Established by pioneering chef and cookery writer Dennis Cotter in 1993, Paradiso revolutionised vegetarian food in Ireland, proving the gastronomic potential of seasonally fresh vegetables. Over three decades on, this fine-dining institution continues to earn its place in Irish food lovers’ hearts. Their modern small plates menu features the likes of artichoke gnocchi dressed in lemon and thyme alongside beetroot tartare served with crispy rice paper crackers.
At sustainable café-restaurant Sonflour, two forward-thinking Italian chefs bring an innovative plant-based take on traditional Italian street food to their adopted home of Cork city. Think pizza-style flatbreads featuring melted vegan butter with marinated cherry tomatoes and caramelised onion, or lesser-spotted Italian street food stars like ‘Paul Petta’, oven-baked vegan meatballs with homemade passata, topped with sweet carrots and red chicory. Plus, they also have vegan takes on affogato and Belgian chocolate mousse for dessert.
Japanese-born Takashi Miyazaki is chef-proprietor of Cork’s Michelin-starred Ichigo Ichie and of the eponymous Miyazaki, a beloved take-away where he first won locals over to his skilful cooking. Vegans and vegetarians are well catered for at Miyazaki, with dishes such as donburi rice bowls with vegetable tempura, hot noodle soups, yasai gyoza or okura and aubergine curry. Grab a stool to eat in, or take away to enjoy al fresco at the nearby Elizabeth Fort, with views over the city.
Photo credit: @joanne.cronin
As one of Ireland’s buzziest student cities, Galway has always served vegetarians well, but its vegan game is particularly strong. This is thanks to leading restaurants taking up the cause to curate delicious vegan menus like the one you'll find at The Lighthouse Café. Take a seat in their cosy tea room and struggle to choose between dishes like the vegan chorizo and feta sandwich with green goddess dressing or Salthill squash salad with green lentils, kale pesto, toasted walnuts and whipped vegan feta. They also cook up daily plant-based hotpots, too
Set along Galway's Spanish Promenade, Ré Nao Bar and Restaurant combines Chinese flavours with locally sourced produce to showcase the best of both worlds. Leave the city's cobbled streets, Irish pubs and trad playing buskers at the door and step into the East with Ré Nao's high ceilings, clean interior design and stunning artwork. Plus, their vegan menu is busting with options. Start off with their vegan spice box, with crispy tofu, veggie balls, vegetables and chips coated in their signature spice mix, before building your own noodle creation for mains. Diners can pick from a variety of handmade noodles, vegan proteins and sauces. If you still have room for dessert, the vegan dark chocolate and raspberry mousse is hard to beat.
Just inland from the wild Clare coastline, Ennistymon’s Pot Duggans is an old pub given new energy. At its heart is a vegan-friendly casual dining menu from chef Ashley Gribben, who applies skills learned at Ballymaloe Cookery School and Ottolenghi’s London kitchens to every meal. Another trick they have up their sleeve is their seasonal menu, The Melting Pot — a rotating menu created in collaboration with other talented chefs and Pot Duggans' very own Darren Kirwan. This menu is only available from Friday to Sunday, so try to snag a booking. If that wasn't enough, they also host musical bingo every Friday night.
Photo credit: @theveganinthekitchen
The 800-year-old structure of Ashford Castle in Mayo may stand out amongst the 350 acres of surrounding greenery, but there's another piece from the estate's past that's also worth a visit. A thatched cottaged that was once Cong Cinema is now Cullen's at The Cottage, a cosy restaurant that serves up locally inspired cuisine. Settle into a booth by the open fireplace or perch at the bar, and chose between their vegan and vegetarian options. Whether its their vegan feta and garden beetroot tartlet to start, or the celery pesto linguini for mains, you won't be left wanting.
Husband and wife team Ray and Mags O’Connor were head chefs at The Old Stone House Restaurant in Ballinlough before they bought the place in 2019. Since then, they have curated an incredible three course vegan a la carte menu, which features a broad choice of seasonal options like their wild forest mushroom dish with organic spinach to start, pasta Primavera for mains and a vegan Belgian chocolate cheesecake to finish.
Dine in or drive through at Honestly Farm Kitchen in Carrick-on-Shannon for the freshest of local, seasonal and organic food, much of it from their own Drumanilra Organic Farm. While menus are not exclusively vegetarian, their lunchtime menu includes a rainbow wrap, a generous falafel plate and their Bombay burger — a spiced potato and chickpea patty on a sourdough bun, served with pickled red cabbage, mango chutney and organic salad leaves.
Photo credit: @honestlykitchen
Chef-proprietor Neven Maguire of County Cavan’s MacNean House & Restaurant is a household name in Ireland, beloved for his cookbooks and TV shows that share his generous approach to food. That generosity extends to his fine dining vegetarian tasting menus (available for vegans also), featuring dishes like red pepper orzo with a courgette and lemongrass velouté. If you fancy staying to try more, there is also a beautiful guesthouse onsite, set in the foothills of the wild Cuilcagh Mountains.
Since opening in Dublin in 2019, Glas has been a stalwart of the city’s whole food, vegetarian and vegan scene. Committed to sustainability, their award-winning chefs concoct creative dishes using seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients. Although not every dish is vegan, the chefs are more than happy to adapt their offerings so that everyone can enjoy. With dishes like kohlrabi fritters, poached turnip and a pea panna cotta, there's no chance of leaving Glas with a whisper of hunger.
Photo credit: @mrixy
The long-reigning queen of Dublin’s vegetarian and vegan restaurant scene is Wicklow Street’s Cornucopia. Once a whole food store and vegetarian cafe in the 1980's, it's now a casual dining vegan restaurant set over two lovingly restored floors in an elegant Georgian building, and is ran by the second-generation of the McCaffertys family. With vegetarian and vegan breakfasts served until noon; vibrant salads, warming treats and vegan cakes served all day; freshly pressed juices and fair-trade wines; and live music on weekend evenings, this is somewhere that never stops evolving.
Want to discover more great dining experiences around the country? From sunny patios to food trucks and rooftop bars, here are the best spots for outdoor dining.
