Cork’s English Market makes a trip to Ireland’s third largest city and arguably its culinary capital complete. The market has a huge selection of delicious fresh made items including fantastic grilled sausages, paninis, authentic Italian style spaghetti, wonderful artisan breads and amazing Italian and Spanish salamis and cured hams to make sandwiches with. It is particularly great if you have a fridge where you are staying. If you have a kitchen, pick up some Irish pudding, or at least try it over a full Irish breakfast.
Cork English Market History
The English Market opened in 1862 and features great seafood, meat, produce, dried goods, pastry and chocolate shops. A couple of the butchers and seafood shops looked as good as any we’ve ever seen anywhere in the world. Foodies should include this market during a week in Ireland itinerary.
The market pays special tribute to Queen Elizabeth II of England’s official state visit to Ireland in May, 2011. That visit saw England’s queen visit the Cork English Market in a green dress, as she made small gestures to make amends for past history. It is perhaps the most memorable footage of her visit to the emerald island.
English Market Highlights
You’ll find some pretty cool surprises in the market as well. This gigantic fresh tuna was waiting to be cut open and turned into sushi, sashimi or ahi tuna steaks. Whatever you choose there is a winner.
Kangaroo meat in Ireland? Yup, you’ll find it at the Cork English Market! Ireland produces high quality beef and lamb thanks to its rolling green pastures and clean air. In comparison, chicken is expensive compared to other countries. But the chicken is also generally good quality in Ireland.
There are treats galore at the English Market. If you have a kitchen to cook some of the excellent food on offer, try some Irish pudding. Keep in mind that “Irish pudding” is not what most Americans think it is. We generally preferred white pudding over black pudding. But the Clonakilty brand was a favorite black pudding.
Cork English Market Trading Hours
The English Market is conveniently located in the center of Cork. Its weekly opening hours are 8.30am-6pm.
The English Market is closed every Sunday as well as Bank Holidays.
Upcoming Bank Holidays are included below:
18th of March, 1st of April, 6th of May, 3rd of June, 5th of August, 28th of October, 25th & 26th of December
Cork English Market Recap
We recommend eating lunch or breakfast at the English Market, on any day it is open. Head over to a delicious vendor like gourmet sausage grill. Buy yourself one of the best freshly grilled chorizo sausages you will find anywhere on Earth. Save eating at a restaurant for dinner time.
No trip to Cork is complete with a visit to the English Market. If you have a kitchen during your visit, you can really enjoy a feast like a local at “home.” If you live in Cork, let us know what you enjoy cooking from this wonderful market!
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Nice clean market! I’d love to go there.
Yes, it was great! Next time we go we’d love to pick up some fresh meat, it really looked delicious 🙂 Let us know if you make it there.
Yeah! This is a heavenly market as compared to “wet markets” in the Philippines. Kangaroo meat? Love to taste some…
Would love to check out a market in the Philippines! Neither of us have been there…Kangaroo meat is good. Very lean and gamey, a bit like deer steak. We cooked it one time in Australia in a Thai red curry dish. Very tasty 🙂
Whoa! Haven’t tasted deer steak. I love to taste some!!! Deer in Thai curry sauce makes me salivate!!! Though I have tasted weird meats in the Philippines, I would love to taste meats not found here. I would definitely list tasting kangaroo and deer meat in my bucket list.
Deer in curry sauce would be great too!….In Sweden you can get reindeer out in some restaurants. I had that once cooked in a cranberry based sauce. Quite good!