Aqua Restaurant

The fact that Charlie Smith’s Aqua has thrived, and not merely survived, through twenty tenacious years in Dublin, as economies swelled and broke and swelled again, is testament to the rock-solid professionalism of this Howth icon. Aqua is to classic restaurants what the Ford GT40s is to automobiles: svelte, fleet, handsome, durable, reliable, race-winning, and it’s the seat you want to be in. Their assured mastery of contemporary seafood cookery, allied to a water’s edge siting that takes your breath away, means Aqua has created a tribe of happy devotees for whom every visit is special. The kitchen makes certain that every bite of sole on the bone cooked meuniere style, or wild cod with white wine sauce, or the chocolate tart with orange and mango tart, is as good as it can be, and friendly service ensures that everyone who comes to Aqua, comes back to Aqua. That’s how you thrive for twenty years.