Tucked into a side street in Rathmullan village, Martin Kelly and Monica Santos’ long-established restaurant has real draw-you-in appeal from the road – and if that doesn’t work, their interesting menu will always do the trick. It first opened in 1993 and soon became one of the most popular dining destinations in the region, famous for the excellent Irish, European and South American cooking and great atmosphere.
Monica is Brazilian and that has always had an obvious influence, not only on the food offered (which is unique in this area), but also the unusual artwork on the walls and beautiful crafts from Ireland and Brazil, which are available for sale. In 2011 the couple took a four year break in Brazil, but then returned to Rathmullan, promising ' the same inventiveness and originality where you can treat yourself to fresh, healthy and locally-sourced dinner'- and, to the delight of all concerend, that is exactly how it turned out.
Fish and seafood dishes such as their Portuguese salted cod balls starter, Bolinho de Bacalhau, and mains like the colourful Brazilian Moqueca De Frutos do Mar, with its plentiful variety of seafood in a fresh tomato and red pepper sauce (with a vegetarian version offered also), are some of the longterm favourites that established their reputation and still bring fans from far and wide - and there have always been simpler options too, including a fine Donegal sirloin steak and beer bettered Greencastle cod & chips with chilli minted peas.
A well chosen wine list complements the menu and then, of course, there was also Martin’s “very good chocolate cake” with its world-wide reputation, although mini Spanish churros (caramel & chocolate) or Eton Mess may be more likely to do the honours today.
Offering a different dining experience, atmosphere and good value, it’s not hard to understand this friendly, bustling estaurant’s enduring popularity - and it now also has a little sister, the café Éan Eile, in Letterkenny, serving breakfast, lunch and homemade sweet treats.
And that's not all: each February Martin and Monica also host the Rathmullan Film Festival, a fun event that has given visitors a new reason to head fro Donegal in early spring since 2028.
