Feel the heat: Ten great restaurants that cook over fire
1 Three Locks Square, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2;
allta.ie
allta: Cromane oyster, sudachi and bergamot. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Always evolving, Niall Davidson's allta is returning to a tasting menu format for both lunchtime and dinner which is designed to showcase the restaurant's journey over the years from Library Place, Setanta Street and now the Dublin docklands. With an unwavering commitment to Irish produce in both the main restaurant and the buzzy allta bar, the punchy wood-fired cooking is well worth the trip.
Joanne Cronin
Coppinger
1 Coppinger Row, Dublin 2; 01-6729884,
bereenbrothers.com/coppinger
Conor and Marc Bereen, the brothers behind Coppinger. Photograph: Alan Betson
Ever since reopening, Coppinger has captured the buzzy and fun vibes of the original venue. Listen to the cocktails shaking while you browse the Mediterranean-inspired menu which uses the best of Irish ingredients over a barbecue grill. Everything is delicious, especially when it's the incredible value 'menú del día,' available Wednesday-Friday, which offers two courses for €15 or three for €20. Where else would you get it?
JC
Daróg Wine Bar
56 Dominick Street Lower, Galway; 091-565813,
darogwinebar.com
Daróg Wine Bar: Line caught mackerel, fennel emulsion, crispy parsnip. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy
Small plates, bigger tables, better chairs – Daróg in Galway has sharpened up without losing its edge. The cooking leans into smoke and charcoal, from grilled white asparagus with lovage hollandaise to dry-aged lamb with confit leek and swede. There's a five-course tasting menu at €55, or you can build your own from the blackboard, where more than 40 wines by the glass change weekly. Run by Zsolt Lukács and Edel McMahon, with Attila Galambos on fire in the kitchen.
Corinna Hardgrave
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Elbow Lane
4 Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork; 021-2390479,
elbowlane.ie
Ronan Sharpe runs Elbow Lane Brew and Smoke House, Cork
There are two main features to the diningroom at Elbow Lane, the open charcoal grill right in the middle, and the stainless steel microbrewery tanks to the rear. Put simply, it's all about the grilling and the beer here, although the cocktails are pretty damn good also. Start with the intensely flavoured pork belly with fish sauce caramel, followed by the signature slow-smoked baby back ribs or wood-grilled steaks.
JC
Lottie's
7-9 Rathgar Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6; 01-5585969,
lotties.ie
Lottie's, Rathmines
Flame-finished mains hold their own at this neighbourhood spot. Andarl Farm pork belly, crisped and tender, pairs with radicchio and hazelnuts, while monkfish is perfectly charred. For €29, the prix fixe (5–6pm Wed–Fri) offers a snack, main, and glass of wine – perfect pre-cinema. Otherwise, settle in for grilled lamb or free-range chicken, all cooked over live fire.
CH
Mister S
32 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2; 01-6835555,
misters.ie
Mister S, Camden Street, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
At Mister S, they proudly state that all mains are cooked over charcoal and wood. But, to be honest, every piece of produce that enters the kitchen is in danger of finding itself over the glowing embers. The smell of smoke permeates the entire room and everything is delicious, from charred leeks with romesco and smoked mozzarella, to piri piri chicken, or their incredible beef sourced from Co Donegal. Everything gets a turn on the embers.
JC
Neighbourhood
1 North Main Street, Naas, Co Kildare; 045-954466,
neighbourhoodnaas.com
Neighbourhood, Naas, Co Kildare
Cooked over live fire on an Ox grill – tomahawk steaks, Black Angus chateaubriand, and porterhouse steaks are the stars, with pizzas from a full pizza oven and flatbreads to round it out. The recently renovated 'secret garden' provides a relaxed outdoor setting. Set menus (€34.50 for two courses, €39.50 for three) make it easy to dive into fire-cooked flavours, while a revamped cocktail bar adds a finishing touch.
CH
The Fern Grill at Knockranny House Hotel
Knockranny House Hotel, Knockranny, Westport, Co Mayo; 098-28600,
knockrannyhousehotel.ie
Knockranny House Hotel and Spa, Co Mayo
The tomahawk for two (€79) is the headline at The Fern Grill – a slab of Hereford beef, carved at the table and kissed hard by the Basque Josper grill. Seamus Commons fires Black Angus, lamb and daily fish with the same precision, but nothing matches the depth and smoke of the beef.
CH
The Glass Curtain
Unit A, Thompson House, MacCurtain Street, Cork; 021-4518659,
theglasscurtain.ie
Flavour is at the heart of everything that chef patron Brian Murray does. Under Darren Kennedy, the kitchen turns out smoke-kissed plates built for sharing, using local seasonal ingredients. The signature milk buns with cultured butter are mandatory, then try grilled cuttlefish with leeks and smoked aioli, or lamb saddle and belly with smoked carrots. A second live-fire restaurant, Birdsong, is coming soon to the Coal Quay.
JC
Vaughan's on the Prom
The Promenade, Lahinch, Co Clare; 065-7081846,
vaughans.ie
Vaughan's on the Prom in Lahinch, Co Clare. Photograph: Paul Sherwood
Denis Vaughan runs this newly refurbished spot on the prom, firing meat and shellfish over a Spanish Josper to exacting effect. The menu is tight and fire-driven: barbecued Aran Island monkfish with a hazelnut crust, roasted chicken supreme with satay crust and fregola, and aged Irish Black Angus steaks with bone marrow butter, beef jus and dripping chips. It's about proper fire cooking, heavy plates and the freshest fish he can lay his hands on.
CH
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