Jacobs on the Mall (30A South Mall; 425-1530), a stylish restaurant in a converted Turkish bath, has 30-foot ceilings and skylights running the length of the room. The roast cod and the crisp-skinned salmon are excellent.
For
lunch, try the Farmgate Café at the English Market on
the Grand Parade (427-8134) for great salads, or Café
Paradiso
(16 Lancaster Quay;
427-7939), often called the best vegetarian
restaurant in Ireland, where the potato, spring onion, and wild garlic tortilla
is accompanied by wonderful wilted greens.
For a picnic lunch, try the English Market (The Grand Parade), whose shops feature meat, fish, produce, wine, smoothies, cold cuts, organic food, chocolate, eggs, coffee, tea, pastries, bread, and olives.
Staying there
Crawford House (011-353-21-427-9000; from $108) and Garnish House (011-353-21-427-5111; from $108) are both very nice B&Bs, about a block apart on the Western Road and an easy 10- to 15-minute walk or a short bus ride from the city center. The former has tasteful contemporary décor, while the latter is more traditionally furnished. Both provide full breakfasts, and all rooms are en suite. Be sure to ask for a room away from the street because the Western Road is a major thoroughfare.
If you prefer to stay in a hotel, try Isaacs, downtown at 48 MacCurtain Street (011-353-21-450-0011; from $132; includes full breakfast). Again, you’ll want a room away from the street. Rooms 203 and 220 are the best in the hotel.
The Hayfield Manor Hotel (Perrott Avenue and College Road; 011-353-21-484-5900; from $457; includes full breakfast) is Cork’s only five-star hotel. It’s all you would expect, right down to the putter and movable cup for golfers in each room. Downtown is a ten-minute walk away. —J.F.
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