Homestead Cottage

The food and service was 100% worth the white knuckle drive in a campervan down the narrow Irish roads. We had a wonderful time and would love to visit again in the future. The food was incredible and we saw the staff gathering ingredients for the meal while we got ready for our meal in our camper van. Being tourists we were not comfortable driving at night so it was a wonderful surprise they allowed us to overnight in their lot and head out the next morning.

Homestead Cottage is a little gem hidden by the cliffs close to Doolin, Co. Clare. There is a beautiful garden right in front where they grow their own vegetables. From the second we walked in, we were taken care of by the staff. They were very attentive, friendly and extremely professional. The decor is really beautiful. It does reflect the nature that surrounds the cottage. We had a couple of cocktails and they were all really flavorful, both the alcoholic and non alcoholic ones. The summer lunch tasting menu was delicious! Beautifully presented and colorful dishes. Every detail was thought through. The flavors blended so nicely together. You could taste the freshness in every dish. The kitchen was able to swap the ingredients according to our food preferences and allergies which we really appreciated. We will come back to savour the dishes in other seasons too!

There are certain dining experiences that will become memories to savour for a lifetime. Delightedly, Homestead Cottage provided this for us last night. The experience began from the moment we drove onto the property. The austere landscape enfolded us as we tucked into the cozy of the 200 yr old cottage for our unhurried and blissful evening. The serving team each present a beautiful energy and glow as they describe each course. Their joy and passion is evident. And they hustle, while maintaining a calm that sets an atmosphere for guests. This is an experience to be enjoyed slowly. 3 hrs is the right amount of time for 8+courses. Savour each moment. The courses themselves— no words can capture the flavours. It’s a journey that provides guests with a sampling of this coast’s best and finest bounty of the land and sea. It was beauty displayed in countless intentional ways— from the petite dried floral arrangements on each table, to the musical selections (thank you for Norah Jones and Dolly Parton), to the hot towels to rinse off some of the rugged outdoor world we had just come from. You will find yourself losing track of time (tuck your phone away as much as you can) and settle into Homestead Cottage to be a part of some of the magic of the Irish countryside.

High expectations when booking the restaurant for birthday dinner. Little card message was cute and surprising as well. Enjoyed dining here but overall underwhelming and disappointed a little. Booked whole trip to come and dine in the restaurant also visiting Aran islands was a plus. As it’s special occasion, wanted to add some drinks preferably pairing option so booked the separate taxi going and back from accommodation as well because it’s nowhere near town or walkable. However, it wasn’t worth that much in my opinion. Usually staffs ask what we would like to drink and offer at the beginning but we felt left out, didn’t get asked and staffs all seem very busy. When they brought amuse bouche, managed to order wine pairings. Maybe ordering drinks mixed up everything because we ended up waiting long to get the next dish and wines after. Also, people came later than us getting food and drinks before us and our service got delayed more and more. I understand that fine dining restaurant takes some time to get served and there was no hurry at all for us so didn’t make any complaints but it was noticeable getting slower for our table whole night. We were one of last tables leaving the restaurant after 3 hour dining. At that point, we rushed to get up. Foods were nice - very fresh ingredients and seasonal. Highlights were main lamb dish but nothing else was memorably stood out. Happy we tried but I don’t think I would recommend rather than amazing & affordable options in the area.

We had an exceptional dining experience at Homestead Cottage. There were five of us. Two of our family have experience in food service and fine dining and we all agreed it was one of the best meals of our lives. The space is charming, there was a fire in the stove when we arrived, it feels like a home with warm wood, the stone fireplace wall, cookbooks lining the mantle. The service was excellent and attentive. The courses were well-paced and everything from placement and type of utensil (sometimes a small wooden spoon for example, sometimes a fine knife) were well paired with the food. The food itself was delightful and full of beauty and surprises, delicate but deep flavors and interesting textures. Gorgeous presentation. We loved our experience and would definitely come again! I enjoyed every bite! Favorites included the beef tartare, tender and flavorful oysters, scallop, the lamb (oh the lamb) and turbot and the peach and raspberry with Clare cream had such heightened fruit flavors it was incredible and the Valrhona Chocolate with shortbread was out of this world. The bite of the fruit square was perfect paired with an espresso to finish the meal. As you can see the presentation was a work of art but each piece contributed to the taste, the most important part of all. I wish I had saved the menu!

We loved the cottage feel of this place. The service was ok, it took till the middle of my second course to order and get my wine though. I didn’t always understand what the dish was because the server spoke very quickly. Apart from the dessert, the bread course was our favourite. Didn’t know what the menu would be and my hubby is not a seafood lover and didn’t eat the oysters which I ended up having both but were delicious. Second and third courses were also seafood but weren’t particularly great. The cod was steamed but could’ve done with a little more cooking time for our tastes and contained bones which nearly pierced my throat. The crab was nice but lacked flavour. The lamb dish was tasty but had too much fat for my taste. The best bit about the meal was the dessert and the wine I had was very good. All in all we paid over €210, which we had driven 2 hours to get to for a meal that was really just ok. I would not go again. I just didn’t think it was that special. We did love the fact the produce was locally sourced and that was remarkable. We’ve experienced Michelin accredited food before, however, this didn’t hit the mark for us. Sorry.

First off, food was incredible. Quality, variety, use of Irish ingredients, all well worthy of the star. Sadly the service was really quite poor though. It took almost four hours to get through an eight course tasting menu (€125pp). Great welcome initially, but after that we spent about 90% of our time sitting in front of empty plates or an empty table. They would benefit from a more speedy service (I get 4h for a 15+ course menu, not for 8 though). Also the setup of the cottage is quite interesting. We were in a room to the left when you enter (I'd avoid this one if you can, seems the other areas are better). There are three tables of two there, so super intimate. It also though feels like you're forgotten about by the staff, maybe because they can't actually see you. One time I went to try find a staff member to ask if it could go a bit quicker, I walked through all the rooms, and there wasn't one staff member outside the kitchen in any of the dining rooms. So no one keeping an eye on things. Also, could rarely understand their descriptions of plates (mainly starters and desserts), where it felt like they were trying to urgently get out the details before sprinting back to the kitchen. Maybe under-staffed? Altogether, great food, huge amount to work on for service of a Michelin star though, so depending how much this matters to you should influence your decision to go.

The food overall was very good — beautiful use of high-quality Irish produce, clearly sourced with care. The atmosphere was lovely: warm, rustic, and inviting. However, we were really let down by one dish in particular — a crab course that contained several sharp pieces of shell. My partner had to remove 6 or 7 fragments from her mouth after biting down on them, which is not only unpleasant but quite dangerous. We showed the pieces to the waitress, who acknowledged the issue and said she’d inform the kitchen, but that was the last we heard of it. No apology, no follow-up, no gesture whatsoever. For a restaurant of this reputation and price point (we paid over €300 for the meal), we expected a far higher level of care and service. A shame, because it otherwise could have been a standout experience.