. The meat fell right off the bone and it was so tasty. I had the cottage pie and I really enjoyed it! Portions are huge for the price. Highly recommend all around!—Claudia Cooper, Google Reviews
Family-friendly
Great place. Went with the family and the kids to watch the Rugby and have some food and drinks. Staff were very welcoming and friendly. Will be back.—Shane Keogh, Google Reviews