Kinsale and Cobh - Ireland 2014 - page 274

Fishy Fishy Café has spacious seating (indoor, balcony, and terrace) and a wonderful
fish menu (though a bit overpriced). It's a good lunch or early dinner option. Look at the
lobsters on death row in the tank and ponder this: Several years ago, a soft-hearted, deep-
pocketed Buddhist tourist bought up the tank's entire supply of live lobsters and set them
free in the bay (with stories to tell their crustacean cousins about how they'd been abduc-
ted by aliens). They've refilled the tank since. Owner Martin Shanahan's cooking prowess
has led him to host a weekly cooking show on Irish TV (daily 12:00-21:00, reservations
recommended, Pier Road, tel. [phone], www.fishyfishy.ie ).
Other inviting cafés are Blue Haven Café (daily, at Blue Haven Hotel on Pearse Street,
with lots of old-time town photos) and Cucina Café (closed Sun, on Market Street).
Cheap and Cheery Lunches: Tiny Mother Hubbard's, packed with happy locals near
Market Square, serves sandwiches or salads with coffee for under €10 (daily 8:30-14:30).
The Milk Market Café —right next door—offers burgers, pizza, and fish-and-chips.
Or, gather picnic supplies at the SuperValu supermarket (Mon-Sat 8:00-21:00, Sun
8:30-21:00, Pearse Street).
Good Dinners in the Old Center
(See “Kinsale” map, here .)
Hoby's Restaurant, a well-established favorite for seafood and duck, offers modern
cuisine in a quiet, candlelit room. It's popular with people from Cork who've come down
for a romantic night out (€25 three-course dinners, Mon-Sat 18:00-22:00, closed Sun,
Main Street, tel. [phone]).
Several other atmospheric wine-bar restaurants vie for your attention along the gently
curving Main Street. Max's Wine Bar leads the pack, with subdued lighting and a menu
that's big on quality seafood (€25 early-bird fixed-price meal before 19:30, open for lunch
Wed-Sun 12:30-15:00, dinner Wed-Mon 18:30-22:30, closed Mon lunch and all day Tue,
48 Main Street, tel. [phone]).
Crackpots sprouts distinctive ceramics created by owner Carole Norman in her ro-
mantically lit restaurant. Locally caught fish and organically grown veggies are menu
staples,butdon'toverlooktheduck,whichgetsravereviews(great€25three-courseearly-
bird meal before 19:00, daily 18:00-22:00, 3 Cork Street, tel. [phone]).
Jim Edward's Steak & Seafood keeps eaters happy in both the bar and the restaurant.
Choose between the restaurant's maritime setting (€18-25 meals, dinner only) or simpler
food in the no-nonsense bar (€12-18 meals). Arrive early or wait. While cheaper and less
gourmet than other Kinsale eateries, it's a high-energy place that's clearly a local family
favorite for its decent steaks, seafood, and vegetables (bar daily 12:30-22:00, restaurant
daily 18:00-22:00, Market Quay, tel. [phone]).