Food in Killarney, Ireland?

April 20, 2008 10:13 PM

I'm going to be working in a hotel in Killarney, Ireland for two weeks in May. I'll have a few hours off here and there, but not much. Any advice on non-touristy food and drink in and around town?

I'm not looking for anything fancy - I'll often be eating alone and sometimes actually prefer places where you order at a counter or get quick table service over a nicer, upscale restaurant. Sometimes it's great to be in and out in 20 minutes or even get take-out.

Would love to find any of the following:

- Indian food. I hear curry dishes are pretty popular in the UK... any great local, inexpensive curry places in Killarney?
- Sushi?
- Thai?
- A place for good salads? Or even better, a salad bar?
- Fresh, healthy sandwiches for take-out?
- Best non-touristy, local bar for a couple beers?

Also, I should mention it's my first time in Ireland. If I'm lucky and get a half-day off to go outside of Killarney, I'm thinking I would leave early in the morning by train and explore Cork. With only a single half-day off, any other suggestions?

By the way - I'll be at Hotel Europe, just west of town.

posted by kdern to travel & transportation around Killarney, Ireland (5 answers total)

Non-touristy in Killarney? That's a tall order. The Abrakebabra there was the only clean one I ever encountered. But that was years ago. It's like McDonalds but with kebabs. I wouldn't order anything else there...

Killarney is a little town. In two weeks you'll have discovered every nook and cranny. If you've only got a half-day I wouldn't waste the time on transportation. Just get out to the national park and take a hike. You'll leave all the blue-haired tourists behind once you get off the paved walkways.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 10:54 PM on April 20, 2008

Killarney is so small it's essentially all-tourist, all the time during the summer months.

You don't specify your time period, but the first weekend in May is a public holiday when they hold a car rally called the Rally of the Lakes. It's based in Killarney and means that the town is completely and utterly jammed (think serious queues out of the doors of the pubs), and also full of people who we will delicately call of a non-Metafilter-disposition. There are only two police helicopters in Ireland, and on that weekend one of them will be in Killarney.

Cork in half a day is going to be stretch. If the weather is nice, you could do part of the drive called the Ring of Kerry if you have car. Sun shining = Ireland at its lush, green picture-postcard best; cloud and rain = not being able to see any of the views, making the drive pointless.

I recommend against the Abrakebebra *especially* if you're there the rally weekend - it seems its irresistible to the big-arms-tight-tshirts-and-Subrau-Impreza crowd, earning it the nickname 'Abra-ke-stab-ya'. Plus the food is terrible beyond description in every Abrakebabra in the country to my knowledge; I don't have the heart to try them all. Last time I was there about a year ago, I struggled to find somewhere decent to eat, and don't have any recommendations I would stand behind.

Best of luck :-)
posted by StephenF at 5:35 AM on April 21, 2008

Not to be pedantic, but Ireland is not in the UK.

That said, yeah, stay away away AWAY from Abrakebabra; it's horrid. Generally speaking, outside the big cities in Ireland you'll struggle to find anything that's not pub food/fast food chains; not that pub food isn't good, because it is, but in a place like Killarney you'll struggle to find Indian food, and if you do it's probably not worth eating.

Eat in pubs and you'll do fine. And I would definitely say spend a lot of time in Killarney National Park; it's breathtaking.
posted by pdb at 8:31 AM on April 21, 2008

Yeah, the Abrakebabra comment was meant to demonstrate the lack of non-touristy places. There won't be any tour buses belching out old Americans in the parking lot. Though it was, for me, vaguely thrilling to go in to some place that looks like McDonalds and walk out with a donner kebab. Even if it wasn't a very good donner kebab.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 9:05 AM on April 21, 2008

Sorry this took a week, but my friend is a native and I finally got a chance to ask her. She says a place called Stonechat is what you're looking for. It's not hard to find, and is run by a nice hippy (who occasionally takes a month off, but usually not during high season. Enjoy your trip!
posted by tiny crocodile at 9:05 AM on April 29, 2008