The Cronin family’s Victorian pub on the harbour front has oodles of character and, with its walls and high shelves crammed with maritime memorabilia, it serves as a sort of unofficial exhibition of local history.
It has always had a good reputation for food, especially seafood, and now there’s an enthusiastic new generation at work here, with Joeleen Cronin front of house and her brother Denis (who is Ballymaloe-trained) as head chef.
They’re doing a good job with both the bar food and an evening restaurant, The Mad Fish, which is in a narrow high-ceilinged room off a passageway behind the bar. Tables are set up simply, and the menu is sensibly short; good ingredients, notably seafood, are mainly sourced locally, cooking is good and presentation unfussy.
The popular lunchtime bar menu is more extensive and includes quite a lot of pub food staples as well as seafood.
The Cronins also run Thecla's Gallery & Craft Shop, next door, where you will find a wide choice of mainly local crafts and artwork - and 'Cheese Please', the cheese stall at the Crosshaven Farmers' Market (village square, Saturday 10-2), where they sell a wide range of Irish artisan cheeses; anything up to around 20 cheeses could be on sale, depending on seasonal availability, and many of them will be from Co Cork.
Ample free parking in public carpark across the road.
Restaurant seats 35; children welcome; L&D Tue-Sat, 12-2.45pm & 6-9pm; house wine €19. Bar food served Mon-Fri, 11.45-2.45pm, Sat, 11.45-3.30pm. Restaurant closed Sun, Mon & Jan. Amex, Diners, MasterCard, Visa, Laser.
