Cork's Best Food Tours

What's a Doughnut Tour Doing in Ireland's Food Capital? Plenty.

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On an island in the Lee

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Cork's city centre sits on an island between two channels of the River Lee. Compact, a little hilly, easy on foot. We meet at Cameron Bakery on Parnell Place, a family bakery, and the morning starts properly with pastries and coffee.

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Then into the middle of town. St Patrick's Street curves along with its Georgian facades, the Grand Parade opens up, and your guide explains how Cork came to be called the Rebel County (Corkonians will happily tell you it's deserved). Butter Bubble is next, with soft Asian style buns baked upstairs, a taste of the city's newer food scene.

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The Huguenot Quarter comes after, where French Protestant refugees once settled. Down French Church Street, Café Mexicana is waiting with warm churros. Offbeat Donuts brings the doughnuts proper, flavours like apple crumble and lemon meringue. Somewhere in between you'll skirt the edge of the English Market, trading since 1788, and pass through Rory Gallagher Square, named for the guitarist Cork still claims with pride.

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Bring a jacket, just in case

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It's Ireland. The weather has opinions. Happily, this walking tour has plenty of stops where you can sit down indoors, so a shower barely registers.

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If you're coming in on a cruise, the train from Cobh drops you a short walk from the start, which makes the Cork Historic Doughnut Tour an easy fit for a port day. It's a food tour first and a history walk second, though by the end you may not be sure which.