Irish stew, stout and more in Cork

We had always wanted to go to Cork, and considering how close we live to Ireland now, it should not have taken us this long to make the trip. But to really ensure we got over there, I got us Ed Sheeran tickets in Cork and we decided to make a few days out of it. Cork is a beautiful, lovely place. The city is lively and the people are friendly and the beer is flowing and the food is delicious.

We all know that when we think of Irish beer, Guinness quickly comes to mind, but fun fact – Murphy’s Irish Stout and Beamish are actually the best known stouts in Cork and Guinness is rarely seen on tap in the local pubs. So, naturally, we had to try both of them in the Cork pubs. Our first stop when we checked into our hotel (Jury’s Inn) Day 1 was to head to The Hawthorn Bar at The Lough (which sounds like a giant lake, but is really more like a pond…). My husband Ash’s grandfather came over to England from Cork and this was once his local, so we had to check it out. The pub is still the same, however part of it has now been converted into a Chinese restaurant. So, fresh off the plane and at the Hawthorn, it was time to get into an Irish mindset. I ordered a pint of Murphy’s and Ash had a pint of Beamish. Both beers were chocolatey, smooth and delicious and the best way to kick off any trip to Ireland.

And then of course, you can’t have a pint without some snacks – and when in Ireland, you don’t want to miss out on “the original Irish crisp” – Tayto!

Hydrated and ready for more fun before seeing Ed Sheeran that night, we headed back to the city center, making a pit stop for another pint and maybe another snack. With no real plan in mind, we passed by a pub called Long Valley Bar, which looked cosy and inviting so we decided to check it out. We sat down at the bar and ordered two pints of Hop House (one of our favorites, and also another beer brewed in Ireland). That’s when the specials of the day sign caught our eye – Irish Lamb Stew and Beamish Beef Pie. Safe to say, we were staying for a meal. We managed to move our pints to a small table wedged in the back corner of the pub and placed our orders for one Irish Lamb Stew (for me) and one Beamish Beef Pie (for him). Hey, you know I love my beef pies, but I wasn’t going to miss a chance to eat some freshly made brown bread dipped in Irish stew. Neither of us were disappointed. The food came out piping hot and fresh and absolutely delicious. Definitely a meal to fill you up and line your stomach when you know you’ll be drinking later on.

Two scoops of mashed potatoes on top of steaming beef, potatoes and carrots in a tasty broth with a side of brown bread – yum. Ash also loved his Beamish Beef Pie and both dishes are quintessential Irish food, definitely must-tries when in Cork. If we had more time, I would have gone back there for dinner for a round two of each dish!

For our last day in Cork, Day 2, we decided to make a pub crawl out of it. But first, breakfast. Our hotel was about an hour walk from Blackrock Castle and hosts a café with outdoor seating that offers a lovely view of the castle (it’s actually a conservatory) and is open for breakfast. We set out on our hour walk (yes, we really earned our food this morning), walking along the water as much as possible until we got to our destination. We were lucky to grab one of the outdoor picnic bench tables when we got to the café.

It’s hard to pass up drinking an Irish coffee in Ireland, but for me, my favorite is a coffee with Baileys, which is exactly what I ordered. It was the most delicious coffee I have ever had and that kick of Baileys cream made that hour walk totally worth it.

We each ordered a full Irish breakfast, also delicious, before calling a taxi to bring us back to the city center. We had a lot of pubs to get to and no time to waste!

The pub crawl I designed consisted of eight pubs, with room for stops in between. For the full pub crawl, see below. One of my favorite pubs on our pub crawl was Arthur Mayne’s Pharmacy, which was once a pharmacy and still looks like one from the front, but it is not a wine bar. The best part was the courtyard seating in the back.