If I was having dinner in Kilkee I think I’d head to Naughton’s. They do a great trio of fish (the fish selection changes) the staff are friendly and there’s a great buzz in the bar.
That doesn’t mean that I’ve anything against Murphy Blacks or The Strand. They both served up excellent food while I was in Kilkee and once again they are run very friendly people.
I suppose what swings it for Naughton’s is that it was lively. Sometimes if you’ve had a long day out and about exploring a bit of life in a restaurant can make the difference between falling asleep or getting a second wind.
Here’s a tip. If you want a lively bar atmosphere head to Naughton’s, if you want excellent food and a good wine selection head to Murphy Blacks, and if you want to enjoy a great food and see the sun setting in the Atlantic head to The Strand Restaurant.
And here’s another tip. Stay in Kilkee for four nights and eat in all of these restaurants once, and on the last night eat a second time in the one that most suits your mood.
It’s worth checking their days of opening because I think they may only open weekends during the off-season.
There’s one last place in Kilkee that I’m going to recommend to eat and chill, The Diamond Rocks Cafe. We had scones fresh out of the oven on a bright Sunday morning. Add to that great coffee and the Sunday papers and we didn’t move from our spot looking over Kilkee Bay for hours. If you ever want to check out the weather in Kilkee and you don’t trust forecasts, try The Diamond Rock Cafe’s live webcam.
If you’re taking in the Loop Head Drive then you could do a lot worse stopping off at The Long Dock in Carrigaholt. I had seafood chowder their twice. Once while exploring Loop Head and the second time was when I came off the Carrigaholt Dolphinwatch boat after successfully finding a dolphin and more sea life than I knew what to do with. They do great seafood chowder in The Long Dock but their reputation is known and you may have to wait a bit for a seat.
If your follow the Loop Head drive you could very easily find yourself in Kilbaha. This is home to The Lighthouse Inn where we stopped to take in the view and to have coffee and rhubarb crumble. There was a great crowd of tourists there and they seemed to be enjoying getting stuck in to various main courses.
If you’ve kept with me and this post you’ve probably guessed that we pushed the boat out a little and ate well while we were staying in Kilkee. Sometimes it’s nice to treat yourself nicely.
We also made sure we explored Loop Head and much of what it had to offer. The drive around Loop Head is spectacular. There are plenty of places to stop the car and get out and explore on foot. Many of the locals believe that the scenery is as good as what you’d find further north at the Cliffs of Moher. The areas around Kilcredaun, Kilbaha, Loop Head Lighthouse and The Bridges of Ross, make this less frequented part of Ireland an absolute paradise for anyone who wants to experience nature in all its glory, without the tour buses.
If you have the inclination and a bit more time than we had you might take a trip to Scattery Island. The island lies in the mouth of the River Shannon near Kilrush and you can get a boat over and explore. I’ll have to save that trip for another day but I was able to take a photo of the round tower from Cappa Pier, Kilrush.
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