The best restaurants in Cork

14/09/2025: Went down for the sounds from a safe harbour festival and had a delicious pint of Beamish while enjoying live music

11/09/2025: Went along for the trad session this evening supposedly from 6pm, hoping to play, but unfortunately it had been cancelled so no tunes fix for me. Not quite sure why- one or two other bemused musicians floating around. Nice enough pub otherwise though.

01/04/2026: Great food and very friendly staff highly recommended 👍

14/02/2026: Friendly staff, and good food at a good price

05/10/2025: Amazing place for delicious small plates and fantastic wines. Really great for trying new wines! Staff are so friendly and go above and beyond also.

20/09/2025: Great for a pre theatre drink and nibbles

29/10/2025: One of the best coffees in Cork. Quick and friendly service. Fiúntas pasties.

07/10/2025: What a lovely setup and really nice staff. And for once the green tea wasn’t a rip off as it is in most coffee houses. Recommended

05/09/2025: A very good pub in the area with excellent staff, it has a back area with huge wooden benches, very good pints, in short, an authentic traditional Irish pub, and now with the students returning there will be many lively nights.

04/08/2025: A very cozy bar with good music and a relaxed atmosphere. It's nice to finally find a place where vaping is prohibited. I wonder when they realize it's the same as smoking. Thank you for providing a smoke-free space.

01/12/2025: Great atmosphere, excellent music and efficient service.

18/11/2025: Fabulous, cosy, dog friendly pub, great atmosphere and great music on Saturday evenings.

22/10/2025: Pie Guys was such a delightful experience. They were closed at the English Market because they were sold out, so we wandered down to the Black Market, and I’m so glad we did. IT WAS CLASS. The buttery crust, the perfect mash, the filling, the amazing dill slaw. This was a must stop, making it a plan for tomorrow as well. You will not be disappointed.

18/10/2025: Having grown up with a mum who was a pastry chef and confectioner and has since passed, I’ve had the best of the best… but having seen these lads and the pies they create I said I’d have to try it and see does it stack up.. all I can say is YES… I was instantly transported back to my youth with the quality of the pastry.. and the filling, omg something to die for.. thank you for giving me a little taste of my youth after a bad week of missing my mum it really put a smile on my face!!! We will be back!

25/09/2025: Lovely coffee, very staff. Nice spot for a cup with a friend.

19/08/2025: Good cofee in a morning -good vibe for all day<3

04/09/2025: So many savory options! Best Italian I have had since going vegan. Got there, given an hr wait, went nexdoor til she called us over earlier than expected, and she waited a little extra while we finished our pints. Kind service staff. Loved the fresh ingredients. My pesto ravioli with sweet potatoes was fantastic. The linguine were perfectly al dente and we could see them being made. Saved room for dessert, the strawberry hill was delicious. All so perfectly balanced, really. Try the appetizers! We got the socca farinata. My Omni bf and I (vegan) thought this was some of the best food we've had. Cozy, romantic, welcoming, & affordable, too.

31/08/2025: Love love love!!!! I'm dairy free and it was a delight.

18/09/2025: Had such a good night here, absolutely excellent wine and food, staff were so nice, knowledgeable and enthusiastic

25/08/2025: Small, but worth a visit place for glass (or bottle) of quality wine (and some food)..... recommended.

01/01/2026: Friendly local pub, Great pint of Beamish, a good age mix here, well worth a visit.

29/11/2025: Lovely bar...calm, quiet relaxing.

08/10/2025: Really delicious meal. Seafood chowder and cauliflower steak were both excellent. My wife enjoyed her Indian, though the naan was sub par. Nice space too.

05/10/2025: Very nicely decorated. Friendly service. Really tasty food. The signature pie was amazing, as were the glazed root vegetables. Would gladly come back!

25/10/2025: Good climbing gym - not huge, but it's enough, with a good bit of variety.

27/09/2025: Friendly staff, lots of differnet way/ level to clim on the wall

17/03/2026: Ducked into Thali seeking a quiet, quality place to grab lunch on St. Patrick’s Day. There was literally one 2-top available. Had the lamb kebab, veg samosas, butter naan, and a mango lassi. AMAZING! I’m regretful not asking my servers name he was so kind and helped me wrap my leftovers (thank you!!).

09/03/2026: The food here is actually quite good compared to many other places, and we did enjoy the taste. However, the experience we had with seating was disappointing. When my friend and I arrived, we were told the restaurant was full and that the empty tables we could see were reserved. While we were still standing outside looking for another place to go, a couple walked in and asked for a table as a walk-in and were seated immediately at one of those tables removing the reserved tag. Since it was my friend’s birthday, I didn’t want to create a scene at the door. Instead, my friend called the restaurant and made a reservation next time, and only then were we able to dine in. I can’t say for certain what the reason was, but the situation did feel uncomfortable and a bit unfair as they were walking in like us. On the positive side, the food tasted good, although the portion size could be better considering the price.

08/04/2026: Been here a good few times over the years and it's gotten worse each time, unfortunately. Good for a bit of live music but unless there's a match there's not much talk going on. Don't know what the deal with the staff is, they seem dry enough. Used to be able to have a nice chat at the bar but those days seem long gone. Would give this place a pass unless you're a fan of the bands.

20/03/2026: thought the name poor relation meant they'd serve you free drink if you said you were poor but alast i had a pint of smithwicks dashed in my face when my peasantries were uncovered.