RESTAURANTS AND FOOD: Dingle Never Disappoints. Rí Fern at Louis Mulcahy’s, Clocher “Climb”, Dunquin Pier, and the fabulous Fish Factory

Friday, August 8, 2025

Dingle Never Disappoints. Rí Fern at Louis Mulcahy’s, Clocher “Climb”, Dunquin Pier, and the fabulous Fish Factory

Dingle Days 2025. #1/3

Rí Fern at Louis Mulcahy’s, Clocher “Climb” and Dunquin Pier, Dick Mack's and the fabulous Fish Factory

Dingle Never Disappoints

Prawn Curry at Fish Factory

A superb meal at the new restaurant, The Fish Factory, by Nicky and Ann Foley (already well known for Solas in the town), was the highlight of a "busy" first

day in Dingle.

Factory sits neatly in the title as the new venue is informal and fun, and has more than a passing resemblance to a canteen. But a very good canteen with a large variety of tempting dishes. On the ball in more ways than one; they were offering a Kerry cocktail to mark the county's All-Ireland victory a few hours earlier. They also had some Kerry beer on hand, and we enjoyed a glass of their Dingle Ale, brewed by local legends Dick Mack’s.

The atmosphere here is informal and lively, and the staff are excellent, know the menu and were helpful all through. Looks like a winner to me and a well-priced one at that.

Quite a selection of snacks and starters, and we began with the excellent steamed Bao Bun with Thai Spiced Steamed Fish, Honey and Chilli Jam, Pickled Veg, Miso & Nori Aioli. They also do a chicken version of this super dish. We also nibbled on their irresistible Prawn Crackers.

A pale ale

Our mains were equally satisfactory, with CL delighted with her distinctive Katsu Style Seafood Burger, Yum Yum Sauce, Chips, brioche bun, and a side of Kimchi. My pick was also a bit different: Atlantic Prawn & Thai Spiced Coconut Curry, with pineapple and sweet potato. The steamed rice got a big thumbs up; the pineapple in there really enhanced the whole dish, an ensemble of unbridled flavour.

We gave the desserts a skip and headed off to Dick Mack’s for more of the ale, sipping it in a little snug that looked a bit like a confession box. As you know, this pub and brewery is quite quirky, very engaging. The nightcap was a dram of Dingle Single Malt, its heat calm, its flavours pleasing. A short walk then for a good night’s sleep at the superb Greenmount House, our base for the trip.

There is a new café setup at the famous Louis Mulcahy Pottery on the Slea Head drive. It is called Rí Fern and is really excellent. Not a very large menu, but one high in quality. Look out for the Toastie with Dingle Farm soft cheese, cheddar, red onion, tomato and herbs on sourdough bread with an outstanding side salad. Another gem is the moist and toothsome Peach Crumble, warm soft juicy peaches, a few slices of crisp apple and the standout crumble.

Pottery with a view.

That was our lunchtime stop before taking on the stony walk (dry on this occasion) to the top of nearby Clocher Head, which has panoramic views over Clocher Beach, Sybil Point, the Three Sisters, and Mount Brandon. Walking shoes needed, and we also added a stick!

The local beach from the heights of Clocher

We should have brought those sticks with us and used them on our next stop, the famous pier at Dunquin, a popular halt on the Slea Head drive. We didn't need them going down but we sure could have done with them on the stiff climb up, so stiff it would have put a Tour de France rider in difficulty! So tough going for our combined 160 years (almost, and mainly mine)!

Dunquin Pier, Blaskets in distance.

This time, we gave the marvellous Slea Head a skip and headed to Greenmount House, taking a wee break before walking (again!) the 20 minutes to the impressive Fish Factory for dinner.