2 Best Restaurants in Killybegs, The Northwest

Ahoy Café

$

Catch a sunny day and it's hard to beat an outside table at this small family-run whitewashed café on the waterfront overlooking the busy harbor. The breakfast menu runs until midday while lunchtime sandwiches with soup and salad are served all afternoon. Daily seafood specials may include mussels, haddock, monkfish, calamari, and a delectable chowder, followed by cheesecake and washed down with a choice of wine, craft beer, tea, or coffee as you watch the river of life float by.

Mellys Café

$
With more than 65 years in business—it opened in 1956 and you get the impression that very little has changed since then—Mellys is a family-run Killybegs institution with a focus on consistently superb fish. Haddock, plaice, hake, and calamari are all staples served with generous portions of tasty chips (fries). Other comfortingly basic dishes served in this authentic, good-value café include burgers, kebabs, chicken curry, and salads. Walls are filled with fishy charts, maps, and moody photographs. Takeaway meals are also available, but stay if you can; the friendly local banter involving fishermen and farmers adds flavor to an already tasty experience.
Irish Lunch Dinner $
Main St., Killybegs, Co. Donegal, Ireland
074-973–1093
Known For
  • simple, well-done seafood
  • local banter
  • enduring warmth