• About
    • About Us
    • Assessment Process
    • Contact Us
    • Quotes & Testimonials
    • Award Winners »
      • Awards Presented
      • Awards Received
    • Info for Owners »
      • Info for Owners
      • Industry Register/Login
  • Awards
  • Eat
  • Drink
  • Stay
  • Buy
  • Learn
  • Producers
  • Articles
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • By Georgina Campbell
  • Special Offers
  • Competitions
  • Shop
    • Recipe Cards
    • Buy Guidebooks
    • Buy Cookbooks
    • GPS POIs for Garmin
    • « Ireland Apps
      • iPhone App
      • Blackberry App
      • Samsung App
      • Nokia App
      • Ireland for Food Lovers App
    • « Cooking Apps
      • iCook - Recipes & Cooking with Neven
      • APPetiser - Recipes & Cooking with Derry Clarke
      • For the Love of Food – Kevin Dundon
  • More+
    • Gardens
    • Golf
    • Self Catering
    • What's On
    • Tourist Attractions
    • Wedding Venues
Ireland Guide
Ireland Guide

- ireland -

Graphics Version | 
Ireland’s Leading Independent Food & Hospitality Guide
  • LOGIN/SIGNUP
    • My Ireland Guide
    • Industry
Home > Eat > Oxtail Kitchen

Eat

Comments(0) Add Comment

Oxtail Kitchen

Restaurant

Dislike Like
19 votes (98%)
Previous Next
Print page Send to a friend
3 euro Denotes genuine Irish food culture, ie special Irish food products/companies/producers, and highlights the best places to shop for regional and artisan foods; the selection excludes obvious 'non-Irish' elements regardless of quality, eg ethnic restaurants and specialists in coffee, wine and other drinks, unless relevant to local production or history. Eat & Stay establishments are chosen for their commitment to showcasing local produce and Irish hospitality.

Oxtail Kitchen

A comfortable and stylishly informal room above The Shebeen pub, Oxtail Kitchen is owned and run by returning Balla native Patrick McEllin and his partner Rebecca Miton. Offering fairly priced menus, interesting, seasonal food cooked by a classically trained chef and served with charm in a very pleasant setting, it's doing a great job - one to try next time you're in Mayo.
Seats about 40. Open Thu-Sat 5-9.30pm, Sun 12.30-8pm. 2/3 course early D (up to 6.30pm) €21.95/€25.95, also à la carte. Sun L 12.30-4pm, à la carte, also Family Roast Platter €45. Restaurant available for private events. Parking (in pub carpark). MasterCard, Visa. abbreviations

Back in his home town of Balla in mid-Mayo, after working in top restaurants abroad and in the west of Ireland, Chef Patrick McEllin has fulfilled his dream of establishing a destination restaurant that is also a home from home for local diners.


Oxtail Kitchen, which Patrick owns and runs with his partner Rebecca Miton, is a comfortable and stylishly informal room above The Shebeen pub. The couple met while they were working at Ballynahinch Castle and, while Patrick's experience is in the kitchen, Rebecca - who is from the Cognac region - is a wonderful host, with front of house skills learned at college in La Rochelle and then honed in European fine dining restaurants and leading hotels.


Cooking seasonally and supporting local producers on his ever changing menu comes naturally to Patrick, and what he describes as 'classical cooking with a modern twist' soon earned Oxtail a following over a wide area.


A few outsiders like sea bass and tiger prawns may creep onto the menu sometimes, but the overall experience is very local and named suppliers include their own garden (always a good sign), along with Dozio’s Cheese (an excellent swiss cheese made in Mayo), Balla Beef, free-range chicken from The Friendly Farmer in Athenry, Gary Harty’s Galway Oysters, the famous Clarke’s of Ballina smoked salmon and organic leaves from Joe Kelly's farm. They also have a keen forager in Chef Kevin and, while the results are by nature intensely seasonal, a speciality that is likely to be available is his elderflower cordial.


Starters usually include a soup of the day - and, apart from the well-made soup itself, it's well worth ordering for the accompanying homemade Guinness bread and superb local Cuinneog butter...Chicken and ham hock terrine is a great classic, served with prune & onion jam, charred pickled onions and house sourdough (and you'll find a similar recipe on their website) while other popular starters include Braised beef shin croquette, with parsley orzo, pickles and smoked aioli, and a piquant dish of Smoked ocean trout rillettes, with almond and radish, citrus crème fraiche, sour dough.



Not surprisingly, the 35 day dry-aged Shannon's rib-eye goes down a treat - the meat is excellent and it comes with all the traditional accompaniments including oxtail stuffed mushroom, parsley & parmesan crumbs, onion rings, hand cut chips, and pepper sauce ... Another regular is Duck breast and crispy duck leg with duck fat roast carrot, pistachio crumb, beetroot & grape puree, thyme jus, while fish dishes such as Salmon “en croute” with Swiss Chard, Parma ham, Joe’s potatoes and beurre blanc usually appear among the specials.


Wines include three reds and three whites available in three sizes ( glass, carafe and bottle) and non-drinkers will be pleased to find the delicious sparkling apple juice from Con Traas in Tipperary. One of the house reds is unusual - a Carmenere from Chile - and might be just the thing with that rib-eye steak.


Very tempting modern classic desserts too - an autumn treat of Poached Pear William with blackberry financier, croissant ice-cream and blackberry gel, for example, or perhaps Patrick's signture dessert, Pecan Pie (another recipe given on the website), to round off the evening with a glass of Warre's ruby port or Disznoko late harvest Tokaji, Hungary.



Although mainly an evening restaurant, Oxtail does a great Sunday lunch. The à la carte offers a range of Small Plates and Large Plates including a Ploughman’s plate (Pork pie, Bandon Vale Farmhouse cheddar, piccalilli, Heirloom tomatoes, pickled egg, homemade malt bread and organic leaves) and there's also a Family Roast Platter (with all the trimmings) offered at a very reasonable €45.00.


Offering fairly priced menus, interesting, seasonal food cooked by a classically trained chef and served with charm in a very pleasant setting, Oxtail is doing a great job - one to try next time you're in Mayo.

 

Less
Read More
Last Updated: 19-01-2021
Author: Georgina Campbell

Might also like

Eat

Dining Room

Castlebar, Co. Mayo

Restaurant
3 euro Denotes genuine Irish food culture, ie special Irish food products/companies/producers, and highlights the best places to shop for regional and artisan foods; the selection excludes obvious 'non-Irish' elements regardless of quality, eg ethnic restaurants and specialists in coffee, wine and other drinks, unless relevant to local production or history. Eat & Stay establishments are chosen for their commitment to showcasing local produce and Irish hospitality. Serious About Seafood

Easy to find on the main street with its striking blue exterior and orange door, Kevin Stirzaker and his wife Shirley opened the Dining Room in Mayo’s county town of Castlebar in 2016. It was the fulfilment of a long-held dream for the couple, who have worked in r ...

Read more
Drink & Eat

Bar One Gastro Pub

Castlebar, Co. Mayo

Cafe/Bar / Pub
Denotes genuine Irish food culture, ie special Irish food products/companies/producers, and highlights the best places to shop for regional and artisan foods; the selection excludes obvious 'non-Irish' elements regardless of quality, eg ethnic restaurants and specialists in coffee, wine and other drinks, unless relevant to local production or history. Eat & Stay establishments are chosen for their commitment to showcasing local produce and Irish hospitality. Pub with good food and atmosphere Serious About Seafood Previous Georgina Campbell Guides Award Winner The "Best of the Best" - Only the very best establishments across various categories have been chosen for this accolade

In the same family ownership as Dublin’s stylish Saba (see entry) and Saba to Go, Mark Cadden’s gastropub is the busiest bar food venue in the Castlebar area - and that is as it should be as their parents, Mary and Michael, were pioneers of the catering indus ...

Read more
Eat

House of Plates

Castlebar, Co. Mayo

Restaurant
3 euro Denotes genuine Irish food culture, ie special Irish food products/companies/producers, and highlights the best places to shop for regional and artisan foods; the selection excludes obvious 'non-Irish' elements regardless of quality, eg ethnic restaurants and specialists in coffee, wine and other drinks, unless relevant to local production or history. Eat & Stay establishments are chosen for their commitment to showcasing local produce and Irish hospitality.

Castlebar is a town that tries harder when it comes to quality food with a relaxed ambience, so it's no wonder that Barry and Helen Ralph's new business quickly found a niche when they opened House of Plates in their home town in 2016. The concept is a little different ...

Read more
Drink & Eat

Flanagan's GastroPub

Claremorris, Co. Mayo

Pub / Restaurant
Denotes genuine Irish food culture, ie special Irish food products/companies/producers, and highlights the best places to shop for regional and artisan foods; the selection excludes obvious 'non-Irish' elements regardless of quality, eg ethnic restaurants and specialists in coffee, wine and other drinks, unless relevant to local production or history. Eat & Stay establishments are chosen for their commitment to showcasing local produce and Irish hospitality. The "Best of the Best" - Only the very best establishments across various categories have been chosen for this accolade

Easy to spot with its bright cream and red colour scheme and an old Austin delivery van parked outside, Flanagan's once provided the traditional village combination of bar, grocery and hardware that was so common in rural Ireland up to the 1970s. Today, among other thin ...

Read more
Eat

An Port Mor

Westport, Co. Mayo

Restaurant
2 euro Denotes genuine Irish food culture, ie special Irish food products/companies/producers, and highlights the best places to shop for regional and artisan foods; the selection excludes obvious 'non-Irish' elements regardless of quality, eg ethnic restaurants and specialists in coffee, wine and other drinks, unless relevant to local production or history. Eat & Stay establishments are chosen for their commitment to showcasing local produce and Irish hospitality. Serious About Seafood Previous Georgina Campbell Guides Award Winner The "Best of the Best" - Only the very best establishments across various categories have been chosen for this accolade

Not a lot of people know this, but An Port Mor is named after Portmor House in Blackwatertown, Co Armagh, which is proprietor-chef Frankie Mallon’s home town – a pleasingly familiar place to us, from researching our Taste of the Waterways Guide. The name has ...

Read more
Drink & Eat

The Tavern Bar & Restaurant

Westport, Co. Mayo

Bar / Pub / Restaurant
Denotes genuine Irish food culture, ie special Irish food products/companies/producers, and highlights the best places to shop for regional and artisan foods; the selection excludes obvious 'non-Irish' elements regardless of quality, eg ethnic restaurants and specialists in coffee, wine and other drinks, unless relevant to local production or history. Eat & Stay establishments are chosen for their commitment to showcasing local produce and Irish hospitality. Outstanding Location, building or atmosphere Pub with good food and atmosphere Serious About Seafood The "Best of the Best" - Only the very best establishments across various categories have been chosen for this accolade

Tucked in below the soaring slopes of Croagh Patrick, just outside Westport,The Tavern is set back from the lovely tree-lined coast road – but, with its trademark deep pink paintwork and come-on-in signage, this smartly maintained premises can’t be missed. R ...

Read more

Contact details

+353 94 936 6464
WEBSITE EMAIL
PLEASE MENTION IRELANDGUIDE.COM WHEN ENQUIRING

Address

Oxtail Kitchen
Upstairs @ The Shebeen , Main Street , Balla Co Mayo
Minimize map Minimize map

Map markers

You are here
Distance
Directions About Co. Mayo Trip Planning Tools
On the N60, Tuam-Castlebar road. Well signed in the centre of Balla; look for The Shebeen's smart traditional pub frontage - the restaurant is upstairs.
  • Add to my Favourites +
  • View my Favourites
  • Local Recommendations
  • Hospitality
  • By Distance
    • All
      • Eat
        • Drink
          • Stay
            • Buy
              • Learn
                • Producer
                • By Category
                  • Self Catering
                  • Mount Falcon Country House Hotel & Spa(28.1km)NW
                  • Enniscoe House - Courtyard Houses(31.7km)NW
                  • Bayview Apartment(32.2km)SW
                  • Rosturk Woods & Waterfall House(40.4km)NW
                  • The Courtyard at Clonalis(40.5km)SE
                  • Railway Cottage(44.4km)SW
                  • Delphi Lodge - Boat House Cottages & Wren Cottage(44.9km)SW
                  • Temple House - Gardener's Cottage(49.5km)NE
                  • The Schoolhouse at Annaghmore(55.7km)NE
                  • Farmers Markets
                  • Castlebar - Co Mayo(12.6km)NW
                  • Claremorris Country - Co Mayo - Fridays(12.9km)SE
                  • Foxford Woollen Mills - Co Mayo - Saturdays(19.8km)NE
                  • Westport Food & Craft - Co Mayo - Saturdays(25.6km)SW
                  • Westport Country - Co Mayo - Thursdays(25.8km)SW
                  • Ballina - Co Mayo - Saturdays(34.5km)NW
                  • Headford - Co Galway(37.3km)SE
                  • The Village - Oughterard, Co Galway(43.9km)SW
                  • Louisburgh - Co Mayo - Fridays(44.8km)SW
                  • Killala - Co Mayo - Sundays(45.7km)NW
                  • Mountbellew Local Food - Co Galway - Wednesday(55.5km)SE
                  • Tourist Attractions
                  • National Museum of Ireland - Country Life(10.3km)SW
                  • Westport House, Gardens & Pirate Adventure Park(26.6km)SW
                  • Aughnanure Castle(44.0km)SW
                  • Eagles Flying(49.5km)SW
                  • Ballycroy National Park(51.4km)SW
                  • Patrick Pearses Cottage(56.6km)SW
                  • Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery(63.7km)SW
                  • Golf Courses
                  • Castlebar Golf Club(11.3km)NW
                  • Ballinrobe Golf Club(17.9km)SW
                  • Westport Golf Club(28.5km)NW
                  • Enniscrone Golf Club(45.5km)NE
                  • Gardens
                  • Enniscoe House & Gardens(31.7km)NW
                  • Ashford Castle Hotel & Gardens(31.9km)SW
                  • Brigit's Garden & Cafe(47.0km)SW
                  • Cashel House Hotel & Gardens(61.9km)SW
                  • Nearby Towns/Areas
                  • Castlebar(12.6km)NW
                  • Claremorris(12.9km)SE
                  • Foxford(19.9km)NW
                  • Ballinrobe(21.1km)SW
                  • Westport(25.8km)SW
                  • Tuam(26.3km)SE
                  • Lahardane(28.0km)NW
                  • Newport(28.8km)NW
                  • Cong(31.1km)SW
                  • Crossmolina(31.7km)NW
                  • Comments

                  There are currently no comments

                  Leave a comment

                  You must be logged in to leave a comment
                  Not a member? Register for your free membership now!
                  Or leave a comment by logging in with:
                  Sign up with Twitter
                  Georgina Campbell's ireland-guide.com
                  Tweets by @IrelandGuide
                  © Copyright Georgina Campbell Guides 2021
                  • Disclaimer
                  • T & C
                  • Privacy Policy
                  • Site Map
                  • Links
                  • Advertise
                  • Ireland Hotels |
                  • Northern Ireland Hotels |
                  • B&B Ireland |
                  • Accommodation Ireland |
                  • Dublin Airport Hotels |
                  • Dublin Hotels |
                  • Dublin Restaurants |
                  • Belfast Hotels |
                  • Belfast Restaurants |
                  • Cork Hotels |
                  • Cork Restaurants |
                  • Galway Hotels |
                  • Galway Restaurants |
                  • Killarney Hotels |
                  • Killarney Restaurants |
                  • Kilkenny Hotels |
                  • Kilkenny Restaurants |
                  • Limerick Hotels |
                  • Limerick Restaurants |
                  • Sligo Hotels |
                  • Waterford Hotels |
                  • Westport Hotels
                  • My Ireland Guide - Log in
                  • My Favourites
                  • My Itineraries
                  • My Comments
                  • Special Offers
                  • Hire Cars
                  • Ferry Tickets
                  • Competition
                  This website uses cookies to help provide you with a better online experience. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Cookie Policy