The G Hotel
Time does not diminsh the glam of The G, and every time you walk through the doors you feel a million dollars. So, plonk yourself down in that Andy Warhol chair, order a snipe of bubbly, and get the gossip going in Galway’s ultimate getaway.
Wellpark, Galway City, Co Galway More Details
Bite Club
Depending on the time of day that you want to meet up, Biteclub can look afer you as brunch destination, as a lunch destinatiom, as a place for that dinner date and, if everything goes well, as a place to get out on the floor to cool sounds from the dj and cool cocktails from the bar. Ask not what Biteclub is: ask instead what Biteclub isn’t.
36 Upper Abbeygate Street, Galway, Co Galway More Details
The Fatted Calf
Feargal and Fiona’s lovely dining room is the star of Athlone, and is a major focus for the charming food culture of the town and of County Westmeath. Pure and polished cooking means you are always happy to be walking towards that famous red neon sign.
Church Street, Athlone, Co Westmeath More Details
The Nook
Okay, you’re having the gingerbread cinnamon latte, I’m having the turkey melt with cranberry sauce and apple butter, and we’re both having the mince pie cupcakes with a chai buttercream, because it’s Christmas, like, and where better to get the spirit of the season than in Ethna Reynold’s cult cafe in Collooney.
Main Street, Coolooney, Co Sligo More Details
Ariel House
Deirdre McDonald’s house is one of Dublin city’s best placs to stay, but you can get a taste of Ms McDonald’s meticulousness by coming here for afternoon tea, which is open to non-residents. What you will enjoy is a fairy tale tea of exquisite baking, fine china, and an away-from-it-all ambience that just might persuade you to book a room and stay for the night.
50-54 Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4 More Details
The Counter Deli
Richard Finney has created one of the most attractive and imaginative places to eat and shop in County Donegal but be warned: you might meet a friend for lunch and find that, by the time you leave, you also have an Xmas hamper or 2 filled with lovely things from the shop’s choice of 3 hampers.
Canal Road, Letterkenny, Co Donegal More Details
The Fish Kitchen
Bantry’s charming Fish Kitchen is a modest and enduring West Cork delight, so climb the stairs, order a couple of bottles of Sneaky Owl, start with the Dingle crabmeat salad, then enjoy some good Bantry Bay mussels with cream and white wine, and let the day take care of itself.
Bantry, Co Cork More Details
Olive Deli and Cafe
Peter and Deirdre’s deli and café is one of the County Dublin classics, and one of the best-loved destinations in the Dublin region. The care, attentiveness and precision the team bring to every detail of their work makes for one of the very best places to plan a pre-Christmas rendezvous to enjoy delicious cooking.
86 Strand Street, Skerries, Co Dublin More Details
L’Officina Kildare Village
There is no refuge nicer, in the midst of the mercantile mayhem of Kildare Village during the festive season, than to slip into L’Officina and to let the crack team take care of you with some delicious, comforting Italian soul food. Just get there early, or you’ll have to join the queue.
Kildare Village, Co Kildare More Details
Osta Cafe and Wine Bar
Brid Torrades and her team are the most dedicated bunch of professionals, and from breakfast to dinner they bless everything they bake and make and pour in this lovely riverside room with goodness and grace. Osta is one of the most welcoming spaces in the North West.
Garavogue Weir, Sligo More Details
Photograph, with thanks to the Fish Kitchen, Bantry
