The summer that never was is slipping on by, and your opportunities for daytrips over those lazy, longer days are running out. Daytrips without top food stops are all but useless in our book, so here's five ideas for country walks, Midlands rambles and seaside excursions with a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner at its core...
The Glyde Inn, Annagassan, Louth
Coastal Louth doesn't get all the love, but there's so much to explore off the M1. Grab takeaway fish and chips from Fisherman's Catch and eat it on Clogherhead beach; have a stroll around lovely Blackrock buying dried flowers and candles you can't afford; knock yourself out with water sports in Laytown. For the lunch or dinner stop worth doing a daytrip for, stop at The Glyde Inn in sleeply Annagassan (45 mins from Dublin airport), which hides some of the best outdoor seating in the county around the back. The crab claws are from Annagassan, the mussels from Carlingford, the prawns from Clogherhead - seafood doesn't get fresher.
Roundwood Stores / The Coach House, Roundwood, Wicklow
Ex-Avoca heir Simon Pratt has been ripping up ground in Roundwood, Wicklow. He and partner Monique McQuaid started with upmarket grocer and café Roundwood Stores, before buying the 1820's coaching inn next door. The Coach House is the cosy country pub you wish was at the end of every Wicklow walking trail, and there are plenty around here. Grab a picnic from Roundwood Stores, or settle in for mackerel rillettes, summer risotto, and almond affogatos for afters in The Coach House after working up an appetite.
Roundwood Stores
The Coach House
Bramley, Abbeyleix
There aren't a whole pile of culinary reasons to get us to the Midlands, but Bramley in Abbeyleix is one. Former Michelin-starred, UK-born chef Sam Moody set his sights on the lovely Laois town after a stint as head chef in Ballyfin, and he along with wife Emily have transformed the former garage and shop into a destination dining room that many are pegging to win a Michelin star. The local Laois larder is used to full effect, with Mountrath lamb, Portarlington mushoons, and Portlaoise pork, and the menus range from simple lunch plates to a €75 tasting menu. Make a full culinary trip out of it by stopping at brilliant bakery Mueller and O'Connell for bread and pastries, and Temptation Chocolates for bonbons to eat in or take home.
Bramley
Temptation Chocolates
Dubh, Newbridge
What was formerly café Ubh across the road, is now Dubh, a restaurant, bar, and evening pizza place filled with Newbridge-dwellers in the know. Get there early for Cilbir's eggs with burnt lemon feta dressing and nduja butter; show up at lunch for cheese, cavolo nero, caramelised onion and egg tart; or head to the bar in the evening for wood-fired pizzas with squash, smoked almonds, corn and garlic oil. The Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens are a 15 minute drive away if you're looking for a reason to head this way.
Do a dessert crawl in Greystones, Wicklow
If we were more bitter people, we might hold all kinds of resentment for people living in the seaside suburb of Greystones - Scéal, Bread 41 AND The Fat Fox? What Dublin suburb can boast a similar role call of the sweetest things. If you're making the journey out here you're going to have to hit all three, so make a day of it and spread them out from early morning to late afternoon. The everything croissant at Scéal, seasonal Danishes at Bread 41, and cookie stacks at The Fat Fox are non-negotiables.
(clockwise from left) Scéal Bakery, The Fat Fox, Bread 41
Looking for more Ireland-wide restaurant recommendations? Check out our all-Ireland map where we save our favourites, and the places we want to get to next (exclusively for ATF Insiders).
