3 Best Restaurants in Connemara and County Mayo, Ireland

O'Dowds Seafood Bar and Restaurant

$ Fodor's choice

This fourth-generation establishment sits in the heart of Roundstone overlooking the harbor. It attracts year-round guests with its fresh-from-the-boats lobster, mussels, prawns, and crab, or other local produce such as Connemara lamb, and homey, open-fire setting. Vegans can order seafood crops like dillisk rice, served with locally sourced vegetables from Galway's farmlands. Take a seat outside the pub on a fine day to enjoy the bay views and local flavors.

Café Rua

$

This friendly, boho-chic café with its traditional red shop front (rua is Irish for red) is a showcase for fresh, locally produced foods, simply served. There's an imaginative children's menu, and at lunch there are three daily specials—roast meat, fish, and vegetarian—while many opt for the homemade soup and sandwich (served in a traditional soft roll known as a blaa), or a salad. Choose a platter of local farmhouse cheeses, perhaps, or a salad of Achill Island smokehouse salmon with local greens, the house cucumber relish, and a selection of fresh breads.

Walsh's Bakery

$

Coffee slices, cheesecake, apple pie, lemon drizzle, and a host of other delectable sweetness have greeted visitors for more than 65 years at this charming, second-generation bakery in the heart of Clifden. For those up early, a fine Irish breakfast will set the pace for a good day's sightseeing or hiking.

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