Definitely the most mouth-watering prawns I’ve had in my entire life: Restaurant King Sitric Seafood Bar (22. May 2022)
In all honesty, I would never have gone out here to Howth if it wasn’t for Anthony Bourdain who had visited King Sitric a few years ago in one of his episodes. Given, he did, and we were close anyway, we decided to give it a try and drove out here for having a real seafood experience. A heads-up though, make sure you book well in advance – the place is not that big, and it was absolutely booked out and people kept being sent away since it was fully booked.
If you manage to get a table, though, make sure to dig into the whole seafood experience. We started with “oyster with red wine vinaigrette” (EUR 2.40 each) which were good – and I’m saying that although I’m usually not a big fan of oysters.
The “seafood chowder (smoked fish, salmon & mixed vegetable cream soup, served with brown bread)” (EUR 9.00) is an experience of its own – and a meal of its own. The chowder was delicious and absolutely enjoyable. Intense. Full of texture. But if you want to indulge into as many things as somewhat possible, maybe skip the chowder (although it’s great).
They had run out of Crab Legs, so we got the “Crab Salad (white crab meat, spring onion, chilli, celery, cucumber and mayonnaise served with brown bread)” (EUR 16.00) instead. And it was perfect – great crab meat, great combination with celery, just overall very enjoyable!
My absolute highlight here were the “prawns in garlic butter (served with sourdough)” (EUR 26.00) which sounded somewhat boring. But I tell you, these were the best prawns I have had in my life. They were so incredibly delicious, so smooth, so rich, so full of flavour, just really unforgettable – I still remember that feeling when you would take it in your mouth, and it would basically just melt the moment it touched your tongue. Delicious – creating pure happiness for your taste buds!
The “rope-grown mussels (mussels with cream, garlic, leeks and white wine, served with brown bread)” (EUR 10.00) are a good treat too. High quality mussels with enough garlic and leek to add a bit more than just the mussels – and a great white wine sauce.
The “fried calamari (buttermilk marinated squid served with jalapeño aioli)” (EUR 8.00) were not chewy but they were still the disappointment of the lunch. There was nothing wrong with them, but there was also nothing special about them. Fried calamari. And a rather spicy jalapeño sauce. That’s the one dish I wouldn’t order again.
The “Fish and Chips (wild Irish white fish, breadcrumbed and tatar sauce)” (EUR 17.00) was fine. I mean, the fried fish was, the fries weren’t all that amazing. They weren’t really fried, i.e., they could have been better as the inside of the fries was still somewhat floury and, therefore, not really that enjoyable.
At that point in time, we were already rather stuffed. But of course we had ordered more already and the “smoked haddock smokies (smoked haddock, crème fraîche, spring onion, gratinated with Regato cheese with sourdough)” (EUR 10.00) were served. Looking at it, it felt like having an incredibly heavy dish again, which I was definitely not ready for! However, it actually turned out to taste great and be not that heavy as I had expected. Yes, sure, not the lightest dish I’ve had in my life but definitely quite enjoyable.
The place is revamped compared to the TV series, and it’s rather nice all in all – I mean, the place is lovely and simple. And the staff is super friendly, attentive, welcoming and even a bit jovial but reminds professional – perfect.
The place looks simple from the outside and I guess you have a chance to score a table at one of these little wooden huts in the cold outside – however, as mentioned, if you want to sit inside (which is still very much recommended during this time of the year), I strongly advise you to book well in advance.
Overall, I liked the King Sitric Seafood Bar quite a lot since the prawns were out of this world, heavenly, if I had to use one word! Frankly, you should go here and try these prawns – so damn worth it!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant King Sitric Seafood Bar
E Pier
Howth
Dublin (IE)
Tel.: +353 1 832 52 35
Homepage: http://www.kingsitric.ie
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
