Irish Showstoppers – 6 Things I Will Never Eat Again
Irish Showstoppers and food? Yes, you heard me right. Who knew Ireland was a foodie destination? I certainly did not. In fact, truth be told when I left home to travel there I had no preconceived notion of Irish food knocking my socks off. Actually I assumed the opposite and I planned to visit and enjoy the surroundings on their own. And yet, pretty quickly into my trip I was gobsmacked, happily stunned time and again, by so much great food in Ireland. I honestly had no clue. But the local food movement is strong in Ireland and that is reflected gloriously in the tastes of the food and beverages around the country.
About halfway through my trip to Killarney and Dublin I had tasted a few items that I realized were the absolute best versions of the food, dish, or drink that I had ever sampled anywhere. Irish showstoppers. Which led me to the conclusion that I am done with these six foods and beverages, at least until I return to Ireland again. Honestly there’s no point even trying to find an Irish coffee anywhere else EVER for instance. That fresh cream on top, literally whipped right in front of me at a roadside restaurant stop when I was doing the Ring of Kerry Tour was one of the biggest Irish showstoppers I could ever find.
Table of Contents
Here are 6 Foods I will Never Eat Again Unless I am Back in Ireland.
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Irish Coffee –
I had this three times in Ireland and now I wish I had sampled Irish coffee every single day and night. Frankly I used to have these on holidays. And I even sampled a couple of specialty coffees back before having children when my husband and I would go out for a meal and enjoy new restaurants. But when I had my first Irish coffee in Ireland I literally stopped and wondered what on earth they had been serving in Canada all these years. It is not Irish coffee. So I am done with this, until I return to Ireland where they make it best.
Guinness in Ireland is the freshest. -
Guinness beer –
OH well honestly I guess I could have predicted this one. Dublin is home to Guinness and Guinness has clearly shaped the city dramatically. Stands to reason that the Guinness that flows from the taps in the pubs in Ireland is the freshest. And the coldest and the most refreshing. It is simply the best version of Guinness. What we get here is nothing like the fresh beer we had there.
This artisan pizza with thinly sliced tuna on top is spectacular and the crust was perfection. -
Aristan pizza –
Yes, I know this will be a challenge, but honestly the tuna artisan pizza that we had at Fade Street Social was perfection. The crust was magically crispy without any hint of sogginess. It had the crunch and flakiness of a fine soda cracker almost, but a very high quality one. SO good. Actually I think Fade Street Social itself was one of the biggest Irish showstoppers. The soup that Jill got there was exquisitely presented. She wrote something about that recently on her site Middle of the Road Less Traveled.
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Cobb Salad –
Oneill’s Pub makes the best cobb salad I have ever eaten, topped with slices of bacon, flanked by fresh avocado and served with a tasty helping of a light dijon mustard dressing. SO fresh and scrumptious. DIVINE. Be warned this is BIG food, stick to your ribs food.
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Irish Stew –
I had this a couple of times. But the evening I had this at the Brazen Head and watched the Folklore and Fairies show it was the best yet. Tasted rich and hearty and the way Irish Stew should taste.
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Fish and Chips –
Now I am not willing to say I will never have this again because I plan to test my theory in England at some point. I’m not really the world’s biggest fish and chips fan but I appreciate fresh fish and a great batter changes everything. Light, tasty batter is what you will find at Quinlan’s Seafood Bar in Killarney, Ireland. There are apparently several other locations throughout Ireland.
The cobb salad at O’Neills. Amazing.
Irish Showstoppers are hard to beat
These Irish showstoppers are truly that. Gorgeous dishes and drinks that are at the top of their game. Have you ever been to Ireland? Were you blown away by the slow food movement there? Or were you entirely amazed at the fresh flavours of their farm to table offerings?
Recently I was on a media trip hosted by Failte Ireland through TBEX. My accommodations, travel and food were covered while in Dublin. My opinion is all my own and it is also truthful.
21 Comments
Soozle
Trying coffee from different places is one of my favorite things about travel – it’s not created equal that’s for sure!
Paula
NO QUESTION and this Irish coffee was the BEST ever!
Kimberly
I would love to try coffee in Ireland. OH. MY. YES.
And fish and chips.
Ireland is one of the places that my husband and I want to travel to so badly. One day we will get there!
Amber Myers
Ooo yum. I just LOVE fish and chips. I agree, it’s only tasty at the right places. There was a spot in England that I loved!
Sarah Bailey
Fish and chips can be so different depending on where you buy it, so definitely give it another try. You want it really fresh, normally near a port is the best place to by.
Jenn @ EngineerMommy
I never tried Irish stew but my friend swears by it. I would totally like to try it one day but I want to have an authentic version.
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh
I’ve never been to Ireland but it’s on my bucket list! This all sounds so wonderful, I’ll be sure to add this list of great food to try.
Nancy L.
Ooooh….You had me at Irish Coffee! I bet an Irish coffee anywhere else wouldn’t even come close. The Irish Stew sounds unbeatable, too! What an awesome trip!
Serena Hale
I have not been to Ireland yet, but surely wants to go. I had no idea it is supposed to be a foodie place. I guess that means I have to go then:)
adriana
Totally see where you’re coming from! I’m the same way with some Italian foods – I go every year, and there’s just some thing that can NOT be beat here! These all look amazing!
Pam
There are some foods that should just be enjoyed where they’re from. It sounds like Guinness beer is definitely one of those foods.
Claudia Krusch
I would love to go to Ireland and try real Irish Stew and Irish coffee. I have heard from friends how great the pizza is there. Hopefully I will be able to go someday.
Paula
It is so odd that the artisan pizza was so good. Who thinks of Ireland and pizza in the same breath? LOL.
Liz Mays
Ah, I would totally love to try all of these things in Ireland. I’ve never visited Ireland but I need to!
Anosa
Ohhhh, I have never been to Ireland yet and its still part of my travel the world bucket list. Your list will be noted so as now to miss any of it. I love the way you write the article too.
Dogvills
I agree. Some dishes have to be authentic to try for the first time. I never tried tuna pizza, that is something I would want to try first the moment I set my food in Ireland.
Annemarie LeBlanc
Ireland has been on our bucket list for quite some time now. I hope we can get a chance to travel there. I would love to taste Irish stew, just the way the locals make it. Of course, I would not leave Ireland until I have tasted Irish coffee and fish and chips!
Chubskulit Rose
I will go for the fish and chips, looks super delicious! My husband has a dream of visiting Ireland someday.
Tomi c
I’ve never been to Ireland but I have a friend who is Irish and she’s 1st generation American. She has a local store which carries many of the foods from her homeland so she’s able to prepare traditional Irish dishes. Oh and Guinness is her FAVORITE ale.
Erin Tracy
I’ve never been to Ireland, but the food does sound pretty divine. One day I will make it there and will try some of the foods you’ve mentioned. I do love a good cobb salad.
Margarita Ibbott
The fish and chips at Quinlan’s was delicious. You will also not have a Scotch whisky when you’ve tasted the perfection of an Irish Whiskey. See how I deliberately spelled that correctly?
We will go back my frind if only to taste the Chowder in Kilarney again.