Fishy Fishy

About Fishy Fishy

Fishy Fishy is the seafood restaurant of chef Martin Shanahan and his wife Marie on Crowley's Quay in Kinsale, County Cork — the town that calls itself Ireland's gourmet capital. Shanahan, one of the country's best-known seafood chefs, converted a large gallery into the restaurant in 2006, and built it on a simple idea: local, seasonal fish, cooked plainly, in an informal room. The menu changes daily with the catch and even names the fishermen who land it. It is the benchmark seafood table in Kinsale.

For the town's other notable kitchens, compare the modern cooking at Bastion, the long-running room at Max's or the steaks at Rare 1874.

The Kitchen

The kitchen runs on the day's landings rather than a fixed carte. The menu changes daily to follow the season and the catch, with individual fishermen named alongside the fish they bring in. The signature is the "posh" fish and chips — top-class battered fish done properly — but the range is wide: oysters, lobster, mussels and a much-loved seafood pie all appear. Cooking is clean and respectful of the produce, not fussy, in keeping with Shanahan's informal ethos. Pricing is fair for the quality and sits in the mid-to-upper range for Kinsale. It is a lunch-and-dinner room that fills fast in season, so timing matters.

The Room

The room is relaxed and bustling rather than formal — a bright, busy space on the quay where the focus is the food and the friendly, proud service Shanahan is known for. There is no dress code beyond smart-casual, and the energy suits a long lunch as much as a dinner. Families, couples and groups all fit, and the informality is deliberate: this is fresh fish in an easy setting, not white-tablecloth fine dining. Kinsale gets busy in summer and Fishy Fishy is the town's best-known table, so it can be a wait without a booking; arrive early or reserve ahead.