The best restaurants to try in Waterford right now

City

Everett’s Restaurant

22 High Street, Waterford; 051 325174; everetts.ie

Given that Russ Parsons, The Irish Times columnist and former food editor of the Los Angeles Times, lists Peter Everett’s restaurant as one of his favourites, it should be no surprise that it landed a coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand this year. The cooking is clever and delicious, and a combination such as Duncannon smoked haddock with Parmesan custard is just one of the many reasons you need to get here. Corinna Hardgrave

Grow HQ

Farronshoneen, Dunmore Road, Waterford; 051-584422; giy.ie

Grow HQ is the zero-waste cafe located in GIY, an initiative that helps people live more sustainable and healthier lives by growing their own food. The cafe brings the mission to life, serving local, organic and seasonal food, with a mere 112 steps separating the kitchen from food grown on premises. Dishes from chef JB Dubois include the breakfast vegan stack, vegetable patch quiche and toasted sourdough specials. Dogs welcome outside. Read our review here. Joanne Cronin

The Old Couch Cafe

11 O’Connell Street, Waterford; 0894259696; oldcouchcafe.com

This small, quirky restaurant that recently changed hands is a favourite in a city that is quietly racking up enough hot restaurants to merit a gastro getaway. There’s a distinct Spanish influence here, and a move from a six-course to a €100, 11-course tasting menu shows the level of ambition, where local and foraged ingredients form the core of the dishes. There’s a vegetarian tasting menu option too. Booking is essential. CH

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Union Wine Bar & Kitchen

11 The Mall, Waterford; 051 574 519; unionbar.ie/

Stephen McArdle and Morgan VanderKamer make a cracking team in their premises on the Mall housed in the town’s oldest commercial building. The bar menu offers value, and is available in the evenings, then it’s a step up for the restaurant menu which pushes into special occasion territory. Unsurprisingly the wine selection is excellent as VanderKamer is president of the Irish Guild of Sommeliers. Read our review here. CH

House

Cliff House Hotel, Middle Road, Ardmore, Co Waterford; cliffhousehotel.ie

It’s probably best to leave any assessment of this one-star Michelin restaurant to the people at Michelin, who this year said: “The first challenge for a chef working here is for their food to be good enough to compete with the striking panorama viewed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of this restaurant set into a cliff. Fortunately, the current kitchen, under the leadership of Tony Parkin, is up to the challenge. His experience is clear to see in the dishes on the seven-course menu; they may not be showy but they do deliver plenty of depth, with well-judged flavours and contrasts in texture being the hallmarks of his food. Expect warm service from the experienced team.” Read more here.

The Tannery

Dungarvan, Co Waterford; tannery.ie

The Tannery is all about special experiences. Located in the sweet seaside town of Dungarvan, its restaurant boasts a light-filled dining room on the top floor and a relaxed bar on the ground floor. A former food writer for The Irish Times, proprietor Paul Flynn with wife Máire opened The Tannery in 1997, building the business gradually to include a cookery school and a guesthouse. While Paul and his team work cleverly with local, seasonal ingredients, Máire expertly works the front of house. It’s the combination of their talents that makes visiting The Tannery such a joy. Read our review here. Aoife McElwain

AndChips

Unit 3, Castle House, Davitts Quay, Dungarvan, Co Waterford; 058-24498; andchips.ie

Awarded “Takeaway of the Year 2023″, AndChips, the Dungarvan fish and chip shop that puts sustainability at the forefront of everything it does, also bagged the “Champion Chip” at the same awards. Owner and cook, Eunice Power, opened her smart takeaway on Davitts Quay in Dungarvan in 2019 and has added to the menu since. All the fish used in AndChips is wild and Irish fish and includes hake, haddock, ling, plaice, cod and whiting from Boatstrand in Waterford, as well as Wexford and Ballycotton in Cork. The wild Atlantic prawns are from Ballycotton. The potatoes used in the chips are from an 8km radius, grown by Colin Ryan in Ballinacourty. Fish and chip portions start from about €10 each and can be ordered online. Read our review here. CH

Eamo Ró Cafe and Larder

Main Street, Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford; instagram.com/eamo_and_ro

A stone’s throw from the gorgeous Waterford Greenway is where you will find Eamon Connors’ and Róisin O’Connor’s little cafe. In a story that repeats multiple times on this list, these two talented chefs have struck out on their own. They use meat from next-door, traditional butcher O’Reilly’s, and their breakfast and lunch offering has now been extended to include dinner on Fridays and Saturdays for €55. JC

Beach House

Turkey Road, Tramore, Co Waterford; 051-338270; beachhousetramore.ie

It’s lunch only from Thursday to Sunday in Peter Hogan and Jumoke Akintola’s Tramore fish restaurant. A daily changing menu features dishes that are designed to share, such as cured gurnard with celery and mint; dressed crab with broad beans and sorrel salad; red mullet; monkfish; and turbot. Seating is in the kitchen garden, with diners given the option to dine outside, weather permitting. CH

Mezze

14-15 Main Street, Tramore, Co Waterford; 085-2635555; mezze.ie

Mezze is the love story of Nicola, a Waterford woman, and Dvir, an Israeli man, who met on a glacier in New Zealand. Having lived in Tel Aviv, they moved their family to Ireland, and Mezze was born, first in a farmers’ market and then in a permanent location. The menu is mostly vegetarian, featuring fresh local produce mixed with Middle Eastern magic, and its good value landed it in our recent Great value Irish restaurants list. Sit in to eat, or grab some delicacies or even their new cookbook to enjoy at home. Read more here. JC