Pat Golden's family run "one stop shop" on the Ring of Kerry is extremely useful to know about - not only will you get good home cooking here, but there's a post office and foodstore, filling station, tourist information point and bureau de change.
Aside from these practical points, there are more interesting aspects to this many-sided venture as it also includes a fine craft shop, with quality Irish clothing and gift items and a unique attraction in the shape of 'The Golden Mile Nature Walk' up behind the quarry, which is just the place to walk off your lunch.
The restaurant is on the first floor with large windows to take in panoramic views over Kells Bay to the Dingle Peninsula and – appropriately - the cooking style complements the best in locally-sourced fresh food.
The fish – everything from crab to sea bass - comes from the sea within sight of the door, and the speciality Kells seafood pie makes the most of this, combining a range of fresh fish with smoked mackerel and fresh herbs in a creamy sauce.
Plenty of other traditional dishes are available too of course, including nourishing soups, smoked salmon with freshly baked brown bread and homemade lasagne.
And anyone who just wants to pop in for a cup of coffee and a dessert (they claim that their Illy coffee is the best coffee in South Kerry) will be glad to know that good home baking is a particular strength at The Quarry, with desserts and snacks ranging from enormous meringues to freshly-baked scones and cookies.
The pricing is reasonable (most main courses around EUR12) and, best of all perhaps, this is somewhere you can get a decent bite to eat during the day on a Sunday, when most of our recommendations in the area are closed.
