Don’t drink Guinness
Beamish (which has a brewery in downtown Cork) and Murphy’s are favoured over Guinness in southern Ireland. Their similar-ish to Guinness, but Murphy’s is a little darker and stronger, while Beamish is a bit lighter. They’re both a must-taste.
Great bars
Sin é (translation: this is it) and Dan Lowrey’s on the north side of the river are both great local boozers — not too posh, not too grungy. On the south side around St Patrick’s Street are dozens of pubs you can wander into and feel at home. Maybe it’s a mystical Irish thing, but on the weekends, bars seem to heave with people having a good craic without being overly raucous.
The English Market
The strangely-named English Market is right in the centre of Cork, and is the place to go for fresh food. Upstairs is the fantastic Farmgate Restaurant, which does authentic, locally-produced Irish food. The seafood chowder and Irish stew are both great, and the oysters come from the fishmonger downstairs.
