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Aherne's Seafood Restaurant & Accommodation

Now in its third generation of family ownership, one of the most remarkable features of Aherne’s is the warmth of the FitzGibbon family’s hospitality and their enormous enthusiasm for the business which, since 1993, has included some fine accommodation.

But it is for its food - and, especially, the ultra-fresh seafood that comes straight from the fishing boats in Youghal harbour - that Aherne’s is best known. While John FitzGibbon supervises the front of house, his brother David reigns over a busy kitchen.

There are two bars – there’s quite a large traditional one, with lots of wood and a timeless atmosphere, and the smaller one is beside the restaurant and also used for aperitifs – it has just been refurbished and is very chic.

Wherever you choose to eat it, the bar food tends towards simplicity, and is all the better for that - oysters, chowder, Yawl Bay smoked salmon and oysters make for great snacks or starters (all served with the renowned moist dark brown yeast bread), and you’ll find at least half a dozen delicious hot seafood main course dishes like baked cod wrapped in bacon and gorgeous prawns in garlic butter - its sheer freshness tells the story.

Restaurant meals are naturally more ambitious and include some token meat dishes - rack of lamb with a rosemary jus or mint sauce, char-grilled fillet steak with mushrooms and shallot jus or pepper sauce - although seafood is still the undisputed star of the show.

Specialities like pan-fried scallops with spinach, bacon & beurre blanc sauce, or fresh crab salad can make memorable starters, for example, and who could resist a main course of hot buttered Youghal Bay lobster? These are, in a sense, simple dishes yet they have plenty of glamour too.

It is well worth planning a journey around a bar meal at Aherne’s - or, if time permits, have a relaxed evening meal followed by a restful night in their very comfortable accommodation.

A wine list strong on classic French regions offers a good selection of half bottles and half a dozen champagnes.

Seats 60 (private room, 20); children welcome (high chair, baby changing facilities); toilets wheelchair accessible. D 6.30-9.30 daily; fixed price 2-course set D €35; 3-course €45; also á la carte; house wine €22, sc discretionary.

*Bar food daily, 12-10.

Accommodation:

The stylish rooms at Aherne’s are generously sized and individually decorated to a high standard; all are furnished with antiques and have full bathrooms.

Excellent breakfasts are served in a warm and elegantly furnished residents’ dining room.

Studio apartments are also available, equipped to give the option of self-catering if required.

Conference room (20); free broadband wi/fi; safe & fax available at reception. Rooms 13 (4 junior suites, 2 family rooms, 3 ground floor, 1 disabled); children welcome (under 5s free in parents' room, cot available without charge, baby sitting arranged). Dogs permitted (stay in bedrooms). B&B €105 pps, ss €25. Wheelchair friendly. Closed 23-29 Dec. Amex, MasterCard, Visa.

Directions:

on N25, main route from Cork-Waterford.