On my rental car free 9 day trip to Ireland, I got to have some delicious vegetarian food, and more importantly, dessert. For me, food and restaurant recommendations are the types of blogs that I enjoy reading to plan for my trip so I wanted to do an ‘everything I ate in Ireland’ style post. If you have any type of special diet, then you probably are familiar with the question “but what can I eat there?”.

Happily, I found that most places have at least one vegetarian and sometimes vegan option on the menu. Vegetarian Irish food is quite varied but most places you will be able to find some kind of Indian style lentils or pasta. The situation is only improving for visitors as more of Ireland’s population turns to a vegan or vegetarian diet. I’ve put together everything vegetarian I ate in Ireland below, broken up by location: Dublin, Killarney, Cork, Kilkenny, Blarney, and Wicklow.

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Irish Vegetarian Food Round-Up

Best Restaurant Overall: Cornucopia Vegetarian Restaurant in Dublin
Most Unexpectedly Good Meal: Vegetarian Pasta at Claddagh in Blarney
Best Dessert: Queen of Chocolate Fudge Cake at Queen of Tarts in Dublin
Best Vegetarian Irish Breakfast: Castle Lodge in Killarney
Couldn’t Make Me Order Again: Chinese Food in Dublin. Just no.

Places to Eat in Dublin with Vegetarian Food

The capital of Ireland has a lot of vegetarian options and is home to the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had at Queen of Tarts. There are tons of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Dublin, I wish I had time to try them all.

Queen of Tarts, Dublin

I’ve been dreaming about returning here since my last visit to Dublin so I actually ate here three times this visit. My top recommendation at Queen of Tarts is the Queen of Chocolate Fudge Cake. It’s honestly the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had, anywhere. When I ordered it the waitress commented ‘good luck.’ It’s beautifully tall and decadent. And if you are vegan, they have a vegan chocolate cake. I also sampled the Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake which was absolutely delicious. Another stunning dessert was the Blackberry and Apple Crumble. It was kind of unreal and easily the best crumble I’ve had. So, clearly, I love this place. I’m pretty convinced you can order any dessert from Queen of Tarts and it will be amazing.

On the breakfast and brunch side of things, also really tasty. They have a Vegetarian Breakfast which is basically your classic Irish Breakfast but with mushrooms instead of meat. I also tried their cheesy scrambled eggs on a feta and sundried tomato scone. Both options were delicious.

Vegan-Friendly: Yes
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat-Sun 9am-7pm, No Reservations
Location: Cows Lane or Cork Hill, Dame Street
Price Point: Breakfast: 5-12 €, Cake: 6 €
Website: Click here.

The Rolling Donut, Dublin

Okay, I’m going to be honest, I don’t get the hype. I tried four different donuts from here and while they were tasty, they weren’t super-extra amazing. I bit into the Red Velvet and felt utterly betrayed that the dough inside was pink. To me, that was just a lie covered in chocolate. I have strong opinions on what Red Velvet should mean. I would skip the Red Velvet donut from here. The Victoria Raspberry donut is a classic and had a tasty raspberry filling. I also tried the Lemon Curd and the Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch. My favourite was the Lemon Curd. There is a good selection of vegan donuts here so the Rolling Donut is recommendable just for that alone.

Vegan-Friendly: Yes
Hours: Location near O’Connell Bridge was open till 10pm
Location: Several but 34 Bachelors Walk and 8 O’Connell Street Lower are likely most convenient
Price Point: 3€ a donut
Website: Click here.

Cornucopia, Dublin

Cornucopia is the vegetarian restaurant to go to in Dublin. If you just have time for one dinner in Dublin, make it here. Everything is vegetarian so you can eat whatever you see. I loved that it was cafeteria style so I was able to get my food immediately and eat without having to wait. From the five mains, I went with Cornucopia’s Mushroom, Quinoa, and Black Bean Enchilada. It was so delicious and a huge portion size at a very reasonable price. I sampled the Vegetarian Goulash they had as well. It wasn’t my favourite but apparently, it tasted very close to traditional goulash. They also had a ton of salads to choose from and the Chickpea Salad with Creamy Dressing was delicious. Many things are made with vegan cheese so from what I could see, most of the menu is suitable for vegans.

Vegan-Friendly: Yes
Hours: Mon 8:30am-9pm, Tues-Sat 8:30am-10pm, Sun 12pm-9pm
Location: 19/20 Wicklow Street
Price Point: 10-15 €
Website: Click here.

San Sab Thai Restaurant, Drumcondra, Dublin

San Sab Thai is located in Drumcondra and I visited because it was located across from our hotel. It’s a very casual dining experience or a takeout place. It seems to be quite a popular place. Lots of options on the menu have a tofu or vegetarian option. I had San Sab’s Green Curry and sampled the Choo Chee Curry. Both were very tasty and were huge portion sizes. I loved that there was the option to have tofu here because it turns out, I really missed it.

Vegan-Friendly: Possibly, not listed on menu specifically
Hours: Mon 12pm-10pm, Thurs-Sat 12pm-11pm, Sun 2pm-10pm
Location: 84 Upper Drumcondra Road
Price Point: 12 € for a curry
Website: Click here.

Restaurant 104, Drumcondra, Dublin

Also located in Drumcondra, I had breakfast at Restaurant 104. This was a really cute restaurant and it looked like it would be a good place for dinner as they offer up a vegetarian Cashel Blue Tagliatelle. For breakfast, I had a Spinach, Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Omelette. Very tasty and it was a bit of a deviation from the Irish breakfasts I had been eating. I was also eying up the waffles on the menu.

Vegan-Friendly: No
Hours: Mon-Tues 9am-9pm, Wed-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 10am-8pm
Location: 104 Upper Drumcondra Road
Price Point: 7-12 € for breakfast, 16 € for dinner
Website: Click here.

Skylon Bar and Grill, Drumcondra, Dublin

I stayed at the Skylon Hotel in Drumcondra so the dining room here seemed like the best option for an early morning breakfast. Served buffet style, there a lot of options here for a vegetarian breakfast. For vegans, I don’t think the cost would be worth it. There are pastries to choose from as well as vegetarian sausages, mushrooms, potatoes, eggs, and tomatoes. Overall a fairly tasty meal but not quite the same as cooked to order. You don’t have to be staying here to eat in the dining room. They also serve lunch, dinner, and cocktails at the Skylon Bar and Grill.

Vegan-Friendly: Yes
Hours: Breakfast 7am-1030am Lunch/Dinner Mon-Wed, Sun 5pm-9:30pm, Thurs-Sat 5pm-10pm
Location: 27 Upper Drumcondra Road
Price Point: 12 € for breakfast buffet or included with the room
Website: Click here to book a stay at the Dublin Skylon Hotel for menus click here

Take-Out Chinese Food, Dublin

I was able to order veggie gyoza as well as tofu and veggies with fried rice. All vegetarian-friendly because there were no sauces or spices or anything. I don’t think I’ve ever been so disappointed and had such bland food. Not sure if that’s a typical thing for Chinese food in Ireland but I wouldn’t be keen to try again. I didn’t include the restaurant name here because it’s just too bad.

Eating Vegetarian Food in Killarney, Ireland

Killarney seems like it’s all pubs, but even pubs serve up vegetarian and occasionally, vegan food. Porterhouse Gastropub, The Shire Bar, and Khao Asian Street Food were all places with vegetarian or vegan options on my list that I didn’t get a chance to try. If you make a visit to Dingle, Dingle Chocolate has amazingly tasty chocolate bars with Irish flavours as well as truffles and fudge.

You can find my guide for things to do in Killarney here.

Sceal Eile Restaurant, Killarney

Located on the main street in Killarney, this place is a good find. Sitting upstairs, you can get a window that looks out over the main street so you can people watch. Being a huge tourist town, Killarney certainly attracts some characters. The restaurant itself serves up a Veggie Curry for vegetarians and has many options on the menu for traditional Irish fare. A good pick for keeping everyone happy. I don’t have a picture of this meal because I was hardly functioning at this point as it was my first day in Ireland.

Vegan-Friendly: Yes
Hours: 9:30am-10pm daily
Location: 73 High Street, Killarney
Price Point: Starts at 13 € for dinner
Website: Click here

Caragh Restaurant, Killarney

I ended up eating at Caragh Restaurant twice. I have to admit, sometimes I get really lazy about restaurants when I travel. On occasion, I don’t want to think about finding somewhere else, I just want to eat. Caragh Restaurant in Killarney has a couple of vegetarian options and has fast service with a separate section on the menu for vegetarian options. On my first visit, I had a really tasty Vegetarian Lasagna that came with three scoops of potatoes, veggies, and garlic bread. It was a huge meal and very filling and tasty.

The second night I had soup and a salad. I need to talk about this salad, it was the strangest salad I’ve had. It felt like they threw a little bit of everything on it. There was no salad dressing but rather a coleslaw on half of it. Which is basically salad inception. There was also canned corn and pineapple. It was bizarre so I really can’t recommend the salad. The coleslaw is amazing though, extremely tasty coleslaw.  I followed this odd salad up with Irish Cream Cheesecake. The cheesecake very creamy tasting as it was an unbaked cheesecake and served with ice cream. It was my first time having cheesecake with ice cream and I was surprised how well that worked together.

Vegan-Friendly: Minimal, basically just salad
Hours: 12pm-9pm daily
Location: 106 New St., Killarney
Price Point: Starts at 11 € for dinner, 4 € for dessert
Website: Click here

Murphy’s Ice Cream, Dingle & Killarney

Happily, there are multiple locations of Murphy’s Ice Cream, including Killarney and Dingle so you have lots of opportunities to try it. The shops are a distinctive vibrant blue that really stands out on the street and invites you into it. Murphy’s Ice cream originates from Dingle where they use cream from Kerry Cows and the best ingredients, many local. When I visited Dingle, they had a couple of special flavours to celebrate the Dingle Food Festival. I had the Mint + Seaweed as well as the Dingle Salted Caramel. Both were delicious, it really is good ice cream. If you are unsure about a flavour, you can request a free taste of any of them.

Vegan-Friendly: Sorbet may be vegan-friendly
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-12am in Killarney, 11:30am-9pm (10pm for Strand St) in Dingle
Location: 37 Main St in Killarney, Strand St and the Pier in Dingle. Shops in Dublin, Kilkenny, and Galway
Price Point: Starts at 4 €
Website: Click here

Castle Lodge, Killarney

I stayed at Castle Lodge while in Killarney. The location is convenient, quiet and out of town but still a short walk to the center and Killarney National Park. But most importantly, the breakfast. Castle Lodge puts out one of the best Irish Breakfast spreads I have seen. Every morning I left completely happy with what they served. They serve the full Irish or vegetarian breakfast with a huge stack of toast and soda bread. On the sideboard, they have continental breakfast items including fruit, yogurt, and cereals. I would stay here again just for the breakfast so I can highly recommend this B&B.

Vegan-Friendly: Yes
Location: Muckross Rd, Killarney
Price Point: Included with stay
Website: Click here to book a stay at Castle Lodge B&B

Vegetarian Food in Cork, Ireland

I was not very successful at finding food in Cork the first night I was there and ended up with a sad looking pizza. I did have some better luck later on and managed to find some seriously yummy brownies at Ó Conaill. One place on my list that I wanted to try but didn’t is Quay Co-op vegetarian restaurant. I had a great time exploring around Cork and finding yummy food.

Ó Conaill Chocolate, Cork

I was walking down one of Cork’s many small streets in it’s downtown when a sign caught my eye. It proclaimed to be the home of the best brownies in Cork. How could I keep walking by a sign like that without sampling these brownies? I didn’t. I walked in and bought myself a plain chocolate brownie. Oh my goodness. They aren’t joking. The brownies from Ó Conaill are amazing. It was almost like a milk chocolate brownie and it was delicious. I tried a couple more times to repurchase but it was closed when I was nearby.

Vegan-Friendly: No
Hours: Princes St: Mon-Sat 9am-5:30 pm
French Church St: Sun-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri-Sat 10am-7pm
Location: 32 Princes Street for Chocolate Bakery or 16 French Church Street for Coffee Shop
Price Point: 3 € for brownies
Website: Click here.

The Sandwich Stall, English Market in Cork

Located in the English Market, The Sandwich Stall has quite a few vegetarian options. They serve up sandwiches, salads, soup, and a vegetarian chana masala. I believe that among the salads you would be able to find vegan options. It’s mostly for takeaway but there is a bit of counter space you can eat at. I loved the emphasis they have on local ingredients and I got a very tasty (and huge!) grilled cheese sandwich here. The Sandwich Stall is a great place to stop by for lunch if you are touring around the English Market

Vegan-Friendly: Possibly
Hours:  Mon-Sat 8:30am-4pm, closed Sundays
Location: English Market, Cork
Price Point: 5 € for a grilled cheese
Website: Click here.

West Cork Burger Company, Cork Permanently Closed (Hoping for a reopen!)

Permanently closed but check out Coq Bull for a pulled jackfruit burger or strawberry salad with smoked tofu.

This place has the best french fries I had my entire time in Ireland. They have a thyme/rosemary herb seasoning on them and they are phenomenal. In addition to great fries, they are two options for a vegetarian burger. You can either have portobello mushrooms or a halloumi patty. There are tons of toppings to choose from to craft a great burger or you can go with one of the set menu items. I went with the portobello mushroom topped with blue cheese, onions, and lettuce. It was very messy but good. Another Cork restaurant that puts emphasis on using local ingredients. A casual dining experience in a convenient location.

Vegan-Friendly: Yes
Website: Click here.

Vegetarian Food to Eat in Kilkenny, Ireland

Kilkenny was probably my most challenging place to find vegetarian food on my trip to Ireland. I only had one place on my list of vegetarian food, Petronella. While I’m sure the food is tasty and they have a separate vegetarian and vegan menu, it was just above my ideal price point on the dinner menu. This lead to me having to roam the streets looking at menus outside restaurants. Eventually, I found somewhere but I would love to hear if you have suggestions for vegetarian food in Kilkenny.

You can find my full guide to Kilkenny here.

Kilkenny Castle Tea Room, Kilkenny

I tried to walk by but the arrangements of cakes were just too cute.  Set up in the Castle’s original Victorian Kitchen, everything here looked delicious. I had the Lemon Medira Cake from here and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. If you love lemon, this is the cake for you. It was served with a side of fruit and whipped cream drizzled in an orange syrup. Worth a stop if you are going to be visiting Kilkenny Castle.

Vegan-Friendly: No
Hours:  Same as Kilkenny Castle
Location: Kilkenny Castle
Price Point: 3 € for a slice of cake
Website: Click here for opening hours

Celtic House B&B, Kilkenny

I stayed at Celtic House B&B while I was in Kilkenny and they had a fantastic breakfast. The owners asked when I checked in what I wanted for breakfast so the next morning when I went down they had orange juice sitting out and had my breakfast to me very quickly. It was great. I loved that there were hash browns included. They also had continental breakfast options available and the location is great.

Vegan-Friendly: Yes, Continental breakfast
Location: 18 Michael Street, Kilkenny
Price Point: Included with stay
Website: Click here to book a stay at Celtic House B&B

Eating Vegetarian Food in Blarney

I went to Blarney for a day trip to see Blarney Castle and did not expect to luck out with the food here. My expectations were overpriced food with few options. I ended up pleasantly surprised, having the cheapest dinner here and delicious food. I also highly recommend checking out the Blarney Chocolate Factory.

Claddagh Restaurant, Blarney

Wandering down the main street of Blarney towards the bus stop, the deal in front of Claddagh Restaurant caught my eye. Any pizza or pasta before 5 pm was only 6 euros. I figured at that price it was worth a try. I was pleasantly surprised. My mom will tell you this is the best meal she had the entire time she was in Ireland. I grabbed the Vegetarian Pasta which was a rose sauce on pasta with mixed veggies. It was very tasty and it was in such a convenient location before heading back to Cork. After 5 pm the prices go up to around 9 euros I believe, which is still a great deal.

Vegan-Friendly: With substitutions
Hours: 10am-10pm
Location: The Square, Blarney
Price Point: 6-9 € for pasta or pizza
Website: Click here

Eating Vegetarian in County Wicklow, Ireland

When you’re on an organized day tour, it can be especially difficult to know if you will have vegetarian food options. Luckily there were some food options on the tour. You can read my full guide to visiting the Wicklow Mountains on a tour here.

Avoca Market, Avoca Village

We stopped at the Avoca Market as part of our tea break. There was lot of quick food options here along the lines of snacks and things like premade sandwiches and salads. You could probably find something here that was vegan if you were looking for fruit or veggies. We didn’t have time to sit in the cafe and eat but that is an option if you are doing a self-guided tour. I had an amazing cream-filled donut. It was easily the best donut I had in Ireland. There were lots of other bakery items to choose from and is a good place to grab a coffee or tea. While this is the only Avoca I went to in Ireland, there are many other locations and I imagine the food to be very similar. It is on the expensive side for food though.

Vegan-Friendly: Yes
Hours: Mon-Sun 9:30am-5pm
Location: Avoca Village, Wicklow
Price Point: 3 € for a donut
Website: Click here

Lynhams of Laragh

Lynhams of Laragh is a pub that is set up cafeteria style so they can serve people quickly. Apparently, one of the best items on their menu is the Guinness beef stew. Given that it serves traditional pub fare, there are minimal options here for vegetarians. The best I could see was the vegetable soup they had on offer. The bar is very cozy and has a nice atmosphere. Very fast service and a convenient location to stop if you are heading to Glendalough. If you are doing a self-guided tour, you can stay at the hotel here to easily visit Wicklow National Park.

Vegan-Friendly: No
Location: Laragh
Price Point: 5 € for soup, 12 € for Guinness stew
Website: Click here. You can book a stay at Lynham Hotel here.

Being a Vegetarian in Ireland

Overall, I found it pretty easy to find vegetarian options in Ireland. Quite a few places have vegan options which is always nice. Compared to other countries in Europe, I would say that Ireland is one of the easiest places to find vegetarian options. Most menus have a vegetarian food marked or a separate section. I also noticed that menus had a list of common allergies and marked foods that included them allergies.

Being a vegetarian in Ireland, I didn’t feel like I was missing out on trying Irish food because it felt like the vegetarian options on menus were a good veggie alternative to the traditional food option.

Happily, vegetarian food in Ireland often has some kind of protein so you don’t need to survive just on starches and vegetables for your vacation. If you are eating in pubs, I found that they typically have either some kind of curry or lentil dal dish for vegetarians. If all else fails, Guinness is now vegan.

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