City or county, you’re destined for a good time when you go on a date night in Cork. From elegant eating to contemporary chic, country house tradition, cosy gastropub grub to freshest seafood by the sea, Cork has it all! Glance through our selection of date night venues and see where you’ll take your darling this month. 

HAYFIELD MANOR HOTEL, CORK CITY

If you’re looking to impress on a first date or celebrating a special occasion like a birthday with your other half, Hayfield Manor Hotel is it. The hotel is family-owned and the venue of choice for A-listers like Pierce Brosnan.

Dining options include Perrott’s Garden Bistro, which offers a smart-casual menu in light and airy conservatory style surroundings.

Orchids Restaurant is fine dining at its best, with all the elegance of this five-star hotel. You’ll certainly be made to feel special here. A short walk into the city afterwards could be a romantic end to your date. Or you might just fancy retreating to Hayfield’s cosy bar for some after-dinner drinks and live music. They often roll the mobile piano in at the weekend for a bit of a shindig. Nice.

County Cork

THE CHURCH RESTAURANT, SKIBBEREEN

Skibbereen in West Cork is home to one of our most atmospheric member restaurants. The Church Restaurant is built in a restored church on the town’s main street. Its dining room comes complete with a sweeping staircase to the upper floor and a full length original stained glass window of the old church. Owner and Restaurant Manager Regina Daly has a keen eye for detail and a love of the dramatic, hence this stunning interior and her unique design touches. 

As summer evenings beckon, you can enjoy a drink outside in the elegant railed courtyard, with church candles flickering on the tables. Then take a seat at your table inside for a showcase of the famous produce of West Cork. Skibbereen is a lively town so after your dinner, there’ll be more than enough opportunity to stray into a local hostelry for a few jars and a bit of the craic! You’re never far from shenanigans in this part of County Cork! A good date spot for weekend escapers. 

The Glandore Inn, Glandore

This exciting restaurant is located in the beautiful village of Glandore and about       1 hour and 15 minutes from Cork City Center.

The food at The Glandore Inn is a delight. On a sunny day, there’s no better way to enjoy your locally inspired meal than by taking a seat outdoors and looking out at the bay before you. Good food and stunning vistas, we can’t think of a better experience!

FISHY FISHY, KINSALE

If you’re down Kinsale direction on a romantic weekend away, Fishy Fishy is a prime spot to enjoy a date night, right by the sea. You cannot get closer to the ocean.

Pitch up at a table for two here and you‘re only a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of the harbour where your fish has been landed.

Martin Shanahan is a tv celebrity chef who has changed the nation’s thinking about eating fish. He knows each and every fisherman in this town and gets the prime catches as the boats come in. Long before there was ever reservations people happily queued to get into Fishy Fishy. When you go you’ll understand why. Now you can book a table and we suggest you do, pronto. Grab a seat and let the gourmet seafood experience begin. 

THE YEATS ROOM AT BALLYMALOE HOUSE

If you’re on the dating scene as a second time around a couple or have been together a while and have a special occasion to celebrate, you’ll love the elegance and tradition of this impeccable restaurant at the internationally renowned Ballymaloe House. Dinner is a grand affair of several courses. Menus are seasonal, totally dictated by what is available, with much of the ingredients coming from the house gardens and farm with fresh seafood from nearby Ballycotton.

Restaurant reservations are more or less essential. Wine and dine in style and even make a night of it by booking a room at the house. After dinner, on weekend nights you may find there is a bit of a party going on in the drawing-room, as Rory Allen takes to the guitar and any musical guests are invited to step up and do a party piece! This is a house that seeps pure Irish hospitality and a love of entertaining through its pores. Dates don’t come any better than watching someone Irish dancing on a portable dance floor they brought in themselves. We’ve seen it so we know it’s true! 

B’S RESTAURANT AT THE CASTLE HOTEL, MACROOM

Macroom is a market town in rural West Cork. Away from the ocean, you get a different feel of West Cork life.  You’ll catch a glimpse of country living in a town known for its Tuesday farmer’s market and weekly livestock sales at the local mart. Farming and agriculture were always a valuable asset in this town, surrounded by grazing pasture for top-quality beef and hills for fine mountain lamb.  Macroom has also churned out a few big names in Irish history. The birthplace of William Penn who went on to found the American State of Pennsylvania.  Within walking distance of the site of the bloody Battle of Bealick, fought and won by Brian Boru against an army of mixed troops in the 900s.  For nature-loving daters, a short drive away is the magical Gearagh region, which holds tales of sorrow, myth, and legend. Here lived the fairies who wove magical spells to get people lost in the forest.  And the ancient poitin makers who defied the law in a hidden place. The Gearagh is home to much rare wildlife and plant life, a Special Area of Conservation unique to Ireland.

Amid all this local interest, The Castle Hotel stands proud in the centre of town. This traditional family-run hotel has seen decades of life pass by in Macroom. You’ll get a taste of warm West Cork hospitality and a fine Irish welcome on the mat.  Make a weekend of it with your date.  Stay in one of the comfortable luxury rooms of the hotel and enjoy a feast in B’s Restaurant led by Head Chef Rory Gabriel, who has gathered a formidable kitchen team, capable of great creative imagination and flair.

The presentation of all the local produce you’ll find on this menu is exquisite. Service is knowledgeable, provided by proud staff only too happy to showcase the foods of the region. An overnighter date in rural West Cork awaits.

Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarberry

A lasting first impression of the Celtic Ross starts when you approach from Clonakilty and come across the causeway crossing the Lagoon at Rosscarbery. The landmark of the hotel’s stone-clad round tower comes into view.

The menu is fun and tasty whether enjoyed indoors or on the music-filled terrace. You can expect a dining experience to satisfy all tastes with the highest quality ingredients, creative dishes and fantastic flavour.

Lime Tree Restaurant at the Springfort Hall Hotel, Mallow

The house dates back to the 18th Century, and as such, possesses the large elegant proportions that marked that architectural period.

The Lime Tree Restaurant  is a delightful place to dine on some fine food made with exquisite local ingredients cooked in a creative way. Whether you are here for midweek or weekend dinner, you are in for a treat. The restaurant combines grace and elegance and it is a lovely space designed for lingering over fine food. The à la carte menu expresses dishes simply with seasonal, ingredient led titles like crab, quail, steak, pork belly, which gives away none of the complexity of what comes out on the plate. Expect some pleasant and very tasty surprises along the way.

Maryborough Hotel & Spa

Luxury, relaxation and fantastic food are on offer at the Maryborough Hotel & Spa located near the English Market in Cork.

There are two dining options in the Maryborough Hotel & Spa, Bellini’s Restaurant and Bellini’s Bar and Garden Room. The first one is the fine dining option, with a creative menu designed with local produce in mind. Bellini’s Bar and Garden Room is cosy and relaxing with a casual elegance.

The menu in Bellini’s reads like a who’s who of Cork food producers. Depending on the season you can expect delicious dishes made with boar or venison from a North Cork farm and fish and shellfish from the local fishmonger who brings the best catch fresh from the harbours of Union Hall, Castletownbere and Youghal. There are also some very creative and flavourful vegetarian options.