Paradiso

Chef and founder Dennis Cotter was pioneering “locally-sourced and artisanal” a decade or more before the concept even had a name, working closely with local growers to foster the culture and ecosystem which has since spread to define wider Cork cuisine.

Chef Cotter found like-minded collaborators such as Ultan Walsh of Gort na Nain farm (just to the south of the city) to join in his crusade to raise locally grown produce and vegetarian food to supreme levels.

And the result is a shining example of a local champion who has built an international reputation with Café Paradiso, encouraging a generation of Cork growers to get the very best out of our rich soil.

Dennis Cotter has won wide praise for this innovative approach and his fierce loyalty to local producers and ingredients.

On Lancaster Quay in the heart of the city, Paradiso is a must for serious foodies visiting Cork.

Diners will find the emphasis on rich, complex flavours and a focus on seasonal ingredients, with the Paradiso kitchen delivering an exciting and pleasurable dining experience which puts vegetables front and centre. This unique food is matched by a carefully curated list of wines, all open and available in four measures.

Now something of an iconic institution in the Cork dining scene and the wider Irish food culture, Paradiso is still operated by co-owners Denis Cotter and Ger O’Toole.

The Café continues to evolve and develop, working with local farmers and cheesemakers to encourage a strong supply of local produce for the ever-changing seasonal menus.

Four acclaimed cookbooks by Denis Cotter are available from the online shop and in the restaurant. Denis also has extensive experience in teaching, writing and food consultancy.

Refurbished in 2009 — not once but twice due to the massive flooding of the western end of the city — the intimate dining room retains much of the comfortably warm feel of the original cafe style, designed to emphasise the effect of placing high quality food and wine service in a casual, relaxed setting.

Over the restaurant, two spacious guestrooms are available as part of a dinner/stay package. Paradiso experience is warm, inclusive and exciting.

And Chef Cotter and his team continue to be standard bearers for the very best values of Cork’s food culture.