about paradiso

About Paradiso

First opened in October 1993, Paradiso has long attracted international acclaim for the innovative and groundbreaking vegetable cuisine of Denis Cotter, founder and executive chef. With its emphasis on rich, complex flavours and a focus on seasonal ingredients, the Paradiso kitchen delivers an exciting and pleasurable dining experience while putting 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 operated by co-owners Denis Cotter and Ger O’Toole. It continues to evolve and develop, working with local farmers and cheesemakers to allow a strong supply of local produce to influence the seasonal menus. In particular, the kitchen works closely with Ultan Walsh of Gort-Na-Nain Farm near Nohoval, south of the city.

Four acclaimed cookbooks by Denis Cotter are available from the Paradiso 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; an idea that happily seems to be taking root again in the wider restaurant scene.

Over the restaurant, two spacious guestrooms are available as part of a dinner/stay package. In a city as rainy as Cork, you simply cannot exaggerate the pleasure of skipping upstairs to bed after dinner over traipsing off down the street.