EIGHT GREAT FOOD Places in Connemara
A LOCALS GUIDE
Let us take you on a whistle-stop tour of some of our favourite food spots in Connemara, the ultimate holiday destination for the foodies and adventurers alike.
Connemara is one of the most remarkable coastal regions in Ireland, famous for its untouched landscape, beautiful beaches, pristine waters, Connemara pony’s, friendly locals and great music. It is packed full of history and heritage and whilst having the beauty of being next to the sea it’s also nestled within three mountain ranges, namely the Twelve Bens, Maam Turks and Mweelrea mountains.
Food is becoming one of the main reasons for travel, sampling the best cuisine in the local area is moving higher and higher up the list of things to do. Connemara boasts so many fabulous food options that include locally sourced fresh ingredients with the key theme being what’s available in the surrounding area. Land and sea.
So we’ve decided to share with you eight of the many amazing places to eat (in no particular order), coupled with some of the very best activities that can be experienced close by, and with that we hope to help you create a holiday in Connemara that’s hard to beat.
Keogh’s Bar – Ballyconneely
Keogh’s bar is the perfect place to relax and unwind after a fun day adventuring in Connemara. They’re well known for being family and group friendly and for their amazing beer garden. It’s a lovely place to hang out rain or shine with their new indoor/outdoor space which means you get to enjoy dining Al Fresco in all weathers. The pizzas, burgers and super friendly staff are just some of the reasons to make a stop off here. No doubt you’ll find our Real Adventures Connemara staff fueling up on their tasty food after a day in the outdoors. This is a convenient food stop if you have booked surf lessons or a coasteering tour with us as our meeting point is just across the road.
Sweet Nothings – Ballyconneely
Another popular choice for the Real Adventures crew, being just around the corner from our Connemara coastal kayak tour is Sweet Nothings, a lovely café where we spend a lot of our lunch breaks enjoying the delights. Justyna and Stephen have created the cutest atmosphere and we’re always greeted with the warmest of welcomes. The food is unique and everything is made from scratch. They’re well known for their fully vegan lunches, sweet treats ,coffee and they’ve also started doing breakfast too.
Connemara Sands Hotel – Ballyconneely
Connemara on a plate is the theme of The Connemara Sands hotel restaurant. With the aim of celebrating the amazing local food resources of both the land and sea. Dean and Cathy’s ethos has always been supporting the local community and it’s always great to know where your food comes from, especially when it tastes this good. Stroll up from their private beach at the back of their hotel (which by the way is where our daily kayak and SUP tours take place) to enjoy great food and a friendly welcome in an ideal setting. The Connemara mountain lamb, Dooncastle Oysters and the Mannin Bay crab claws are just some of the highlights. By all accounts if you’re staying at this lovely family run four star hotel their breakfasts are a mega crowd pleaser as well.
Good Stuff – Roundstone
Ask anyone that’s visited these guys and they will tell you about their toasties. They’ve not been on the food scene for very long but WOW did they enter with a bang. Also featured on our food truck blog, it’s safe to say if you’re in Connemara you’d be foolish not to head to Roundstone and sample some of their cooking. They also serve up some tasty coffee and treats which are to die for.
We run rock climbing local to this area, grab a take out and get fueled up for an adventure with us.
The Sea Hare – Clifden
New to Clifden in 2022 but not new in Connemara. We are extremely excited to have these couple of local beauties set up at the Alcock and Brown hotel in the centre of lovely Clifden. They are extremely passionate about providing ‘hyper local’ and home grown produce. At The Sea Hare the food is either grown in their gardens, caught in the waters surrounding Clifden or foraged from the local sea shore. Whilst in town why not visit the many beautiful boutique shops on offer or sample the music in the bars in the evening.
The Pink Wagon – Derrigimlagh
Another great food truck – Located in between Clifden and Ballyconneely at the famous Derrigimlagh looped walk. This food truck initially caught our attention with its AMAZING seaweed bread. Geraldine and Toon started their food trucking lives last year and have really made a name for themselves amongst the locals for their delicious treats and coffee and now for the superb (gigantic) breakfast rolls. A great way to end a lovely walk at the Alcock and Brown visitors experience
Misunderstood Heron – Leenane
The original food truck – these guys have been kicking around since 2017. This is the one that brings the tourists from far and wide, day in and day out throughout the summer months. They deserve every bit of the praise and accolades they’ve received. Their food is always unique and exciting and made with lots of love and hard graft. All their ingredients are homemade and locally sourced. Remarkably, visiting one of Ireland’s only Fjords has been bumped down the list of reasons to go here in place of this. Also Reinaldo and Kim are super sound.
Our adventure buddies Killary Adventure also have an array of outdoor activities on offer in the locality.
The Purple Door café – Leenane
If you’re going through the lovely little village of Leenane you must stop off and give this charming couple Conor and Chloe at The Purple Door café a try. Chloe being from the South of France has added a French twist to the delights you’ll find here, treat yourself to a croque monsieur or one of their delicious crepes amongst many of the other fabulous items on their menu. All of their cakes are baked daily in house, you’ll find it difficult to choose one, my advice is to take away as well as dine in. Coffee lover? They certainly won’t disappoint, they have sourced the best coffee around.
There you have it. That’s our EIGHT GREAT spots for food this month, some great places to fuel up before joining one of our amazing activities. Combine an adventure with us and a foodie road trip to Connemara? Check out all the fun outdoor sports that we are so passionate about HERE
