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Carlingford Marina Bar & Restaurant

Many visitors would assume that this marina is private and, like many other buildings of its type, this one is not especially impressive or welcoming from the land – entrance is from the carpark at the front, and you go up stairs to find a bright and spacious first floor bar and restaurant.

It’s all one room, in the modern style, broken into three area with a bar seating area, a restaurant/dining area and a cosy section with couches beside a stove.

The welcome is prompt and efficient, and the menu – presented simply on a single A4 page - is not overlong, but offers a carefully thought out selection of appealing dishes, many of them featuring local seafood.

Seafood lovers will find a seafood chowder, a seafood platter, and Carlingford mussels with chorizo cream among the starters, while main courses include a seasonal fish selection that varies according to availability, an unusual dish of smoked haddock & smoked salmon with lemon & prawn cream, fillet of beef with oyster and Guinness (a great traditional combination) and a fantastic, unfussy dish of whole dressed crab, served “hot’n’cold” with a vegetable garnish – what a change to find a whole crab used instead of the ubiquitous crab claws.

And non-seafood eaters can do very nicely here too, with starters like a salade tiède of chicken liver with fruit vinegar (a rarity these days, but delicious) or a charcuterie selection, and main courses including rack of lamb with roast tomatoes, anchovy cream & basil oil.

Attentive service from knowledgeable staff makes a meal here very relaxing, and a small but appropriate wine list is offered.

Directions:

Carlingford marina is on the far side of Carlingford town