The Salty Dog

Ballycotton is quite the dining destination these days, and recent changes at this pleasing pub and restaurant with rooms are all part of a grand plan.

Formerly Cush (now relocated to Midleton, see entry) and known before that as Pier 26, this well established seafood restaurant, with the adjacent pub and B&B rooms, has been owned by businessman Pearse Flynn (a Ballycotton native) since 2017 and reinvented as The Salty Dog in 2025. It's still run as a unit - and is a sister to the impressive Sea Church restaurant and venue nearby (see entry).

The friendly 'maritime bar' remains pleasingly traditional - there's usually a welcoming stove burning and they do music once a week as well - and, while there's a wide ranging drinks list including a cocktail menu, it's a nice spot to drop into during the day too, for a tea or coffee after visiting the harbour or doing the cliff walk.

The restaurant takes up a couple of rooms and it's a very pleasant venue, with sea views on two sides which adds to the experience in fine weather.

Seafood is of course the speciality that every visitor to Ballycotton expects and, although the offering is season and weather dependent (the selection will inevitably be more restricted if Ballycotton is storm bound), fish lovers are unlikely to be disappointed. In season there's likely to be a good selection of very fresh shellfish - shrimps, prawns, scallops, lobster and crab - on the menu, as well as freshly caught hake and other fish off the boats based in the harbour below. With the rebranding came changes in the kitchen - and nobody's going to be complaining, as the main man is none other than the much-admired Fred Desormeaux (now Executive Head Chef of both The Salty Dog and the lovely Sea Church) with the very able Marc Lonergan as head chef.

As to the food, it is a delight. Whether it's lunch or dinner - or breakfast after a good night's sleep in one of the recently refurbished rooms (or before a bracing walk on the nearby cliff path) everything is simply and carefully cooked to bring out the best in carefully sourced ingredients. Every dish is appealingly presented without undue fuss, served with efficiency and charm - and tastes wonderful.

Seen together - the restaurant, the cosy bar with its traditional appeal and weekend music, the comfy rooms upstairs - it makes a perfect package and, despite Ballycotton's reputation for being very seasonal, it is no wonder that it's now becoming a popular all year destination.

Quite the little gem.