Former head chef at the cottagey Milesian Restaurant, next door, Greg O'Mahoney and his wife Emily opened this more modern café and deli in 2015.
It's an attractive spot and, best of all, the large garden at the back presented an opportunity to grow their own organic fruit, vegetables and herbs for the kitchen, as well as providing a lovely outdoor dining space for customers (including some scaled down furniture for little people).
Carefully sourced local ingredients have always been the foundation of Greg's cooking, focusing on what’s in season and at its best so, not surprisingly, The Garden Project is Greg's pride and joy, and it's beautifully laid out for maximum production (including ranks of raised beds, and fruit trees and vines being trained on the back wall) while also being a relaxing space for customers to enjoy.
The café and deli serve lovely casual daytime food - gourmet sandwiches and wraps, salads, Ariosa coffee (roasted in Co Meath) - and the opening of the café, deli and garden has helped to make Castlegregory a must-visit destination when touring Kerry, which is great for the local area as well as the lucky visitors.
***Greg O'Mahoney also owns the very successful restaurant Ember, in Dublin.