Patricia Fenton’s popular restaurant has a nice folksy atmosphere and a lovely garden where you can eat if the weather is fine.
A relaxing place, with simple wooden furniture, cheerful artwork on the walls and a stone fireplace, it’s known for straightforward traditional cooking based on fresh local ingredients – lamb from the family farm, for example, and a wide choice of fresh local fish.
Patricia's family has been in the fishing industry here for over a hundred years (the restaurant is on the site of her great-grandfather's mackerel curing yard) and, although her menus offer plenty of other choice, including the renowned Dingle mountain lamb, this is mainly a seafood destination.
It pays to take some time to work out what you would like to order, as there may be several options offered - the main à la carte, and one or more specially priced 2- and 3-course menus.
There may be proportionately less fish on set menus, but the choice of seafood on the à la carte is quite extensive, typically including sole on the bone, Ventry Harbour lobster, Dingle Bay scallops and crab, Cromane mussels and a good range of other locally caught fish. Sometimes there will be unusual ingredients too, such as periwinkles foraged in a little cove west of Dingle near their clifftop farm .
A la carte starters are pitched quite high but, as some dishes are very generous and might be more suitable as main courses, it’s advisable to check portion size with the very nice and helpful staff when ordering.
Although there are some international influences (cous cous and Moroccan spicing with lamb, for example), the style is mainly traditional. Typically, there will be good soups, perhaps a starter of smoked fish paté or oysters with shallot vinaigrette, and popular main courses like traditionally matured Angus steak, rack of Dingle lamb, poached organic farmed salmon with colcannon potato cake and cream sauce, or pan-fried Dingle Bay scallop & monkfish with wild garlic butter. Desserts follow the pattern - fruit crumbles, baked cheesecake and banoffee tart, for example.
As in many restaurants, the à la carte menu can seem expensive, but everything is based on the best fresh ingredients, well cooked and simply served - and the special menus offer very good value.
Self catering accommodation is also offered.
Fentons of Dingle : Seats 50 (outdoors, 12); air conditioning; children welcome before 8pm (high chair). D Tue-Sun, 6-10. Early bird D €29.95 6-7pm. House wine €19.50. Closed Mon & Nov-Mar. Amex, Diners, MasterCard, Visa, Laser.
