Another “Foodie” Trip to Ireland

Our latest research trip to Ireland (August 2026) was chock full of great food. All of our itinerary clients that come to Italy tell us they are coming, in large part, for the food. But few of our itinerary clients headed to Ireland list food as a priority. That is a shame — they should! We focus on food in Ireland as much as we do in Italy, obviously just with a different bent. 

Before any trip, we spend a ton of time researching, looking for those special places that source the best local ingredients, and prepare them with thought and care. It’s easy to find fish and chips in Ireland, but if you want to find those special ones, the ones where the fish was delivered that morning, and the batter uses a mother yeast, you have to spend a little time looking. We don’t eat a lot of fried foods in general, so when we do, we want to make sure it’s top notch! 

We’re always on the hunt for a few common dishes when we travel in Ireland, trying to find the best versions: fish and chips, seafood chowder, sticky toffee pudding. We also always plan at least one day to find lobster (when in season), at a place that specializes in it.

[This is A place that specializes in it.]

And we are also looking for inventive fish dishes – again, at places that specialize in fish. Zen is not a big fish eater in general, but she always enjoys the fish dishes we have when we are on a trip! Taking the time to hunt out the right places definitely pays off. And, of course, some traditional Irish dishes like beef stew or sausages and mash are always tempting alternatives.

Here are a few of our favorite dishes from the trip: 

Supreme of chicken with chicken jus
Hummus with local seaweed  
Parmigiano-crusted hake on top of creamed potatoes, with peas
Irish Beef Stew with new potatoes 
House made sausages with onion gravy over mashed potatoes
Smoked mackerel pate with crispy nori

And that’s not even including the great breakfasts that we had – we’re always looking for places to stay that serve wonderful breakfast plates, whether it’s a classic “full Irish” or a fried haddock and eggs or a creamy Irish porridge with house-made jam…

But that’s the subject of another article!