The days when the perception of Irish cuisine consisting purely of potatoes can now be finally put to rest. Any visitor to Ireland’s main cities will of course be aware of the numerous bars, cafes and slew of dining options covering every conceivable type of cuisine on the planet.

What will surprise many tourists is the rise in good quality dining out options in the smaller villages around Ireland. While the capital city & larger towns have the volume of customers to warrant better menus, it is the smaller villages that have better access to high quality local produce in seafood, vegetables, herbs and meat products.

One town of particular note, in gastronomic terms, is Doolin in the west of Ireland. For many years, visitors were only in Doolin for the traditional music sessions or to get the ferry over to the Aran Islands. But nowadays, Doolin hotels, pubs and restaurant are raising the standard of dining for the entire region.

For seafood lovers, Cullinan’s Guesthouse and Restaurant in the village provides a memorable dining experience with a great selection of dishes making the most of the locally caught seafood. The service is professional and the owners have added some special touches, such as choosing dessert wines to complement your desserts, which you would not find in many restaurants of the region.

For those who enjoy fine dining in historic buildings with sea views then the Ballinalacken Castle just outside of town will probably be a highlight of any visit to Ireland. This 15th century castle has its own hotel restaurant with views across the sea to the larger town of Galway. The menu makes the best use of prawns, scallops and salmon from the Atlantic in classic French cuisine dishes. Carnivores will be happy to hear that the menu also provides exceptional lamb and organic beef dishes.

If you are unsure of what type of dining option you and the family wish to take then a visit to the Aran View House Hotel just north of Doolin village has plenty of options. The completely informal option is to take the bar menu and enjoy the views out to the Aran Islands. Note this is a hotel bar so is definitely family friendly. The adjoining restaurant also caters for standard and a-la-carte dining options for a proper sit down dinner.

Any visitor to Doolin should not however miss out on hearing some of the best traditional music sessions that this town is famous for. The best places to experience this is in the two main bars on the main street, McGann’s and O’Connor’s pubs. Both also provide regular hearty pub fare with the local seafood chowder being a firm favorite along with the obligator Irish stew.

So you see, the variety of dining options in this Irish village can prove to be a welcome surprise for exhausted visitors following the traditional tourist trail along the west coast of Ireland and goes to prove Ireland’s burgeoning gastronomic skills are not merely limited to the capital and larger towns.

For more information about restaurants, entertainment and hotels in Doolin visit our website at http://doolinhotelsguide.com/doolin-ireland-information