Photos: A sampling of Co. Wicklow’s restaurants and pubs includes: (top row) the Wicklow Heather at Laragh, near Glendalough, and th Roundwood Inn, Roundwood; (middle row) The Cartoon Inn, Rathdrum, Poppies at Enniskerry, and the Hungry Monk, Greystones; and (bottom row) Fitzgerald's Bar, Avoca, and the Coach House, Roundwood, Roundwood Inn, Roundwood.

Co. Wicklow Restaurants

Avoca Café, Avoca Handweavers, Avoca, Co. Wicklow (tel. 0402-35105). Although many people come to shop for the colorful Avoca woollens, they wind up staying for lunch or a snack. Food is fresh and healthy, using many local ingredients for homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, quiches, and casseroles. Farmhouse cheeses and multi-grain breads are also featured. The food is so delicious that customers keep asking for the recipes — and two Avoca Café cookbooks have been the result. Other Avoca Café locations in the East area are at N 11, Kilmacanogue, Co. Wicklow (tel. 01-286-7466); Powerscourt House, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow (tel. 01-204-6066); Mount Usher Gardens, Ashford, Co Wicklow (tel. 0404-40205); and Rathcoole, off the Naas Rd., Co. Dublin (tel. 01-257-1800). Open daily. Web Site: www.avoca.ie

Fishers Buttery, Main Street, Newtownmountkennedy (tel. 01-281-9404). Tucked at the back of a classy sports clothing shop, this little café is a bit off the beaten track but worth a detour – for a snack (cappuccino or espresso with hot scones or biscuits, laced with butter, cream and jam) or for lunch. The menu offers unusual items such as Caesar salad, oak smoked-chicken or salmon, baked scallop or crab, hot tuna melt, hot chicken pesto, cold honey baked ham and freshly pureed vegetable soups. Open Monday – Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Web site: www.fishers.ie/the_buttery.php

Gordon Ramsay At Powerscourt, at The Ritz Carlton Powerscourt Hotel, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, tel. 01-274-8888. Renowned for his Michelin-star winning restaurants in London, New York and beyond, chef/author/entrepreneur Gordon Ramsay has brought his culinary star power to Ireland along with “an amazing dining experience” (his own words).  Reservations are required months ahead as Ramsay’s reputation draws them in, at a hefty €100 euro per head for the set dinner tasting menu and considerably more for a la carte meals. But then, the setting is superb – looking out onto lush gardens backed by the Sugar Loaf Mountain. And where else will you find a choice of ravioli of lobster and Clare Island salmon; roast partridge with potato fondant, trompette mushrooms and mead sauce; roast sea scallop with crisp pork belly; watercress velouté with poached hen egg and crispy pancetta; Tipperary beef fillet with baked sweet potato, roasted peanuts, broccoli and oak smoked sauce; or loin of Wicklow venison with pickled red cabbage, chocolate gnocchi and red wine sauce, not to mention a finale of the vanilla panna cotta with strawberry and black pepper sorbet. It is easy to see that Ramsay is yearning to earn Michelin stars here. Check your wallet. If it is bursting with euro, this is for you. Web site: www.gordonramsay.com/dublin

Hungry Monk, Church Rd., Greystones (tel. 01-287-5759). Well established in the seaside town of Greystones since1988, this upstairs restaurant specializes in the freshest of local seafood, prepared and presented in creative ways, as well as favorite meat dishes (rack of lamb, crispy duck, beef bourguignon). The restaurant takes its names from a monk-themed décor and menu art. A bistro/wine bar also operates on the ground floor with more limited choices but equally good food. Open for dinner Tuesday – Sunday and Sunday lunch. Closed: 24-26 December. Web site: www.thehungrymonk.ie

Hunters Hotel, Newrath Bridge, Rathnew (tel. 0404-40106). Old world charm is the keystone of this restaurant, with antiques, polished brass, heirlooms, vintage prints, open fireplaces, and splendid gardens. Specialties include roast Wicklow lamb, prime ribs of beef with Yorkshire pudding, stuffed chicken and ham, and fresh wild salmon, served with herbs, vegetables and fruits come from the garden. Established over 280 years ago, this creaky coach house has been in the same family for five generations and is popular with the locals. Open for lunch and dinner daily. Web site: www.hunters.ie

Poppies, The Square, Enniskerry (tel. 01-282-8869), is a small café situated in the heart of a picturesque town. For almost 25 years, it has been a haven for locals and visitors who seek daytime home-cooking (specialties include rhubarb crumble), and an array of vegetarian dishes and salads. Open daily year-round from early morning till 6 p.m. Web site: www.poppies.ie

Roundwood Inn, Main Street, Roundwood (tel. 01-281-8107). Antique furnishings, wooden floors and open fireplaces add to the atmosphere of this 1750’s coaching inn, set in the center of Wicklow’s highest mountain village. It is known for fresh seafood (salmon, lobster, crab claws, prawn bisque) and international cuisine from Irish stew to Hungarian goulash. Full meals are served as is bar food. Open daily for lunch, snacks and dinner. W

Wicklow Heather Restaurant, Main St., Laragh (tel. 0404-45157). Surrounded by flowering gardens and a short drive from Glendalough, this family-run eatery is an affordable and reliable choice for snacks and full meals throughout the day. Open daily. Web site: www.thewicklowheather.com

Co. Wicklow Pubs

Cartoon Inn, Main St., Rathdrum (tel. 0404-46774). Have a laugh or a chuckle as you enjoy a beverage or homemade soups, sandwiches, and other light refreshments at this humor-themed pub. The walls are lined with the works of many leading Irish and international cartoonists.

Coach House, Main St., Roundwood (tel. 01-281-8157). It’s hard to pass this 1790’s pub by without a drink or at least a photograph — the Tudor-style facade is adorned with baskets filled with colorful flowers. Antiques and local memorabilia make the interior just as enticing. Web site: www.thecoachhouse.ie

Fitzgerald’s Bar, Main St., Avoca (tel. 0402-35108). As a focal point for the cast in the TV show, Ballykissangel, this pub attracts a lot of passing traffic. Although you won’t find the main character “Assumpta” behind the bar, you will find the same setting and good times including live music every weekend. Web site: www.avoca.com/fitzgeralds_index.html

The Meetings, at the Vale of Avoca, Avoca (tel. 0402-35226). Situated beside the storied “Meeting of the Waters” which inspired poet Thomas Moore, this Tudor-style pub is decorated with Moore artifacts and other local treasures. On summer weekends, there is often traditional Irish music or an open-air ceili. Web site: www.themeetingsavoca.com

Co. Kildare Restaurants & Pubs

Lawlors of Naas, Poplar Square, Naas (tel. 045-897332). A longtime favorite meeting place for trainers, owners, jockeys, and racing fans, this longstanding favorite offers a varied menu of snacks, homemade soups, and seafood including the house special of Lawlors fish smokies. Open for lunch and diner daily. Web site: www.lawlorshotel.ie

Les Olives, 10 S. Main St., Naas (tel. 045-894788). Tucked in a first floor setting over a pub in the centre of town, this contemporary restaurant is known for its seafood dishes such as prawn kebabs, lobster salad, and John Dory sole, as well as exotic meats ranging from ostrich to kangaroo. Open for dinner Tuesday – Sunday. Web site: www.lesolivesrestaurant.com

Silken Thomas, The Square, Kildare (tel. 045-522232). Located in the centre of town and with a décor of dark woods and brass, this historic award-winning pub is named after a famous character in local history who led an unsuccessful rebellion against England. There is a carvery lounge for bar-style meals. Web site: www.silkenthomas.com

Yum Yums, Tully, Kildare Town (tel. 045-521619). This café is the self-service restaurant at the Irish National Stud, designed in the style of a Japanese Teahouse amid lush gardens, with indoor and outdoor seating. An ideal place for a snack or full meal, the menu varies each day but includes freshly-made soups, salads, sandwiches, hot dishes, and all types of breads, cakes, pies, and scones. Open for lunch and snacks, mid-February to mid-November.

Co. Louth & Co. Meath Restaurants & Pubs

Boyle’s Licensed Tea Rooms, Main St., Slane, Co. Meath (tel. 041-982-4195). Housed in a shopfront setting and operated by the third generation of the Boyle family, this old world restaurant has kept much of its 1940’s charm and décor. Food is served all day but most people gather here for a traditional afternoon tea with all the trimmings. As testimony to its global clientele, the menu is printed in 12 languages. Open Monday and Wednesday – Saturday.

The Forge Gallery, Collon, Co. Louth (tel. 041-982-6272). Established 20 years ago, this restaurant is housed in a former forge, transformed into a modern restaurant with local artwork on the walls. The creative menu, which blends French provincial with “new” Irish cuisine, features local produce, local meats such as Cooley lamb, and seasonal seafood. It is situated on N2, between Slane and Ardee. Open for dinner only, Tuesday-Saturday. Web site: www.forgegallery.ie

The Oystercatcher Bistro, Market Square, Carlingford, Co. Louth (tel. 042-937-3922). For seafood fans, it’s worth a trip to the northern perimeter of County Louth to this small shopfront restaurant just to indulge in Carlingford oysters, lobsters, crab, and other local “fruits de mer.” The menu also offers an assortment of locally sourced organic meat and vegetarian dishes. Open for dinner only, Tuesday – Sunday. Web site: www.theoystercatcher.com/restaurant.htm

Co. Louth & Co. Meath Pubs

Monastery Inn, Clonard, Co. Meath (tel. 044-75121). In this area rich in monastic settlements and relics, this old world pub fits right in. The décor features wall-to-wall monastic information in prints, pictures, and artifacts, as well as a welcoming open fireplace. Bar food is available all day. It is located southwest of Trim on the main N 4 road, on the County Westmeath border.

O’Hare’s, Main St., Carlingford, Co. Louth (tel. 042-937-3106). Located in the heart of town, this vintage pub hasn’t changed much over the years, with hard-wood floors, a big open fireplace and a traditional grocery at the front. Carlingford oysters are the specialty on the bar food menu. Traditional music sessions are on tap on Thursday nights and jazz on Sunday afternoons.

Ryans Bar, 22 Trimgate St., Navan, Co. Meath (tel. 046-21154). Built on an original town wall, this pub exudes an old world atmosphere with dark woods, globe lamps, tin ceiling, wood floors, and old photos on the walls. Bar food, served at lunchtime on weekdays, goes beyond the usual pub grub, with stuffed panini sandwiches, wraps and toasties.

Scanlon’s of Kilberry, Kilberry Cross, Navan (tel. 046-902-8330). Situated about a 10-minute drive north of Navan, this thatched-roof Irish pub is a blend of old and new. The original bar is outfitted in traditional style with timber floors and open fireplaces, while a newer section offers big screen TV for sports fans. Live bands play music on weekends. Food is served throughout the day and evening.

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