Welcome to Connemara

The Kylemore Kitchen Caf

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You’re probably going to visit Kylemore Abbey, and if so, keep in mind that besides stately architecture and virgin Atlantic rainforest, the Benedictines are well versed in hospitality as well. Along with its hot menu, the Kylemore Kitchen Café prides itself on home-baking and homemade ice cream, so prepare to loosen the belt. Picnic areas in among its lush woodlands and Victorian Walled Garden await.

Stand N Caf

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If the good people at Standún put half as much care into their café as they do their legendary family-run clothing and gift department store, you can be sure of a very happy belly by the time you leave Spiddal. Along with hot and cold drinks, there is a fine range of macaroons, chocolate truffles, homemade cakes, and scones, all on hand to revive those who tend to shop ‘til they drop.

The Olive Tree Kitchen At Wildlands

The Twelve Hotel

It’s called the Twelve because that’s the mark out of ten that happy diners tend to give it. Joking aside, this gem in Barna has made a real name for itself through a combination of its gourmet West restaurant (one of Ireland’s most critically acclaimed wine experiences), The Pins Gastro Bar, Pizza Dozzina gourmet deli, and its mouth-watering bakery shop. A proper foodie hub in the shape of a boutique hotel.

The Woodfield Hotel

This most recent arrival to Clifden’s community of hotels has made great use of its vantage point overlooking Clifden Bay with a terrace bar and grill as well as an indoor restaurant. A good view alone does not guarantee a happy dining experience, however. That’s why the Woodfield Hotel has come ready-packaged with a sturdy, no-nonsense menu full of traditional favourites done well.

Food Trucks

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Moycullen’s hub for adventure activities set out its stall with good food as one of its core principles. Hence the Olive Tree Kitchen, where wholesome grub made from local ingredients –including its on-site vegetable garden – can be enjoyed indoors, or outdoors to a soundtrack of exhilarated zipliners. Freshly baked pastries and a firebrick Neapolitan pizza oven are some of the menu’s talking points.

With its larder of fine produce and network of sublime locations, Connemara was a natural fit for the food-truck revolution that has swept Ireland. The region is now dotted with a diverse array of gourmet outlets run by impassioned foodies for whom the format’s rustic informality has proved empowering. What they are turning out, meanwhile, is among the best food on the West Coast.