The Speckled Door — Restaurant in The Municipal District of Bandon-Kinsale

The Speckled Door is an absolute gem! We visited it during our road trip in August because my girlfriend had been there 15 years ago and couldn’t stop talking about the legendary crab claws she had back then.

When we arrived, it felt like time had stood still – everything was just as she remembered. The atmosphere is stunning: the cliffs by the sea, the breathtaking landscape – truly unforgettable! The ambiance left a deep impression on me and is something I’ll always cherish.

Although the crab claws weren’t on the menu or the daily specials, we asked the incredibly friendly waitress if there was any chance we could still have them. Without hesitation, she checked with the kitchen, and they made them for us. It was my first time trying crab claws, and they were absolutely delicious!

The service was outstanding: attentive, friendly, and accommodating. I’m already planning to return in 2025, almost solely because of these crab claws. A huge thank you to The Speckled Door team for making this such a...

If you forget how much you pay for the food you're being served, the place have an amazing view and offers a really nice outdoor space. The management of the place is absolute garbage though, with waiters/waitresses running everywhere, no one taking the orders, the running staff having to clean the tables as well as bring the food and remove the glasses on the tables, while depending the time and day, some other dude may be waiting doing nothing behind the bar... My advice: get a glassy for the dirty glasses and the whole bar area (washing machine, tidiness etc) and get at least 1 more staff only taking orders, not in the middle of the place but on the tables people are seating at, to avoid the queue there is at the moment at the bar/pay station. Oh, and get some people with actual energy, not some laid-back and slow as...

Not sure why it's got a 4*+ rating, other than most of the reviews are old, location is excellent but that's where it ends.

Food was pretty sad, some very overcooked steaks and microwave lasagna, coupled with every dish being served with the choice of chips and salad or potatoes and veg, but the sides came our group of 6 were served 3 little half empty dishes of salad and 3 little chip dishes, when I checked with the waitress she informed me that each was supposed to be for 2 to share, really bizarre as when I asked her she'd just placed 2 baskets of chips on another couples table (e.g one each). With 3 of our group ordering a steak at 30e each "with all the trimmings" you think they'd let us all have our own chips and salad.

Anyway, that aside, wouldn't return other than...