Deep in the heart of West Cork, husband and wife team, Annmarie Butler and Pat Kiely, began a welcome new venture in the summer of 2022 with the opening of their Wild Garlic Coffee Shop and Restaurant in the charming market town of Dunmanway.
Both are experienced chefs and well known in the area. Annmarie is from nearby Ballinascarthy and has worked in West Cork all her career. She arrived here via Inchydoney Island, where she was executive head chef, while Pat is the former chef/owner of O’Connor’s Seafood Restaurant in Bantry (where Annmarie also worked) and was in East Cork’s Rising Tide before that... Here in Dunmanway, Annmarie heads the cooking (and the baking), while Pat is busy front of house - no wonder they got such as big welcome in the town.
Wild Garlic is an upstairs restaurant, a spacious and light-filled one, with views out over the busy town square. Although simple, it's comfortable and very pleasant, with fresh flowers on every table and specials boards and wine lists on the walls. There's a real sense of place and suppliers mentioned include De Roiste black-pudding, Blue Bell Falls, Bandon Vale, Ballyhoura, Gubbeen, Clonakilty Beer, Shannon Vale, Cashel Blue and more. Fish comes from Union Hall, eggs from West Cork.While they open some evenings, especially in the summer season, the main business here is breakfast and lunch.The menu is wide-ranging. Beginning with breakfast, top quality local ingredients feature in choices that include the Full (and Half) West Cork Breakfast, Porridge (vegan friendly), Granola or perhaps the Caherbeg clove and honey baked ham and smoked Carrigaline Cheddar Omelette. Eggs and mushrooms feature strongly in the Brunch list, though it may be hard to resist the Vanilla Scented French Toast with Caherbeg streaky bacon and maple syrup.
Salad Bowls, Sandwiches and “Something Substantial” make up the lunch offering.The Signature Salads and Sandwiches always go down well - try the Chef’s Buddha Bowl, for example (pick your own protein), or the PO Boy Baguette with West Cork crumbed haddock, mango mayo, pickled cucumber, house slaw, all with fries or salad.
Then there are the Substantial dishes and there's quite a choice, from Quiche of the Day to Clonakilty Beer Battered Haddock, or Slow braised and rolled feather of Caherbeg Beef - which is very generous, more like dinner disguised as lunch perhaps.
Young diners are well catered for too - Wild Garlic offers a full kids menu and they're very child friendly, with all kids meals made to order and coeliac options too.
All round, Wild Garlic is a really useful place to know about when in West Cork - one for the SatNav!
