Page 22 - Sligo X North West

22 Visiting
Shoreline pints, Italian ice-cream, seafood, cakes
and the rest!
There are some great places to eat and drink in Sligo: some
with food to die for, others with spectacular views, more that serve the perfect pint and some with all three. There is a well-beaten track to many great places such as Shells Seaside Bakery & Cafe in Strandhill, Austies
in Rosses Point, Davis’s Restaurant at The Yeats Tavern in Drumcliffe, Kate’s Kitchen on Castle Street and, of course, one of the oldest pubs in the country: Hargadons on O’Connell Street. There’s so much great choice that it’s impossible to mention everyone so here’s 15 tasters to whet your appetite in Sligo town and beyond.
allowing you to either go for a dip or a bracing walk at the beach, depending on the weather.
Eala Bhan
President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina dined here when they were in town for the Fleadh, causing a bit of gridlock
on Rockwood Parade. A sister restaurant of Tra Ban in Strandhill, both have won many awards and consistently get rave reviews. It also
has introduced Afternoon Tea using the patis- serie from Le Fournil French bakery.
O’Connor’s
O’Connor’s pub in Ballisodare is a real gem. During the summer, you can see tourists, especially those cycling the Sligo Way, literally grind to a halt outside its window which is advertising clothes and groceries. The friendly bar staff, cosy at- mosphere and
trad sessions on the first Tuesday of every month make it a real welcoming place.
The Venue
There’s not much that can beat a burger from The Venue in Strandhill - well, maybe their seafood chowder, Lissadell mussels and crab claws. There is something for everyone at The Venue so it’s just as well that it’s able to accommodate large groups. Located on Top Road in the sea-side village, the views over the sea does your soul good.
Lyons Cafe
Lyons department store on Quay Street is an institution in Sligo and has been there for as long as most people in the county can remember. The cafe upstairs consist- ently serves amazing home-made food
with delicious dishes that you would ex- pect from a restaurant rather than a cafe. Downstairs there is also The Bakeshop where you can get freshly-baked bread sliced in front of you and sinful cakes.
Coopershill
Coopershill, the luxury country house in Riverstown, is somewhere to go for a real special occasion. The menu changes daily and is dictated by the ripening of produce in its own vegetable and fruit gardens and the recommendations of the local butcher and fishmonger. On a day when venison is on the menu, Coopershill boasts that the distance from farm to plate for 75pc of that day’s ingredients is 200 metres.
Fabio’s Homemade Italian Ice Cream
During the summer, queues were forming down Wine Street for
a taste of
Fabio’s real
Italian ice cream, served by Fabio himself. One of the great things about here is that it offers dairy-free ice creams. It also is a contender for serving the best coffee in town.
Lang’s
Little has changed for years in Lang’s
of Grange, wt has hich still has all the original features of its traditional bar and grocery shop. Since the family-run pub started serving food around ten years ago, it has received a name among locals and tourists alike and is almost always men- tioned in guide books on the county.
Beach Bar in Aughris Head
There is nothing better than crashing into the Beach Bar on Aughris Head exhausted from a walk on nearby Dunmoran Strand, peeling off your layers and settling down for some home-made chowder, chunky brown bread and a pint of Guinness in front of the roaring fire. With its thatched roof and views overlooking the water, its almost like a film scene from a Hollywood version of Ireland - except its real.
Cromleach Lodge Restaurant
With stunning
views overlook-
ing Lough Arrow,
Cromleach Lodge
in Castlebaldwin
has always been known for its award-win- ning food and its sensational setting. A popular spot for weddings and now also a spa destination, it really is one of the best places to eat, drink, stay and chill out in the county.
Foley’s
When people call a pub an ‘auld man’s pub’ these days, it is generally a compli- ment and that’s true of Foley’s on the corner of Castle Street. A true original, with traditional music sessions at the weekends, that many people can still call their local. See also Connolly’s on Marki- evicz Road.
Rugantino Italian Eatery
It might be cheekily pitched as an ‘Italian by Italians’, but there is no better way to describe Rugantino’s on Rockwood Pa- rade. With real Italian food that is not only delicious but affordable, it also now has Prosecco
on tap and the best hot chocolate in the county. Owned by Antonio
Secondino (one of the famous Macari fam- ily), Rugantino has been a great addition to the town with cooking and ingredients that Mama would be proud of, all served up by authentic Italian staff.
Beltra Community Hall
Ok, so it’s not the place that you might normally find on a list of places to eat and drink but Saturday mornings at the farm- er’s market in Beltra really are something special. The red hall, like one of the tradi- tional barns you’d see in New England, is filled with arts and crafts and home-baked goods. Behind the stage, the local ladies are selling teas and coffees, light break- fasts and the most delicious cakes - with free drinks for the children.
Tricky’s McGarrigle’s
McGarrigles on O’Connell Street has al- ways been known as a modern live music pub and is where people who are into their music go to drink and eat. It has bluegrass sessions with the popular Rackhouse Pilfer on Monday nights, trad sessions on Thursday nights and the infamous Sunday MASS (Massive Acoustic Sunday Sessions) every Sunday.
Donaghy’s at Coach Lane
There is no way you could describe the food at Donaghy’s as ‘pub grub’ yet it manages to create that lovely informal feeling you’d expect from that term while also serving great, high-quality food. Located on Lord Edward Street, some of its dishes include ‘milk-fed Irish veal’ and ‘line-caught halibut’ but they also do the more traditional steak or fish and chips to a high standard.
Eithna’s By The Sea
Overlooking the harbour in Mullaghmore, this family-friendly restaurant has won many awards for its seafood, shellfish and lobster dishes. A must for any fish lovers. And its setting could not be any better,
Irish Independent
26 November 2014