Quiet Gastronomic Boom: Why Everyone is Going to Ireland This Summer

While thousands of tourists in 2026 nervously stand in hours-long queues at EES points — a new European biometric entry control system that has officially started operating at EU borders — some travelers have quietly rewritten their summer routes. No stressful Channel crossings, no new rules and passport scans at five borders. Just a short flight or a ferry crossing — and you are already in a country with a different pace of life, live music in pubs and Atlantic air, from which you want to breathe deeper. Ireland is enjoying a quiet but very confident tourism boom among British travellers this year — and there are very specific reasons for that.

Follow what’s really going on on the island — in culture, gastronomy, small town life and rural counties — at InsideIreland itself. Catch the pulse of real Ireland, not its glossy postcard version!

Summer 2026 trends — less crowds

The main behavioral shift of this season is the so-called “anti-tourist” mindset: travelers are increasingly avoiding crowded resorts and high seasons, choosing lesser-known places with a deeper cultural immersion. This is not about asceticism — it is about the quality of impressions.

The Association of British Travel Agents recorded an 18% increase in bookings for the summer of 2026 compared to the same period last year. At the same time, British tourists planning trips to the continent are already warned of possible chaos at the EU borders due to the launch of the EES system — experts talk about potential six-hour delays at some crossings. Ireland is not in Schengen, not in the EES zone, and this is now its unexpected competitive advantage.

Among the key trends for 2026 are so-called Readaways: trips focused on reading, leisure and deep time with loved ones, and Farm Charm — interest in rural tourism, farm guesthouses and out-of-town quiet, according to Expedia, which surveyed 24,000 people in 18 countries. Ireland closes both requests at the same time: there is a literary heritage of a global scale, and the wildlife of Connacht, and a cozy B&B in Dingle or Sligo, where the hostess serves her own eggs and fresh soda bread in the morning.

Dublin is a city that doesn’t stand still

Dublin has long ceased to be just a city for show with Guinness and Temple Bar. The gastronomic scene of the capital is experiencing a real heyday: in 2026, a number of new concepts appeared, from Asian barbecues to original cocktail bars.

Among this summer’s must-visits:

• Achara on Aston Quay is a Northern Thai inspired restaurant, with chili caramel sauce wings and Killary Bay mussel grill picking up queues of locals and tourists at the same time.
• Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud on Merrion Street — more than 40 years of impeccable fine dining, an eight-course tasting menu for €245, and a reputation that doesn’t need explaining.
• Hang Dai — If you want a combination of great food and a lively atmosphere, this is one of the best options in town, with a legendary hidden cocktail bar on the second floor.
• 1661 — a bar with a focus on Irish spirits producers, where poitin is considered art rather than moonshine, and where you need to book in advance.

For those who travel not for restaurants, but for history: Kilmainham Gaol — the prison through which Irish independence passed, Trinity College with the Book of Kells, dating from the 8th century, and EPIC — the Museum of Irish Emigration at the docks, recognized as the best museum in Europe in 2019.

Galway and the west — a wild Atlantic without filters

Galway is a different story. The student town of about 80,000 manages to be both the most Irish and most cosmopolitan place on the island.

McDonagh’s Seafood House on Quay Street is a fourth-generation family restaurant serving oysters from Clarinbridge, fresh salmon, mussels and haddock — honest cuisine without unnecessary decorations.

The King’s Head on the High Street is an 800-year-old institution that today offers crab claws, Connemara lamb, organic vegetables and its own signature Blood Red Ale.
Daróg Wine Bar on Lower Dominick Street is a small natural wine bar with seasonal plates that received a Bib Gourmand from Michelin in 2025.

Aniar is an iconic restaurant with an updated interior and cuisine, which chef JP McMahon turned into an intense, almost primal statement about western Ireland.

Outside the city are the Cliffs of Moher (more than 1.5 million visitors a year), the Burren plateau with unique karst flora, and the Wild Atlantic Way — 2500 km of coastline from Donegal to Cork, which was recognized as one of the most picturesque routes in the world.

Cork is a market that is eaten, not photographed

Cork is the unspoken gastronomic capital of Ireland, and the locals know about it. English Market is the point of reference: smoked salmon from Frank Hederman, spice beef (spicy corned beef that is not made anywhere else on the island), cheeses from West Cork Natural Cheese and fresh pastries that are right at the counter.

The Paradiso on Lancaster Quay is a vegetarian restaurant with a reputation that has long extended beyond Ireland. Chef Denis Cotter only works with local farms, the menu changes every season, you need to book a few weeks in advance.

Kinsale, 30 minutes from Cork, is a port town where they go specifically for seafood. Lobster, crab, mussels from local waters — all this in small restaurants along the harbor, without a tourist mark-up for an address.

Farmgate Café on the second floor of English Market — lunch above the market itself, overlooking the stalls. The menu is made up of what is sold downstairs right now: Corkish trips, seafood stew, lamb pie. Queue from 12:00 — come early.

Killarney and Diningle — the best Irish butter in the world and pub-boot

Killarney is not a gastronomic city in the classical sense, but with the right addresses, food is remembered here.

Jam in Old Market Lane is a small breakfast cafe on local produce: farm eggs, bacon from Kerry, soda bread of its own baking. A weekend queue is a sign of quality.

Lamb from Kerry is a local product with a protected geographical status. Animals graze on the Atlantic slopes on wild grasses and heather, meat is obtained with character. Look on the menu for any decent county restaurant.

Out of the Blue on Deaningle Quay is a fish restaurant that doesn’t open unless there was a catch. The menu is written on the board every day anew: what is caught is cooked. Cod, halibut, sea devil, scallops. No semi-finished products, no compromises.

Dick Mack’s is a pub and shoe shop in the same space. There is almost no food, but there is an Irish whiskey of its own blend and an oyster for a pint of Guinness — exactly as it should be in Ireland.

Belfast — Michelin stars and the market in the cathedral

Belfast has grown over the past ten years into one of the island’s most exciting gastronomic cities — and many Dubliners admit it reluctantly.

Ox Restaurant on Oxford Street — two Michelin points, open kitchen, view of the River Lagan. Chef Stefan Bauer works with farmers directly: the menu changes depending on the season and the availability of the product, and not vice versa. Tasting menu — about £95, book 2-3 weeks in advance.

Deanes at Queens is a more democratic address from the same Michael Dean, with a brasserie format and a focus on North Irish produce: meat from Antrim, fish from Portrush Coast.

The Muddlers Club at Cathedral Quarter is a cocktail bar and restaurant in a historic basement where Irish revolutionaries once gathered. Now one of the best late-night dining spots in town, with a wine list and small-plate menu.

Sligo — oysters after surfing and berry from Atlantic swamps

Sligo is a gastronomically undervalued city, which is known mainly by those who came for the waves or Yates, but stayed because of food.

Shells Café in Strandhill is an iconic surfing village site. Atlantic fish soup, homemade Kerry butter buns, egg benedict with smoked salmon. It all ends by noon — come to the opening.

Ataisí is a new address in the centre of Sligo, with a short menu and a bet on seasonality. The chef works with farms within a radius of 50 km — and this is felt in every dish.

Clarinbridge’s oysters are technically County Galway, but from the Sligo coast, they are within easy reach. Atlantic oysters are eaten here with sourdough bread and stout — and this is perhaps the most Irish combination that exists.

How to go in 2026

Aer Lingus in the summer season of 2026 significantly expanded the route network, strengthening the role of Dublin as an air hub between Europe and North America. There are flights from Manchester, London, Birmingham and Edinburgh to Dublin from £30-50 one-way when booked early. The ferry from Holyhead to Dublin is around 3.5 hours and ideal for those travelling with a car.

The best time to travel is late spring (May-June) and early autumn (September-October): the weather is mild, there are fewer tourists. July and August are also good, but popular routes fill up quickly — especially this year when demand is higher than usual.

reland offers no guaranteed sun. But it offers what is now valued more: reality. Musicians in Galway pubs don’t play for tourists — they just play. Farmers in Sligo don’t put on a show — they just live. And the bartender in any town knows you by name after the second pint. For the summer of 2026, when the whole world seems to be tired of overheated resorts and queues, this sounds convincing.