The Purple Heather

Had just a short break for lunch in Kenmare and took the advice of the Rick Steves guidebook to stop at the Purple Heather. Glad we did. Staff was warm and welcoming and there were only locals in the place so it made us feel like real Irish. The food was good. The Mrs and I both had toasted special sandwiches (ham and cheese with onion on toasted white bread). A grilled cheese sandwich with character! I also had a cup of tomato soup that was served so hot I barely had time to let it cool before leaving. Very tasty. Quaint atmosphere. We loved it.

Stumbled upon this place one morning and had brunch. It was awesome, half of our party had beautiful omlets and the others had sandwich’s. Fresh, delicous and reasonable. Highly recommend.

We always eat here when in Kenmare but were very disappointed on our recent visit. The usually high standard of food has vastly deteriorated. A very average lunch of soup, sandwiches and a drink each for 2 adults and 2 young children cost € 60! Beef soup was watery and served in tiny tea cup sized bowls. The fish soup (€ 8.50) was flavourless with the only hint of fish being a crab claw at the bottom. The sandwiches had nice cheese in them but were tiny and expensive. A basket of bread was served with the soup with three half slices of nice brown breadin it, but we had great difficulty getting any more. Overall vastly overpriced and very poor quality. The bill annoyingly was not itemised which is surprising. We will not be back.

My family and I have visited Ireland on two occasions, each time setting up camp on the Ring of Kerry. On our first visit to the quaint, beautiful town of Kenmare, we stumbled on the Purple Heather Bistro. On our second visit, we made a point of returning.
The Purple Heather is Irish pub at its best. The ambiance is cozy, with dark woods, low lighting, intimate booths and tables, and Irish memorabilia tucked into corners and stored on fireplace mantles. As in most pubs, a peat fire crackles away with its sweet, smoky aroma.
The food is delicious at Purple Heather. We love their soups, especially, which are all homemade and served with the usual Irish brown bread. Purple Heather’s brown bread is wonderful: dense, moist, nutty, chewy. Everything you want from brown bread! It makes a perfect soup sopper — the vegetable soup is a savory, salty purée of a number of veggies. The Irish stew is thick and loaded with cubes of tender lamb, potatoes and carrots. Everything comes «Ireland hot,» as we’ve dubbed it: piping, steaming hot! I happen to love it that way. Sandwiches are also great, with a better variety than you’ll find at most pubs. Having a nice sandwich half to dunk in your soup or stew is a great bonus.
Tucked away on a side street, you could almost miss the Bistro. But making the effort to locate it will be well worth your time!

Never had a bad meal here. The seafood salads are particularly wonderful.
The staff are great too!
Not sure about the British categorisation! How about Irish, or European?!

One of my favourite places for lunch in Kenmare… Food is consistently good with a varied menu from soup, open sandwiches, seafood and gorgeous deserts. Everything tastes amazing yet somehow feels healthy due to the good quality ingredients. Prices are quite reasonable too, no more than between € 5 and € 15… Perfect place to sit in front of the fire and enjoy lunch or have a drink on a cold winters day!