Kate Lawlor at K OConnell Fish Merchants

Cork abounds with iconic names in food and drink, and it was exciting to see two of the greats - K O'Connell fishmongers and chef Kate Lawlor - coming together in 2025 to bring a casual but very classy act to the foodhall in Dunnes Stores on Patrick Street. Fittingly, this was the site of the original store opened by Ben Dunne in 1944 (a ground breaker in its day) and, although there have been many changes over the years, there has always been an eye on the future. A welcome recent addition is the 'posh' foodhall that is now home some impressive food brands, including K O'Connell, long famed at the nearby English Market, and chef Kate Lawlor, formerly chef-patron of the much-missed 5 Fenns Quay restaurant. Returning from a 5-year spell in the UK, Kate soon found a new home in the kitchen of K O’Connell’s Fish Merchants which has pride of place at the heart of this boutique in-store food hall.

While not a normal café, there are plenty of tables around the food hall, where shoppers can enjoy hot dishes from Kate, after paying at the desk - a system works very well to eat on-site or to take away. The menu is fish all the way, of course, offering everything from oysters and crab to salmon and cod - but don't miss blackboard specials such as tasty Seafood and Pasta with delicious prawns and freshly made pasta, or Monkfish nuggets (with tonkatsu sauce, rice, wilted greens and toasted sesame seeds, perhaps) or Monkfish burger, with chips. Fish Plates, with plenty of smoked salmon, are popular, also sandwiches (Smoked salmon or prawn cocktail for example) but perhaps the all-time favourite is (what else?) their super Fish and Chips

And it's not all about fish in this impressive foodhall. Other outlets include Sheridan’s Cheese, for example, where you can get gorgeous toasted sandwiches. Meanwhile, back at their English Market base, O’Connell’s has also added Kay’s Kitchen offering freshly prepared so that's another useful tip for the little black shopping book...