Situated at the top of Westport’s main street, you can't miss the bright blue frontage of this cosy and welcoming restaurant. Owned by chefs Pat Kelly and Peter Carroll, it is well-established but has recently had a serious make-over – and is gaining quite a reputation in Mayo for the quality of its seafood.
The interior features a lot of timber - painted panelled walls, well-polished wooden floor – and nautical bric-à-brac, in keeping with the emphasis on seafood. Although space is limited, it’s comfortable and linen covered tables help to absorb the noise of happy diners.
Service is friendly as well as efficient, and breads and iced water arrive quickly to the table, with menus and blackboard specials, mainly fish, explained by friendly local staff.
Fish is very much to the forefront and can all be sourced locally; although there are a lot of chicken dishes and the ‘Atlantic tiger prawns’ (mentioned in the description of a scallop & prawn linguine) would be hard to find, the menu generally is very strong on local produce.
The offering is extensive. Ten starters are likely to include a rich creamy chowder, seafood cocktail, smoked salmon with crabmeat, oysters, and traditional Newport black pudding with seared Clew Bay scallops.
Main courses are listed under three headings, offering pasta and rice, meat and seafood dishes; meat dishes feature ever-popular sirloin, lamb, duck and as many as four chicken dishes.
On a recent visit by the Guide the main course seafood section was irresistible, with generous portions of well-cooked halibut, turbot and white sole selected from about 15 choices on offer.
Starters range from €5 to €10 with main courses in the €15 to €27 bracket, some good home-made desserts with excellent coffee rounded off a very satisfying meal.
From a good selection wine overall, house wines are €22, with 8 offered by the glass at around €6.
The food is good and staff are local or in Westport for a good number of years, which adds to the atmosphere – there is a great buzz and this is a place where everybody seems to have a good experience.
Seats around 40; Open: Mon - Sat from 5.30-9.30pm depending on the night. A la carte. Closed Sunday. MasterCard, Visa, Laser.
